Dear friends,

Happy Thanksgiving! This will be a short letter for a short week.

Avalon will be closed Wednesday through Friday, but your teams will keep everything moving for your campaigns. Giving Tuesday is right around the corner, and I can’t wait to see this year’s numbers. Last year, the NonProfit Times reported a record $2.47 billion raised worldwide, up 25% from 2019, according to the GivingTuesday Data Commons.

November is also Native American Heritage Month. One great resource is the National Museum of the American Indian’s incredible Americans exhibit, which explores the significance of Native American imagery and asks the question: “How is it that Indians can be so present and so absent in American life?” I also recommend this interview with NMAI curator Paul Chaat Smith (Comanche): The Invention of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. I’m excited to spend time with my boys and am thinking of family near and far. I’m grateful for so many things this year. First, thank you to the Avalon team for your hard work, adaptability, and good cheer. I have no doubt that you are the best in our industry. I am especially thankful to my senior leadership team, whose dedication, compassion, and skills are unmatched.

Thank you also to Amy Tripi and her staff, for trusting us to steward your legacy and become your new professional home. We are grateful to have you on our team.

To our fantastic vendors, your partnerships have been invaluable during the past two years of pandemic, and now supply chain, uncertainty. We appreciate you.

Finally, of course, thank YOU! To every client reading this letter, you are Avalon’s reason for being. We are honored to support you and your missions, and you inspire us every day.

Allison Porter, President Avalon Consulting Group 202-429-6080 ext. 102 allisonp@avalonconsulting.net