“The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.” ― Albert Einstein Friends, Get ready for this jelly–Thursday’s webinar is going to provide some serious value for my overworked, stressed-out nonprofit homies. This Thursday, my pal Dr. Eugene Choi is going to drop some serious knowledge […]
Is your brain in survival or executive mode? Read More »
Real talk: I’m tired, y’all. I’m tired of seeing another headline of mass shootings. I’m tired of reading about yet another hate-related crime committed against people for simply existing in this world as a Black/Asian/Latinx/immigrant/trans/LGBTQ+/unhoused/concert-going/2nd grade attending/churchgoing/mosque-going/just going to work/sleeping at home/jogging down the street/female/breathing person. So, basically, anyone who is currently alive. I’m tired
“…Dogs have such a short lifespan because it’s part of their loving service to us. They are here, among other reasons, to teach us how to die—because they are so good at it, and we are so bad at it…Dogs see all the fear and anxiety that we humans carry around about the subject of
Until we meet again Read More »
I’ve got some sobering news for you. One day–hopefully very far from today–you and I and everybody we know will not exist on this planet anymore. In the midst of a sunny spring that heralds rebirth and renewal, I’ve been contemplating death, loss and change. One of my dear friends lost a loved one recently.
What’s the difference? When you’re playing not to lose, you’re scared to make mistakes. You play safe. You play tense and you hold back. You react and you hesitate. When you’re playing to win, you accept that mistakes are part of the process. You’re willing to take on challenges, risk and the judgment of others.
Are you playing to win or playing not to lose? Read More »
When I was a little baby ED, I fantasized that life would be better once we were a million-dollar organization. Think of all the staff I could hire, think of all the time I would get back by delegating, I would dream. Ha. Mo money, mo problems. It’s not that life was better at $1m
It’s not better there than here Read More »
Why is a Ferrari more expensive than a Honda? Why is the CEO paid more than a janitor? Why does Charity:Water raise so much more money than the local grassroots nonprofit? It’s not because the more expensive thing is “better” or that the big nonprofit does “better” work or that the CEO works harder than
What value are you creating? Read More »
They say it makes an ass out of U and Me. But does it? What happens if we choose to assume good things? What if we assumed that all of the money we needed to fund our work existed and we just needed to find it? What if we assumed that every person we met
What happens when you assume Read More »
Growing is uncomfortable. Doing stuff you’ve never done before is uncomfortable. Risking failure is uncomfortable. But, here’s the thing: you can’t do the same things you’ve always done and expect different results. Success lies on the other side of uncomfortable. Sending that email, taking that donor meeting, risking not knowing what to say: that’s how
Everything you want is on the other side of uncomfortable Read More »
When I wrote my book Get That Money, Honey! The No-Bullsh*t Guide to Raising Money for Your Nonprofit, I had a very clear idea of who my reader was. 26-year-old clueless Rhea. In general, this is an industry that eats its young. We put people into big jobs that they are generally undertrained, under-experienced and/or
Hey, hi, hello. Soooo, you might have heard about this, but I wrote a book Get That Money, Honey! The No-Bullsh*t Guide to Raising Money for Your Nonprofit. This little book baby is the distillation of 20+ years of fundraising, plus the best guidance and advice from my personal mentors and podcast guests. It’s available
The Eagle Has Landed Read More »
I’ve gotten a ton of feedback about my last post about Anna Delvey so….remix! Ok, we can all agree that Anna Delvey is definitely a fraudster and most likely a sociopath. Yes, we all agree that she’s not a good or an ethical person. But, there are some lessons here for fundraisers. To be clear,
Why Anna Delvey would have made a great fundraiser Read More »
I recently took a flight from New York to San Francisco. On the way, I got hooked into Netflix’s new Inventing Anna. If you don’t know the Anna Delvey story, I do hope that rock you’re living under is comfy. To recap, Anna is a fake socialite who conned New York’s elite out of tons
Who do I tell myself that I am? Read More »
This weekend, I was on a phone call with members of our Asian Boss Ladies network. I heard anger. Fear. Outrage. In the aftermath of the murders of Michelle Go and Christina Lee, Asian American women are not doing OK. We are afraid to ride the subways. We are afraid to walk down the street.
The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. –Amelia Earhart When I was a little baby Executive Director, at the helm of a $250K organization, I went to see Rich Berlin for some advice. (For those of you who don’t know Rich Berlin, check out the podcast episode I did with
All you have to do is decide. Read More »
I’ve worked with dozens of fundraisers and nonprofit executives over the course of my career. I’ve found that there are two major blocks that keep people from fundraising success and they’re both internal: Believing that there isn’t enough money in the world. Undervaluing the value you are creating in the world. I’ve spilled a lot
I’ve done a lot of intentional work to let go of my money baggage. I’ve meditated, visualized, manifested, done hypnosis, mantra’ed. Anything that could be done, I’ve done. Specifically, I’ve worked hard to let go of the stories that money is hard to come by, that you have to struggle and work hard to get
Uncertainty and Doubt Read More »
Anybody else have the January blahs? When you wake up in the morning and you just. Can’t. Even. I feel you. We can’t control the way that we feel, but we can control our actions. So, when you’re feeling blah, try getting up, showering and dressing. When you’re feeling lazy, go on that walk
Mood follows Action Read More »
Perhaps a little known fact: I’m an amateur stand-up comedian. Emphasis on the amateur. I’ve bombed on open mic stages all over lower Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn. I’ve told NSFW jokes in front of my parents and born-again Christian aunt in San Francisco. It’s been both mortifying and exhilarating. The only way to be
Bombing before you fly Read More »
Over the holidays, I visited a nonprofit to tour the space for an event. They were housed in a beautiful building that had once been a church. As we walked into the main hall, I was taken aback because in the pews were 122 papier-mache statues of their former and current employees. Each
This webinar will guide you through common constraints that limit the success of your major gift program.
I’ll show you how to realign your focus on what truly matters—building genuine, lasting relationships with your donors.
