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Thoughts & Shares
I’m thrilled you’re here. For those who don’t know, Getting Curious started in the summer of 2020. It was inspired by Pursuant’s culture of curiosity and has grown into a small but mighty community of people I trust and respect. This platform offers a place where we can share, challenge, explore and together – advance the impact of the philanthropic sector. I invite you to read, share, and layer in your thoughts. I believe we are better together, and I’m grateful to be on this journey with you.
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I’m thrilled you’re here. In case you are not familiar, Getting Curious started in the summer of 2020. It was inspired by Pursuant’s culture of curiosity and has grown into a small but mighty community of people I trust and respect. This platform offers a place where we can share, challenge, explore and together – advance the impact of the philanthropic sector. I invite you to read, share, and layer in your thoughts. I believe we are better together, and I’m grateful to be on this journey with you. To be sure you do not miss any updates, fill out this form.
This Week: Where to Look
Yesterday a person I trust and respect the heck out of asked me a question. On the surface, it was a simple question. My reaction was not.
This Week: Beliefs, Identity & Change
I'm working on a very interesting project right now (will share details in the coming weeks) that has me doing a lot of reading on the topic of Generational Giving. Last week I read this in a Forbes article...
This Week: Beliefs, Identity & Change
Let me first note that I've posted not one, but two Podcasts this week. I am a late adopter of most things tech related and podcasts were no exception. So as I post this, I wonder why Taylor Shanklin has not taken a well deserved opportunity to say "I told you podcasts were rad" :) You were right Taylor, and I'm now an avid listener to many!
This Week: Snowflakes
I love idiomatic expressions - they feel like a blend of jokes and little puzzles. Since the time my kids were little I would always point them out and together we’d try to crack the code. Years later, it’s still a fun game we play.
This Week: Good for the Soul
The highs and lows of the last few weeks have felt steep. I've watched people say goodbye to family members gone too soon, and I've watched people celebrate births, marriages, and new professional beginnings. There were days that within a matter of hours, I felt like I'd been on every roll-a-coaster six-flags has to offer.
This Week: The Right Tensions
A friend (and Pursuant client) sent me a message at the start of the week with a reference that I can't stop thinking about...
This Week: Ready or Not
Here we are. 2022. A year that many have been eagerly anticipating.As people reflected on 2021, it was hard not to see and feel their exhaustion - mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. We thought 2020 was hard, but we had the adrenaline that comes with 'new'. In 2021 we had to find a way to sustain all the uncertainty, pivoting and the 'new normals' which were anything but new.
This Week: An Ask For Your
Yesterday, I spent the day with my team. Not my direct reports, or my boss, but a matrix group of individuals that are critical to the work I do every day for Pursuant and our clients. I opened the day with an ask:Will you please hold me accountable for this one thing.
This Week: What Do You See?
What do you see in this picture? OK, clearly you see a person, who appears to be a women, sitting at a desk with her head on her computer keyboard.What what do you think it's meant to represent?
This Week: Pause
What's This About?Day 1 Cross organizational collaboration
Day 2 Getting the work done anywhere
Day 3 Exceptional generosity
Day 4 Prioritizing self-care
Day 5 Connecting online
Day 6 Online shopping
Day 7 Letting go of the things
Day 8 Getting more comfortable with help
Day 9 Flexibility in scheduling
Day 10 Trying new things
Day 11 Appreciating the things (MUST READ)
Day 12 Home improvement
Day 13 Resiliency
Day 14 Challenging Business-as-usual
Day 15 People thinking bigger
This Week: Wrong
I'm wrong . . . I'm learningI was wrong . . . I learned something
I might be wrong . . . I'm testing to learn
This Week: Loyal Steed
It's been a while since I've (vulnerably) shared my love for talking animal movies - my favorite being Shrek. Let me fix that with today's musing on my favorite character in the movie - Donkey, Shrek's loyal steed.
This Week: Contemplate
Every once in awhile I’m scrolling through social media and I see something that makes me laugh out loud. Today, the photo below was one.Yes I can rationalize all the reasons this rad swimmer may be pouring bottled water on his head while in a pool, but at first glance, and on the surface - it’s funny.
This Week: Out Of Office
I'm thrilled to share that I just turned on my out of office. This stunning lake in rural Maine and my two kids are going to replace zoom this coming week.
This Week: Symbols
I'm back... back in my happy place. A remote area of Maine that is filled with lakes, loons, frogs, and reminders of the value in slowing down. This year it offers a few extra symbols.
The lake in Maine is one I've been coming to for nearly two decades. For me, it's always been a symbol of summer, vacation, time with family and friends, relaxation and a much needed personal - professional - emotional reset.
This Week: Relaxation
I'm preparing for a trip... a trip that will blend a little working from a different location with a little vacation... so the concept of relaxation has been top of mind for me. Specifically, I've been thinking about what it looks like for me to feel relaxed these days... where am I? what am I doing? who am I with (or without)?
This Week: Shout Out Week
It's shout out week... inspired by Adam Grant's encouragement to embrace a compliment as an expression of gratitude and an act of kindness.
This Week: Simple 5
I can think of no better place to end the week focused on simple statements that are clear and easy to incorporate into an otherwise chaotic day, than the concept of PEACE.
This Week: THE PIE
As we kicked off Pride Month, I've seen this quote in a no less than dozen different Memes. Each saying the same thing but associating with a different graphic... mostly ones that include Pride and Peace Flags. As an ally of the LGBTQIA+ I love them all.
This Week: CONFIDENT HUMILITY
To close out the week of tips on how to create space in your day (or slack as Adam Grant calls it), I'm going to steal one of my favorite phrases from Adam himself. The final tip, is about confident humility. here's what I mean.
This Week: CONTROL
To bring some closure to this week's discussion on the sliding door moment we're in, I see no better place to land than the concept of control - or perhaps better stated, our false sense of it.
This Week: PLEASE THINK AGAIN
For those with a delicate constitution, I have worked to edit the image for today, and I'm sorry in advance to anyone who feels offended - but I couldn't help myself.
This Week: GRITTY HUMANS
I have been waiting a long time to talk about GRIT - and I suspect this will be my first time but not my last. I find it to be a complicated concept that reveals new layers each time I revisit it.
This Week: GROWING
I grew this week, thanks to a number of people (too many to count) who shared their experiences, their thinking, their patience and their resources. I am grateful for them.
This Week: LEADERSHIP
This weeks topic was leadership, as we think about circling back with our constitutes, our colleagues and ourselves - I hope you'll find a way to make this part of your journey.
This Week: ADAPTATION
This week was a real highlight for me. There was something about the topic of adaptation that seemed to resonate with folks and I heard from so many colleagues, friends and even a few new contacts.
This Week: DEI & DIRECT RESPONSE
This week I tried to open up some thinking and discussion around the topic of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Instead of talking about it from an HR perspective, I shared some thoughts on how it can be applied to our direct response efforts.
This Week: DIGITAL TRENDS
This week I planted some seeds on digital trends I'm seeing - watching - and very interested in talking about.
This Week: REFLECTIONS
I was surprised by how few people seem to be planning to go out for RFP. I was also surprised by how little conversation there was around the posts on RFPs (at least by comparison to what I usually see).
This Week: SHARING
I loved thinking about and sharing this weeks posts - they were different than my normal focus and had a direct (and positive) impact on the way I approached my conversations and work this week.
This Week: UNDER THE SURFACE
In recent years, I've been draw to what's under the surface - the why behind the what - the motivation behind the gift - the experience behind the reaction. This photo caught my eye last night and felt like a stunning personification of my growing curiosity.
This Week: FAVORITE THINGS
Each Friday I like to do a recap - to bring some closure to the topic that was on my mind and create a cumulative resource for those interested in following or sharing. Last Friday had a few curve balls, but I am working to keep the commitment so before we open the door to a new week, here goes.
This Week: CHANGE
I've been waxing and waning about change this week. I don't mean to be trite or disingenuous - I'm just deeply passionate about it.
This Week: JACKSON POLLOCK
I think about 'fit' so often, and I wanted to engage this group in that thinking. But with so many aspects to it - and so many interdependencies with each aspect - it's messy. So this week's posts are less fluid and more like a Jackson Pollock painting.
This Week: PAGES
This week I found myself in shock and awe at what I was reading, seeing, and discussing with my colleagues and kids. Yet each day, I'd start a new the with focus and optimism.
This Week: THANKFUL
It turns out I love a hazy IPA. After being a life long pilsner drinker (and often being disappointed by my order) this summer I realized it's actually a hazy IPA that I love (and I've yet to be disappointed by my order).
This Week: PARTNERSHIPS
This week I talked about partnerships, exploring them at a very high-level through a few different lenses. Partnerships have been on my mind recently for a few reasons.
This Week: ENDURANCE
I started my day with a walk along the East River, a hot late, fresh flowers, and a few long, deep breaths. As I sat with my flowers and my coffee this morning, here's what occurred to me.
This Week: LEADERSHIP
Haim Gottfried shared one of my favorite kind of posts – a pay-it-forward gratitude post. In honor of his daughter, he celebrated the incredible women he has worked with throughout his career, women like Jill Clark.
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This Week: SHARING IS CARING
What a week. I love to write blogs and whitepapers, to develop content for webinars and conferences, and to present to industry colleagues and clients.
This Week: DECLINE
My former colleague Jesica D'Avanza a brilliant marketer and good human. She had a great post yesterday and I woke up this morning still thinking about it.
This Week: PEOPLE
TGIF... an acronym that has taken on a whole new meaning for many of us during this time. As we close out the week, here’s a recap of the topics that generated (some very exciting) conversations this week!
This Week: BREAKING NEWS
I interrupt this morning's onslaught of breaking news (which is likely interrupting your already jam-packed day) to share a recap of the incredible conversations that took place this week on the topic of DIGITAL!
This Week: YES!
What an amazing week - and what an amazing series of conversations from smart, thoughtful leaders. Below is a recap of the week's conversations.