In Our Toolkit Trying something new is not just about being brave enough to begin. It is also about being willing to learn in front of other people, which can feel much more vulnerable than learning privately where no one can see our uncertainty, awkwardness, or effort. Most of us want to be good at
My daughter created a piece of art that included my mother, me, and herself. My mother was the central image. Photos of me and Bree were layered into the piece. The piece was called Maternal. And it hung in The Met.
Low attrition right now may not mean that everything is working. It may reflect the external environment more than the internal one. People may be choosing stability in a moment where the risk of moving feels too high, and that means those decisions are often delayed rather than resolved.
I am not interested in using AI to produce more content. I am interested in using it to produce better work. In fundraising, the writing has consequences, so I treat AI like a collaborator that needs direction, not a machine that gets to run on autopilot. Before we write, I set a few non-negotiables…
I haven’t been posting a lot on LinkedIn lately. And when I behave differently, I usually get curious with myself. Why am I avoiding LinkedIn? After some thought, I realized it is because I’m afraid I might sound like what I’ve been seeing a lot: I call it LinkedIn Thought Leader Beige.
In Our Toolkit This time of year, I receive a lot of thank-you notes. I write a lot of them, too. And to be honest, most of them blur together. They’re polite. Appreciative. They hit the expected tone. But they don’t linger. Then every once in a while, I get one that does linger. Just
by Annalisa Holcombe, Founder & Principal Consultant Last week, I joined about a hundred people in silence as we walked through the dark forest at Bloedel. Each of us carried a small lantern. There was no talking, no narration, no instruction—just the light we held and the path in front of us. We were strangers.
Connection Collaborative Annual Report 2024-2025 This year, we celebrated our first full year as Connection Collaborative. We often tell our clients that annual reports are more than a record of impact — they are a chance to reflect, to celebrate, and to plan for what comes next. One day it occurred to us: we should
Taking time off should be simple. But for a lot of high-performing professionals, it isn’t. You’re not just managing your schedule, you’re managing guilt. You’re not just prepping your out-of-office, you’re navigating identity. You want the break, but you also want to feel indispensable. I’ve been there. Early in my career, I measured my worth
by Annalisa Holcombe, Founder & Principal Consultant I’ve been fundraising for a long time. And I’ve seen a lot of job descriptions over the years. But there’s one type of line that still stops me cold. It usually goes something like this: “Ideal candidate has access to 7- and 8-figure donors.” That one sentence tells
