Connection Collaborative Blog

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

Everyone asks me about a pitch deck. And every time, I bristle just a little. We’re not pitching a product. We’re building belief. The word “pitch” feels transactional to me, like we’re trying to sell something instead of inviting someone into a shared vision. Fundraising isn’t sales. It’s not about convincing someone to buy. It’s

Too often, fundraising language centers the organization—its needs, its plans, its budget gaps. But when we position ourselves as the destination, we miss the deeper truth: donors don’t give to organizations. They give through them. Donors are driven by belief. They give because they want to create equity. Because they care about education. Because they

These days, it seems like every headline brings new grief: genocide, climate disasters, injustice, displacement, rising extremism. We’re all moving through some version of sorrow, anxiety, or disorientation—and it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that your donors are, too. In seasons like this, it can feel awkward—or even inappropriate—to keep asking for support.

by Annalisa Holcombe, Founder & Principal Consultant at Connection Collaborative The world feels heavy right now. War. Famine. Displacement. Rising authoritarianism. The economy feels precarious. Political discourse feels poisoned. It can be hard to look at the headlines — and even harder to know what to do with all that sorrow and fear. And yet,

by Annalisa Holcombe, Founder & Principal Consultant of Connection Collaborative Tell me about the moment the ground shifted under you. Was it loud, or was it quiet?  Did anyone notice but you? What did you feel in that moment—panic? Clarity?  Did something inside you whisper, This isn’t it—even if you weren’t ready to act on

When it comes to fundraising, there’s no one-size-fits-all model. The most successful fundraisers we know aren’t carbon copies of one another—they’ve figured out how to lead with their natural strengths. At Connection Collaborative, we call these your fundraising superpowers. Here are six of the most common types we see—along with ways to spot yours and

The Power of Relationships in Uncertain Times by Annalisa Holcombe, Connection Collaborative founder & principal consultant There’s a conversation I’ve been having a lot lately—with my clients, my colleagues, and even my own family. It starts with a question: What’s next? What’s next for nonprofits in a world where political and economic shifts could upend