Dallas Fort Worth Nonprofit Business Journal

Category: Opinion

  • Board members, please check your egos at the door

    Hi everyone, I had to go to the emergency room for severe pain in my right side, and found out I likely have kidney stones and it may take weeks for it to resolve. I’m on some pain medications. So this post may be slightly cranky and possibly filled with grammatical and spelling errors. Drink lots of water and cut back on sodium. Kidney stones are not fun; 3 out of 5 stars, would not recommend.

    A while ago, I wrote about the Rule of One-Thirds when it comes to boards: One-third of boards are helpful, one-third are useless, and one-third are actually destructive to their missions. Of the two-thirds of boards that are useless or destructive, a lot of it can be blamed on the fact that the default board model we’ve been using is archaic and makes little sense. Let’s take a group of well-meaning people who see one percent of the work, who often have little to no nonprofit experience, and who many times don’t reflect the community being served, and give them vast power over the organization. (And while we’re at it, let’s have them conduct business through Robert’s Rules, a set of rules formalized literally 145 years ago, in 1876).

    While our sector works to explore new governance models, we need to address other issues with boards, namely that many board members, and specifically board chairs, have warped perceptions of their importance, combined with delusions of wisdom. Board members’ egos can be one of the most aggravating things about working in this field. It is probably one of the biggest drivers of EDs/CEOs quitting their jobs to pursue a career in real estate.

    Boards are groups of volunteers who give a lot of time, money, and skills to nonprofits, and should be appreciated. But like funders, you wield enormous power in our sector, which means no one is telling you the truth, and the truth is that many of you are causing a ton of damage. So, if you are a board member, and especially if you are a board chair or will assume this position, please check your egos and remind yourselves of these things:

    1.You, the board, and other board members are not the boss of the ED/CEO: Boards have an important role in maintaining legal compliance and ethical standards at their orgs. Over time, that has led many board members to somehow think they’re basically the supervisors of the ED/CEO. It is ingrained in all of us, and EDs/CEOs will think along this line too. I myself have introduced a board member at an event and joked “this is one of my bosses.” Yes, the board can hire and fire the ED/CEO in the traditional model, but that does not mean they are the supervisors of the latter. This is not a perfect analogy by any means, but I liken boards and staff to legislative and executive branches branches of the US government, respectively. Just because the legislative branch can impeach and remove the president, that does not mean that Congress members and senators are the “bosses” of the president and their staff. So stop thinking and acting like you’re the boss. And everyone, stop joking about it.  

    2.You are almost guaranteed to know less than the staff on just about everything: Because of power dynamics, staff often hold back their opinions, and over time you start to think you know more than the staff on a variety of things. You don’t. This is not a question of your intelligence. Staff spend significantly more time on the organization’s work, because that’s what they’re paid to do, so of course they will know more than you. So when you have a conversation about anything related to the organization and its work—finances, fundraising, staff compensation, capacity building, strategic planning, etc.—and you find yourself disagreeing with the team, remind yourself that you have a fraction of the information and experience that the staff has.

    …

    Read full article

  • Crappy hiring practices that need to die, and some new ones we need to adopt

    The job market is shifting. People are leaving their jobs everywhere and in great numbers. Employers are scrambling to hire people. More unions are forming. And yet, so many organizations and companies still continue to engage in crappy, inequitable hiring practices as if it were still the 1960s and everyone could smoke and drink whiskey during a team meeting.

    On Twitter, someone wrote “So apparently job candidates’ sending a thank you note isn’t a thing anymore? Candidates, pro tip: send a thank you note.” It got several thousand comments and quote tweets saying requiring the follow-up thank-you note is an archaic, ridiculous practice. A colleague (@chanthropology) called it “Victorian performances of white middle class professionalism.” And I agree. It is an unwritten rule steeped in power asymmetry, and it sucks. If employers don’t send job candidates thank-you notes, why should job candidates be expected to do so?

    No more post-interview thank-you notes. Employers, stop expecting it, stop favoring job candidates who do it and punishing those who don’t. All job candidates everywhere, you are hereby excused from ever having to write another thank-you email or card ever again! Go! Be free! Reclaim your time! Write a sea shanty! Learn about scrimshaw! Binge all twelve episodes of animated series Vox Machina; it is excellent!

    While we put the final nail in the post-interview-thank-you-note coffin, here are some other practices we need to stop doing, and a few we need to adopt:

    1.Stop asking for work outside candidates’ portfolios: I saw a job posting that required each job candidate to give one recommendation to improve the company’s website. No. That’s gross. You haven’t hired them, so don’t ask job candidates to do work for free. Don’t ask for bespoke presentations, communications plans, fundraising appeal letters, etc. Not unless you will pay them consulting rates to do it.

    2.Stop requiring formal education for every position: As I wrote here, it is inequitable to require a Bachelor’s or other formal college degree for most positions. And yet tons of organizations still do it. Unless it’s a specialized position (legal, accounting, counseling, etc.), knock it off.  

    3.Stop asking “creative” interview questions: What is your astrology sign? If you were an ice cream flavor, which one would you be? How many gummy bears would fit in this interview room? Don’t ask inane questions and think you’re being clever. You’re not. You’re annoying job candidates while also leaving behind people from different cultural and economic backgrounds.

    4.Stop ghosting people after they spent hours or months on your process: One of the biggest complaints from job candidates is going through hours of a job process and then never hearing from the employer again. Have the courtesy to notify everyone who took time to engage with you.

    Read the full article here

  • BRAVO!!!! Fort Worth Opera BRAVO!!!!

    BRAVO!!!! Fort Worth Opera BRAVO!!!!

    First a confession, I am not a fan of opera but I’m also not not a fan of opera. I’m generally just not an avid consumer of the arts. I dabble here and there when something strikes my fancy. Well, something did.

    I happened to see a small ad online in the Fort Worth Business Press and clicked on the link billed as Say it Loud: A Night of Black Excellence – Songs of a Revolution presented by the Fort Worth Opera. I bought 2 reasonably priced VIP tickets to the show and reception, and received far more value in return.

    After purchasing the tickets, I began to see a little social media buzz about the event. Several posts curious as to what to wear to an afternoon event entitled A Night of Black Excellence. A quandary for sure.

    I was pleasantly surprised to arrive at the theater at IM Terrell High School to an overflowing parking lot and lines out the door. As we took our seats, the theater was truly electric with excitement even behind our masks.

    There were two acts filled to the brim with amazing performances from local and national black talent. Jazz, Broadway, gospel and opera were all performed with an invitation for audience enthusiasm- all stand-up performances.

    If I had to pick just one highlight to share, it would be the commissioned poem written and performed by spoken word poet Leslie N. Polk presented to Ms. Opal Lee titled Praying Feet. It did more than justice to its purpose. Beautiful.

    I don’t typically use DFW501c articles to promote events, but in this case I made an exception. You can still enjoy the performance as it was recorded for streaming and is available beginning March 7th for a $20 ticket. Do it! I promise it won’t disappoint.

    I wasn’t able to make the reception -my fault for not carefully reading the event agenda and managing my calendar better. But, you can be damn sure I won’t make that mistake again – and I think I might take in an opera this year too. Talk about building new audiences!

    As the Fort Worth Opera celebrates its 75th year and its second year under new leadership, I can’t help but look forward to the beautiful art excellence and equity to come.

  • Operation Kindness reports record impact

    Operation Kindness, a leading lifesaving animal shelter, recently released 2021 year-end data reflecting substantial growth compared to pre-pandemic services.

    Highlights of the organization’s impact last year include an 86% increase over 2020 in the number of animals brought into the shelter and a 74% increase in adoptions. Other achievements included providing safety for almost 80 dogs and cats that were transferred from the path of Hurricane Ida, and adding 37 new rescue partners that include human societies, municipal shelters, rescue groups and veterinarians. Rescue partners provide food, shelter and other necessities during natural disasters or increase animal populations.

    Operation Kindness also saw a 28% year-over-year increase in foster services and invested $2 million in its medical care team. Spay/neuter surgeries increased by 78% and 85% more medical exams were provided.

    More than 87,000 pounds of food, litter and treats were donated to the organization’s Pet Food Pantry. Operation Kindness benefitted from 16,700 hours of volunteer support

    Operation Kindness attributes the milestones to community generosity, and notes that the accomplishments over the previous 12 months position it as a national leader in animal advocacy.

    “While Operation Kindness and our community members have faced many challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a generous outpouring of love, support and kindness from amazing individuals committed to helping animals this past year,” said Ed Jamison, chief executive officer of Operation Kindness. “Thanks to our shelter staff, volunteers and our wonderful supporters, 2021 was an incredible time for us. We’re heading into 2022 with just as much determination to help as many animals as we can.” 

    In 2022, Operation Kindness plans to introduce a new neo-natal kitten nursery that will provide 24-hour care for kittens that require specialized medical treatment. The organization also reports that it will continue working with rescue partners in hurricane-prone areas, provide resources to help prevent families from having to surrender their pets, and focus on reducing barriers to adoption by being more accessible and inclusive.

    Operation Kindness has been providing animal wellness services for 45 years. The organization’s complete 2021 Impact Report can be viewed online.

  • We need to have a serious conversation about “Donor Love.”

    Hi everyone, this post will likely generate some vigorous discussions, but before we launch into it, I have an exciting announcement. Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) is seeking to form a Global Council to lead the movement. I and other founding council members will step aside and play a supporting role, because it’s important for the movement to have leadership that is diverse in geography and lived experience. Details and application here. Don’t worry, the founding council members are not going anywhere; we will each get a cloak to mark us as elders, and we’ll be around, providing moral support and, when appropriate, snacks.

    As today is Valentine’s Day, a lot of us will be pondering the age-old question famously asked by philosopher Haddaway: “What is love?” to which he added as a corollary, “Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more.”

    …

    Yes, we have been “operating in an upside-down or inside-out fashion for far too long.” But it is not what the author of this book thinks. Chief among the problems with the way we’ve been trained to center donors’ emotions and comfort is the fact that most donors are white, and so much wealth has been built on white supremacy and inequity, and we have an entire field trained to tell mostly white people that they are heroes who should be coddled and “loved.” And over time, rich, mostly white people start expecting and now demanding to be treated this way. How do we mitigate white supremacy when we keep perpetuating it through our every day practices?

    It can be difficult to grasp just how problematic this is, so let me put it this way…

    read the complete article

  • TCC vs TCC Foundation, a cautionary tale

    In an article published this week in the Fort Worth Report, reporter Jacob Sanchez details the long, growing divide between Tarrant County College and its philanthropic arm, Tarrant County College Foundation.

    Central to this article is an independent development/operations audit performed by nonprofit consultants Project Partners in 2020. This report was commissioned after Tarrant County College communicated the need for the Foundation to raise more than $20 million – or ten times more than it had previously raised in a two year period.

    After reading both the Fort Worth Report article and the Project Partners report, I think there are several sector-typical themes that present themselves:

    • Mandated Fundraising Goals – Over my career, I have heard many, many fundraisers complain about dictated fundraising goals. Several scenarios are repeated often:
      • Balancing the Budget on the Back of Development: Often the organization leadership needs to balance the budget and does so by adding to the fundraising revenue goals. I’ve seen frustrated development leads have to repeatedly defend themselves and their teams when unattainable goals aren’t met.
      • Unrealistic Expectations: Organizational leaders often don’t understand that donors are not an ATM. The process of attracting values-aligned donors and developing mutually beneficial philanthropic relationships takes time, consistency and engagement from all levels of the organization.
    • Do More with the Same – Contrary to popular thinking, donations just don’t come in on their own. It’s a strong competitive landscape with more charities than ever vying for the hearts and wallets of donors. Your story must be told, must be seen and must generate empathy and action. THIS IS FUNDRAISING. Fundraising is a revenue-generation strategy made up of smaller revenue-generation strategies (some with greater return potential than others). The more you invest, the more revenue you will see. There are some good thoughts on this in the Hands-On Fundraising Blog.
    • No Feasibility Study: It is dangerous not to test the philanthropic waters with a professional feasibility study prior to initiating a large fundraising campaign or significantly increasing annual revenue goals. Just because your organization thinks it’s a great project, there are other factors that can affect your success,, including timing, donor interest, and charitable giving . A feasibility study is worth every dime, every time – if you take the advice given.
    • Fundraising Staff Turnover – The well-documented development staff revolving door is not new news, and it only grows more costly every year. Established factors affecting fundraising turnover include pay and benefits, but emphasize the importance to fundraisers of working in an environment of attainable expectations, clear priorities, resource support, and leadership engagement. My last article, Nonprofit Talent Deficit, explored additional challenges to staff retention brought on by the pandemic. Add in a reputation for unrest, short-tenures and lack of respect for professional fundraising and you have an even bigger hill to climb.

    Those are just a few of my takeaways…what were yours?

    Tarrant County College clearly has some work to do. For the sake of their mission, I hope they get it done!

  • Nonprofit Talent Deficit

    Twenty million people quit their jobs in the second half of 2021, according to a recent government jobs report – the highest quit rate since the government started recording that data twenty years ago.  The nonprofit sector is not immune. 

    The National Council on Nonprofits conducted a nationwide survey last fall and published a report indicating that 42% of responding nonprofits had job vacancy rates above 20%.  Anecdotally, we are seeing more than 250% increase in monthly job postings at DFW501c.com. 

    If you haven’t heard a board member or donor say that excessive government benefits are the cause of our current labor shortage, well count yourself lucky.  On a recent episode (The Big Quit) of CBS 60 Minutes, Karin Kimbough, Chief Economist for LinkedIn debunked that thought with data to back it up. 

    “What we saw was that when these benefits were turned off, when workers were no longer getting the benefits, they did not rush back to work,” said Ms. Kimbough. 

    So, in a sector with well-established employee retention issues, this is definitely not good news.  Should we have seen this coming?  A 2021 study from Nonprofit HR revealed that 45% of responding nonprofit employees indicated they would seek new or different employment in the next five years (23% of them indicated they would seek employment outside the sector). 

    So essentially, the pandemic may have just accelerated and amplified some existing afflictions for our sector. Our traditional woes of both financial and nonfinancial factors (pay, promotion, burn-out, supervisor relationships, and work life balance) influencing employee retention remain and have arguably become more important. 

    So what can we do? 

    Never fear, I have a few thoughts…for what it’s worth!

    • ASK and ye shall receive! An employee survey/check-in is probably overdue, but my guess is you may not be asking the right questions. Ask your employees to identify and rank the financial and nonfinancial factors that are important to them, not you.  Then ask them to assess their current job with you against that ranking.  Also ask what their time frame is for leaving your organization and what factors contribute to that decision.  And if it were me, I’d ask them what are the top three things you could do as an organization to improve their job satisfaction now. 
    • ACT now to retain good employees! Probably the worst thing you can do is put out a survey and not respond. So review your survey results by employee.  Don’t delegate this to supervisors. Review these with your leadership team.  Make individual and organization-wide adjustments immediately.    
    • ADJUST your recruitment and hiring practices!  The more you can do to attract and hire the right talent is money well spent.  Your job listings say more about your culture than you think.  Sell your organization and your roles, don’t just document them. 
    • ADDRESS equity now! Equity does not require time, it requires will. Identify the dominant culture in your organization and the systems it has produced and damage it causes.  Provide opportunities for organizational and individual growth in equity, inclusion and diversity.   More ideas here.

    If we take away nothing else from the sector’s pandemic response it is that we can make changes quickly when we are forced by external circumstances.  But what could we accomplish if we stopped playing defense and started playing offense; adopting a cultural of constant change instead of consistent mediocracy?

    Circumstances currently warrant it and your mission demands it.   

  • Before you quote Dr. King, here are some things you can do to be less of the white moderate he warned about

    Today, a whole bunch of people and organizations will be quoting the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., because that’s what we like doing on this day. He was murdered by a white supremacist, and we now cherry pick the quotes that are most inspiring and least likely to cause tension. Few will bring up that he also said these other things, including “Something is wrong with capitalism. Maybe America must move toward a democratic socialism.”

    And “We all too often have socialism for the rich and rugged free market capitalism for the poor.”

    And “I think the tragedy is that we have a Congress with a Senate that has a minority of misguided senators who will use the filibuster to keep the majority of people from even voting.”

    The last one hits especially hard this week, because critical efforts to protect and advance voting rights are being stymied. Yes, by Republicans, but that’s to be expected; they know they will lose the majority of federal elections if voting were fair. But more frustratingly, by two white moderate democrat senators.

    The white moderate is the force Dr. King identified as the biggest barrier on the path to an equitable world: “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice.”

    While this is applicable to the political world, our sector has also become one giant white moderate sector of well-meaning people who often perpetuate the very injustice we were formed to fight. Last year, I wrote “21 signs you or your organization may be the white moderate Dr. King warned about.” Since then, I have seen more signs of white moderation in nonprofit and philanthropy.

    This month, for example, I learned some funders are considering working to create a common application because for decades now grant processes have been burdensome and inequitable wastes of time. Seriously? THIS is what some of you funders are worried about? While the US slips further into white theocratic fascism, you’re concerned about grant application logistics?! That’s like a life-ending meteor is heading toward earth and you’re pondering what shade of grey you’re going to repaint your accent wall. FFS, move on! Eliminate grant applications entirely! Just accept a grant we wrote for another foundation! It’s the same information! We have way more important things to work on.

    We cannot keep operating with the white moderate philosophy so pervasive to our sector and society. We cannot keep being complacent, indifferent, or distracted as everything burns all around us. Here are things we must do to stop, or at least reduce, being the white moderates who prevent progress while believing they are helping make the world better:

    For foundations: “Philanthropy is commendable,” Dr. King wrote, “but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.” Reflect on this quote this week. But don’t reflect too long. Take actions.

    • Double, triple, or quintuple your payout rate. Or more. Stop saving the vast majority of your endowments and trickling out a tiny amount each year while democracy and people die during one of the worst health and economic crises in our lifetimes.
    • Increase funding to Black-, Indigenous-, POC-led orgs. Analyze where your grant dollars are going and ensure you are funding organizations led by communities most affected by injustice.
    • Fund organizations on the frontlines fighting for voting rights and other issues vital to a thriving democracy. It doesn’t matter if these missions don’t “align” with your priorities or whatever. You should be aligning with the priorities set by communities, not the other way around.
    • Form a 501c4 (or fund them) and start channeling money into electing more progressive candidates into office, especially progressive women of color.
    • Eliminate all grant applications, reports, and funding restrictions. “Streamlining” is not good enough anymore. Accept proposals and reports written for other funders and shorten your process to give out grants within a few days or weeks, not months.
    • If your board is mostly white, even if you’re a family foundation and your family is mostly white, change your board criteria and get people who are not white on your board.
    • Convert all your one-year grants into multiple-year (five at least) grants. Think about sunsetting and going out in blaze of glory.
    • Use your platform to call out white supremacy, antisemitism, Islamophobia, ableism, transphobia, xenophobia, etc., and light a fire under the seats of other funders so they can take actions too.
    • Have funds ready to provide legal and other protections to organizations and leaders who speak up against injustice, as they will be targets.

    For nonprofits: “Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” This is what most of us signed up to do. And to do that effectively and move out of white moderation, here are some actions we can take (some of these below are also relevant to funders and everyone else):

    • White-led organizations, support organizations lead by marginalized communities. Introduce them to your existing donors. Amplify their work in your newsletter and social media. When it makes sense, turn down grants and advocate funding go to these orgs instead.
    • Be engaged in efforts to protect voting rights, led by organizations doing this work. Get out of the mindset that this may be “mission creep.” It should be a part of every organization’s mission to protect democracy.
    • Publicly and vocally condemn injustice. You may have to take a hit in terms of donations. But if we’re not pissing some people off, we’re probably not doing this work right.
    • Create opportunities for donors to reflect on racism, white supremacy, slavery, colonization, and the actions they can take in creating a better world. Actions that may include reparation, returning stolen land, paying higher taxes, etc.  
    • Analyze the vendors whose services you use and be intentional about supporting businesses that are owned by people of color and others from marginalized communities.
    • Assess your hiring practices. Disclose salary range on job postings. Remove requirements for formal degrees, unless it’s a specialized position. Be thoughtful about formerly incarcerated colleagues. Stop having unpaid internships; pay your interns.

    For everyone: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others.” All of us have some level of influence on our sector, and we often use it to maintain white moderation, sometimes without meaning to. Here are some things to do, whether you are a consultant, donor, volunteer, or leader of a nonprofit or a foundation:

    • Write, call your elected officials on voting rights and other progressive efforts. March, rally, organize, mobilize.
    • White colleagues, reflect on whether your role is to remain in positions of power, or that maybe it is time for you to transition out and create space for leaders from marginalized communities to take over.
    • Colleagues of color, you are not immune to aligning with white moderation. Assess your privilege. Call out injustice, especially if it happens within your family or community.
    • Reflect on where you may be advancing white moderation. If you’re a consultant, for example, you may be steering your clients toward taking actions that are incremental and least likely to cause tension, which may not be most effective in advancing equity.
    • Analyze your own complicity and where there may be conflicts of interests. It is always easier to make a living by maintaining a civility and a “negative peace” than to stand up for what is just. Those of us with more privilege need to be willing to use it to push for change.

    We are at a crossroad. Democracy, equity, justice are all on the line. In the face of so much, it is easy to remain the white moderate and quote MLK. Much harder, but much more aligned with the spirit of his teachings and activism, is to take actions that help bend the arc and bring forth the kind of world he dreamed about but did not live to see.

  • For what it’s worth

    A friend and colleague recently suggested that my readers might be interested in hearing more from me. Of course I laughed, because no one has ever said they wanted to hear MORE from me!

    But, I entertain the idea that I might be wrong on this front and have added regular column writing to my short list of 2022 New Year’s Resolutions – along with training my chickens to swing. So, please hold me accountable on the writing, not the chickens.

    In November I had the great honor of being awarded the Ben Franklin Outstanding Fundraising Executive award from the Fort Worth Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. I took the opportunity at their National Philanthropy Day luncheon and awards presentation to share some of my opinions on the sector, philanthropy and the fundraising profession with several hundred of my colleagues. I’ve adapted that speech here for you, in the event you might find something among it insightful.

    Good riddance to 2021

    To all of our sector’s frontline unicorn staff who, while I was comfortably working from home for most of the year, bravely went to work to feed, house and care for the most vulnerable among us.  THANK YOU!  To all the administrative and development staff who worked so hard to keep staff safe, investors informed and their organizations afloat.  THANK YOU!  To all the board members who supported and advised. THANK YOU!  To all the donors who kept their wallets open and to those that opened them wider.  THANK YOU! 

    The success of any community should not be measured by how many buildings it has, or roads, or money. Rather, the success of a community should be measured by how well it takes care of its most vulnerable.  And I must say that I am proud of our sector for the role we played in 2021 in making DFW better.

    Our community has experienced a collective trauma. Many of us have colleagues, family or friends forever affected by the virus or its wake, or the Great Winter of 2021. And, this is a trauma that we experienced together and from which we need to heal together!

    Please let 2022 be better!

    If I am reading the proverbial tea leaves correctly, our sector is not yet out of the woods. Increasing service demand, labor shortages, supply chain limitations, price increases and more will hit us hardest. 

    But I believe that a reimagined philanthropy can help us continue to help others – better. Out of crisis comes innovation, and I am sitting on the edge of my DFW501c.com seat watching with anticipation to see how you will do it!  Throw away the rules, customs and culture to create one that is more effective, equitable and inclusive.

    What’s important?

    The morning of the awards luncheon (yes, please call me last-minute-Lucy!), I texted another friend and colleague with a frantic “What the hell am I supposed to say today?” She told me to simply share what I thought was important.

    So my DFW501c friends, here are a few things I think are important:

    • Do what is right by the donor without valuing the monetary contribution more than the impact to your mission.
    • If a donation is not fully values-aligned, it will most likely hurt or limit your work rather than help it.
    • Sometimes saying no is the right thing.
    • Be true to yourself – authenticity gets you further and means more in this work. 
    • You won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but there is a place for you.
    • Don’t compromise yourself, your values or worth for this work.
    • Perfect your craft.
    • Don’t be afraid of No.
    • Have an opinion.
    • The service client is sacred.
    • Question everything.
    • Only sell what you can be most passionate about. (I can hear a few people screaming about the structure of this sentence!!!)
    • Invest in people.
    • Never underestimate the power of positive disruption! 
    • For my white colleagues, start your journey to become anti-racist and challenge your assumptions. You have the power to change everything.
    • To my colleagues of color, You are SEEN, you are VALUED and your contributions MATTER!

    I’m excited to meet back here at this same time next year to see what you all have accomplished! Go get ’em!

    For what it’s worth,

    Barbara Clark-Galupi, CFRM

    Publisher, DFW501c.com

  • You are awesome, and 2022 is going to be an awesome year!

    Hi everyone. Welcome to 2022! I know the heaviness of this week presses down on us like a weighed blanket filled with mayonnaise and glass shards (This is my first post in a while; the analogies may be a little rough). The holiday break, if you had one, was not long enough, and a lot of it was probably spent arguing with family members and standing in line waiting for covid tests. Those sweet few days of lying snuggled up on the couch watching Ted Lasso or the Wheel of Time or our favorite cheesy movies seem but a distant memory, like the brief romantic flings of our youth, when we too were radiant with joy and Doritos.

    Now we have to get back to dealing with emails. So many emails. And to-do lists. Endless. And relentless meetings. Meanwhile, we are still in a worsening pandemic. And the CDC, sponsored by Delta Airlines, basically says that if you have covid, gargle with some warm salt water and get back to capitalism. We’re going to have to put on a brave face and refrain from answering “What are your new year’s resolutions?” with “to make it to March without strangling at least three people in this virtual meeting.”

    If you feel like crap, you are not alone. If you look like crap, you’re also not alone; seriously, I am so grateful for Zoom’s “touch up my appearance” feature. If you want to just take a nap or scream or cry or some combination of that, everyone will understand. If you decide to quit your job, leave your hometown, open a chocolate shop in a charming but religiously rigid small French town, and fall in love with a river pirate, you do that, because self-care is important. This week is rough. Life has been rough.

    But guess what, we made it past 2021! And for that, we should celebrate. 2022 is a new year! To put it into perspective, this is the last year any of us will ever see a year with three of the same numbers. The next time would be 2111, and we will all be long dead, or else our minds will have been transferred into robotic bodies, and we’ll be living on Mars, ruled by the hologram of Elon Musk.

    2021 did a number on us. We started off so hopeful, and ended up bruised and beaten down. It’s hard to trust a new year again. But 2022 will be amazing! According to some light googling I did, the number 2 symbolizes harmony and balance. So this year will be all about that. Our sector will find balance between action and intellectualizing. We will flip some tables over! We will lift up the voices of those who haven’t been heard! We will piss off more of the right people!

    We are also going to get more rest. We will set realistic expectations and be OK not meeting some of them. We will take ourselves less seriously and find joy and humor in our work, because, as bell hooks said, “We cannot have a meaningful revolution without humor.” We will spend more time on our creative hobbies, hanging out with people we love, and doing other things we enjoy. Some of us will take regular showers and use deodorant again. I see all of that and more for us in 2022.

    2022 will be awesome because our field is awesome. In the dumpster fire that was last year, we still did incredible things. Our sector has always been creative and resourceful even during the Before Times, but the last couple of years, we have done some of our best work amidst some of the greatest challenges.

    And our field is awesome because it’s made up of sexy, brilliant ass-kickers like you. Hardworking people who continue to fight for a better world. Brilliant, talented people who ram their shoulders daily against the arc, bending it toward justice. Caring people whose existence makes the world kinder and more peaceful. Attractive, good-looking folks. That’s you. Did I also mention charismatic, stylish, and yet profoundly modest?

    Today, you may feel and look like a poked bear and dread doing anything productive. Some of you are probably reading this from your toasty bed and wishing you could stay there. Take a deep breath. Take it slow. Give yourself time to adjust. Cry if you need to. Our work, as meaningful as it is, is not easy, and sometimes, on days like today, there’s no shame in admitting you don’t really want to do it, that you would rather switch houses with someone abroad for two weeks so that you can live in their quaint English cottage and fall in love with their sibling.  

    But also make a little bit of space to kindle some hope, some optimism, some excitement for the days and months to come. For many of us, every day from now until mid-June brings more and more sunlight. The temperature will warm up; the crocuses and cherry blossoms will bloom; the morel mushrooms will appear. And even though we fear it will, the pandemic will not last forever. We will be able to see one another again.

    Until then, try to remember that your actions, no matter how seemingly minor, create ripples wider than you may ever see or know. Yes, you may be one person, but never underestimate your impact, especially when you work in unison with others in our wonderful, imperfect sector. As the great Betty White once said:

    “Snow always inspires such awe in me. Just consider one tiny snowflake alone, so delicate, so fragile, so ethereal. And yet, let a billion of them come together through the majestic force of nature, they can screw up a whole city.”

    Happy New Year! It’s going to be a good one!