Aliza Sherman, Beth Kanter, and me at a book tour event in Boston for Happy Healthy Nonprofit
I hate starting posts with iterations of “it’s been too long since I wrote” because that means life got in the way.
For 2016 and even the beginning of this year, I’ve been focusing on getting my health back on track. Thanks to some amazing doctors, my health issues seem to have resolved!
As anyone knows that has been sidelined by an injury or health related issue – your focus unfortunately gets singular to getting well. In my experience, that meant fitness was just not a priority. Nor was writing blog posts. (I missed writing too!)
The great news is, I can tell I’m back to my old healthy but over-scheduled self. I’ve been able to take on some nonprofit volunteer commitments and am happy about it.
When I’m working (still job searching but hopeful) I’m a nonprofit fundraiser. I’ve got about 7 years of experience in fundraising and I love it!
I’m currently temping as a fundraising staffer at a community health center in Boston. It makes me so happy to be back working on fundraising activities! I find myself humming a happy tune when I’m being a nonprofit nerd, looking at 990 tax returns for funders to see if they could be a fit for our nonprofit, based on who they have funded in the past.
One of the volunteer commitments I mentioned is serving on the planning committee for Community Servings LifeSavor event. I’m working on asking for donations for the balloon pop portion of the fundraising event. It makes me so happy to be able to use my fundraising skills to help a nonprofit I’ve volunteered for and admired since 2002.
Community Servings believes food heals. They live that mission by preparing and delivering 9,600 meals each week to individuals and families who are homebound and living with critical and chronic illnesses. The made-from-scratch meals are medically tailored to meet the nutritional and medical needs of clients who are fighting illnesses like HIV/AIDS, diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and many others.
If you know of anyone that may be willing to donate an item or gift certificate for the LifeSavor fundraiser for Community Servings, let me know & I can send you details.
Another nonprofit commitment has been serving on the development (fundraising) committee for is Lady Project. I’ve been helping them with some grant research and writing. I also help with overall fundraising strategy and attended a development committee meeting in Providence on Saturday morning. It’s very exciting times for The Lady Project with the opening of our new space for nonprofit events and celebrating our 18th chapter joining us!
I have time to read again (YAY) and I finished The Happy Healthy Nonprofit earlier this month. I highly recommend it! The photos above are from earlier this month when a book tour took the authors to Boston to record a podcast. I greatly enjoyed being in the audience.
I’m currently reading Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership: Because Nonprofits Are Messy. I received an advanced copy of Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership because I’m also volunteering as part of her book launch team.
I’ve read Joan Garry’s blog for years – must read for funny but realistic advice for nonprofit staff, board members, and volunteers. Her book is WONDERFUL! I hate putting it down and read it every chance I get. I even stopped playing Pokemon Go on my subway commute to and from my temp employer, so I can read this book instead.
So, I think you can tell, I’ve been busy and I feel like myself again!
My work schedule right now won’t allow me to return to November Project, but my next goal for myself is to find a way to schedule fitness activities back in my life.
Getting Fit in Massachusetts 