A long time ago, when I first started working, things felt as if they moved quickly but in retrospect, it was all pretty slow.      Manual typewriters (I said it was a long time ago) were the latest in office equipment.          Phones were answered by people or they weren't answered at all.  Copies were made with carbon paper and information was sent out via the US Mail.  I worked hard-5 days a week, 8, sometimes 10 hours a day.  And then I rested or played.  Whatever I did, it had nothing to do with work.

  Today, we are always connected.  There is no such thing as an 8 hour day.  Or a 10 - hour one.  We are "on" 24/7. 

  Recently, I took 2 weeks off.  And I did pretty much take it off.  And when I returned, I decided that I wasn't working all the time.  I would take days off.  I would not check my email; let texts simmer;  let my phone calls go to voicemail.

  It hasn't been easy.  Let's face it, any habit-and checking email and texting can be bad ones-is hard to break.  But it has been both wonderfully liberating and wildly productive. (READ MORE)

   Journalists have a very important job.  It's their duty to accurately report the who, what, why, when, where and how regarding a news story or current event.  This year, we've been reminded of just how critical their job is, due to the debacle of journalist Brian Williams'  false reporting about an experience he had covering the Iraq War. 

    When it comes to nonprofits, it's important that we also tell the who, what, why, when, where and how about our own organizations.  And what is the best way to start this process?  In my opinion, it's by crafting a compelling case for support document, or case statement. 

    Indeed, a well-written case statement will answer these questions, and more, about our organizations and their quest for charitable support.  As the principal written "argument" for why our organizations rely on philanthropic resources, the case statement is a key tool in every organization's fundraising tool box. (READ MORE)