Day 4 of my week of gratitude and I’m giving thanks for nonprofit pros from Chicago, D.C. and New Orleans!

I’m introducing you to sector smarties who I follow, engage with and have met IRL. Missed a previous post and wanna meet and follow the experts? I got ya covered: The New England gang, the crew from the West Coast and Pennsylvania, the greats from the Great White North and some of NY’s finest.

Chicago Blew Me Away

Ephraim Gopin and Jen Hawley PriceFollowing Jen Hawley Price on Twitter isn’t just about sunrise and sunset pics and marathon running. It’s not just because she’s a philanthropy, fundraising and nonprofit tech smartie. Where Jen really stands out is gratitude. Someone who appreciates the little and big things in life and takes nothing for granted. Lest you say that’s her online persona, I know better. Sat with her for 6 innings at a White Sox game (and got caught in a torrential downpour as we were both headed back home) and saw that attitude of gratitude up close. I’d add empathy, helpful, kind as well. We can talk all we want about giving thanks to our donors, family and friends. Then there are others who actually go out and demonstrate it.

 

Ephraim Gopin and Lindsey RosenthalThere are plenty of event planners out there. There aren’t many who really understand the nonprofit world and what an event needs to accomplish for an organization. Lindsey Rosenthal does! It’s not just about creating a memorable experience but making sure your fundraising campaign is successful. While I was in Chicago, I had a wonderful lunch with Lindsey and saw how passionate she is about the nonprofit sector. (For the record, I had deli on rye and a pastrami knish, with a half sour pickle. Because when in America…) We discussed event planning, management, politics, baseball and a few other topics in between. Very smart and thoughtful. Very worth a follow!

 

Ephraim Gopin and Miriam BrosseauIf you don’t know Miriam Brousseau, get to know her! A nonprofit smartie with vast knowledge and experience in the area of storytelling, animation, strategy, communications and marketing. Creative, funny, friendly, helpful. Also knows that if we’re going to meet in person, it has to be a place that serves chocolate chip pancakes! (Seriously, they were really good.) The name of her company? Tiny Windows. Why? “Every time we communicate we’re opening a tiny window into who we are and what we’re all about.” As we’d say in Boston, wicked smaht!

 

We’re On To D.C.!

Ephraim Gopin and Adrianne FieldingWhen you have a chance to meet someone who is not only a grants expert but also knows a heck of a lot about federal grants, you jump at the opportunity. I connected with Adrianne Fielding a little while ago on Twitter via #grantchat and this past summer, she met me for coffee on the day she had to meet a major grant deadline. Seriously. I enjoyed connecting over grants talk and learning from her many years of experience. Better yet was finding out about her New England roots and her “rocker” past. Always meet people IRL- you find out the most interesting things! 

 

Ephraim Gopin and Barbara O'ReillyIf you’re not following Barbara O’Reilly then you really should because she’s one of those national nonprofit experts that you can always be learning from and she’s always happy to engage and talk shop and strategy and fundraising and work-life balance and Board training and when she needs to and this is what I really love about her is that she’ll bring the snark and sarcasm and wit and funnies which of course means she’s exactly the kind of person I gravitate to and why my feed is so entertaining because people like Barbara bring the sector smarts and great blog posts but also the smiles and laughs and it doesn’t get any better than that! Please note: The last sentence was for those of us who are anti-Oxford Comma.

 

Wait, Who Dat?!

Ephraim Gopin and Lisa ChmiolaNo clue how many years ago I met Lisa Chmiola on Twitter. But here’s what I do know: Fundraiser extraordinaire, friendly, kind and lover of all things New Orleans. Nola is on my radar to visit but it hasn’t happened yet. (As I told people: I was supposed to go about 18 months ago but I ended up traveling with my son. Apparently bars in the French Quarter frown upon allowing 13 year olds to come in. Who knew?!) But when Lisa started working for Tulane University and flying up to NY a few times a year, we decided to make it happen. So 2 summers ago while she was in midtown NYC for meetings at the same time as me, we both took an hour off and met. Definitely not long enough but here’s the thing: Taking online to offline makes the friendship way better. Hopefully this summer I’ll be traveling south to New Orleans to visit Lisa and this time we’ll be able to enjoy a longer, more relaxed conversation. Maybe with some jazz music and drinks thrown in. Much better venue than a fast food restaurant in Midtown!

Giving Thanks

Thank you for joining me on my tour of nonprofit experts from across North America. They hail from Boston, Seattle, Chicago, Vegas, Toronto, San Diego, NY, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, D.C. and Philadelphia. And though they’re not on Twitter, I’ve also met been lucky enough to meet nonprofit pros in St. Louis and Dallas.

Just the tip of the iceberg. When I visit North America in the summer, I travel around and am always happy to meet my Twitter friends. Hit me up and we’ll schedule a meeting. Coffee/beer’s on me!

Is your organization looking to solve your current communications and marketing challenges? Then let’s talk! Be in touch to set up a free 30 minute call so we can start discussing how to improve your bottom line results.

Hey nonprofit pro! I publish an e-newsletter Monday-Thursday which delivers content to your Inbox that’s relevant for any nonprofit role you fill. Expand horizons with one click. Subscribe today!