Our Number One Fear Public speaking is, according to West Coast Toastmasters, the number one fear Americans have. Our fear of public speaking is apparently even greater than our fear of death! I do a lot of public speaking as part of my job. I teach maybe a dozen non-credit workshops at the Bayer Center each year, give breakout sessions at conferences, participate in panel discussions and facilitate meetings regularly. You probably think I'm some kind of extrovert that enjoys being in the … [Read more...] about An introvert’s advice on overcoming your fear of public speaking
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Evaluating WordPress Plugins
Someone recently asked me this question during a WordPress clinic: "How do I know if a WordPress plugin is a good one to use?" An excellent question, though the answer is a little less straightforward than I'd prefer. WordPress is an open source community and as such, anyone who wants to create a plugin can do so. WordPress.org maintains a plugin directory but the guidelines for submission are primarily centered on licensing and keeping people from doing illegal things via plugins. One would … [Read more...] about Evaluating WordPress Plugins
The Importance of (and Resources for) Technology Planning at Nonprofit Organizations
I've been thinking about nonprofits and the importance of technology planning a lot lately. I strongly believe that every nonprofit organization, regardless of size or budget, should have some semblance of a technology plan. As part of my work, I've helped many nonprofits assess their technology usage and become better at planning for tech. I thought it could be useful to share info on this topic, so I went digging through some materials I have handy. One of the first things I found is a … [Read more...] about The Importance of (and Resources for) Technology Planning at Nonprofit Organizations
The Happy Healthy Nonprofit Professional: There’s An App for That! (Guest Post by Beth Kanter & Aliza Sherman)
Beth Kanter and Aliza Sherman are my guest bloggers today, giving us some useful advice on how to have a healthier relationship with our digital life and devices through apps. They recently released the book The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit to provide organizations with a manifesto for a culture shift in the nonprofit sector, starting conversations about the importance of individual self-care and WE-care in the workplace. The Happy Healthy Nonprofit Professional: There's An App for That! By Beth … [Read more...] about The Happy Healthy Nonprofit Professional: There’s An App for That! (Guest Post by Beth Kanter & Aliza Sherman)
My Own Accidental Techie/Nonprofit Career Path Story
My friend and colleague Johanna Bates recently wrote a great post for the NTEN blog previewing the upcoming breakout session that she, I, Tracy Kronzak and Jessie Lee will be giving at the 2017 Nonprofit Technology Conference: Let’s Talk Accidental & Intentional Nonprofit Tech Careers. The recent planning phone call we had for that session made me think back to my own winding career into nonprofit technology, which I thought might be fun to document and share. Buckle up, things are about to … [Read more...] about My Own Accidental Techie/Nonprofit Career Path Story
The End of My Romance with Facebook
Why I'm writing this post First off, I want to say that this is not one of those "I quit Facebook and here's why you should too" posts. This is a post about a personal decision to leave that particular social network, not because I feel the need to justify the decision or encourage other people to leave it, but because so many people have asked "why?" Coming to the decision to quit I joined Facebook in 2008. At first, I only checked it periodically, and it was lots of fun seeing friends' posts … [Read more...] about The End of My Romance with Facebook
