This my last weekend working for my current company and also before I hibernate. I did not go out of the house the entire weekend because I am also feeling under the weather; hopefully, I am feeling better tomorrow as there are still a lot of stuff to do before I leave.
I have this (bad? good?) habit of starting a book even before I finish one. So I started this book written by the same author who wrote The Girl on the Train. I'm sorry, I am just into the Gone-Girl-ish kinds of books lately, although I generally love thriller (movies or books) and I love solving mysteries.
None at the moment -- but this week I have to finish two stuff for work that I have been putting off for a long time.
I love house music! So for today, I am listening to one of my Spotify playlists. When I work and I want to concentrate or relax, I always put on this playlist.
I want to start decluttering. I have accumulated a lot of things I have not used for a long time -- clothes, shoes, bags. I also have a bad habit of hoarding notebooks and pens. I just can't decide which one to use or to keep or to throw. I have a problem, I know.
Spend more time outside my house and see the outdoors. I am not an outdoorsy person and I hate any activity that will make me sweat tremendously. But I don't mind going out before sunset to take more photos!
For a good week ahead. As I said, it will be my last week at my current workplace so I hope to make the best out of it.
The new Mossery notebook I got as a parting away gift from my officemates. It's so thoughtful of them to give me such a fancy notebook. Also, they really know me... judging from what they gave me.
To buy a new swimsuit for a beach trip this weekend. But who am I kidding? I already have tons that I have not worn because I only wear a couple every time. So yeah, no. But still...
To drink more water! I think I drink less water when I am at home because I don't have my big ass tumbler with me whenever I am thirsty and I eventually forget to drink. For the office, I got myself a 950ml jug from CottonOn and it has been very helpful. It's a huge ass reminder for me to a. get up and refill b. to drink water a lot.
A sore throat coming... please nooo! Also, happy as I was able to spend time with friends over the weekend and stay at home to chill, watch Vikings, and read!
Hello! I know I have not posted anything in a while. I will not make up an excuse for my absence; I really just got lazy.
Anyway, I have been wanting to do this "Sunday Currently" post, so here is the inaugural blog (and hopefully, first of many volumes!)
It's been taking me forever to finish this book, not because it's bad, it's actually pretty interesting and short. I promised myself to read more books this year, but to be honest, I am still reading more stuff online and I should stop. Heeeh.
I just finished the magazine I was working on for work. I want to take a break from writing anything work related for a few days -- but I doubt it. Ya know why? We just finished brainstorming for the next issue and I already volunteered to write four articles.
Well, you must know that a certain female artist named Taylor Swift just released her new single Look What You Made Me Do two days ago -- and guess what, that's what I have been listening to (and Ok, the rest of her discography) on Spotify. It so much better listening to it with full speakers than with earphones. That's just a suggestion, you guys!
Ok, I am a Swiftie -- I liked this song although it's not her best one. But was I disappointed? No. Do I think it sucks? No. Could she have done a better song? Yes. But guys, this is just the first single, we haven't heard her entire album yet. It was the same comment when she released Shake it Off because it did not sound like her at all. But see, 1989 was one of her best albums!
I have a lot more thoughts about Taylor and this new song, but I won't say it here. I better talk to you in person about it.
I need to do something more in this life. I have a lot of pursuits, but I lost interest in the middle of every thing and just do something else. My attention and patience for things are really bad.
The Sinner! Currently four episodes, but I am already hooked! It's only eight episodes (why must they do this!) but man, solid show! Great cast (nice to see Bill Pullman again; did not know Jessica Biel is a good actress; every time I see Christopher Abbott, he is always eating vaj).
I have been meaning to buy stuff from EZ Buy after recommendations from colleagues. So over the weekend, I have been going through the site, heeeh.
I love spontaneous trips! They say that the least amount of time you spend on planning something, the more it will happen. It is true for me on several occasions, but deep inside, the planner in me goes crazy.
As much as my friends and I try to plan our trips very well, there were times when we're just itching to get out of the city and go somewhere new. Especially if you live in a city like Kuala Lumpur -- busy streets and crawling jams, you'll feel like you want to escape the city life even for a weekend.
So my friends and I did. Subhash, being a motoring journalist, gets to go to a lot of places in the country, and Ness, Chuk, and I tagged along one Sunday morning to Teluk Intan in Perak.
If you look for places to go to in Teluk Intan, there's really nothing else except for Menara Condong, a clock tower which is Malaysia's equivalent to the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
Standing at 25.5 metres tall, the tower is slanted towards the left. It was used as a water reservoir for locals during the dry season and when there is a fire, aside from it being used to keep the time. The reason it is leaning is that it was built on soft ground, plus the weight of the water is making it lean towards the west.
If you find yourself there, aside from taking your selfies by the tower, don't forget to eat Mee Rebus.
Here are some more photos from the trip. Chuk, Ness, and I walked around while waiting for Subhash to finish. It was so hot that day that the hand-me-down point-and-shoot camera I brought got its lens burnt. So sad.
I found a CD of my old film photos taken using my Diana F+. They're quite shitty -- plus I don't really know how to use black and white films with this camera when I started using it.
I think these photos were taken before I left Manila for Kuala Lumpur, then some were taken when I already moved here. I might have thrown the prints and contact sheets in between moving, but I am happy to find this CD.
There is nothing more insulting to any Filipino than having a former dictator buried in the Heroes Cemetery. Somehow, after all the fight throughout the years, we have not learned anything. Here we are, witnessing the worst as we know it. Burying a wax and forgetting the atrocious crimes committed during the 14-year dictatorship. And you know what, they did it so sneakily so no one would oppose. Why so excited to bury this filth?
It is disgusting how much we try to educate and get an education, there seems to be no change. We fall for lies, false promises, and worthless claims. We fell for a talker -- someone who promises the best of the worlds without a concrete plan. You know, all talk, all bullshit.
For the country that has been through so much, it should be enough. One dictatorship is enough. I am saddened by the lack of remorse and for the unwavering support for this appalling family and their new puppet president.
It seems like we never learn anything. We do the same things like a bad habit -- and then we ask for a better life, for a change. Those who continue to turn blind against the cruelty are equally at fault. You are no better. Those who call for people to move on, shame on you. For those people who voted for this president, you have just given power to someone who owes more to a dictator than to the people he should be serving.
Reading the patterns and signs, it is frightening to even think we are heading towards the same fate. A dictatorship, we have tried so hard to fight, is coming back slowly. What do they gain from this heinous acts?
It's a bleak future seeing the country is now in the hands of incompetent (and excuse my language) ignorant government. The effect of our ill-choices and miseducation is evident -- and it's not too long till we fall again and strive to fight back. What have we done?
I am but a small voice, miles away from the place where I grew up -- where I learned my values and principles.
Philippines, my only country, I am so sorry to disappoint and be far away from you. I am sorry for the things happening to you. I am so sorry for not doing anything when we could have done something. I am so sorry, it breaks me.
Tonight, I pray for the safety of people who continue to fight. Thank you for being brave for us, for the country.
Posted November 6, 2018 by AFP Toronto & filed under Congress, Donor communications, Marketing/Communications, Speakers, Special Events.
For many nonprofits, ‘marketing’ has been­ — and remains — a support tool for fundraising; its purpose, mainly to serve as a medium to get the fundraising message out there to as many prospective donors as possible, via social media or otherwise. But this limited use fails to capitalize on the opportunity of marketing. For nonprofits making more robust use of marketing and communications, the act of ‘marketing’ becomes everything from a branding exercise to a recruitment tool, to a way to connect with key stakeholders, to community engagement, to profile building, to storytelling.
But it’s that last, storytelling, that sits at the core of good marketing. No matter what message your organization is looking to put out into the world, the story you tell is the heart of how you express the need of your population, how you connect with your community of supporters, and how you show the continuous positive impact your organization has. The question is, how do you tell that story well?
The thing is, ‘telling a story well’ encompasses more than simply telling a good story that (hopefully) raises fundraising dollars. Why? Because every charitable organization owes a duty of care to the population they serve that goes beyond the good work provided.
This, how to market, advertise, or tell a nonprofit story well, has been a topic of much debate. While, broadly, we can agree that tapping into empathy and, from that, compassion, is a key component of generating giving behaviour through storytelling, the real question is how do we get there. One common way is the use of ‘shock’ campaigns depicting imagery of people in desperate circumstances. Yet this strategy has been used so frequently that it has almost become a cliché, while simultaneously becoming an unfortunate standard by which many fundraising campaigns are set, particularly those for international aid (think your classic imagery of impoverished, starving Africa). While, even today, these shock campaigns — often more harshly labeled ‘poverty porn’ — can undoubtedly be effective in soliciting short-term donations, the problems with this approach are multifold. Read more »
Posted October 30, 2018 by AFP Toronto & filed under Career Development, Congress, Inspiration, Opinion, Special Events.
With AFP Congress only a few weeks away, I’m starting to get excited to reconnect with my fundraising friends, meet some new contacts, and learn a few tips and tricks to help me excel in my role. While some people find conferences overwhelming (they are), with a little preparation, they can be very rewarding. Here’s what I like to do in order to maximize my Congress experience.
Whether you’re planning to meet specific people or just chatting with the person beside you at lunch, Congress is the perfect opportunity to connect with other great minds in our sector. I like to have a couple of questions prepared, so I don’t feel like a robot asking everyone I meet the same thing. It’s okay to write down some notes, especially if there is a key person you’d like to chat with. I also like to connect with new contacts on LinkedIn right away. It’s a great platform to grow your network and communicate with like-minded professionals in the industry. Try to send a personal message noting where you met.
This can be a hard one for all of us, especially when there is temptation to check your email constantly throughout the day. Since I’ve made the commitment to attend Congress and learn something new, I do my best to focus my attention on the session content instead of worrying what’s going on back at the office. I like to check my email in-between sessions, so not to be distracted from an interesting presentation or discussion. I use my out of office message to let people know that I’m at a conference learning something new that will help make me better at my job.
Posted October 26, 2018 by AFP Toronto & filed under Announcement, Fundraising, Fundraising Day, Special Events, Volunteers.
For the first time ever, we are reaching out to the AFP Canada community for speaker proposals for Fundraising Day 2019.
This Fundraising Day is all about going Back to Basics – and when we say that, we don’t mean fundraising for dummies! We mean we want to root ourselves in the foundations of fundraising – the best practices, the old ideas that have become new again, and the simplest approaches that drive the best donor experiences, and the best results.
New in 2019: A Summit for Senior Leaders, offering an opportunity for Senior Leaders to join for a morning, afternoon or full day of facilitated discussions on the big topics you are grappling with. If you have a topic idea or are a Senior Leader that would like to facilitate a discussion please let us know. Read more »
Posted October 23, 2018 by AFP Toronto & filed under Announcement, Board of Directors, Career Development, Fundraising Day, Leadership/Management, Volunteers.
I’m writing to you today as we, the Professional Development Chair Nominating Committee, made up of past AFP event Chairs, start the process to review applicants for the position of Fundraising Day 2020 Chair. Read more »
Toronto, October 23, 2018 – McCarthy Tétrault announced today that it is donating $5 million to United Way Centraide, over 5 years, to support 5 groups:
This donation will support United Way Centraide’s work ensuring that background and circumstance are not barriers to opportunity. In addition to its 5/5/5 commitment, the firm will supplement its contribution with an additional investment of firm time, through dedicated volunteer and pro bono activities.
This multi-year commitment to United Way Centraide is the first of its kind for Canada’s legal industry.
McCarthy Tétrault has a history of progressive corporate citizenship. In addition to their enthusiastic support of United Way through its annual fundraising campaign, McCarthy Tétrault’s people are active in pro bono work, participate in non-profit boards, and commit much of their personal time to community causes. McCarthy Tétrault was the first Canadian law firm to appoint a Chief Inclusion Officer, currently Barbara Boake, and also pioneered the introduction of a formal and robust pro bono program and committee, now chaired by Gordon Baird. The firm also continues to invest generously in the community through its charitable foundation, led by Chief Community Officer, John Osler.
While inclusion, community giving, and pro bono have always been strategic priorities and a business imperative for the firm, the firm is striving to take its commitment to another level. In an effort to deepen, elevate, and accelerate its commitment to these areas, the firm recently welcomed Nikki Gershbain, Senior Director, Inclusion and Community Engagement. Working directly with the firm’s senior leadership team, Nikki’s portfolio combines diversity and inclusion, pro bono, and corporate social responsibility under one umbrella.
“INCLUSION NOW is McCarthy Tétrault’s renewed commitment to our workplace and our communities,” said Nikki. “Combining equity and social responsibility into one portfolio will not only allow us to knit together all these values, it will engage our people, support our neighbours and drive our innovation and growth.”
“Social responsibility is critical to the long term success of our firm and to the communities we live in and serve,” said Dave Leonard, CEO. “The addition of Nikki, coupled with our strengthened partnership with United Way, allows us to enhance our inclusion efforts within the firm, attract new talent, deepen client relationships, and significantly increase our overall social impact.”
“We are proud that when McCarthy Tétrault wanted to invest in inclusion, they chose United Way,” said Daniele Zanotti, United Way Greater Toronto President & CEO. “We know from our research that too many people are facing barriers to opportunity because of background and circumstances beyond their control. That’s why we work hard to ensure that everyone has the supports they need to succeed. Today, the firm is breaking new ground with a milestone five-year $5-million commitment to promote inclusion for people who are getting left behind.”
Since 1919, the United Way Centraide (UWC) Movement has been dedicated to creating opportunities for a better life for all Canadians. The United Way Centraide Movement is a federated network of United Way and Centraide offices serving more than 5,000 communities across Canada. Each United Way and Centraide is registered as a nonprofit organization governed by a volunteer-led, local board of directors. Together we are the United Way Centraide Movement working to create sustainable solutions to the social issues faced by local communities across Canada.
McCarthy Tétrault LLP provides a broad range of legal services, advising on large and complex assignments for Canadian and international interests. The firm has substantial presence in Canada’s major commercial centres as well as in New York City and London, UK.
Built on an integrated approach to the practice of law and delivery of innovative client services, the firm brings its legal talent, industry insight and practice experience to help clients achieve the results that are important to them.
Posted October 22, 2018 by AFP Toronto & filed under Donor communications, Marketing/Communications, Stewardship/Donor Relations.
How you ask for donations often makes a big difference. You are asking people to donate their money and you have to be compelling when doing this. You also have to be transparent.
Asking in person is difficult, but what may be even harder is writing effective fundraising e-mails. You only get that one chance to make a good online impression and to ask for a donation from your potential donor. There isn’t much space either so you have to be concise.
In order to get the emotional response you want, you have to tell a really interesting story. Of course, it has to be relevant to your cause. Start your e-mail with a few sentences describing the problem at hand, but in a way that will immerse readers. You’ll probably have to rewrite this section a few times, but it will be worth it when it comes to getting readers to take the next actionable step.
Another thing you should do is be as specific as possible. This means adding real numbers and percentages into your story to make it even more realistic and compelling.
Your fundraising e-mail can’t be long. You need to say what you have to say quickly, without flowery prose or elaborating the issue for too long. Dedicate the first few sentences to telling your story, another few sentences to what is being done at the moment to help the cause, and a few more to explain where the money is going. Then, finish strong with a polite, yet compelling call to action. Read more »
Posted October 11, 2018 by AFP Toronto & filed under Career Development, Congress, Mentorship, Networking, Next Generation Philanthropy, Opinion, Special Events.
With Congress a little over a month away and the latest AFP Speaker Discovery Series (Special Pre-Congress Edition!) just around the corner, let’s talk speaking!
Every industry has speakers who are a staple within the events circuit, familiar figures on the conference stage; but what happens when the industry changes? Or those speakers start to retire? This year has seen a number of speakers new to the non-profit world or, in fact, new to speaking altogether take the stage – and this is in no small part due to the launch of the AFP Greater Toronto Chapter’s Speaker Discovery Series (SDS).
Recently, Laura Champion, Chair of the Education Committee for Congress 2018 and Founder and Chair of the AFP Speaker Discovery Series, sat down with Mo Waja, one of our Congress 2018 Speakers, on the Let’s Talk Speaking podcast to discuss what speaking looks like in the non-profit sector, discovering new speaking talent, and how organizations within and beyond the non-profit industry can begin building their next generation of speakers.
Check out the episode below as well as on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher, and don’t forget to buy your tickets for the next SDS – Special Pre-Congress edition happening on October 24!*
Posted October 9, 2018 by AFP Toronto & filed under Advocacy, Case Study, Donor Centric, Ethics, Next Generation Philanthropy, Stewardship/Donor Relations.
This summer, I had the privilege of working as the Behavioural Insights Assistant with the Strategic Communications and Research & Evaluation teams at Imagine Canada. We are currently exploring the meaning, influences on, and importance of trust in charities.
I started the summer with curiosity and the desire to further unravel this mysterious concept. As many academics do, I started my search for answers by collecting hundreds of academic articles on the topic. It soon became clear that there isn’t a single unified definition of trust that captures the concept. In fact, a vast majority of articles commented on this lack of cohesion or an agreed upon definition within the literature.
As a thought leader in the charitable sector, Imagine Canada is working on a Trust Project in an effort to better understand the concept and to make it accessible to charity leaders, so they can in turn, work on increasing their trustworthiness with the public and other stakeholders. I invite you to think about how trust impacts your organization and your mission. Here are some key insights from the literature so far. Read more »
“Superheroes and the Powers That Be”: The New Digital Issue of Advancing Philanthropy is Now Available!
Halloween is on the horizon and pranksters are suiting up as Wonder Woman, Batman, you name it. But superheroes are also a central feature of our October issue—fundraising professionals like you who overcome challenges, conquer fears, and improve lives. Our October issue also shines a light on philanthropy in small towns and rural areas and shortcomings in America’s charitable system. There is work to be done!
search the entire magazine and archived issues (back to October 2007—just click on the “Archives” tab) by author or key word;
Members outside the United States and Canada automatically have access to the digital edition of the magazine and may select to receive the print magazine if they wish. Collegiate, Global, Young Professional and Small Organizational members automatically receive the digital magazine only.
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