I've Changed My Mind About Grant Writing I recently began collecting old globes. A good friend of mine, who knows that I like to travel, gave me the first one as a gift about a year ago. Since then, I’ve collected several more. My favorite right now is from the early 1980s, before the Berlin Wall fell. There are countries on it that no longer exist. Borders that have moved. Names that have changed. It's a beautiful object, but it's also a reminder that a map only ever reflects our best...
4 months ago • 1 min read
The Hat May 2026 Newsletter Last month, I traveled with my father to D.C. and ended up with the clearest example of client-centered practice I've ever seen. The sky over Washington was gray and cold when my father and I stood at the apex of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He walked with a stick, his balance not what it had been, and he carried his Marines yearbook under his arm. Around us, other veterans from our Honor Flight group moved slowly along the Wall. Two young volunteers climbed...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Does Your Nonprofit Need a Spring Cleaning? I enjoy a bit of spring cleaning. Yes—I’m that person. I find real satisfaction in paring down my possessions and keeping only the things I need, or that truly matter to me. This past weekend, I pulled everything out of my bedroom closet and piled it onto the bed: shoes I hadn’t worn in over a year, a box of books I’d been meaning to sort through but never quite got to, and clothes that no longer fit who I am today, even though there was nothing...
6 months ago • 3 min read
They’re Not Ahead, They’re Just on a Different Ride What often looks like speed and effort is really the result of groundwork laid much earlier. Recently, while struggling up a flight of stairs, I came to the realization that I was not the exceptionally fit person I thought I was, despite years of yoga. Strength and flexibility weren’t the issue, but cardio was. So I got an exercise bike and one of those apps where you can ride through different places around the world, some days the...
7 months ago • 2 min read
What My Failed Garden Taught Me About Grant Writing This winter, my garden was a disaster. In California, we are blessed to grow things year-round, but this year was a bit different. Every November, I carefully select the cold-weather crops I want to plant: brassicas like kale, broccoli, and radishes, and herbs like fennel, dill, and cilantro. I did everything I always do. I paid attention. I prepared the soil. I planted at the right time. And still, much of it failed. It wasn’t that I had...
8 months ago • 2 min read