AI is not going away, and schools cannot realistically educate students by pretending it does not exist. The challenge is finding the line between using AI as a learning tool and allowing it to substitute for the intellectual work education is supposed to develop. Students still need to write, research, reason, solve problems, and occasionally struggle without a machine doing the work for them. The technology will change quickly, but the fundamental goal of education should not: use AI to help students learn without allowing it to replace learning itself.
Read MoreBoard members can be some of a nonprofit's most valuable fundraising assets, but that does not necessarily mean they should be the ones asking for the money. In organizations with professional fundraising staff, board members are often most effective when they open doors, build credibility, share their personal connection, and deepen relationships alongside development professionals. The board member brings access and authenticity; the fundraiser brings expertise, timing, judgment, and donor strategy.
Read MoreTravel has a way of reminding us that the best part of a trip is often getting home. Canceled flights, impossible traffic, airport chaos, and changing plans can turn a straightforward journey into an exhausting exercise in problem-solving. The lesson is not to expect travel to go smoothly, but to prepare for the moments when it doesn't. Because after the meetings, the delays, and the frustration, the destination that matters most is still home.
Read MoreExecutive compensation should reward leadership, but employment contracts should also protect the institutions making those investments. Utah's approach to requiring public university presidents to repay money when they voluntarily leave early raises an important question: why should contractual accountability run only one direction? Talented leaders deserve competitive compensation, but organizations deserve meaningful protection when a leader chooses to leave. Good contracts should balance both.
Read MoreHow does a foundation remain faithful to its founder while responding to a world the founder could never have imagined? The answer is not in preserving old grantmaking patterns, but in preserving the purpose behind them. Donor intent should guide foundations toward enduring values while allowing the methods used to achieve those values to evolve with knowledge, circumstances, and need.
Read MoreTechnology has made it easier than ever to communicate, collaborate, and work from almost anywhere. But technology cannot create the relationships that make organizations stronger. A leadership retreat reminded me that some of the most valuable moments happen between the agenda items, when people share stories, discover common ground, and begin to see others as people rather than job titles. In an increasingly digital workplace, getting people together may be more important than ever.
Read MoreTeaching morals may be one of the most important (and difficult) jobs of parenting. Morals are not built through lectures; they are formed through ordinary moments, consistent examples, and the behaviors children see when no one is watching. The real test comes when children begin making those choices on their own, even when doing the right thing costs them something. Those quiet victories may never trend on social media, but they are the ones that matter most.
Read MoreAre fewer people really becoming less generous? Or are we simply measuring generosity too narrowly? Traditional charitable giving may be declining, but crowdfunding, mutual aid, giving circles, and everyday acts of generosity reveal a broader philanthropic impulse. The challenge for nonprofits may not be convincing people to care, but recognizing all the ways people already demonstrate that they do. Perhaps philanthropy isn't broken; perhaps our definition of it is.
Read MoreColleges have a responsibility to keep their communities safe, and technology has an important role in doing that. But safety becomes something different when surveillance begins to influence what students and faculty feel comfortable saying. A healthy campus does not require agreement; it requires the freedom to question, challenge, listen, and disagree respectfully. The best universities use technology to protect people without creating an environment where people are afraid to express ideas.
Read MoreSome of the most meaningful gifts will never be wrapped in paper. They're found in shared experiences, a road trip, a concert, a ballgame, or an afternoon spent together without distractions. While possessions eventually wear out or are forgotten, memories tend to appreciate over time, becoming stories, traditions, and part of a family's identity. The greatest inheritance we leave may not be what we owned, but the moments we shared.
Read MoreGreat advancement strategy begins with understanding people, not assumptions. The National Alumni Survey is providing one of the most comprehensive looks yet at what alumni actually think, value, and expect from their institutions. Its early findings reinforce a simple but powerful truth: graduates who feel informed, connected, and genuinely known are far more likely to become engaged donors. The future of university philanthropy may depend less on asking better questions and more on listening better.
Read MoreFor years, nonprofits have concentrated on crafting compelling messages for donors. Today, donors are paying just as much attention to where they give as why they give. A trusted giving platform has become more than a payment processor—it has become a signal of credibility, transparency, and security. In an increasingly digital world, the platform itself is now part of the donor experience.
Read MoreFor years, I treated busyness like an accomplishment and vacations like an interruption. Somewhere along the way, work stopped being something I did and quietly became the lens through which I viewed nearly every day. This summer, I'm trying something different: being fully present with my family, putting work in its proper place, and remembering that rest isn't the enemy of productivity, it's one of its prerequisites. Sometimes the hardest thing a workaholic can do is simply step away.
Read MoreFor decades, schools invested heavily in technology, convinced that more screens would produce better learning. Now, many educators and policymakers are asking whether we've allowed the tool to become the teacher. Technology has undeniable value, but innovation should always be judged by outcomes, not novelty. Sometimes the best way to prepare students for the future is to rediscover the strengths of paper, pencils, books, and face-to-face learning.
Read MoreThe greatest governance challenge is not always an inactive board, it is an overactive one. When boards spend their meetings debating hiring decisions, software platforms, or operational procedures, they unintentionally neglect the strategic issues only they are positioned to address. Healthy organizations create a clear distinction between governance and management. The board's responsibility is not to run the organization, but to ensure it has the vision, leadership, and financial strength to thrive for years to come.
Read MoreWatching my nine-year-old daughter perform in Frozen reminded me that courage often looks much smaller (and much more powerful) than we imagine. Stepping onto a stage under bright lights, speaking lines, singing, and dancing before hundreds of people requires a kind of vulnerability that many adults still avoid. Confidence is rarely something we possess before the challenge; it is something we earn by facing it. Sometimes the greatest acts of bravery begin with simply taking that first step into the spotlight.
Read MoreOne of the hardest lessons parents ever teach is that not everyone deserves your trust. We want our children to believe in kindness, generosity, and the goodness of people, yet we also have a responsibility to prepare them for those who exploit those very qualities. The same applies in philanthropy, where trust is the foundation of every donor relationship and the very thing scammers seek to abuse. The goal is not to become cynical, but to pair trust with vigilance.
Read MoreFor decades, grades have been drifting upward while meaningful feedback has quietly disappeared. If every student receives an "A" or every assignment earns little more than a checkmark, schools risk confusing encouragement with learning. Confidence is important, but growth requires honest assessment, constructive correction, and the resilience that comes from improving after mistakes. If grades no longer distinguish excellence from adequacy, they stop serving the very purpose they were designed to fulfill.
Read MoreWealth screening is a valuable research tool, but it was never meant to replace professional judgment. When organizations ask donors solely at their estimated financial capacity rather than at a level supported by trust, engagement, and demonstrated commitment, they confuse information with strategy. The strongest philanthropic relationships are built over years, not by algorithms.
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