So why is it so hard to grow an email list? Well, it’s hard to build something from nothing. The organizations that grew the biggest lists began doing so after already having a good size list, or because they made dedicated marketing investments in order to grow.

Immediately after the election of Donald Trump as President, many people were worried about potential restrictions on civil liberties for LGBTQ people, women, immigrants, communities of color, and certainly Arab and Muslim populations.

The word “capacity” is nebulous for many people. It’s like saying “organizational infrastructure” or “intersectionality.” It can seem like jargon; it may be hard to define but you kinda think you’d know it when you see it…maybe. For folks newer to these terms, or afraid to raise their hand to ask, “what exactly do you mean by ‘capacity’” here’s a list!

One of the biggest mistakes I made as a first-time executive director (ED) was getting too cocky. I knew I was a strong fundraiser and I was on a very good streak in my first 5 months on the job. I took over after a multi-month gap with no executive director and the organization was losing money. It was also in debt and then the national economy collapsed around me. This was August of 2008.