Radio Free 501c is the voice of Rogue Tulips Consulting. The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter, "Rogue Speak."

This week's topic: Hire Older People! This message was originally published on October 26, 2022 and is from the company archives.

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: the obsession with hiring “the young” continues to get in the way of building generationally diverse teams in nonprofit organizations. Dear reader, you may think “obsession” is a bit strong for this topic, but I use it because I believe there are misconceptions about the abilities of “older people” when it comes to technology expertise, keeping up with trends, and being able to “relate to” younger people.

Radio Free 501c is the voice of Rogue Tulips Consulting. The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter, Rogue Speak. This week's topic is: GenZ: Super-Duper Underwhelmed.

For the first time in years, I attended ASAE’s Membership Marketing & Communication Conference (MMCC). It was great for networking and learning, and I really enjoyed the sessions I attended. The thread I found throughout the conference was data even though it may not have been in the title of the session or the main point of the content. Being something of a data nerd I was just thrilled and as a nonprofit management professional I was excited to see we are “getting it” and embracing our data and its management.

Radio Free 501c is the voice of Rogue Tulips Consulting. The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter, Rogue Speak. This week's topic is: Harassment, Brick Walls, & Apathy: How NOT to treat Members, Clients, or Customers.

Customer service (also known as client service or member service) is what sets apart any company or organization that is committed to excellence. While all organizations need to earn money to survive, that cannot be the only driver when it comes to serving the people who use your products or services. Think about the best experiences you have with any organization providing you with a service: it almost always comes down to how helpful, informed, and service-oriented the representatives are.

Radio Free 501c is the voice of Rogue Tulips Consulting. The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter, "Rogue Speak."  This week's topic is: Don't Even Get Me Started . . . Things On My Mind 1. Harassment Marketing 2. Women Not Speaking Up 3. Anti-Consultant Bias.

We all have them. Topics and issues that you don’t EVEN want to get started on because you will go on. And on. And on. Usually, these topics are emotionally charged or just plain frustrating because there doesn’t seem to be any resolution in sight. For example, when it comes to driving: Why don’t people use their turn signals? Was there a strange EMP (electromagnetic pulse) that ONLY affected cars turn signals making them non-functional?

As we near the end of the first quarter of 2023, AWTC is gearing up for its annual awards ceremony where they recognize women in associations making a difference with technology.

Recently, I completed the University of South Florida (USF) DEI Certificate program. If you haven’t heard about it, the USF program was one of the first ones in the United States developed in response to the social upheaval of the early 2020s that was partly related to a lot of hidden tensions rising to the surface as power structures shifted. We started talking openly about things that in the past were left unsaid or discussed in hushed tones privately.

I’ve had a Twitter account for years, but I don’t use it to get news – or any other social media platform as a news source. If I want to get the news, I check out 3 or 4 news platforms to get the full story. But sadly, there are too many people who think that Twitter is an important news and information source when it really is not. It’s like watching “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central to get the news. It’s probably not your best source.

It’s a bit early for Halloween but when the news headlines are filled with horror, it’s a motivator to revisit the stories of this scary season and how they still apply today. The news this week has the scariest headline I’ve seen all year: Boston University researchers develop a deadlier version of the COVID virus by combining two strains. Headlines and stories noted that this combined strain has an 80% mortality rate in mice.

Years ago, I realized I was a grown up and had reached a certain level of emotional maturity when I could objectively judge a situation involving a person I do not like. I learned to set aside emotion and evaluate the situation; personal opinions did not apply. It took me years to become a disciplined and objective thinker, and it’s something that we all need to constantly work on and hone.

Most days I’m a positive person because I know from experience things are never as bad as they seem. Even on those “nothing is going right” days I tend to think, “Okay, this too shall pass. Like a bad kidney stone, but it will pass.”

It’s April Fools’ Day, a time when we play tricks and pranks on each other. In the 21st Century, I believe that we need even more skepticism on this day considering misinformation, propaganda, and the ability of rumors to spread in the speed of thought.

Due to the pandemic lockdown and other restrictions/regulations related to managing a virus over the last two years, people reassessed their lives. They were working from home, or maybe not working at all, and were influenced to make changes in their job that might make their life better or more fulfilling.

In 2012, I had the opportunity to present a virtual session to the Ukrainian Taxpayers Organization on nonprofit management. While I couldn’t be there in person, I felt a great deal of warmth and appreciation from the hosts and the conference attendees. They sent me this lovely speaker gift, a music box in the shape of an iconic Ukrainian image. Every day I see this in my office and think of how I connected with people far away.

When people insult me (which fortunately isn’t too often) I reply, “I’ve been called worse by better.” While this cheeky comeback might be appropriate for an insult, it’s not the best comeback when someone calls me the wrong name. Sometimes I reply, “Just don’t call me late for dinner . . .” but I still feel as if I’m being “dissed” when I am called the wrong name.

The pandemic lockdown of 2020 provided a pause for most of the world. We had the opportunity to think, contemplate, and practice introspection. It’s amazing how a situation like the lockdown exposes what is actually important and what has no real value.

There’s an old saying (isn’t there one for everything?): “Familiarity breeds contempt.” If you are not familiar (pun intended) with this cliché, it means that the longer you are around someone or something, the higher the odds that you will begin to hate it.