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In last week’s edition of Rogue Speak, I wrote about the dangers of outdated thinking in reference to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia. In that article, I outlined what I saw as the problems with Vladimir Putin’s thought process. In my opinion, he has a lot of them.

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.

Years ago, my husband gave me a sign that says, “Surely as cometh the Winter, I know there are spring violets under the snow.” This quote is by Robert Henry Newell from his 1871 book of poetry, Versatilities.

By this point, we’ve all heard the term “The Great Resignation.” The influence of the lockdown on lifestyle and mindsets brought people to a place where they re-evaluated their personal happiness index. [Learn more about The World Happiness Report here] This led to many individuals in 2021 leaving their current positions – and at times leaving their employer in a lurch – to pursue other options.

Living in a world where bigger, more, and “lots” seem to be the only indicators of success, it can be hard to stay focused on our personal definitions of success. We are measured by followers, income, organization size, expansion, and the length of our title.

Having once been young, and now being a person of a “Certain Age” as the French say, I can decisively say I will take the wisdom and experience I have earned at this point in life over the uninformed years of my earlier life. As Maurice Chevalier sang, “I’m so glad I’m not young anymore.”

In the fall of 2018, I had an idea. To be completely transparent, I had TWO ideas.

The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) has created a corporate partnership relationship with Medtronic that provides significant value for members and AMSN, as well as Medtronic.

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.

We’ve all done it. You get the newsletter or magazine (most likely in digital format these days) and you scour the text for mention of your name. It must be in there SOMEWHERE because you contributed a lot of time and energy to a project for the organization. Not only did you contribute, but you were also the leader of the project – of course your name will be mentioned prominently (likely in BOLD type) and you will receive recognition and thanks from your peers for a job well done.

Hiring a new team member is an important decision. There is a certain amount of pressure to make the right choice and find a person who will fit in your team, excel and be happy at their work, and advance the mission of the organization.

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.

As we head into fall 2021, the weather is changing. Cooler temps and shorter days may make us feel lower energy. We may even feel more relaxed as our circadian rhythm adjusts to the changes in daylight.

There are a few basic rules of member service that all associations should keep in mind. No matter the size of your budget or staff, what counts is how your members feel at the end of an interaction with the organization.

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.

It’s late summer so that means it’s individual award season again in the nonprofit community. As associations look forward to their annual conferences, Awards Committees are formed. Nominations are announced. Sometimes self-nominations are encouraged. Deadlines are extended to make sure there are candidates to review.

When you bandy about the word nonprofit, many people think of foundations or charities. For some reason, even in our own profession of nonprofit management, there are people who think associations are different from nonprofits.

The word resilience might make us think of someone strong and resourceful who is never down or out. A resilient person just keeps going.