Going Rogue — The Blog

Professional Development Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP Professional Development Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP

What I Learned from the CNP Program

Last Saturday, I completed the course work for the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) credential -- which focuses solely on 501c3 organizations -- by successfully passing the exam. I became interested in this credential when I saw a colleague’s post on LinkedIn about her accomplishment of earning their Advanced CNP credential.

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Technology Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP Technology Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP

How Many Emails is Too Many?

I recently saw a posting on ASAE’s Collaborate seeking input on how to manage email messages. The community member noted that they have “too many emails” and shared some of their big ideas on how to manage it for their company-based membership organization.

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Governance Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP Governance Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP

A Tale of Two Boards

There are many takes and variations on Charles Dickens’ classic novel A Tale of Two Cities set around and during the French Revolution. It has (in my opinion) one of the best opening lines ever: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” This describes life at any given moment here on Planet Earth which demonstrates how insightful Dickens was about the human condition.

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Technology Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP Technology Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP

Who’s the Tool?

Everyone is talking about ChatGPT and how it's going to change the world and maybe even break capitalism. Being from Missouri, I have to say I'm a skeptic. Lots of new tools come along and we think it's the best thing since sliced bread or Betty White, depending on your opinion. I like to take my time getting to learn about new tools and products to see what they do and if they actually are going to make things easier or better. This does not make me a Luddite -- it just makes me a person who's had some experience in life.

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Wellbeing Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP Wellbeing Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP

The February Funk

It doesn’t happen every year, but this year it’s hitting me: The February Funk. You may know what I’m talking about: it’s not really winter any longer, but it’s not yet spring. The winter holidays are a somewhat distant memory. The weather tends to be dreary. Cloudy, Rainy, Bone chilling winds.

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Association Management Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP Association Management Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP

A Conversation in the Kitchen: Tsk, Tsk, So Many Tasks!

Yesterday morning, my husband was in the kitchen emptying the dishwasher. When I walked in he said, “I have to hurry – I have a zoom meeting in a few minutes.” I replied, “Then why are you emptying the dishwasher? That can wait; that’s why you group tasks.” He replied, “I’m trying to do my part. See, I’m emptying the dishwasher while I’m boiling water for tea . . .” To which I retorted, “that’s not task grouping that’s multitasking, and that’s active multitasking as opposed to passive multitasking.”

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Societal issues Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP Societal issues Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP

The Totality of a Person’s Experience

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.

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Governance Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP Governance Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP

When Board Members Go Bad!

We’ve all seen it. Someone who presents well, is articulate, and shows enthusiasm for the organization (meaning they have participated and contributed), gets appointed or elected to the Board of Directors. Everyone has high hopes for this individual and looks forward to their tenure. Then, like the story of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” they become a completely different person than you expected. Their behavior is passive-aggressive. They are obstacles to forward movement.

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