What did you say?

I'm a "feedback is fantastic" person at heart. I love learning about how others perceive work I have done, hearing what I've done well and how I can improve. But sometimes responses I get are...not great. Vague, overly positive, and needlessly critical commentary doesn't help anyone!

So, given my love of feedback, today I thought I'd share with you the top 3 things you can do to offer helpful feedback!

📣 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰! It can be overwhelming to offer feedback sometimes, I get it! But in order to be useful, feedback has to get detailed. It can't just be vague affirmations or criticisms. "I loved the presentation!" is nice but it's not very helpful. "I really appreciated how you focused on data in the second section and tied it back to the story" is something I can run with!

📣 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀! If you have a problem with the work I am doing, I want to know! But don't bring me a problem without having given some thoughts to alternatives, solutions or best case scenarios. "This isn't going to work" makes all the work grind to a halt. "This isn't working, what if we tried it this way instead" opens up a world of possibilities!

📣 𝗕𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲! I know this one feels like you're pulling your punches. BUT, you can offer critique and displeasure without being negative. The key is in the phrasing: "You are the problem" isn't going to make me anything but bummed out. "You are the only one who can fix this" makes me feel empowered. Your colleagues are grown ups, they know they're going to make mistakes, but feedback is about reframing those mistakes into an opportunity to do better.

Do you love giving feedback? Getting it? What would you add to this list?

Philanthropy and the little guy

This daring piece by Sneha Dave, written in response to Mackenzie Scott's huge donation back at the beginning of May, stopped me in my tracks. I have to share my response!

I don't usually wade into opinion pieces but I loved this one and it brought so many issues to light that have been on my mind for years (the issues that inspired us to create Capably!) Firstly, I want to make it clear that would never argue that the incredible donation of unrestricted funds MacKenzie Scott made is unhelpful, it was an awesome generous move, that's going to help 361 nonprofits do exactly what they need to do to further their mission. Wow!

BUT.

Setting the requirements for receiving the grant around a 1 million dollar or more annual budget means you're leaving out a LOT of organizations, 92% of nonprofit orgs in the US operate with an annual budget of under a million dollars and that is not an indicator of the impact they are making in their communities! Annual budget is just one small indicator of how an organization operates and considering that the bulk of the sector falls on one side of that line, I don't think I'm off base with saying it's not a particularly important one!

I think a lot of folks would say that the requirement comes from a place of wanting to ensure sustainability: a one time gift of 1 million dollars will wreak havoc in an org operating with $100,000 a year. But I think this way of thinking about capacity building, that it is a one and done process, is so unhelpful. Capacity building should be an ongoing process, it should be focusing on collaboration and healthy growth, reinforcing a strong foundation, not funding for a project that then becomes a problem to be solved every year. Change your thinking about how we fund nonprofits and you'll change the world for the better! Unrestricted funds are such an incredible gift..let's get them in the hands of the small orgs who need them most!

Startup Lessons: Turning Rejection into Reflection

I received some disappointing news recently about a potential partnership falling through. It was particularly tough because it was so unexpected. The team we were in talks with was enthusiastic about our capabilities, and their mission aligned perfectly with ours. I took a risk and tried a new sales approach, but ultimately, they decided not to partner with us—not because they disliked our product, but because it wasn't the right fit at this time.

I did what you're supposed to do: I asked for feedback to improve our approach and offerings. I went over my sales process to see what I might have missed. But I was deeply upset, I had been convinced this was a sure thing. When it didn't happen, it knocked me back. 

Starting a business is a rollercoaster. You constantly second-guess your decisions. One moment, you feel like a genius; the next, you question everything. It's easy to assume that a missed opportunity is a catastrophe. But instead of viewing it as the end, I asked myself what I could learn from it.

So I did a little exercise:

First, I laid out the facts: We presented a partnership proposal tailored to their mission and budget. Initially, we received positive feedback—they loved our work and saw potential. They promised to get back to us after finalizing their budget. They later emailed, saying we weren't a fit for them at this time.

Then, I wrote down all my assumptions. My mind raced with negative thoughts—our product is bad, they don’t like me, this approach is totally wrong, no one will ever hire us.

After that, I compared the lists. Comparing these assumptions to the facts, none held up. No one said anything like what I was thinking. We simply weren't a fit for them right now. It was a reminder that we can't be everything to everyone. And we might be a fit for them later this year!

From this short exercise, I learned (or remembered!) several things:

• This particular sales approach needs a lot of nuance, it’s going to be different every time. I need to work on it!

• I need to give myself space to process bad news. It’s good to take a beat and calm down!

• We have a strong product that can revolutionize our sector. It might take time for some to see our value, and that's okay.

So when you’re inevitably faced with a tough situation, take a moment. Give yourself space and think about what you’ve learned. Every challenge is really an opportunity to learn something, even when it feels like there’s nothing to gain.