My Big Mistakes — And What I Learned From Them

What I learned: Never forget the importance of the ask. If you don't ask, you don't get.

Bad data and bad dates

When I went to work at THT in 1990, times were hard. No effective treatments for HIV/AIDS were available, and every day more people became ill and countless died, often slowly and painfully. Many staff and volunteers were also badly affected. We were desperate for funds, and early on I worked to get out a powerful mailing and a follow-up phone campaign.