Holiday Wishes

I consider myself blessed. Deeply, and in many ways — not the least of which is the fact that I love what I do. (Not at this particular moment, however, as we slog through production of the gnarly bear that is our annual Fundraising Resource Guide ­— but overall, yes.)

Along with a terrific staff, I’m charged with producing a magazine and other resources that support some of the most passionate, dedicated people in the American workforce as they save lives (both human and other), restore dignity, heal the planet, support beauty, protest war and corruption, and otherwise attempt to bring balance, civility and peace to a world that seemingly has gone mad.

Every day, a new wrong (or a persistent old one) must be righted, and every day I see the hand of the Higher Power at work in the work you do. It’s humbling, it’s inspiring — and it’s an honor to be a part of it and to work alongside you as you create miracles.

Getting people to give during the holidays is relatively easy. Hearts and wallets open up more freely than at any other time of the year. But you empower donors to give, to connect, to reclaim their humanity all year long — in the dark, decidedly non-festive dead of winter, in the midst of the summer doldrums, when we’re at war, when we’re at peace, when we’re counting our blessings, when we’re losing hope …

I’m sure I’ve not said it enough this year, but thank you. For the work that you do and for your support of this magazine, whether as a contributor, a resource, a reader or an advertiser. And I leave you with what has become my annual holiday wish: warmth, peace, joy, gratitude, grace and the courage to live with outrageous hope. Brightest blessings to you all.

It took a while, but …
FS finally is back up to full staff. Timothy Churchill joins the magazine as senior associate editor. He’ll focus primarily on writing features for the print publication and the FS Advisor — so you can expect to be seeing and hearing from him often. Prior to joining FS, he worked as a general-assignment reporter for a newspaper in New England. Timothy is enthusiastic and a strong writer with a solid journalistic background, and I wholeheartedly anticipate that he’ll become an invaluable part of the staff and a great resource to our readership. Contact Timothy at tchurchill@napco.com. Please join me in welcoming him to the fascinating, fulfilling world of nonprofit fundraising.

Margaret Battistelli,
Editor-in-Chief
mbattistelli@napco.com