Yesterday, in the midst of the inauguration celebrations, National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman shared a powerful poem that immediately went viral in every way possible — for very good reason. (If you haven’t watched or read it yet, go do so right now.)

Watching this young poet recite this unifying and challenging piece reminded us of something we believe to our bones: Words matter.

The way we tell stories matters.

The narratives we share, the vocabulary we choose, our willingness to speak honestly and with candor — it all matters.

And while we might not be taking the stage in front of presidents or sitting across from Anderson Cooper for an interview or gaining 1.7 million Instagram followers in 12 hours, we still have the honor and responsibility of using our voices in the same way Amanda did yesterday.

We get to call out oppression and injustice. We get to inform our neighbors about the catastrophes that don’t get air time; the ones that feel too far away to notice. We get to inspire and encourage and motivate and challenge.

Fundraising, at its core, is just storytelling.

It’s sharing the story of the problem at hand — then writing your donors right into the narrative. Advocacy is storytelling. It’s elevating the voices of those who have been silenced. Marketing is absolutely storytelling. It’s sharing a vision of how things could be — and what it will take to get there.

So friends, use your words. Use them powerfully, compellingly, artfully, beautifully. If you’re lucky, someone might be listening.

The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it
— The Hill We Climb, Amanda Gorman

We’ve been thinking a lot about transitions. With the events of last week seared into our memories and the potential of what could happen next week causing low-grade anxiety, we’ve been reflecting on how to transition well. Not just peacefully or non-chaos-inducing-ly — but effectively.

How do you make changes that actually help the people around you?

Obviously, we aren’t the president. But we do have teams. We have people who look up to us. We set a culture, we direct plans, we manage budgets, and we are responsible for collective success. Maybe it’s not so different after all…

So here are the questions we’re asking ourselves this week:

1. Do other people know how to do what you do? If you left (or even simply went on a real vacation) could someone else easily cover for you?
2. Do other people understand the value of what you do? What impact metrics could be better communicated? If you weren’t there to defend a project, could it defend itself?
3. Are you growing as a leader/teammate/marketer/fundraiser/(insert word here)? This is our number one driver for making transitions. When we stop learning, we begin looking for new projects, new opportunities, or new ways to stretch our skills within our current roles.
4. What are you exceptionally good at? Could you train someone else to have that skill, too? Think about what makes you awesome — and instead of hoarding that ability, try to share it.
5. What is the legacy of your leadership? Think about the systems you have put in place and the culture you have cultivated. If you were to move on to something new tomorrow, what would be left in your wake? Is it something you’re proud of?

Years ago, when considering leaving a role she loved, one of our team members got some incredible advice. A mentor told her: “You can be replaced.” At first, she was offended (“No way! I’m really good at my job!”), but then she realized how true and freeing those words were.

You’re not the hero. The success (or failure) of the whole operation should never rest on one person’s shoulders. You can be replaced.

Believe in your work. Be great at what you do. Build a legacy that is way bigger than yourself. Transitions will never be easy, but they don’t have to be a chaotic nightmare. We promise.

Somehow, in the midst of so much chaos and grief and anger, we are expected to continue working. So for a few moments, we’re going to shift our attention away from the news and look at the year ahead.

What do you want to accomplish this year?

What have you mastered in 2020 that you want to keep doing? What stressed you out and needs to go? What elements of your organization’s culture are helping — and which ones really aren’t? If you had unlimited resources, what would you do?

Make time to ask these questions.

Get your head out of the day-to-day for a few hours and cast a vision. Think strategically. Dream.

Too often, we jump right to the next hot item on our to-do list without ever pausing to consider what we actually want or need to be doing. And here’s the truth: If we don’t make time to set our priorities, someone else will.

So steer your own ship this year. Sure, the plans will get changed (or even upended entirely…hello, 2020) — but at least you’ll have a vision and a starting point. And that is a very good way to start the year.

We’re going to be honest with you: We forgot to write this newsletter.

Yes, after 55 weeks of messages, we simply…forgot. Chalk it up to distraction or the holidays or, most likely, this year finally catching up to us. Listen people, our brains have been through the ringer.

For nine months, we have lived in this weird everything-is-new-and-also-nothing-is-changing existence. And sure, we can make jokes about the word “unprecedented” (remember when we put that in one million emails and updates?), but the truth is that this year has been unlike any other.

We have been through a lot. And we’re still standing.

So if you forget an email or a meeting, know that you’re not alone. If writing one more appeal feels like an insurmountable task, or if you wish that Facebook posts could magically post themselves, or if you desperately want a nap, you are in good company.

Simply being here, still doing the hard work day in and day out, is already a victory. You’re already winning.

So cheers to you and your unrelenting effort. And cheers to the email that sometimes has to send in the afternoon because our brains are tired and 2020 has been a lot and we’re all doing the best that we can.