Parting Thoughts on 2021 | Looking Ahead to 2022

As the year draws to a close, I wanted to thank my followers and visitors. As of this posting, 108 nations have visited Carolyn’s Nonprofit Blog this year. From Nepal to Luxembourg, Norway to Guatemala, Lebanon to Mongolia, and from the good old United States to Hong Kong, welcome to all! You are the reason I installed the Google Translate widget on my website.

This year marks my 10th anniversary on WordPress. Launched when I had just moved to San Antonio after a productive decade working in South Texas on a variety of major gift projects, Carolyn’s Nonprofit Blog continues today from my home office on the western edge of Austin in Bee Cave, Texas. Grant writing and ethics were topics of great interest to readers this year. Realizing my blog is a teaching tool, this year I added to the main menu links to a few slide presentations and videos that make the website even more helpful. I notice SlideShare received quite a few visitors that way!

This year involved more email mentoring, with several inquiries coming in via my secure contact form from people across the United States asking how they might transition to new careers in grant writing and fundraising. Questions about how to blog on WordPress also kept me busy, as my blog is quite searchable now after ten years online. Thanks to Google Search for the high rankings. Grants Professionals Association (GPA) and The Grantsmanship Center have received quite a bit of traffic via Carolyn’s Nonprofit Blog, and I am glad to see it. Both are trustworthy organizations from which you can learn a lot.

Since 2015, I have been the primary volunteer organizer of Nonprofit Tech Club Austin. It is a partnership involving TechSoup Global, NTEN: Nonprofit Technology Network and locally here in Austin, startup hub Capital Factory. As 2021 draws to a close and I peel off as lead organizer, I am delighted to see the club broaden its scope and become the TechSoup Connect Texas Chapter. Thanks to our volunteers this year and our valued partners. Your endorsement has meant so much! And we have more work to do. Follow the link above to sign up for program notifications and to obtain secure Zoom links direct to your inbox.

Normally at this time of year, I share my nonprofit predictions. Instead, I refer you to my fall 2021 post, “Nonprofit Fundraising: Reasons for Hope.” There are good reasons for hope, despite the many challenges we have faced!

In closing, I share below a menu of 2021 presentations and articles for ease of access. I enjoyed visiting with a wide variety of constituents across Texas and beyond, sharing my knowledge and insights. Thanks to those organizations for inviting me, and I look forward to 2022. In particular, mark your calendar for May 11: I will be giving a webinar on how to launch a career in nonprofit grant writing and fundraising – or transition from a for-profit position to a nonprofit one – for Qgiv. And on September 20, I look forward to speaking during the annual Crescendo Interactive Practical Planned Giving Conference on, “Using Technology and Data to Lay the Groundwork for Lean and Effective Major Gift Fundraising Campaigns,” which will be part of the “Navigating the Future” track. Check my Media Room for updates.

I hope to see you then, if not before!