While I always write about my own opinions and views of the world, I don’t often write about myself. I’m with me all the time so I don’t think there is much of interest to share; I already know this stuff. Some of it I’ve had to get past so I don’t think about it because I’m not that person any longer.

I was on a networking call one evening this week, and I ended up staying on to talk to a friend of mine who also happens to be a woman. One of the things we had discussed in our networking call was funny examples of negotiating deals or contracts. As I wrote about in last week’s article, “Women, Ask for What You Want,” negotiating is just that – ask for what you want.

As a young person with a political science degree and an interest in policy, I moved to the Washington, DC area with my husband (another poli sci graduate) to change the world. We all think we can change the world until we are about 32, then we realize it’s more than one person can handle. But the enthusiasm of youth drives us forward, and I found myself interviewing for my first job in DC. I was excited to be considered for an entry-level position at the US Chamber of Commerce.

Being from Missouri, I tend to be skeptical about movies, books, and television shows (to name a few cultural icons) that EVERYONE raves about endlessly. That list includes people too – when people go on and on about “how wonderful and awesome” So and So is, and how everyone “loves them” I know it should be questioned. Why? Because no one is universally loved, not even The Drake from the “Seinfeld” television series.

On October 5, 2023, I posted a message titled, “Muted Voices” about the difficulty women have in being heard about, well, pretty much anything. This is a phenomenon that is a global issue that affects all of us. I stated in “Muted Voices,” “There is a lot of frustration for women who work to be heard but instead are ignored, diminished, and dismissed.” It happens to all of us, no matter how strong, independent, or intelligent we are.

The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter "Rogue Speak."

This week's message: The Reason We Celebrate

I like to call this time of year the “Winter Holiday Season” because there are so many holidays, both religious and secular, this time of year. As I wind down before my holiday break, I have been pondering why humans celebrate anything and everything. What is the need to point out that something special happened, or is happening, or will happen? From births to weddings to seasonal activities to new jobs, we celebrate. And sometimes when things go wrong, we gather to commiserate.

The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter "Rogue Speak."

This week's message: The Social Contract

Years ago, I was at a conference that likely was sponsored by ASAE but to be honest, the fog of memory clouds my vision. I do remember that it was the early era of online connecting because we were talking about online bulletin boards. Yes, dear reader, there was a bygone era when we didn’t have online communities where we could participate in real time.

The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter "Rogue Speak."

This week's message: The Danger of Outdated Thinking – Part 2

In February 2022, I posted a message titled “The Danger of Outdated Thinking” about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In that post, I noted this:

The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter "Rogue Speak."

This week's message: Muted Voices

There is a lot of frustration for women who work to be heard but instead are ignored, diminished, and dismissed. There are times it feels like our volume isn’t on and we are perpetually on mute.

Making anything takes effort whether you are making a meal or making furniture. Making peace is a lot harder than it looks and falls into that category of “easier said than done.” When two parties are in serious disagreement, it can feel like a war, full of bad feelings, fighting for influence and resources, and developing a stubbornness from not wanting to yield your position.

The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter "Rogue Speak."
This week's message: Cognitive Dissidents

Our contentious world of emotional arguments and baseless data and emotionally charged accusations makes it seem impossible to get back to the world of civil discourse and debate. Remember when two intelligent people could disagree about an issue, share their positions, ask each other questions, and then go out for a drink? While those days may seem long gone, I saw a glimmer of hope this week that all is not lost.

Radio Free 501c is the voice of Rogue Tulips Consulting. The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter, "Rogue Speak."

This week's topic: Hire Older People! This message was originally published on October 26, 2022 and is from the company archives.

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: the obsession with hiring “the young” continues to get in the way of building generationally diverse teams in nonprofit organizations. Dear reader, you may think “obsession” is a bit strong for this topic, but I use it because I believe there are misconceptions about the abilities of “older people” when it comes to technology expertise, keeping up with trends, and being able to “relate to” younger people.

Radio Free 501c is the voice of Rogue Tulips Consulting. The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter, Rogue Speak. This week's topic is: GenZ: Super-Duper Underwhelmed.

For the first time in years, I attended ASAE’s Membership Marketing & Communication Conference (MMCC). It was great for networking and learning, and I really enjoyed the sessions I attended. The thread I found throughout the conference was data even though it may not have been in the title of the session or the main point of the content. Being something of a data nerd I was just thrilled and as a nonprofit management professional I was excited to see we are “getting it” and embracing our data and its management.