Dear friends,

Each February, Avalon department heads present key takeaways from 2025 and priorities for 2026 with our full staff. It takes a village to do everything we do for Avalon and our clients, and these meetings help us see the big picture. Thank you to the Avalon senior team for your vision and leadership, and to our staff for the hard work of bringing strategic plans to life. I enjoy these conversations and, without fail, am inspired by how much we accomplish when we work together.

Urgent Action Alert

The Nonprofit Alliance (TNPA) issued an urgent action alert to protect the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) from new threats. Once again, the Office of Personnel Management is considering eliminating the CFC, which has given more than $9 billion to nonprofits since 1964, including approximately $70 million in 2024. Led by TNPA, the nonprofit sector launched a successful effort to save the CFC in 2025. Let’s show up strong again to protect this vital program for the long term.

“Your advocacy worked before. We need you again.”

– The Nonprofit Alliance

Black History Month

In honor of this year’s theme, “A Century of Black Commemorations,” Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) curated a “Journey of Black History Month,” highlighting new destinations each week and sharing both the significance of each place and the history of African American migration. The journey began last week in the Midwest, exploring the impact of the Exodusters, and it continues this week in the North, where millions of African Americans migrated and built thriving communities in the first decades of the twentieth century. I hope you will follow NMAAHC as it shares this journey on social media and explore further with their digital toolkit and onsite events.

Join @NMAAHC in celebrating @ASALH 2026’s official #BlackHistoryMonth theme, A Century of Black History. Learn more: https://nmaahc.si.edu/blackhistorymonth

Cultivating DAF Donors

As Veritus Group recently outlined, nonprofits can significantly improve relationships with DAF donors through proactive gift processing and tracking. Specifically, they recommend four practices that save both donors and fundraisers headaches. By doing so, nonprofits make things easier for DAF donors at tax time and empower their staff to follow up with effective cultivation. Given the volume and increasing rate of DAF giving, backend processing is a significant lever for long-term value in your fundraising program.

I agree and would emphasize: It’s critical to implement efficient processes today, so you can retain and cultivate DAF donors tomorrow. Fundraisers have an obligation to make this happen despite the obstacles, to responsibly steward donor trust and connection. Getting this right is a win-win for your nonprofit and your DAF donors, who will gain more meaningful philanthropic relationships and impactful opportunities to support your mission.

Optimism in Challenging Times

In honor of National Optimism Day last Thursday, senior director of HR Melissa Ferrell shared a powerful message with our team, which I hope you will also take to heart. Thank you, Melissa, for this honest and hopeful advice:

I know that staying optimistic right now is feeling like an insurmountable mountain to climb for so many of us. And it’s okay to name that feeling without trying to neatly tie it up or pretend it’s not affecting us. Two things can be true at once: we’re fortunate to do meaningful work at Avalon that is helping to make the world a better place, AND it can be emotionally and mentally challenging to do that work in this moment. Being optimistic doesn’t mean ignoring reality; it means acknowledging it and still choosing to show up with care, purpose, and gratitude. Today is a good reminder that one way we do that is by continuing to be the change we want to see through our work, how we treat one another, and the communities we support.

🐘 Good News! 🐘

Speaking of optimism, Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute welcomed a healthy Asian elephant calf last week! The female calf is the first Asian elephant (an endangered species) born at the Zoo in nearly 25 years. For now, the calf is off exhibit, but she will make her public debut after a month of bonding. Meanwhile, the Zoo will post photos and updates online, and donors can help choose the new elephant’s name. Congratulations to mother Nhi Linh, father Spike, their herd, and keepers on their 308-pound, 38.5-inch bundle of joy.