The Nonprofit Spark - Slowing Down Before the Q4 Push

YOUR WEEKLY DIGEST

A couple months back, I caught an episode of SNL in which Heidi Gardner plays a character — ‘Your Co-Worker Who’s Extremely Busy Doing Seemingly Nothing’ — who seems to take a twisted sort of pride in how busy she is.

I laughed and I cringed watching the character because A) Heidi Gardner is hilarious; but also B) Truthfully, I could recognize some of the character’s tendencies in myself! Sometimes I find myself so caught up in juggling multiple deadlines and different priorities, bouncing from one project to another, feeling like I’m doing the work of 8 people all at once … Then all of a sudden, it all stops!

For whatever reason, work has come to a slowdown, and instead of feeling relieved and appreciating the chance to reflect and catch my breath, I’m so caught up in the so-called hustle-culture that I feel like I have to find something to fill that void and add to my plate.

That’s one of the great things about humor and parody — sometimes it holds up a mirror for us to recognize (and laugh at) our own worst tendencies, and remind ourselves to be different! This character helped me remember: Sometimes working hard isn’t the answer. Sometimes taking a step back and allowing yourself to breathe a little will allow you to bring your best self to work, or wherever else your best self needs to show up! Hopefully, some of the other resources we share this week will be a similar reminder that a pause can often be a blessing!

Scroll on to find our weekly blog, check out our free downloadable resource, join in the conversation with sector leaders on LinkedIn, and see if our weekly grant opportunity is a good fit for you!

Happy Reading!

Sincerely, The Spark Group Team

THIS WEEK’S BLOG | 8.01.24

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Q4 can be incredibly busy for nonprofit leaders. A late summer slowdown can provide the rest and rejuvenation your team needs to tackle year-end challenges with renewed energy. Discover how to implement a slowdown effectively and why it's beneficial for your organization in our latest blog.

?Read Here?

FREE RESOURCE | The True Cost of Employee Turnover

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How much is my employee turnover costing me?

What is my employee retention rate? How do I calculate these figures?

If these are questions that you are curious about then this document helps shed some light!

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JOIN THE CONVERSATION | ON LINKEDIN

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What’s YOUR favorite way to relax? Tell me in the comments!

FROM THE ARCHIVE

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Strategy and Proactivity: The Corner Stones of Spark Group

At Spark Group, two of our all-time favorite talking points are about strategy and proactivity. That’s because we think if you were to boil down all our advice and resources for nonprofits to two simple concepts, here is where you would land! In fact, these two concepts, Strategy and Proactivity, are really what Spark Group was built around.

Have you heard the Spark Group origin story before?

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GRANT OPPORTUNITY | The Spark Justice Fund: Borealis Philanthropy

The Spark Justice Fund, a donor collaborative at Borealis Philanthropy, supports grassroots organizing and advocacy groups to?end the use of money bail?and unjust pretrial detention policies. The Fund focuses on supporting grassroots and power-building groups to decarcerate, close jails, and advance transformative visions of pretrial justice in the communities most impacted by incarceration in the United States.

The Fund prioritizes funding for:

? decarcerative policy reform or policy implementation efforts to end cash bail and other key policy drivers of jail populations;

? campaigns to close jails or stop jail expansion and drive investment into the communities most impacted by incarceration; and,

? the creation of innovative, community-driven alternatives to pretrial detention. Safety and Security Rapid Response Fund grants range from $10,000 to $25,000.

?LEARN MORE?

Looking for more help with your next grant proposal? Check out my best-selling book on Amazon. Want even more support? contact us today!