I have a confession to make; I no longer work in the nonprofit sector in Minnesota, nor do I live in the state. I recently made the big decision to pursue graduate school in order to further my own passions and learning. While I am enjoying this new and challenging journey, I still find myself deeply connected to the nonprofit sector, a place where I spent the majority of my 20’s working, learning, and growing.

As nonprofit professionals, many of us love to pat ourselves on the back for doing positive work and putting forth a solid effort. Don’t get me wrong – more often than not, it’s well deserved. We do this incredible work with our nonprofits despite the fact that as a sector, we have considerable room for growth in financially compensating our professionals. That being said, sometimes we are too quick to congratulate ourselves and overlook how we may be contributing to pervasive societal norms.

This is apparent with the many recent revelations of sexual misconduct perpetrated against women all across the country. While I’m hopeful to finally see a growing public awareness of an issue that has existed since the beginning of time, I often find myself unimpressed and concerned by the visceral reactions of many men. Even men who try to say the right thing have a tendency to distance ourselves from the issue, which can elicit harmful effects regardless of our intentions.

Every single person is responsible for helping to rid our communities of all forms of sexual misconduct. No one is excluded from this conversation, and I believe that men must stop distancing ourselves from these issues. Here are four basic pieces of advice that I’m going to assert that all men need to internalize immediately.

The other day, I was asked about my favorite winter activity. My obvious answer was being inside, sipping a warm drink, and binge-watching TV shows. While my response was met with laughter, I was being serious. In addition to Minnesota winters being the worst (and don't act like they're not...), there is just something about losing myself in a high-quality TV series that I find so enjoyable. 

Outside of taking a much-needed break from reality every once in a while, I’m convinced that watching these TV shows is actually helping me become a better nonprofit leader. I know that might sound silly or even ridiculous, but hear me out! With the right lens and mindset, there is a lot we can take away from some of TV’s best characters. So, here is a list of some of my favorite characters and what we can learn from them. And don’t worry, this is free of any major spoilers.

When I was seventeen years old, I had my very first interview for a sales position at a sports retail store in Madison, Wisconsin. I’m embarrassed to admit that I strolled in to that interview ten minutes late, wearing jeans, and with no resume. Even though I somehow managed to get that job (thank you, Rick, for giving that young kid a chance), I have thankfully learned a lot since then about preparing for interviews.

Like many things, interviewing is a skill that you can build with practice and preparation. Over the past couple years, I have enjoyed the opportunity to be the interviewer for a change. So in this post, I would like to share a few insights I’ve gained from being on the other side of the table.

The much-anticipated Five Minutes in Hell event last month was everything we had hoped for. We had an incredible turnout and people are still talking about it. There were a total of thirteen brave YNPN-TC members who dared to take the stage to capture the attention of an eager audience. They made us laugh, they made us cry, and most importantly, they made us truly appreciate being a part of such a talented community. 

I had the pleasure of being one of the night’s presenters. My topic was on how I learned how to solve a Rubik’s Cube. Sounds like the kind of speech that will have people on the edge of their seats, right? Maybe not, but while this might not seem like the most invigorating speech, I can assure you that the foolproof, cute photos of my younger self kept peoples’ attention.  

I feel very fortunate to own my very own, personal gold mine.  Now, I don’t mean that literally (though I wouldn’t mind jumping off a diving board into vault full of gold coins and cash like Uncle Scrooge), but I do feel like I’ve accumulated key pieces of advice that have truly been as good as gold to me. So I wanted to share with you all five nuggets of gold that have been given to me over the past few years.