Anna Prow

Curated content for systems leaders. Principal + CEO + Founder #termexecutive. Growing resilient nonprofits.

[Inner Practitioner @MindTendencies2]

Being unbothered and calmly responding to toxic people trying to provoke you is the absolute best feeling. You stay in control, protect your energy, show them their behavior has no power here, and you're so secure in yourself that their dysfunction doesn't get to define your day.

[Jeremy Reis @JeremyReis]

Most fundraising teams are overwhelmed.

Too many campaigns.
Too many channels.
Too many ideas—and not enough clarity.

Here’s what the best teams do instead:

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
One story that anchors the year.
Everything else supports it.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹
Same message in email, social, mail, events.
Different format. Same heartbeat.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
They launch at 80%—and improve as they go.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴
One clear goal.
One owner per project.
No endless debate loops.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝘀
Because every new idea costs time, energy, and focus.

Fundraising isn’t a volume game.
It’s a 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 game.

The teams that raise the most?
They’re not doing more.

They’re doing 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴—but doing it with purpose.

What’s one thing your team could stop doing this quarter?

[Dave Kline @dklineii]

Major career cheat code: Be easy to work with. Calm when others panic. Positive in the face of pessimists. Reliable. Consistent. It doesn't take talent. It just takes intention. The world bends toward people who make everyone around them better.

[Jeremy Reis @JeremyReis]

The best donor experiences aren’t complicated.

They’re consistent.
Clear.
And deeply human.

Here’s what I’ve seen in organizations that keep donors year after year:

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁
Not weeks later.
Within 48 hours—while the emotion is still fresh.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘁𝘀
Every email, every update says,
“Here’s what your gift made possible.”

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
A handwritten note.
A video from the field.
Something the donor didn’t expect.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲
Because a $25 donor and a $25,000 donor
shouldn’t get the same experience.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲
Retention isn’t a metric—it’s a mindset.

You don’t need a bigger budget to retain donors.
You need a better strategy for showing them they matter.

Because donors don’t leave when they’re asked too much.
They leave when they feel nothing at all.

What’s the best donor experience you’ve ever received?

[Tolulope Michael @im_tolumichael]

Your Degree Is Not Your Advantage Anymore

1. Execution is.
2. Communication is.
3. Visibility is.
4. Adaptability is.
5. Problem-solving is.
6. Speed of learning is.
7. Strategic thinking is.
8. Emotional intelligence is.
9.Consistency is.
10.Value creation is.

[Kpaxs @Kpaxs]

The right mindset is believing feedback is information before it is humiliation.

[Jeremy Reis @JeremyReis]

Most nonprofits don’t need more ideas.

They need more 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴.
Because distraction is expensive.

Every new campaign, every new channel, every new “we should really…”
pulls your team further from what’s already working.

You might call it 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗽—
not a lack of effort, but a lack of 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵.

Here’s what focused fundraisers do differently:

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻
No more fragmented storytelling.
Just one clear idea that gets repeated—and remembered.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀
If email is driving results, they double down.
Not everything needs to be on TikTok.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱
Just because someone 𝘤𝘢𝘯 give
doesn’t mean they’re the right fit for your mission.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀—𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺
Progress isn’t about how much you attempt.
It’s about what you 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦.

You don’t build momentum by spreading thin.
You build it by 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴.

Clarity creates energy.
Focus multiplies it.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁?

[Anna Prow @AnnaProw]

Action produces information.

[Reads with Ravi @readswithravi]

Action produces information.

[Anna Prow @AnnaProw]

“Most people who are exceptionally good at what they do have an undeniable sense of playfulness.” HT/ Via @_mpekethu_

[Dr. Riziki🌜👩🏽‍⚕️🧘🏽‍♀️ @_mpekethu_]

Most people who are exceptionally good at what they do have an undeniable sense of playfulness. They tend to laugh easily, not take themselves too seriously and their curiosity drives them to interact with anything and anybody. Quite refreshing to be around

[Dave Kline @dklineii]

Not all failure is the same. Good failure: transparent, quick, controlled with plenty learned. Bad failure: quiet, slow, expensive and constantly repeated. The best leaders manufacture more good failure on purpose. That purpose is forward-motion and fast evolution.

[Kpaxs @Kpaxs]

The path to mastery is mostly the death of the fantasy that you should look impressive while learning.

[Anna Prow @AnnaProw]

“Managing up doesn't mean sucking up. It requires courage, empathy and results. Share the hard truths. Understand their goals. Overdeliver.” HT/Via @dklineii

[Dave Kline @dklineii]

Managing up doesn't mean sucking up. It requires courage, empathy and results. Share the hard truths. Understand their goals. Overdeliver. That's reality. And yes, your boss plays favorites. Here are 5 tactics to make sure that's you:

[Anna Prow @AnnaProw]

“Delegation is fighting the ego.” HT/Via @sweatystartup

[Nick Huber @sweatystartup]

Delegation is fighting the ego.

"I can do this job better so get out of my way and I'll do it."

It is the natural tendency of so many owners.

But it holds them back from growth because they become the bottleneck inside of their company.

The cold hard truth:

You aren't the only person who can do this job. You are not special. You are not a unicorn.

Somebody else CAN and WILL do your job better than you.

You just have to find them and show them how to do it.

[Brian Halligan @bhalligan]

I don't remember where I found this, but its spot on.

[scott belsky @scottbelsky]

OH: “whatever therapy the CEO hasn’t done becomes the psychosis of the organization.”

[Kpaxs @Kpaxs]

High agency looks like arrogance to people who have mistaken learned helplessness for maturity.

[Inner Practitioner @MindTendencies2]

The real flex is mastering your reaction to toxic people's disrespect. They want to provoke a negative reaction because it validates their influence and control over you. Don't give them that pleasure. A blank stare. Walk away. Say "no." Stick to your boundaries. Keep your peace.

[Srinivas Rao @UnmistakableCEO]

The bottleneck was never intelligence. It was coordination.

— OrchestrateOS

[Anna Prow @AnnaProw]

“High-agency people seem to have this weird immunity to embarrassment.” HT/Via @Kpaxs

[Kpaxs @Kpaxs]

Looking stupid temporarily is the price of getting smart permanently.

[Deva Hazarika @devahaz]

One of the worst communication gaps is between people who care about precision in language and those who don’t