Courageous Leap: Launching a New Venture

This summer, I am taking a huge leap. No, it's not one of the more socially accepted leaps, like getting married or having a kid. Those things are likely not in the cards for me.

I'm launching my own business. Ellipsis Strategies.

I've been working in the nonprofit fundraising space for 16 years and have finally found a way to do it with total authenticity and courage. Ellipsis Strategies will support nonprofits that are fighting for social justice. Every single day, nonprofits are finding out that major public funders are being dismantled. They are finding out that government grants are getting cancelled with no warning. And they are trying to figure out how to survive, how to raise the money they need to keep helping people every day. The racial and gender and economic justice warriors. The writers and artists and creators. The people who give their all to make someone else's life better.

I cannot wait to use my expertise in fundraising to help these nonprofits. But the truth is, getting started on your own is scary.

Business cards. A new website. Coffees and lunches for potential clients. Memberships to professional associations. Office space. The list goes on.

These are the things I need to get going, and it would mean the world to me if you would help me get there.

For many people, it might feel better to buy a Le Creuset for someone about to get married, or to buy a crib for someone about to have a baby. But those aren't the only ways to change your life, and those aren't the only things we should celebrate in big ways.

Thank you for helping me to realize this dream, to play by my own rules, and to create a life that's fully my own.