“Do your own research” isn’t helping

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an exercise in futility when it comes to sharing information. As I was working through my communications degree a few years ago, there was something in one of my course readings that actually stopped me in my tracks. It was related to Google search results and it stated that Google …

Lessons learned in 2019

Like a lot of people, I'm feeling quite reflective as 2019 comes to a close. There's just something about this time of year - and especially the week between Christmas and New Years when there's not much else to do - that makes one ponder the previous 365 days. Truth be told, I think 2019 …

Inclusion matters (professionally and personally)

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a professional development session hosted by IABC London. The session, titled "Diversity & Inclusion: Journey Beyond Demographics", brought together three local leaders who are not only experts in the topic, but each have their own experiences with feeling excluded in our community. It was one of the …

That time I got to be the donor

Ever since I joined the nonprofit profession in 2006, I've been the fundraiser. Although I've worked in a variety of roles in fundraising (spanning administrative support, donor relations, communications, major gift officer, finder of logs and straw), they've all been focused squarely on the donors I'm fortunate enough to work with (yeah...logs and straw). I …

Does drinking water while pregnant make your kids stupid?

Yes...yes it does. At least, that's what you can infer by reading an article published recently by CTV News under the headline "Higher levels of fluoride in urine linked to lower IQ scores in children". I'm going to back up for a second and explain why I'm writing this. I'm continuing to work on my …

Mail Fail

Direct mail is hard. I get it. I've been overseeing the direct mail program at my small nonprofit for a few months now and have been involved on some level for almost three years. When your mail program is well established, it's difficult to figure out how best to grow the program. The best I …

I feel a rant coming on…

Recently, a co-worker asked me if I'd heard about this giant Cineplex Entertainment popcorn bag in a field near Windsor, Ontario. Having no idea what she was talking about, she showed me this picture: Cineplex built "the world's largest popcorn bag", filled it with kernels, installed a lightening rod, and placed it in a field near Windsor …

O Canada

As the world gets swept up in Olympic fever, I've been toying with the idea of writing a blog about how much I don't like the Olympics. I think it brings out the worst in a lot of people, and I think it puts an enormous amount of pressure on athletes who feel personally responsible for …

The Canadian fascination with the American election

A couple of weeks ago, I was watching CBC National News and all of a sudden a full-screen "America Votes" graphic came up with its own theme music. I know that the US is in full election mode and that it's a rather nutty one. And I've spent a fair amount of time discussing the …

My name is Megan and I’m a sleep-walker

Like 1%-5% of the adult population, I'm a sleep-walker. A lot of times when it comes up in conversation, it gets giggles from the person I'm talking to. Which I totally understand - I think talking about sleepwalking makes a person think about it like it's a scene from Step Brothers. You know the one. I …