Know Thyself

I was just on a group webinar where the host had a large topic to cover with limited time. A few of the participants commented the session was far more than they had in mind and would catch the replay later. The presenter was very supportive of that option but forged on to maintain a replay that would be available for all later. 

One commenter haunts me.

She noted she was in the process of a panic attack for the feeling of overwhelm and the firehose of information pouring at us. A few of us tried to reassure her, but the damage was done and our comments were not helping, only adding to her sense of panic. She finally did step away to regain her composure. 

I recall a similar incident recently with the same presenter when the topic was far more involved than I was prepared for in the moment. I simply stopped trying to keep up, took a few notes to remind myself of key points later, and caught the replay where I could start/stop the recording to proceed at my own pace. I had a better idea of what to expect in the presentation at that point to be prepared.

Our Fast-Paced World
Life moves fast—seemingly faster as we move forward. Mental health challenges abound. Anxiety and depression in adults is approximately 19% each (or 1 in 5) per the Center for Disease Control (CDC)—finally trending slightly less than initially post-COVID but still slightly above pre-COVID levels. 

Anyone reading this blog is on a journey to build—build a nonprofit, a business, or bring a book into the world. The ideas, opportunities, and decisions of what to do next or which direction to turn are seemingly constant. 

Mind boggling, really. 

Take A Step Back
Consider these options when you feel the anxiety rise:

• Stop. Whatever you're doing, just stop. It's ok. Breathe deeply. Turn the stimulus off. 
• Take a break. Literally. Step away from the current source of frustration or anxiety. 
• Do something—anything!—different. Reset. Care for yourself first always. Read a book. Enjoy a craft project.
• Take a walk or exercise. Blow off steam or the extra frustration/energy.
• Meditate or journal. Find ways to distance, calm yourself, and refocus.
• "Touch grass." Stepping outside to feel the sun on your face or grass under your feet is grounding.
• Hug your loved one(s). That can be a 2-legged or 4-legged friend. Remind yourself what matters most.

Time to Regroup
Now that you've distanced from the moment, consider what happened and what led to that level of anxiety.

• Do you need to be in that situation again? If you're part of a community as my incident, maybe you make a point to catch the replays later for the content at your own pace. 
• Do you need that friendship, meeting, or connection? Maybe a situation is toxic for you and every time you are in a certain situation or with a certain person, the blood pressure rises. Make a change for your health and well-being.
• Do you need a vacation? Has it been awhile since truly taking days away from your computer or situation? Giving yourself physical distance and mental space can give you time to think, clarity, remind yourself what's important, and reset.

Get to the Point
I wish for Peace for you—for anyone reading this now. I'm grateful you stumbled upon my words. 

Life is short. Live it well, with love, joy, and fulfillment, however your cup may be filled. 

Some of us live and love to be busy, but that's generally only with breaks from the pace. Learn your limits. Identify when you need breaks during a day, from activities, and even longer breaks for your peace and sanity.

As the airlines remind us on pre-flight instructions, put the oxygen mask on yourself first so you can help others.

Your Turn!
How are you doing, friend? Feeling overwhelmed in your business or your day? What can you consider doing to re-center yourself?

What works for you? Please share so we can learn from each other! Comment below or Let's Chat by email or on LinkedIn or Substack. 

What Is An Email Service Provider?

Let's make sure we start on the same page. If you're going to send emails to a "large" group of people, it's far easier to use an email service provider than simply sending by cc or bcc from your personal email. 

I had heard a few years ago that Google/Gmail limits the number of names you can have on a "to" line. On a search, apparently that's not accurate - they list no hard number limit. I've known many who seem to have issues with emails bouncing or never being delivered with a group of more than 50 which is surprisingly easy to hit for even small groups, and this has been the case for a number of years.

It becomes more an issue of how the email providers communicate with each other, each having their own spam flags. Unfortunately, even using a paid email service provider is no guarantee you won't end up in someone's spam folder to never be seen. 

What Are the Benefits of Using An Email Service Provider?

• Professionalism: Seeing a message sent through an email service provider conveys you're spending intentional thought (and quite possibly intentional budget) to share your work.
• Data/Analytics: Email service providers generally track numbers for you that you can then track over time—how many emails are getting through, are there blocks or unsubscribes happening, what's the "click" rate of folks engaging with buttons on your message or simply opening emails. This feature may be the difference in a free vs paid tier for an email service.
• Artistic element: many email service providers offer template designs with drag-and-drop styles, making it convenient to personalize your message in a stylized way than simply sending a text email.
• FUN! Creating emails with some design elements may not be for everyone, but if that does excite you, it can make a needed task more fun to manage.

Is It Necessary to Use An Email Service Provider?
Nope!

I'm beginning to see a trend of folks that I know have large email lists sending basic ol' text emails to thousands and tens of thousands of folks. No added graphics—just a chatty bit of news you'd send a friend. 

• Sending email this way may necessitate breaking the large group into smaller ones and hitting copy/paste/send repeatedly as most email servers can only handle so much info on their "to" lines.
• Your personal email may also need to send large amounts of emails in a staggered fashion to not overwhelm sending or receiving providers. 
• In spite of less artistic emails, most I'm familiar with still use an email service provider due to the sheer number of emails they send.

Are Newsletters ONLY By Email?
​Nope! I touched on a couple of other ways to share a "newsletter" with others on this blog post, which includes LinkedIn and Substack.

However—and this is a big however!—"rented land" is definitely a concern for how you communicate with your audience should the social platform go away or shut you down for whatever reason, whether legitimate or not. Unfortunately, there are far too many stories of creators being blocked from access to their account and stuck in limbo for some first-line AI agent before you get to a person for some resolution, if you get any response at all. 

YOU are given permission to use someone's personal email address to send them news. That does not rely on the whims of social media platforms and gives you a means of continued communication.

So Which Email Service Provider Should I Use?
This is a loaded question with a number of factors for you to consider:

• How large is your email list currently? Add a buffer for growth over the next few months to a year before you need to research and consider changing your email provider or plan.
• How often do you anticipate emailing? Most providers multiply the size of your list by your frequency to determine the plan for you.
• Do you want access to the analytics or data? That can make the difference between a free and paid service.
• Are there additional features you may use that the provider has available? Many are now bundling the option of a text messaging service or hosting your website, all for additional pricing. 
• Are you a nonprofit? Many offer a nonprofit discount of varying levels by contacting their Support option and sending proof of your EIN. Even $1-$2 off per month adds up over time!

Options Available
This was a challenging topic to tackle as email service providers seem to change pricing regularly and new servers develop along the way. You're welcome to start with this list, but I suggest you do some additional searching including finding groups that may have useful input for you.

I reviewed nine different platforms for this post. I'll link each to their pricing page and share my favorites of those listed. I'm going to focus on those with pricing for 500 or less contacts, much larger lists, and one very small option. The name of each service is hyperlinked to their pricing page. 

• Kit: Free option for up to 10k on your list, jumps to $33/mo if you want to also text, not seeing a nonprofit discount.
• Mailtrap: Free up to 500 contacts, sending no more than 1.5k/mo (gives you up to 3 emails/mo to 500), no nonprofit discount noted. This can be a good option if you're just starting to send group emails. 
• Sender: Smallest plan accommodates up to 1,000 contacts (generous) and 12k/mo sends (up to 12 x 1000 on your list if you max out the contacts or allows for more sends for a smaller list), $7/mo - one of the most affordable, nonprofit discount of 25%.
• Email Octopus: Free option up to 2,500 contacts and sending up to 10k/mo. Analytics are saved for one month on the free plan OR you can pay $9/mo for ongoing analytics. No texting service but they do offer a 20% nonprofit discount. This is the service I currently use for my business. I have the paid service for ongoing analytics. 
• Brevo: Free option allows only 300 messages sent over one month. If you have a small list and don't anticipate emailing often, it may work for you to start. Their paid tier is for up to 500 contacts and up to 5k/mo sending rate for $8.08/mo. Texting is available for an additional monthly fee and a nonprofit discount is available up to 20% off.
• MailChimp: I've used this service for many years for a number of organizations on free and paid tiers. Whatever price you start with, they're very good at generally locking you in at that rate, "grandfathering" you in. The price has gone up quite a bit over time. Between the number of contacts, sending rate, and price, this is definitely lower on my list of recommendations these days. Their starter plan is up to 500 contacts and no more than 5k sends for $8/mo for the first year, then $9.50/mo. It's a big jump to their next tier of services - up to 10k contacts and up to 150k sends per month, but the price is $25/mo for the first year and $30/mo thereafter. Texting is available for an added fee and there is a nonprofit discount.
• Mailerlite: This service recently had some price and plan changes. There is a free version for up to 250 contacts and no more than 2.5k sends/mo. If you're just starting out, this may be a good option for you! The price begins to climb rapidly beyond the free numbers. 
• Omnisend and Constant Contact are more expensive than I feel comfortable recommending, but their pricing pages are linked for you to investigate further. 

​If you prefer visualizing charts, I'll share my findings below.

Get to the Point
I highly recommend investing in an email service provider for your nonprofit or business group emails or newsletters. 

• If you or someone on your team is at all artistic, designing a newsletter may be very creative and satisfying. Many of them have drag-and-drop templates to make it easy to create and can generally be updated with your brand colors. Once you create a style you like, you can update the messaging content and quickly hit "send."
• Even if you send only full-text emails, it's a convenient way to send the same message to many people.
• Analytics (numbers) are extremely useful to determine how your message is landing. 
• Discounts are common for nonprofits by sending Support or Sales your EIN. 
• List size and services can grow as you grow! 
• You can upload a number of contacts at once as a .csv file (spreadsheet) or individually.
• Select a plan that leaves you with room to grow into rather than max'ing out your email or delivery numbers. 

Your Turn!
If you send email news to your customers or members, do you have a favorite email service provider? If so, who and what made you select that one?

Here's to a community that lifts each other!  Let's Chat or message me on LinkedIn or Substack!

What Is It?

Koolay is an all-in-one management platform similar to Salesforce and Blackbaud. They handle everything from CMS (Customer Management Services) to website platform to donation pages, grant management, and events. 

I'll attach a screenshot sharing all Koolay has to offer. However, we'll be focusing on their grant platform today. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Co-Founder and CTO Bulent Arslan on LinkedIn, Co-Founder and CEO Kerem Arslan on LinkedIn, or there is a contact form at the bottom of the Koolay website. 

Let's Talk About Grants!
This Kindful article describes the basics about grants for nonprofits. A grant is a donation given to an organization, often by a foundation, corporation, or government agency. There is typically an application process involved to introduce the organization to the donor. Grant organizations may have specific criteria for applicants. Funds may be for a specific project rather than general operating expenses. 

There are so many grant opportunities available in the US that nonprofits may consider paying for access to a grant database to search for the opportunities they may qualify for. It is possible to do general searches to discover qualifying grants, but it is rather time consuming. 

Where Does Koolay Fit in the Grant Process?
Koolay has access to a large database of over 30,000 available US grants. They provide access to their grant database, powered by AI search assistance, and a way to track active grant applications. They provide this for two levels of nonprofit organizations - those under $1M in revenue and those over $1M.

• GrantHub Lite: FREE grant discovery for nonprofits under $1M. To get started, click the button on their website to enter your nonprofit's EIN. Approval is within minutes once your EIN is located. You can begin your grant searches by creating New Campaigns!
• GrantHub Pro: Full grant search including writing assistance and more robust features for nonprofits over $1M

I'll share the details below in jpg form and pdf if you prefer to print and save the info for reference.

Get to the Point!
This is a HUGE opportunity for small to midsized nonprofits with under $1M in revenue to be able to search for grants in a centralized location that's current and maintained! Add to that a keyword database and AI search plus writing assistance and tracking mechanism all in one--for free!—I'm shouting this one from the rooftops with gratitude!

Bulent Arslan has shared: "In just one month, we've welcomed 120 nonprofits onto our free GrantHub Lite plan, and we're adding 3–5 new organizations every day."

In 2024, grant funding from philanthropic foundations accounted for $109.81 billion according to Giving USA's 2025 Annual Report. They note this is an increase of 2.4%. All this to say, grant funding is a critical piece in nonprofit fundraising. 

How Do I Sign Up?
Head to the Koolay website. There are a few Get Started buttons on the website, from the top right corner to clicking Grants to select which level you qualify for. If you have any questions, please reach out to Co-Founder and CTO Bulent Arslan on LinkedIn, Co-Founder and CEO Kerem Arslan on LinkedIn, or there is a contact form at the bottom of the Koolay website. 

Your Turn!
Fellow nonprofiteers--are grants part of your fundraising plan? How have your efforts gone? Would this service be of use to you or others you know? 

Please feel free to share the news by sharing this post! I'd be happy to share additional information if useful--Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn or Substack to message!

What IS a Podcast?

Let's start with the basics and not make assumptions "everyone" knows what a podcast is.

Per a basic Gemini search:
"A podcast is a digital audio or video program made for on-demand listening, like a personal radio show you can play anytime. It comes from the words 'iPod' and 'broadcast'." (note: the word origin is news to me!)

Podcast Lingo

• Episodes: each show is an "episode" that you can stream or download to listen at your convenience
• Topics: basically anything you can think of—just start searching in your favorite podcast player
• Feeds: "subscribe" to a show for new episodes to be available automatically for you to download when you wish or receive alerts for new episodes

How Popular Are Podcasts?
Let's look at some statistics straight from Podcast Statistics for 2026:

• As of January 2026, there are 4.58 million podcasts available worldwide.
• Around 584.1 million people across the globe listened to podcasts.
• In the U.S., about 158 million people tune into podcasts every month.
• One in three people in the U.S. listen to podcasts on YouTube, making it the most popular platform for podcasts.
• The global podcast market is estimated to be worth $39.63 billion.
• On average, podcast listeners spend about 7 hours per week listening to their favorite shows.
• About 86.1% of people prefer to listen to podcasts on their mobile phones.
• The average podcast episode usually lasts between 20 to 40 minutes.

This indicates there is definitely a market to both create a podcast and simply seek opportunities to be a guest on someone's show, which brings us to our next question...

How Hard Is It?
Let's look at this from both sides of the matter. 

What Does It Take to Host a Podcast?
Surprisingly little in its most basic form, however, this is a very basic list. To do this well in the competitive market, I suggest referring to this Buzzsprout post for a more complete yet focused reference to get started. It also offers some great gut checks to determine if you're really ready for the commitment.

• ​Microphone
• Recording device: phone, laptop
• Headset/earbuds for optimum audio
• Software for editing and recording

What Does It Take to Be a Guest on a Podcast?
If committing to a regular schedule as a host or the decision of solo vs guest format is too much, there's a lot to be gained from being a guest on podcasts! ​

Is Being a Guest Worth the Effort for My Business?
Statistics on Omniscent confirm that's a resounding yes! A couple of stand-out stats:

• The average guest-to-client conversion rate on B2B podcasts is 10%.
• Podcasts lead to 25x more conversions than blogs.
• You can produce a large number of content pieces for your social media, blog, and website by sharing a podcast appearance. 
• Your voice (and face if video is created) helps create know, like, and trust authority. Podcast listeners feel they know you, at least a little bit, after an episode and tend to want to learn more.

You will get much further with "warm" pitches when possible. 

Connect with a podcaster for a program you regularly listen to that's related to your client market. You'll be better able to highlight the benefit you have to offer the host and audience. Per Podchasher related to 2026:

• Acceptance rates range from under 1% to 40%, depending entirely on relevance and targeting rather than volume.
• 68% of producers name AI-generated template pitches as the top reason for an immediate no. Mail-merge outreach, unpopulated [First Name] tags, and sterile tone are now an active liability, not just an ineffective tactic. 

Also from Podchaser:

• Pitch an episode, not a guest. The strongest pitches propose a specific episode concept tied to the show’s recent topics, rather than asking the host to feature a person. Producer and podcast production agency owner Doug Downs, who runs more than 20 podcasts, calls this being the “blue M&M” in a bowl of identical red ones.
• Remove the producer’s homework. Winning pitches include a concise, human bio, suggested questions tailored to the show’s format, and ready-to-use assets like headshots and links to past appearances. Easy-to-run pitches get run.
• Match the show’s format before pitching. The report’s “4A’s” framework sorts shows into Analytical, Anthropological, Aspirational, and Actionable. A pitch that fits the show’s actual style converts far better than one built for a category.

Where Do I Find Podcasts?
If you haven't discovered podcasts, there are free and monthly fee services that curate shows featuring a variety of topics.

• Spotify: offers music, radio, and podcasts
• Apple Podcasts: offers podcasts, videos, and shows
• YouTube: podcasts, music, videos, shows, and movies
• Podcast Addict: I'm a long-time user of this app and very happy with the free option
• LinkedIn: not necessarily podcasts but online events, live and taped, very podcast-like
• Substack: similar to LinkedIn with audio and video options

You may actually find it easier to connect and message hosts on LinkedIn and Substack rather than by email!

Get to the Point
Podcasts are an amazing tool in your marketing tool kit! You'll get noticed as a host and as a guest. 

I will note if you decide to host a podcast, it takes a commitment to your audience and yourself to maintain a schedule. It may also come with a financial cost for equipment, streaming services, and editing or recording tools to really sound good. Hosting should not be taken lightly! 

Some podcasters connect with a service such as Buy Me A Coffee or Patreon to offset production expenses, especially if they have monthly subscription fees for recording and editing tools. 

I heartily recommend jumping at any opportunity to, at a minimum, be engaged on LinkedIn and Substack in podcast or live audiences to be seen with active interest. There is often an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise with helpful comments. You can become a "regular" with some shows and develop friendships, strengthen bonds with connections, and continue to make new connections. 

Once you get some comfort at that level, consider reaching out to hosts of your favorite podcasts that would also appeal to your potential clients.

Your Turn!
Have you hosted a podcast or LinkedIn/Substack events? Are you still doing it? Love to hear your suggestions to get started or why you may have stopped!

Have you been a guest on podcasts or LinkedIn/Substack events? Are you looking for those opportunities? 

Let's help each other get connected, as hosts or guests! Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn or Substack!