Member Joshua Alcorn
MemberForum Replies Created
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March 8 – grateful for … a new game from the NYTimes – Strands, a rest day, new(ish) music from Napoleon Murphy Brock.
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March 7 – grateful for … crafting shoutout ads for my kid’s yearbook (shoulda used chatGPT), coffee with a dear friend, @frank-velasquez.
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Oh this is awesome. I love it @mary-r-snyder! I can imagine this would be an amazing way to introduce new prospective donors to your organization! Sort of like a vision meeting in disguise.
Love it.
Tagging @samantha-swaim for her event wisdom.
And @matt-fulks who does an incredible job connecting the mentors and mentees at his org with the donors at their big fundraiser.
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March 6 – grateful for … snoring dogs, coffee, coffee.
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March 5 — grateful for … a run in the light rain, a new Lego set, Jim Harrison’s poetry
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March 4 – grateful for … @clay-buck, @jenny-darlington-person, @steven
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YES PLEASE CLAY!
After a week away from home and the (home) office, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed today. So many unread emails, so many things on the to do list. So seeing this post was a real treat!
So great to hear that the migration is on track for completion. That’s one of those things that sounds so easy on paper … but never is.
Here’s something that’s bringing me joy today. On Friday morning (when I was in New Mexico planning the 20024 Conference), I was FaceTiming with my kids before they went to school and I went to the airport. My almost-five-year-old daughter had this gem as we were hanging up:
“I hope your plane doesn’t hit a cloud, Daddy!”
Thanks Annalise 🙂
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I’m with ya on self-doubt and perfectionism! And like we talked about earlier this week, they’re two of the biggest blockers of getting things done.
There’s a lot to unpack to get to the roots of self-doubt and perfectionism. But if our goal here (today) is to just figure out how to get past them so we can get unstuck, and how AI can help do it, then here goes…
One of the roadblocks with perfectionism is not even wanting to start (blank page, perfect first sentence, etc.). AI can give you a bunch of good enough first sentences to get you started. And as we saw in the first part of this challenge, pretty good first drafts!
Another part of perfectionism is doing everything yourself because you’re worried someone else could mess it up. Well an AI virtual ass’t can do scheduling, data entry and some other menial routine tasks (even copy editing!) that are time sucks for perfectionists.
Self doubt!
If one of the roots of self-doubt is not believing what ya got is good or won’t be received well, drop that major donor offer (for example) into chatGPT and ask them to analyze it. Just that — ‘analyze this and make it better.’ In this case, ChatGPT can be like a buddy in a writers room, giving you real time feedback.
If the self-doubt comes from The Resistance or Imposter Syndrome, check out an AI coach chatbot (there’s a bunch of really great bots and AI tools bundled together in BoodleBox.
For the board issue — you can use AI to draft an email to the board explaining the problem they’re causing for ya. Or even ask it to create a ‘roles and responsibilities’ for board members 😁.
In all seriousness, an AI powered virtual ass’t or chatbot can help automate some of the tasks (if they’re rote). And leveraging the power of AI in other parts of your job will free you up to knock out the meaningless stuff until the board gets their attention focused properly.
And can I ask — is it possible they’re well intentioned and just wanna help but don’t know how? If that’s teh case, AI can help put them to work. There are AI tools that can analyzing your donor database to identify top prospects for board introductions. And you can use AI to create custom fundraising plans and templates for each board member.
Just some ideas! Thank you for posting your thoughts. Tagging in @mary-r-snyder and @clay-buck who might have some suggestions for the self-doubt and perfectionism!
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Oh this is awesome @marti-thomas! I need to play around with Canva and the AI tools it has built in. The bulk upload is also new to me! How else do you use Canva?
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Ther eyou go @carmen-rey! Subject lines can be such a bore … and such a bear (at the same time, which is kinda hard to do!).
What’ll you do with the time chatGPT saves you?
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Yay Jenny! So glad you got quality first drafts done quickly – and spent the rest of the time doing something to ‘make it better!’
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We should have a weekly challenge whose goal is to get people to use a password manager like 1Password or something 😁
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Yay for getting some reps, @benjamin! And bonus points for the hashtags!
Specificity is key (see below), but AI will never replace really good storytellers. BUT! It can help come up with character names or spooky town names. Or a list of 50 first sentences that create suspense/fear/intrigue.
Here’s a story using your prompt and the phrase ‘in the style of Edgar Allen Poe.’
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In the somber village of Eldritch, shrouded in the perpetual mists of a forgotten valley, there stood an ancient mansion, its silhouette a stark testament to a bygone era. This was the House of Wraithmoore, a place whispered about in the local taverns and around fireplaces, a subject of fear and fascination alike. Its lore was as old as the hills that cradled the village, and on one peculiar night, it became the stage for a tale most extraordinary.
Under the guise of a storm that tore at the heavens with the ferocity of warring gods, a gathering was to take place within the mansion’s crumbling walls. Drawn by a mysterious invitation, a diverse assembly of villagers found themselves at the doorstep of Wraithmoore, their reasons as varied as their countenances. There was the skeptic, Mr. Eberhardt, who believed the mansion held no secrets but those of decay; Miss Arabella, a maiden whose curiosity was as vast as the ocean; and old Mr. Dunwoody, whose ancestors had served the Wraithmoore lineage since time immemorial.
As thunder boomed and lightning illuminated the grand hall with ephemeral brilliance, the guests congregated, casting wary glances at one another and the shadows that danced like specters. The air was thick with anticipation, and then, from the grand staircase descended a figure, enigmatic and cloaked, the master of ceremonies for the evening.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the figure began, its voice echoing through the vastness of the hall, “tonight, we delve into the essence of our very beings, through the medium of story. Each of you has been chosen not by chance, but by the threads of fate that connect us all.”
And so, as the storm raged with unbridled fury outside, stories were shared within the safety of Wraithmoore’s embrace. Mr. Eberhardt recounted a tale of logic defied, a mystery that had perplexed him in his youth, unsolvable by reason alone. Miss Arabella spoke of love, a story of two souls bound through time, transcending the boundaries of life and death. Mr. Dunwoody, with a voice as old as the hills themselves, narrated the history of Wraithmoore, revealing secrets not found in any book or scroll.
With each story, the initial apprehension melted away, replaced by a bond forged in the crucible of shared humanity. Laughter filled the hall, and eyes sparkled with tears of sorrow and joy alike. The stories, each a thread, wove a tapestry of connection among the guests, who realized that despite their differences, they shared the commonality of experience, of fear, of love, and of wonder.
As the storm abated, giving way to the serene glow of dawn, the mysterious host revealed themselves as the last descendant of the Wraithmoore lineage, long thought lost to the annals of history. The gathering was no mere coincidence but a deliberate effort to reunite the fragmented community, to remind them that in stories lay the power to transcend the mundane, to connect souls, and to heal wounds old and new.
The guests departed as the sun breached the horizon, casting the mansion in a light that seemed to cleanse it of its forlorn aspect. They left not as strangers, but as friends, bound by the stories they shared, a testament to the unifying power of narrative.
And thus, the legend of the House of Wraithmoore evolved, no longer a tale of dread, but one of unity and understanding, a beacon for all who believe in the power of stories to bring people together, even in the darkest of times.
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Beautiful, @matt-fulks! I think you’ll really love what you can turn around with AI. The better info you put in, the better content you get back!
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Oh fun @carmen-rey! I’ve heard great things about Copilot! That’s a much better name than ChatGPT too 🙂