Keith Washington

Do people really make recurring gifts on #GivingTuesday? If they do, will asking for that kind of support hurt year-end fundraising totals? Are people willing to give on a recurring basis during the end of the year, or should you wait until the new year to ask for that kind of gift? We did a deep dive on recurring gifts during the end of the year and found: - Yes, people will initiate recurring gifts on GivingTuesday (it's actually quite popular!) - No, it won't hurt your year-end fundraising - Yes, your community will make recurring gifts during the end of the year On top of all that, Kelsey Kramer, Samir Khan, Annie Collins, and the rest of the team over at the GivingTuesday Data Commons shared insights from GivingPulse that paint a picture of the types of people who make recurring donations and what motivates them to do it. If you're looking for ways to reach new recurring donors this December, we wrote this resource for you. Let me know what you think!

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I’ve always been drawn to apps that focus on delivering curated content, and Smashing, with its AI-powered features, is a fantastic addition. As someone who thrives on exploring diverse perspectives and ideas, I love how Smashing enables users to engage with a variety of content, from news articles to podcasts, and ask questions that challenge or simplify the material. The personalized feeds and ability to explore topics like crypto, wellness, or even niche interests, makes it a great fit for those, like me, who are constantly looking to stay informed and inspired. Now, if only an Android version was available...🤷‍♂️ #AI #ContentCuration #SmashingApp #TechInnovation #PersonalizedContent #Web3 #NewsFeed #DigitalReading #AIQuestions #ContentDiscovery #InnovationInApps #TechNews #ReadersCommunity

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Taking stock of Tempus on its first day of trading: What it means to the company and other Chicago tech startups, and how its debut performance compares to other local IPOs. https://lnkd.in/gMjn95-V

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I watched Sequoia Capital partner, Stephanie Zhan 's fireside interview on Bloomberg last Friday. Her insights into AI for 2024 are nothing short of fascinating, and - given what this week had in store for AI - her thoughts couldn't be more timely. Here is a summary of what she predicts: 1. Major Leap in Digital Intelligence - AI will revolutionize video, AI agents, and robotics. - Expect more intuitive and powerful digital assistants. 2. Expanding AI Ecosystem - Both closed and open-source models will flourish. - A diverse range of winners from large to small models. 3. AI Commercialization at Scale - Sequoia's investment in 10 new AI companies this year is just the beginning. - Startups can still compete by focusing on high-quality data and reinforcement learning. 4. We are still in the early stages Stephanie reminds us: “We often overestimate short-term impact but underestimate long-term potential.” (The very same sentiment shared by Google's DeepMind CEO, Demis Hassabis. ) 5. Incumbents - Their advantage is clear, but start-ups absolutely have a shot, as the whole field is in expansion. - Expectations from Meta: Stephanie foresees them to enter the scene of generative video foundation model and calls Meta's Llama 3 model a game changer. Take a look at her interview 👉 https://lnkd.in/dVUay8Q5 If you followed the news this week, you know that just days after Stephanie's interview, OpenAI and Google made major announcements about their new features. The innovation pace is wild, and I do believe it will speed up adaptation on the end user level too - in every domain. But are we ready? Have we built the skills? I'm especially interested in and excited by the efficiencies brought into branding, content, and digital marketing operations. 🤩 How do you think these advancements will reshape our strategies and tools in digital marketing? 🤔 Share your thoughts in the comments!

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New pic, who dis? 😜 With many new connections, I wanted to reintroduce myself👋🏽 I'm Robyn Nissim, and I made up a career path for myself out of being a Social Media-obsessed millennial 💁🏼‍♀️📲 while working in the traditional Agency Advertising world. This was well before Meta existed. Social media had not yet been monetized; there was no such thing as paid ads. All there was were brands finding creative ways to connect with consumers through fun content, series, giveaways (we used to call them sweepstakes), and wild creative ideas. I took Michelin online & opened their brand social accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Vine. Won a Webby Award for sending a viral tweet to Global DJ Deadmau5 from Nissan Motor Corporation, resulting in the president of the company hand-delivering a car to him, which he used in his YouTube Series for free 🤩 I pioneered Influencer Marketing, Content Creation, and how Brands partner with Creators online starting in 2015, where I had the opportunity of a lifetime working with Ulta Beauty as their trusted partner to strategize, build, execute, and scale their influencer marketing program. 🌟 To this day, this was my favorite job and role I've ever had 💯🌟 I served as Head of Social in-house at brands like Anastasia Beverly Hills and Alo Yoga, growing some of the largest, most reputable communities on the internet. Proving to myself and many others that Social Media is a science that can be replicated regardless of the subject matter or industry vertical while serving as a Fractional VP of Social, at brands like Mattel, Inc. and Mindvalley. For years, I have been running private Social Media Trainings, teaching brands, influencers, and small businesses about the ins and outs of social media. → How to build and execute a strategy → Monthly order of operations for success → Looking at the right metrics for social reporting → Workflows to streamline social efforts & save time → Cross-functional processes to make your org *social first* → How to navigate Influencer Marketing + seeding, strategy, execution, etc. And I am finally ready to open my Social Proof Group Training courses to the public 👩‍🏫📲 However, before I get into that, check back in tomorrow (4/24) for a sweet little giveaway! --- Hi, I'm Robyn Nissim 👋🏽 A Social Media-obsessed millennial who made a career for myself forcing global brands online 💁🏼‍♀️📲 ❤️ Liked this post? 👀 Want to see more? Hit the + or 🔔 on my profile 🤝 Looking for support? I got you! Visit my website or send me a DM

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I recently faced one of those forehead-slapping moments: we received an RFP from a media buying agency (on behalf of their brand client) to run an influencer marketing campaign for an over-the-counter product exclusively on TikTok. Sounds great, right? There’s just one problem—TikTok doesn't allow ads or sponsored content for OTC healthcare-related products. This mix-up brings up a couple of important reminders: 1️⃣ Know the Rules: It's important that marketing agencies of all kinds keep up-to-date with the ever-changing guidelines of social platforms, so they don’t make client promises that can’t be fulfilled. Getting creative with marketing is great, but staying within the lines safeguards client interests and campaign viability. 2️⃣ Choose Your Partners Wisely: Make sure the agencies you partner with are not just creative, but also honest and compliant. The last thing anyone wants is to backtrack or, worse, end up on the wrong side of platform policies. Some agencies might take the risk and run the campaign anyway, hoping it doesn’t get flagged. But experience has taught us that while pushing the envelope is a good thing, it should always be done within the boundaries of the platform rules. This ensures our clients' campaigns are successful and impactful — without resorting to questionable tactics or risking public trust.

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Empowering Diversity: Black Founders Craft Personalized AI Experiences with Custom ChatGPTs Here's an insightful read. It discusses how black founders are creating customized versions of ChatGPT to offer more personalized experiences. These tailored AI systems are designed to better understand and serve diverse communities by addressing specific cultural and social nuances. The founders aim to bridge gaps in AI technology that often overlook or misinterpret the needs of minority groups. This effort includes developing AI tools that provide more relevant and accurate responses, improving user experience for marginalized communities. Research companies like Pocstock, Spark Plug, and ChatblackGPT. Personalized AI is the future. These will be models that offer tailored and relevant user experiences. I can sum up the relevance of these new LLMs in a single example. Which of the following two sentences is tailored to provide a more customized response? 1. Slaves were forced to work long hours under harsh conditions. 2. Enslaved people were forced to work long hours under harsh conditions. The term "slaves" reduces people to their condition of servitude, and focuses on their status as property. The term "enslaved" emphasizes that the individuals are people who have been subjected to enslavement, highlighting their humanity and the fact that enslavement is an imposed condition. The subtle difference is a crucial shift in focus, and allows for a deeper understanding of the subject matter with selections offered for further reading and study in an actual prompt query. The conversation allows for a far more accurate portrayal of history.

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I love Threads more than I ever loved Twitter 😅 And it's so awesome to see that the Meta team is working to improve the Threads experience so often. Here's what Threads is currently working on testing: 📈 Insights: See the age, gender, and location of people who view and engage with you; you can also split this by people who follow and don’t follow you 💬 Multiple Drafts: Jot down more than one thought and post it when you’re ready  📌 Reorder pinned columns: Drag and drop columns to reorganize them in your desktop layout; you can also pin your Insights and easily move around  📆 Scheduling [COMING SOON]: Plan posts to run at a later date and time Which are you most excited for?

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"You need to bravely throw some career highlights away." ☝ Advice I shared with a mid-career mentee this week. Context: He had 6 years of experience. His expertise & experience spanned across the entire ecosystem of product operations. But almost every interview he had gone to was limited to ~30 minutes. He found himself overwhelmed with the pressure to communicate everything about his experience and expertise within that short time frame. Despite his efforts, he left every interview with the vague feeling of dissatisfaction and unhappiness. ----- For mid-career professionals, attempting to condense your career highlights, experience and expertise into a short first interview can be daunting. Here's a 3-step strategy you can try! #𝟭 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 "𝗯𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀" We delved into his six years and found that his job scope could be split into four buckets - (i) Merchant acquisition, (ii) Merchant Experience & Success and (iii) Data Analytics and (iv) Creation and Implementation of Product Solutions. What interviewers want to hear is the depth and breadth of a specific expertise that they're looking for, not the chronological journey of how you acquired that expertise. #𝟮 𝗕𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 Analyse job descriptions and pinpoint the "buckets" that are mentioned or emphasised. Then bravely throw the career highlights that aren't relevant away. It might hurt the ego, but with a 30-minute time limit, it's better to reinforce the impression that you do have what they're looking for. #𝟯 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀 In a sea of candidates who are similarly competent, how can one stand out? Here's a secret mid-career professionals have that fresh grads don't. The lived experience of a working adult. Having clocked a number of years in a working environment, think: 👉 What did colleagues appreciate the most about working with me? 👉 What traits do I share with colleagues whom I loved working the most? Express that as much as you can in an interview. In our discussion, my mentee realized that his team appreciated him as a product manager who meticulously paid attention to requests. In an interview setting, he could demonstrate this positive trait by asking clarifying questions, or deliberating carefully before his response. Essentially, responding to the interviewer as he would naturally do in a working environment. --- Rehearsing a "perfect pitch" is nice, but often, it isn't the top criteria for every interviewer. What they cherish more are the positive traits appropriate for the job scope that they want the candidate to fill. Who you are matters just as much as what you can do. 🌞 What advice would you give to mid-career professionals?

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Here’s how we secured top-tier press for a client with no news and no obvious hook. Working with a new venture firm, our broader pitches on tech investing weren’t landing. We pivoted the pitch and got coverage in Axios, Semafor, Bloomberg, and TechCrunch. Here’s what we did: 1️⃣ Got specific: the firm invested widely but had particular conviction around ClimateTech. We focused our pitch around data showing a decline in climate-tech deals and offered the partners to speak to the causes of the downturn and how investments could bounce back. 2️⃣ Leveraged the founders: the founders had reputable backgrounds and were up for speaking on topics beyond VC. We landed two more stories on timely topics (AI-washing and engineer salaries) by offering the founders for expert commentary. 3️⃣ Read the news: one of the most important elements of a good pitch is knowing what’s going on in the world. Pitch topics don’t always come easily. When the low-hanging fruit isn’t landing, sometimes you have to do a lot of legwork to find an angle that works. But, reading widely is one of the most effective ways to secure coverage. VC: anna_bananna_rico

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Linkedin needs less of this: 🎤 Just landed a speaking gig at a major conference! 🌟 Team is growing - so excited to welcome [New Hires] on board! I’ve generated X revenue I've networked with X people And more of: I made X mistakes this week I struggled for revenue last month 🚫 My website launch didn't go as planned - back to the drawing board! I'm fed up of seeing the wins. Here's my month so far Professional - Last month Cost Per Acquisition was 2X - 3/3 Marketing strategy failed - 💸 Feeling insecure about my pricing - is it too high? - Google Manager is on a vacation for 2 weeks - Last month the profits were not as expected Personal - House shifting due to severe water scarcity at society - Small car accident - Suffered with flu every alternative week 4th April was my birthday :-( What's your April month REALLY been like? Share it below if you want to. Or just comment And I reply with ‘yes’. ——————— Follow me, tap the bell on my profile Aushmin L. You will be notified the second I post. ——————— #freelance #entrepreneurstruggles #keepitreal #solopreneur #startup #fintech

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Did you know that we spend one-third of our lives working? That’s 90,000 hours! Given that we spend so much of our precious time working, doesn’t it make sense that we'd want that time to be spent doing something that we think is worthwhile, fulfilling, and aligned with our values? Why wouldn’t we want to ensure that the time we spend at work is just as meaningful as the time we spend outside of work? Taking the time to understand your career motivations will help you to work in a way that resonates with you and is aligned with what feels right internally, which in turn, means that you’ll feel good while at work. And when you feel good at work and you’re happy, you perform better, you make better decisions, and you have a positive impact on those around you, all of which support your leadership journey. If you’re feeling like your current career trajectory isn’t aligning with your values or feeling right internally, take some time this week to reflect on a vision of your life that would be better aligned. What does it look like? What kinds of things would you do? Where would you be? How would it be different from what you’re doing today? Sometimes these answers aren’t obvious, but just starting to ask the questions will help you to understand whether you are living in a way that will ultimately help you to feel like those 90,000 hours you spent working were a good use of your time. Let me know how it goes! #limitingbeliefs #careerdevelopment #motivation #inspiration #womenempowerment #personaldevelopment

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3 Key Lessons Hello Alice's Founder Learned From Navigating an Anti-DEI Lawsuit At the Fast Company Innovation Festival, Hello Alice co-founder Elizabeth Gore shared insights and advice with other business owners. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/djtejEvQ . . Like 💝 Comment below ⏬ Share ✅ For More Such Updates Follow Us @qnewshub @qnewscrunch . . #qnewshub #qnewscrunch #StartupFunding

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Why Bonobos Founder Andy Dunn's New Startup Mission is About Facilitating Friendships After experiencing digital isolation during the pandemic, Dunn refocused his Pie startup to help people organize and attend public events for real interactions and experiences, rather than living through devices. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dfk-m2Zk . . Like 💝 Comment below ⏬ Share ✅ For More Such Updates Follow Us @qnewshub @qnewscrunch . . #qnewshub #qnewscrunch #StartupFunding

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LinkedIn asked me to answer a question on how marketers (technically anyone) can overcome burnout and all the ideas provided were missing a key point. The answer is simple, but insanely hard for some, including myself. Start saying no, push back due your capacity to get priorities done, and don’t respond to people right away if it’s not urgent. I am terrible at this. So I should take my own advice. However - in moments where I have succeeded here, the world amazingly does not end. People figure out their questions themselves. You get the right work done and less important work rightfully falls below the line. So take my advice, maybe one day I will too. #amazon #burnout #marketing #marketer #productmarketing #amazonian

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"When they litigate, we should not capitulate; we should fight back." The wise words of Stacey Abrams, political leader and #fintech entrepreneur. How will we do it? With our voices, communities, and DOLLARS. 💸 This TechCrunch headline exposes these “prominent” VCs for what they really are: They are unwilling to roll up their sleeves and WORK for an innovative and regulated system that works in the best interests of EVERYONE. What’s their “Why?” A fear of progress and the power it brings. Since women are making progress, even if small, defenders of the status quo will delegitimize, litigate against, and support a candidate who will legislate away DEI initiatives because they threaten the status quo. They have a reductive sense that if more of us have something, they have less. But as Abrams also teaches us, “Why would we abandon our principles because someone who doesn’t believe in those principles mocks them?” Fintech Is Femme is committed to: 1. Amplify Her Story: You can’t be what you can’t see, and we need more people to see and hear female stories in fintech, an industry that sits at the intersection of two of the most powerful business sectors on the planet.    2. Share Her Blueprint: After sharing her story, we break it down into actionable, bite-sized pieces, creating a roadmap for others to follow. 3. Build Her Community: We need a supportive network of women to sustain us through successes and failures (and ridiculous headlines like this!) Using our platform and these three core pillars to fund HER, over and over. In Sallie Krawcheck's wise words, the solution is to “get more money into the hands of women.” 👏 It’ll happen because WOMEN make it happen, per usual. Thank you, Samantha Katz, Cindy Gallop, and Erin Gallagher, for speaking up. When I first saw this headline, I felt alone, but seeing other women speak up inclined me to -- let’s do it #onrepeat 

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💔 Laid off? Struggling to find work? Wondering what’s next? It’s a tough time out there. All over the world, people are being #laidoff, jobs are harder to come by, and the uncertainty can feel overwhelming. I know this because I’ve been there—four (yes 4) redundancies in three years taught me just how brutal the job market can be. But here’s the thing: that final layoff? It gave me the push to try something different. I was introduced to a program in Sweden called Starta Eget through Arbetsförmedlingen, which gives you the tools and support to start your own business. It’s not a solution for everyone, but for me, it was a game-changer. Since launching my business Tjena | Professional Wing People in March 2023, I’ve been sharing this program with others. And after a chat with Abel, I realised it’s time to put it all into one place. This isn’t just about Sweden—many countries have programs to support budding entrepreneurs. If you’re reading this, I urge you to check what’s available in your country. ✨ Why I’m sharing this: If you’re feeling stuck, this might be the opportunity you need. I’ve put together a simple guide to help anyone considering taking this step: ✨ How I navigated the Starta Eget process (and avoided common mistakes) 📚 Official resources to keep you on track 🤔 Why this might—or might not—be for you 📑 Ready to explore your next step? https://lnkd.in/d__B4urR This guide isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about sharing what worked for me, in the hope it might work for someone else. If you’re in #Sweden—or wondering if your country has similar support—this could be worth checking out. Let me know if you find this helpful, or share it with someone who might need it. And if you’ve been on a similar journey, I’d love to hear your story. We’re all in this together. 💛 Happy connecting, Shaena 🌟 #Entrepreneurship #CareerChange #Networking #StartaEget #JobSearch #PayItForward #Tjena #WingPeople

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If you were offered a loan at 23% interest with daily repayment terms, would you take it? I did. In the early years of building Tease, we did our first $500k in revenue with a $1k secured visa. Sound impressive? It was actually a logistical nightmare. Juggling payments, inventory, and everything else that comes with trying to get a business off the ground with limited cash flow held our growth back substantially. Because no other banks would lend to me at that time, I took that 12 month, 23% loan as a calculated risk. After all, as any CPG brand founder can attest to, you absolutely need to spend money to make money if you want to grow. Thousands in interest later, I paid it back months ahead of schedule once it served its purpose feeling so much relief. I knew for my business, I didn't want to raise $ from VC's and angels or dilute equity. If I wanted to keep bootstrapping my way up and retain 100% ownership, I'd have to get more savvy about taking on future debt. Then just a few months afterward, and having built better relationships with traditional banks, I took out a 6 figure loan with better terms that allowed me save 10% on our product costs, and make our business incredibly profitable that year 👀 In this interview with Beauty Independent, I uncover some of my top considerations for any Founder who is considering taking out loans - especially in todays economic climate. There are so many great takeaways from other founders in the CPG space too, well worth the read. I love when publications take a moment to spark conversation about the under the hood, financial realities and risks independently owned businesses are making every single day. It's not glamorous, but it's the arena we are in, the weight we carry, and the heavy decisions we consider all in the name of continuing to keep our dream and vision alive.

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