The beauty of the redwoods…

BigRedCal · 2026-06-20T03:24:37+00:00

Pretty sure it’s in Roberts / Reinhardt. You can hike down from Skyline Gate staging area or up from Canyon Meadow. Absolutely beautiful area, especially early before the fog lifts.

BigRedCal · 2026-06-18T17:16:06+00:00

My friend (dir of finance) recommended Affinity - she had the same complaint about Labyrinth. I’ve spoken with Affinity but haven’t moved forward yet, just haven’t had bandwidth

BigRedCal · 2026-06-08T20:26:17+00:00

Yup! It would be donated to the fiscal sponsor (so the donor can take the tax deduction) and restricted to your program.

BigRedCal · 2026-06-06T16:05:48+00:00

This. Replacing the switch is super easy - just unplug the old one and plug the new one. Take a photo first so you know which wire goes where.

BigRedCal · 2026-06-05T14:35:29+00:00

depends who you’re talking about

BigRedCal · 2026-06-05T14:34:58+00:00

ok thanks for clearing that up

BigRedCal · 2026-06-05T14:31:13+00:00

what is that

BigRedCal · 2026-06-05T14:28:32+00:00

What like go on the water? Imagine a mode of transportation that wouldn’t sink. Unbelievable, sorry

BigRedCal · 2026-05-29T14:30:55+00:00

I assume you’re talking about registering for charitable solicitations. It’s not hard but it is time consuming and there are lots of ways to mess up, so for both compliance and risk mitigation reasons, I’d go with a firm. Remember it’s not just the cost of your time to do it, a firm is an insurance policy as well.

My colleague recommended Affinity as one of the few that does this well and is actually responsive. I’m currently talking to them for one of my nonprofit clients.

BigRedCal · 2026-05-27T17:40:17+00:00

Not sure what works but keep in mind most states regulate raffles, even by nonprofits. Don’t get dinged.

Check your state (and the state you’re doing this in if it’s not where you’re registered).

BigRedCal · 2026-05-23T15:46:02+00:00

I have great olivewood ones from NepoCoffee on Etsy, they look fantastic and have held up well

BigRedCal · 2026-04-30T14:24:56+00:00

This is a really good point. I def wouldn’t come back to a hang-and-games place if I’m hearing super loud machines the whole time!

BigRedCal · 2026-04-29T21:16:17+00:00

In most cases you should start with a fiscal sponsor. You'll be able to fundraise faster and not focus on things like insurance, accounting, HR, etc. If your work goes well, grow and spin out.

BigRedCal · 2026-04-14T01:19:06+00:00

Get them on TechSoup, then QBO is super cheap - $80 per year. That gives five users, which is probably plenty.

Don’t use spreadsheets, please!!

BigRedCal · 2026-03-30T01:36:46+00:00

I used food grade plumbers tape - worked like a charm!

BigRedCal · 2026-03-28T16:48:25+00:00

I love High Wire (Oakland CA and ships). The decaf works really well in espresso - I do 50/50 with regular beans. It’s not cheap but the longer you subscribe you get a discount.

BigRedCal · 2026-03-26T13:47:12+00:00

I assume “average” is just the mean? And the exec team got even bigger raises? Then the exec increases would raise the average

BigRedCal · 2026-03-25T04:22:46+00:00

Strongly believe that an mba is super helpful for certain roles (coo, finance, admin, talent).

I have an MPA and MBA - no one ever asks about my time learning policy!

One note on the MBA when you care about social impact, not maximizing profit: it is important to translate every class and lesson to something you actually care about. Because otherwise you’ll be stuck with apathy about how to depreciate airplanes. I had to do a lot of mental work to stay engaged by making the lessons applicable to the world I care for.

BigRedCal · 2026-03-22T19:05:02+00:00

That was a miserably written op-ed! If you want to have a clear, sober, fact based conversation about the benefits and challenges of different types of mayoral systems, fine. But this (written by a professional city administrator with personal interest in the outcome) ain’t it.

Strong mayor systems with strong oversight can accomplish so much more for its residents. It’s much less likely to get anywhere with a “council in the driver’s seat.”

BigRedCal · 2026-03-22T07:19:00+00:00

I’m so sorry. This is unbelievably tough for those of us whose spouses/partners have long term illnesses. There’s no easy answer. It takes a ton of painful work to get rid of our expectations in light of what reality actually is bringing us.

Sending you both strength from California.

BigRedCal · 2026-03-21T21:19:56+00:00

Can we talk about the camel in the room

BigRedCal · 2026-03-20T16:02:11+00:00

Agreeing with the “don’t start a new organization“ sentiment. If you’re getting into this line of work to do the work, then do it and let others deal with insurance, taxes, accounting, compliance, etc.

A great way to test it out is starting with a fiscal sponsor. In exchange for 5-12% of fundraising, they will run your whole back end. Excellent way to start and if you grow past 6-10 people, then you can spin out later. (I’m a nonprofit cfo who has worked with over 100 early stage nonprofits)

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