Mary
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mcahalane.bsky.social
Mary
@mcahalane.bsky.social
5K followers 5.4K following 2.8K posts
Nonprofit fundraising copywriter and consultant. She/her. Mom. LGBTQ+ rights. Women's rights.
Fundraising advice & thoughts: https://handsonfundraising.com
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mcahalane.bsky.social
mcahalane.com/why-details-...
Brightly colored paper intricately folded. It looks almost like coral.
November 14, 2025 at 6:56 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
You can do better mcahalane.com/you-can-do-b...
Against a pink background a red and white bullseye. Arrows all around, but none hit the mark
November 11, 2025 at 3:10 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"[12]
November 4, 2025 at 6:45 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
C'mon, New Jersey. The country is watching and counting on you!
Road sign saying New Jersey
November 4, 2025 at 3:50 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
4 Ways to Turn One-Time Donors Into Long-Term Supporters mcahalane.com/turn-one-tim...
Hand holding small red paper heart, placing it in tiny light brown box
November 4, 2025 at 3:31 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
Looking for attention? Why the details matter
mcahalane.com/why-details-...
A close up of an orange and blue cloth photo
October 28, 2025 at 8:53 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
October 26, 2025 at 5:26 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
Instead their headline says this:
October 19, 2025 at 1:10 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
Am I the only one who sees this every time?
October 16, 2025 at 9:56 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
mcahalane.com/donor-identi...
Hands holding up a pair of glasses, looking through to a blurry background
October 7, 2025 at 3:47 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
12 human quirks you can use to fundraise better mcahalane.com/12-human-qui...
person in a costume - a bug? - holding a camera. Black and white photo.
October 2, 2025 at 2:03 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
My mom grew up in a tiny apartment with one bathroom shared by the building.

I grew up perfectly stable. Not rich rich. But not worried about our next meal, either. We all went to college.

Now, I'm still okay - the benefit of that childhood and all it gave me. But my kids' generations? Much harder
I understood what was happening. It wasn’t complicated. People were suffering and someone had convinced them it was because of other people who were also suffering. Look at them, getting handouts. Look at them, taking your jobs. Never mind that the jobs paid less each year, that the handouts barely covered rent, that the real money was moving in directions none of us in the waiting room would ever see. The anger needed a target and the target needed to be someone powerless. Someone like Maria. Someone like the people waiting for healthcare they couldn’t afford. Someone, eventually, like me.
September 30, 2025 at 6:03 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
Good one about fundraising...
markphillips.substack.com/p/fear-is-th...
But brand doesn’t drive fundraising growth. Purpose does. Fundraising grows when purpose is boss – when the cause leads, when the problem is described honestly, and when donors are given the chance to do something meaningful about it. Alan highlights the three big decisions that leaders must make… The first is to commit to clear, powerful, emotional messaging. The second is to build a culture where fundraising is respected and can move quickly without being tied up in bureaucracy. The third is to treat fundraising as a long-term investment, not a short-term cost.
September 22, 2025 at 4:33 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
mcahalane.com/magic-fundra...
pink and green shirt on a person with a green neck and a lightbulb for a head. Inside the bulb is a bright blue/green tree.
September 2, 2025 at 7:21 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
From @timothysnyder.bsky.social today:
open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...
It is one thing, as a blue state voter, to know that your taxes are being spent elsewhere in the country. But it is quite another to worry that they will simply disappear into a sinkhole of corruption, such as that which is now being created in the White House. It is one thing to believe that federal taxes are worthwhile because they are being spent to redress inequalities in health care or education. It is another to watch the federal government spread disease and ignorance. It is one thing to pay taxes every year, in the knowledge that eventually the power in the White House will change every four or eight. It is another to be confronted with a president who talks about third terms. It is one thing to believe that the Constitution will ultimately preserve the country. It is another to recognize that those in power scorn it.
September 1, 2025 at 3:47 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
This from Congressman Larson made me happy... and sad, too. Joe was such a good man. And no one did more for Hartford's riverfront.
Yesterday, I joined Governor Lamont and Mayor Arunan Arulampalam to celebrate new funding for outdoor recreation, including Hartford’s Riverfront Park . Along with significant state funding, I worked to secure $900,000 in Congressionally directed funds to reconnect the North End with the Connecticut River and construct the Joe Marfuggi Riverwalk, as well as $2.4 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law . I have long been an advocate of efforts to recapture our riverfront and will continue to work with my colleagues to invest in recreation and economic opportunity along the river.
July 23, 2025 at 12:31 AM
mcahalane.bsky.social
5 Ways to Center Donors In Your Marketing Strategy

As the years go by, donors’ expectations evolve. For nonprofits looking to connect with their audiences in 2025, this means tailoring your…

https://mcahalane.com/donor-centric-marketing-strategy/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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June 17, 2025 at 1:48 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
Paragraph from article
June 8, 2025 at 9:09 PM
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“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
May 19, 2025 at 1:52 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
Photo of the insurrection
May 14, 2025 at 2:58 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
tnpa.org/nonprofits-u...

#nppsky
Explanation of tax-exempt status and why an executive order doesn't work.
May 2, 2025 at 1:56 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
From Timothy Snyder
The Trump people claim to be fighting antisemitism, and the media often accept that framing. I believe, on the contrary, that these actions are antisemitic in intention and in execution. The use of the word “antisemitism” as a covering pretext for defunding education empties the concept of meaning.
April 14, 2025 at 2:36 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
To save you from googling
List of senators and their votes for Michael Kratsios, of South Carolina, to be Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
March 25, 2025 at 8:54 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
How to Elevate Your Supporter Experience in 2025: 10 Proven Strategies for Fundraisers

Supporters don’t just give to charities—they give to people, experiences, emotions, and connections. And in…

https://mcahalane.com/elevate-supporter-experience-2025/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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March 25, 2025 at 1:48 PM
mcahalane.bsky.social
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Un...

Slight chance later in the year for Stefanik's seat, too.
Chart from Wikipedia showing possible congressional elections in 2025
March 7, 2025 at 8:06 PM