Christmas morning recipe alert: Overnight Lilikoi Rolls with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

December 19, 2019December 29, 2019 ~ janamlight ~ Leave a comment

It's less than a week to Christmas, so of course I am thinking about FOOOOOD. I am obsessed with creating environments. I love making places pretty, love picking out just the right candle scents, love finding the perfect music to evoke the right feelings for the occasion, and, above all, love finding just the right … Continue reading Christmas morning recipe alert: Overnight Lilikoi Rolls with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

In-Between Thoughts 12.11.19: are ideas real?

December 13, 2019December 12, 2019 ~ janamlight ~ Leave a comment

Awww, Wednesday was my last philosophy class for the semester. I didn't expect to say this going into a class dedicated to studying Marx, Freud, and Deleuze & Guattari, but it was my favorite class so far. I KNOW. Who'd a thunk I'd become a semi-Marxist at the ripe old age of 37? Now I … Continue reading In-Between Thoughts 12.11.19: are ideas real?

Your Brain on Philanthropy: Cognitive Ease

December 5, 2019December 2, 2019 ~ janamlight ~ Leave a comment

I was chafing a bit the other day over the realization that in order to be most effective at my job, I need to talk about giving and gifts in the simplest way possible. I've learned so much about the complexities of ways to donate, of why people donate, of the great scientific work being … Continue reading Your Brain on Philanthropy: Cognitive Ease

A Song of Gratitude

December 3, 2019December 2, 2019 ~ janamlight ~ Leave a comment

Lately, as I've been driving around town I've been listening to the soundtrack of the original production of Les Miserables. I cannot stop. Listening and singing along to the musical has become an incredibly therapeutic experience. Boublil, Schonberg, and Kretzmer somehow managed to put into music and into song the richness of the 1862 novel … Continue reading A Song of Gratitude

Thoughts on gratitude

November 26, 2019November 26, 2019 ~ janamlight ~ 1 Comment

Inspired by one of my friends on Instagram who is listing 101 things she's grateful for during the month of November, I've spent the past week doing the same. I have no number goal in mind; I just try to post around 5 things a day and look forward to seeing how it influences my … Continue reading Thoughts on gratitude

In-Between Thoughts 11/20/19 — New reading and rereading

November 21, 2019November 20, 2019 ~ janamlight ~ 3 Comments

Workin' on them boulder shoulders! Goodness, it's been a hot minute since I've lifted weights. I've been doing Insanity 4-5 times a week and running 9 miles every Sunday, so I'm moving and challenging my body, but now that I'm no longer working on campus it's hard to get to the Rec Center consistently. I've … Continue reading In-Between Thoughts 11/20/19 — New reading and rereading

Your Brain on Philanthropy: Denomination Effect

November 6, 2019January 12, 2020 ~ janamlight ~ Leave a comment

Fundraisers tend to categorize donors in three ways, either as annual donors, major gift donors, or legacy donors. Annual donors are those who give smaller amounts more frequently -- monthly, annually, or when a giving campaign comes calling (think United Way or the Girl Scouts). These gifts usually go to the general fund or support … Continue reading Your Brain on Philanthropy: Denomination Effect

Your Brain on Philanthropy: Anchoring Effect

October 31, 2019January 12, 2020 ~ janamlight ~ Leave a comment

I was taking a bath when I read about the Anchoring Effect. (I'm basically Archimedes.) It hit me so hard I actually stopped reading, put my book on the floor, and stared into my Rosemary-Mint scented bubbles for a long time. Holy crap. I've been doing this wrong since I started fundraising. My failure to … Continue reading Your Brain on Philanthropy: Anchoring Effect

New series: Your Brain on Philanthropy

October 29, 2019October 29, 2019 ~ janamlight ~ Leave a comment

I'm a fundraiser. I work with people to find the environmental causes that matter to them and then help them make gifts that are meaningful -- meaningful to them, and meaningful to my organization. It's not a profession I ever imagined myself in, but I'm coming to genuinely love it for what it is. The … Continue reading New series: Your Brain on Philanthropy

THE TREES ARE PEOPLE. With their own inscrutable “why.”

October 24, 2019October 16, 2019 ~ janamlight ~ Leave a comment

As I wrote in my last post, I recently came to terms with the (to me) dull, trudging work of gathering and analyzing data. I realized why, in order to get to the dazzling and fulfilling work of finding large trends and doing the big picture thinking, I need to first get mastery of details. … Continue reading THE TREES ARE PEOPLE. With their own inscrutable “why.”