The Monthly Leap - June 2025

Hi there! 

Did you survive May-cember? (For those who don’t know, that’s what the cool kids are coining May these days… because it feels bonkers busy like the end of the calendar year!) I sure hope so. At LEAP, May was actually a little quieter than April, which was a nice surprise. 

Per usual in our monthly newsletters, keep reading to find out:  

• What's on my mind: Self-Reflection 

• What's coming up: It’s Event Season! 

• A tip of the month: Clear is Kind 

• A quick request: Conferences & Workshops 

 I hope this post is a little spot of joy in your week! 

Rikki 

What's on my mind? 

I’ve been thinking a lot about how important it is to take time for self-reflection.  

We were required to keep a journal for one of my doctoral classes last semester, and it’s a practice I’ve continued with. Sometimes just sitting with ourselves and getting out what we’re thinking and feeling – about a specific situation or just about life in general – can be healing. And sometimes it’s really hard. But either way, it’s totally worth it. 

I know that I sometimes get stuck in finding the right words to describe how I’m feeling. Language matters a whole lot to me. But the thing I’ve loved about writing when no one else is going to see it is that I don’t have to be so concerned with finding the right word from the start. But getting those thoughts out of my head and onto paper also allows me to see what patterns I’m getting stuck in and which words are coming naturally.  

While a lot of what I’m reading for class isn’t something I would just want to pull off the shelf and dive into, three books from the last year have really stuck out to me as something I wish I had read earlier in my own leadership journey. All of them have given me tons to think about and reflect on. They all have reflection questions sprinkled throughout or exercises they describe that you can use to do some necessary internal work. I think they might be helpful to you too, so I’m sharing them here today in case you want to start your own reflective practice and don’t know where to start.  

• The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves, by Dr. Shawn Ginwright  

• Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age, by Juana Bordas 

• Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work, by Ruchika Tulshyan 

If you read any of these and want to chat about them, you know I’m game! 

What's coming up? 

• Today is the absolute last day to register for the in-person, Create Your Development Plan in a Week workshop. If you’re in Central Wisconsin, we’d love to have you join us! 

• My favorite summer event in Stevens Point kicks off this week! If you’re in the area and you’ve never headed down to the river on a Thursday night to listen to live music at the Levitt Amp concerts put on by CREATE Portage Co, you’re missing out. I’ll be there June 5 to celebrate the start of summer with an announcement from my friends at the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin. I’ll also be there volunteering on June 12. If you’re there and I see you, prepare to get hugged! 

• June 14-15, we’ll be at the Portage County Historical Society’s annual Heritage Days event. In addition to thinking their executive director is pretty great (spoiler alert: I’m married to him if you didn’t know that), I think PCHS does an incredible job of aligning their special events with their mission. Heritage Days is no exception. If you’re in town, you should come check it out! 

• My doctoral program is mostly online, but I’ll be in LaCrosse the last week of June for in-person classes and Viterbo’s Servant Leadership Conference. If you’re in southwestern Wisconsin, I’d love to see you! 

Tip of the month 

This month, I’ve found myself in multiple conversations that reminded me of a simple but powerful truth: Clear is kind. 

Several of my capital campaign clients have recently made very significant asks and followed my advice to request a specific amount. Not only did they feel more confident going into those conversations, but they were surprised (and delighted!) when donors actually thanked them for being so clear about what they needed. 

The same principle holds true in internal team dynamics. Some of my coaching clients are learning that clarity about roles, expectations, and responsibilities is the first step toward building accountability and trust. When everyone knows what’s expected, they’re more empowered to deliver and collaborate effectively. 

In one of my doctoral classes recently, we were talking about staff engagement and it came through loud and clear that we all feel more engaged when we’re getting clear and honest feedback and can see exactly how our role is contributing to the whole. 

Whether you’re making an ask or managing a team, clarity isn’t just helpful. It’s a form of respect. When we’re clear, we’re kind. 

A Quick Request 

I’m looking to present at more conferences and lead more workshops – and I’d love your help! If you hear about an open call for proposals, are planning an event, or know of a group that could benefit from training on ethical fundraising, major gifts, or campaign strategy, I’d be so grateful if you’d send it my way. 

You can comment on the blog or reach out anytime. Thanks in advance for keeping me in mind!