11/07/2025
A Note from our VP, Ryan:
"As I sit here in a mid-event season haze of past exertion and knowing what I need to do to finish the season true to our clients, I am struck by one thing: humanity.
All of this is for and by humanity. A successful event is not successful because of the perfect packing list or best email copy. Events are the result of one human feeling strongly enough to connect with another human, and the cycle repeats itself.
I know this seems simple, and I don’t mean to be reductive. But this closely follows gathering expert Priya Parker’s latest blog post, where she insists on “Inviting with a capital ‘I’”— meaning, “let [guests], in whatever way appropriate to you and your context, know that you actually want them there.”
This rang true before, and it certainly rings true now. The power of human connection cuts through the noise. It is actually what we all desire.
With the chaos of life swirling around me, I am only compelled to act and, more so, act with my whole self when someone asks. I believe that if we create time to make personalized asks, we will be rewarded with what we are asking for, as well as a renewed sense of the possible goodness within humanity.
I’m curious: In your own work forging connections with other human beings, how are you showing people that you want them around? What’s your tried-and-true strategy for making guests, donors, and friends feel welcome in your community, whatever that means for you?
I encourage you to read and absorb this message from Priya, in her article: The secret to *actually* getting people to show up."
—Ryan Goodwin, VP of Project Management & Client Relations
Read more here: https://priyaparker.substack.com/p/the-secret-to-actually-getting-people?utm_source=publication-search
