My family hasn't been closely knit, not for a very long time, particularly on my father's side. Until just the last few years, I hadn't seen any of my cousins or aunts or uncles from that side of the family since I was probably about 10 years old, almost 20 years ago. Over the last few years, however, my father has become heavily involved in researching our family's history. Out of that endeavor has sprung an annual family reunion, which we have had every year for the last two or three. I'd be lying if I said the first couple of times were anything short of awkward. As I said, I haven't seen any of them since I was a child. Now as a grown adult, I was thrown back into the mix with family that I barely knew. In a few cases, I still can't even get their names straight, had nothing in common with and nothing with which to talk about. My cousin Davey was probably the single exception to this, but even he was a completely different person from the kid I'd known as was I to he no doubt. So for the first two years, I mostly stuck with my immediate family near the alcohol and sat in uncomfortable silence. A few weeks ago, we had what I think was our third annual reunion, this time probably in large part thanks to my recent pension for dragging up long forgotten memories from what has become a rather fuzzy childhood. And then sharing those recollections with you, dear readers, I made a deliberate effort to establish communication with my cousin Dave, the alcohol may have played a small hand as well. Who can say this conversation turned out to be easy, satisfying, and much more enlightening than I could have hoped. We discussed shared childhood events, including those detailed in the dead children of Camp Redwood ghouls in the graveyard and eyes from beyond, as well as others. Several events came up over the course of this discussion and in the further discussions we've had in our continued communication since that I'd almost completely forgotten about that is to say that I had completely forgotten until he brought them up. It all came flooding back. I'd like to share some of those stories with you here. This first story takes place around the time of my camp Redwood story in a house within which as I look back now, I always felt unsafe. I don't know if I blocked out most of my memories from that house or what. What I do know is that I not thought of it in a very long time. But over the last few weeks, speaking with my cousin Dave has opened a floodgate of memories, some absolutely horrifying, as well as possibly having opened a floodgate of paranormal activity. The night on which the following events occurred started off as quiet. It was a summer evening in the turbulent era that followed my parents divorce.  The area was by no means remote, but by comparison to the others in the neighborhood, my house sort of was. My father was often his new apartment and my mother was constantly working into the wee hours of the morning, doing her best to support the family. My oldest sister was rarely home and my other also older sister was living on her own with her boyfriend. That left my brother and I both very young, alone in the house almost every night. On this occasion, being midsummer, we'd managed to round up some company. My cousin Dave and one of my brother's friends named Jesse had come over and were hanging out deciding what they wanted to do. Eventually they decided they were going to walk up to our old neighborhood to see some friends leaving me behind as my older brother didn't want me tagging along. So they left. I was alone a lot as a kid, but only in this particular house do I remember every feeling the need to round up an arsenal of weaponry with which to protect myself. I would empty virtually the entire contents of the silverware drawer onto the couch next to me. Corks, steak knives, butter knives, shish kebab skewers, with which I made Wolverine Claws. But all of this is neither here nor there. I'd gone about this same ritual on this very night and sat down with my Wolverine Claws prepared to watch some television. X-Files, I think, back when it was scary. Before long, the peaceful summer night turned into a raging storm. The rain beat on the roof like a stampede of infinite horses. As the sound of distant thunder grew louder, the power started to flicker, threatening to throw me into a world of darkness. And I huddled closer to my stockpile of murderous butter knives. Suddenly there came a furious pounding on the front door. I was frightened, not knowing who could possibly be at the door. But at the same time, the thought of being alone in the house scared me so much that I didn't care. I ran to the window, creeping up slowly as I neared it, in order not to be seen. I slipped the curtain aside carefully and looked through the window. It was pouring outside, however, and a sheet of rain roared across the glass, collecting here and there in thick rivulets so that I couldn't see anything outside. The darkness of the night and the surrounding trees did their part to impede my vision as well. Suddenly, a blinding flash of light illuminated the world outside. Through the flowing water, I was able to make out the shape of two figures standing on my porch, crouched low to the ground. I watched as they swayed back and forth, just outside the door. They looked like trolls or garden gnomes. The knocking came again, this time a bit angrier. Get us in. A voice growled from outside of the door. I clenched my wolverine claw-wielding fist.  It only took a moment for me to recognize my brother's voice and another moment to let him in the house, along with Dave and Jesse. In another moment still, I was being pelted with wet fist. Why didn't you open the door? They said, I, uh, I thought you were garden gnomes. Time ticked by with all of us sat inside the house, me happy to have some company and them unhappy to be back home. The power wavered once more, and even the older boys held their breath. The storm was vicious and showed no signs of letting up. Oh man, you guys, Dave said suddenly, jumping to his feet, I have a great idea. We all turned our attention towards him. Let's play with the Ouija board. Of course, as was almost always the case with Dave, this idea was both terribly bad, yet well received. We all ran around in excitement, gathering up candles, blankets, pillows, and of course the Ouija board. Allow me to set the stage a little before we get too far in. We'll be back on track shortly, but to add to the picture, as well as not to slow down the pacing later, I think it's important that we get it out of the way. When you first walked into the front door, there was a wide and open landing area, just before the stairs that led up to the second floor. To the left, through a wide archway was the dining room. Through the dining room on the right was the door to the long narrow kitchen, which had a door on the left leading outside and on the right, a door down into the basement. Look at the main entrance. If you made a right through another wide archway, you would enter the living room. As you entered on your right was a large window, the one I'd looked out earlier in the story in front of which sat the TV I've been watching on the left across from the TV was a long sofa, one of its three cushions supporting a pile of kitchen cutlery and eating utensils.  It was about eight feet from the back of the couch to the back wall of the living room where another large window looked out on the backyard. Also in this section on the wall to the left was a closet, which was where the Ouija board had been kept.  We laid down a thick comfy quilt and lined it with some pillows. Then we lit the candles around us in a crude circle before turning off the lights with the thunder rumbling in the heavens, shaking the house upon its foundations and the rain continuing its assault upon the roof. We began our session with the Ouija board. Due to limited finger space on the plant shed, I was left out of the actual communication attempt and reduced to simply a spectator. But that was fine with me. I sat on my pillow, blanket wrapped about my shoulders and watched as the others began their efforts to communicate with the dead. If there are any spirits here with us tonight, we'd like to try and speak with you, said my cousin Dave, with his fingertips gently caressing the white plastic plant shed. Nothing happened at first. For several minutes, similar statements were made and various questions were asked, all of which evoked no response from the spirit board. More minutes passed, and the excitement had begun to fade as still nothing appeared to be happening. I sensed the others enthusiasm, beginning to falter and feared that the mood of the evening was about to be ruined. Suddenly, my brother's friend Jesse shouted at the top of his voice, Speak! At that moment, the plant shed leapt into the air about three inches off of the board. I recall now that I could plainly see the space between the board and the plastic piece. It was clearly airborne. Dave was on my left, and my brother on my right, with both of their fingers completely visible to me. Jesse sat across from me, however, with his back to the closet door. I couldn't see his fingers, and as he had been the one to shout, I was suspicious that he might have been behind the plant shed sudden burst of activity. I kept my mouth shut, however, in an effort to sustain the atmosphere. The others had reeled back in fright in response to the sudden movement. Eventually, with an abundance of hesitance, the three resumed their prior position. Is there someone here with us? Dave asked. The board did not respond. My brother looked towards Jesse. You try, he said. Jesse looked at him nervously, mouth agape. But without argument, he turned his face back towards the board, closing his slack jaw to swallow the lump in his throat. Is, is anyone here with us? Jesse asked. I watched in awe as the plant shed slowly began to move, creeping along towards the top of the board, which was in front of my brother. Near the edge of the board, just before sliding off onto the quilt, it stopped through the circular window embedded into the white plastic. The word yes could be read. My brother's head quickly snapped up and looked towards Jesse with a dubious expression on his face, as if to say, you'd better not be doing this. In return, Jesse shook his head. A look of fright spread across his own face, as if to say, it's not me, I swear. Still, I had my suspicions. Though the scared excitement had returned. Keep going, Dave said to Jesse. Uh, do you have a name? He asked. The plastic fang again began to creep along, shuffling across the board on its felt shoes. It only moved this time in a small circle before coming to rest once more on the word yes. Dave smirked, smartass. He said, well, Jesse began, what is? The plant shed suddenly lurched across the board, stopping briefly on the letter U, then slid off quickly to the letter N. Finally, at a pace much swifter than it had moved in answering the previous questions, it zipped over to the letter O. There it came to rest. We all cast nervous glances at one another before the inevitable accusations began. Jesse, come on, man, I know you're doing this, offered my brother. I threw my hat into the ring behind him, as I did agree. Jesse shook his head. No, man, I swear. All I know is that it isn't me, said Dave. So it's definitely one of you two. How come it's only answering to Jesse? Brandon, my brother, asked. Come on, Dave, he's gotta be doing it. Dave looked towards Jesse. I swear, it's not me, guys. Jesse said, his voice cracking, he was visibly shaking. I don't know, dude, said Dave. Look at him, he's terrified. I am, Jesse admitted. I am terrified. I think we should stop. No way. The other three of us agreed in unison. So after a timidly fought uphill battle against my brother and Dave, Jesse resumed communication. So, uh, your name is Uno? He asked. The plant shed hurtled furiously across the board, again towards my brother. With such speed, it caused him to rock backwards a bit. No, it responded. It then began another circuit of the board, racing hurriedly, angrily, from letter to letter, once more indicating the cryptic letters, U-N-O. This time, it didn't stop, however. It continued on U-N-O, racing back and forth repeatedly. U-N-O, hissing and scraping across the board, U-N-O. Outside, the storm raged and the sky was torn open with a ferocious roar. Jesse could take no more. Stop it, he screamed at the top of his lungs. And to my astonishment, the plant shed stopped coming to rest upon the O so that through the circular window, it appeared as an eyeball staring us down maliciously. I felt suddenly very uneasy, now afraid that Jesse was in fact not behind this activity. He was either a very good actor or something more was going on here. The others seemed to share my apprehension. I watched Dave and my brother communicate wordlessly, both coming to the agreement that maybe this had gone far enough. At least that's what I thought they'd agreed upon. They never got the chance to express it. As everyone sat around stunned, the plant shed began to move once more at its original achingly slow pace. I watched as it slid out from under Jesse's fingers. Clearly he was not the culprit. Seeing this, my brother then let go, followed by Dave. The plant shed, however, kept moving. We looked on in disbelief, watching the plastic fang move along of its own accord, aided not by human hands. The eye revealed to us the following letters, D, I, G. Again, it began a circuit of the board.  Then instantly yanked his hand away with a cry of pain.  My hand, he shouted, it burned me. On the board, in between the four of us, the plant shed began to bounce violently, back and forth from leg to leg at a rapid pace, making a sound like a spinning quarter beginning to falter. Outside, there came a tremendous boom, coupled with the searing light from an intense blast of lightning. On my right, just above eye level, the curtain window to the backyard was a lit, a bluish square of bright fuzzy light, casting shadows about the darkened room. In that moment of brief illumination from the corner of my eye, I could see the figure of someone standing in the backyard, just outside the window. Dave, who sat with his back against the rear of the couch, facing the window, saw the image entirely.  He sprang to his feet and vaulted over the couch behind him, while Jesse, who had also seen the figure, fell backwards into the corner of the couch and claws it with a whimper, sucking on his burned fingers. Dave sped towards the lamp, just beside the couch and hurriedly clicked it on, only it didn't come on. Now knowing that what I thought I'd seen from the corner of my eye had actually been there, I too jumped to my feet, ran around the couch and into the main area of the living room. What the heck, guys? Brandon shouted. He'd been seated with his back to the window and thus didn't see the figure standing outside in the storm illuminated against the backdrop of night. I myself continued running through the living room, past Dave, still trying to click on the lamp and into the entry hall. There, I flipped the switch to the light in the entryway and the light in the dining room on my left, neither of which came on. Apparently with the lights already off in order to enhance our candlelit session with the Ouija board, we'd missed the fact that the power had died. Oh my God, you guys. I said, peeking my head back into the living room. The power's out. As I looked into the living room to inform the others of our dilemma, the back window once more flared with that electrical glow. I was now completely facing the window and could see clear as day, the woman standing in our backyard, just outside the window. Her hair was done up nice and neat in a style similar to something from an old style TV show. She wore a white shirt or blouse with what appeared to be a blue apron over top. In that brief moment in which she was lit up, I couldn't make out her facial features through the range-streaked window. Her face instead appeared all smeared and blurry. Oh my God, I said again, pointing with a trembling hand towards the window. At the same time, I could hear a whimper come from behind the couch, one that I was sure had been issued from Jesse's finger-sucking lips. Now standing upright, my brother took notice of my indication of the rear window and finally turned to see what all the fuss was about. Though I could no longer see the woman from where I was, Brandon, being much closer to the window, apparently could. For when he turned to see what it was that I was pointing at, with such a look of terror spread across my face, he immediately jumped to his right, away from the window with a surprised shriek.  He shouted as he tore towards me through the living room. Who is that? Don't leave me, Jesse screamed from behind the couch.  Dave yelled as he made his way into the entry hall with my brother and I. Quick, my brother said, suddenly we have to lock the doors. Instantly, I jumped towards the front door and slammed on the bolt. Brandon took off through the dining room and into the kitchen to lock the door out to the side yard, tripping and knocking over chairs along the way. Dave had run back into the living room to grab a couple of the candles and was shouting for Jesse to follow. He'd finally come out from behind the couch, shaking and in tears. After a few moments passed and my brother had not come back, the other three of us left the entryway and headed towards the kitchen to find him and see what was going on. There we found Brandon, leaning over the sink, above which was a small pair of windows looking out into the backyard. In his hand was a flashlight turned off which he had apparently acquired from the kitchen junk drawer. We all gathered in the long, narrow kitchen and waited silently for him to report what he saw outside. I don't see anything out there, guys. He said, after a few moments of gazing through the glass. I know I saw her. I said, her? Asked Dave. Yeah, her, replied my brother. I saw her too. He turned and looked back out the window. But I don't see her now. We stayed in the kitchen, huddled closely together, shadows shifting with the dancing candlelight, just waiting, waiting for something to happen. Anything for the power to come on, for my mother to come home, unlikely not for a few more hours or maybe for one of my sisters to pay a visit. None of those things happened. Instead, just barely audible over the rain drumming across the roof and the continuous rumble of thunder. We heard a long, drawn out, squeaky wine like that of a rusty hinge coming from somewhere outside. It was followed shortly by a loud metallic bang. What the heck was that? Dave asked. I don't know. My brother answered him. Oh, God, you guys? Jesse groaned. This isn't right. It's all wrong. Yeah, guys, I don't like this. I said, voicing my concerns. There was a feeling of impending doom that was slowly building, gaining momentum, spreading like a disease through the air, infecting us. We all could feel it. A creeping fear, stronger than that by which each and every one of us had already been seized. We weren't in the clear. Something more was about to happen. From below our feet, there arose a clatter accompanied by another metallic boom. Oh no, my brother said. What, what, what is it? I asked. The storm cellar, he replied. We had forgotten about the storm cellar, a pair of green metal doors which sat just outside into the left of the living room window at which the woman had been standing and led downward into the basement. On my right, standing narrowly a jar was the door that led from our kitchen down into the dank dark cellar. Well, was it open? Dave asked nervously. We have to lock it. He said, without waiting for a reply. Impulsively, Dave pushed his way by me, snatched the flashlight from Brandon's hand and headed for the basement door. No, my brother and I both yelled, knowing that in all likelihood, it was already too late to secure the basement. Dave flipped on the torch, swung open the door and aimed the beam of light into the passage, then froze, staring open mouth into the darkness at something down the basement stairs. My brother jumped forward, knocking Jesse to the ground, clutched Dave by the shoulders and yanked him away from the top of the steps. The sudden action caused Dave to drop the flashlight which came to rest at the top of the stairs. As my brother pulled Dave away, I sprang towards the door to shut it. At my feet, the dropped flashlight, still emitting its beam pointed straight ahead into the pitch black of the cellar. I couldn't help but look directly ahead. The light refracted off of the steeply descending ceiling, illuminating faintly the damp wooden stairs below. At the bottom of the basement stairs in a black puddle of trembling water stood the woman. Water rolled off of her wet skin and soaked clothes falling into the black puddle to cause ripples that sped away towards the puddle's edge in circles of reflected light. It was hypnotic. I watched in horror as the woman slowly leaned forward farther and farther until her face was little more than a foot away from the stairs. No human being could possibly lean forward at such a dramatic angle. In a twitchy and spastic motion, the woman's head lifted so that she was staring directly at me. It was now her face that caught my attention or rather the lack thereof. It was blank, blurry, and yet shifting as though I were still viewing it through a rainy window. The woman, still leaning forward, hovering parallel to the steps, then began to haltingly float upward towards me. The blue fabric from the apron she wore hung limp dragging along the steps with a disquieting whisper. As she got closer, her feet dragging behind her thumped and scraped along with each and every step she passed. I could hear her toenails as they scratched slowly across the old warped wood. The dripping faceless woman crept towards me getting closer by the second. Then from out of the deeply shadowed cellar behind her stepped two children standing side by side. On the left, a boy dressed in a suit stood up staring at me with his hands perfectly straight on his sides. Next to him was a little girl of equal height dressed like the woman who is now halfway up the stairs. The children's faces were grotesque, almost cartoonish eyes far too big for their heads bulged from their tiny sockets while below their mouse were stretched into impossibly wide maniacal grins exposing equally unlikely teeth. Their skin was a pale frigid tint of blue. The children remained at the bottom just outside of the shadows while the mother continued her ascent. As the woman got closer, I vaguely remember thinking that I could faintly hear her humming a lazy tune. Matt, what are you doing? I heard my brother shout out on my right. Then suddenly there was a clatter and the flashlight went spinning away throwing the basement and the beings that occupied it back into unseen darkness. My brother had stepped in front of me inadvertently kicking the flashlight in the process of taking me by the arm and pulling me away from the doorway. I recall feeling dazed and now as I write this I suppose I must have been in some sort of trance throwing me out of the way. My brother spun back towards the door and slammed it shut. He then quickly slid the chain on the door into place hopefully securing the basement. What did you guys see? Brandon asked turning back towards Dave and I. Uh, a woman, Dave said and kids I added. Dave shot a quizzical look towards me. It hit me then what I just seen. Oh my God, Brandon, we have to get out of here. My brother seemed prepared to argue until with a final loud snap the basement door popped open. Luckily the chain held and in that moment the four of us scrambled over one another in a dash for the front door on our way through the dining room disoriented and shrouded in darkness. We clearly heard another loud snap followed by the bang of the basement door crashing into the kitchen wall the chain had given out. My brother, my cousin Dave, Jesse and I spilled out of the house into the pouring rain the roaring thunder and the crackling lightning we ran down our long wooded driveway out onto the street and then ran some more. We finally stopped running once we made it to a brightly lit intersection in Oasis in the dark of night where a nearby gas station offered shelter from the storm and hopefully a chance to find help. From there, we called my sister told her we had seen someone in the house and asked her to pick us up, which she did. She took the four of us back to her apartment and though we argued knowing that we'd not just been victims of a family break-in, she called the police. They checked our house out discovered signs of a possible break-in, but no perps. The only things they found to verify our story at all was water trailing from the storm cellar doors through the basement up the steps into the basement door with the busted chain. However, they also encountered our Ouija board setup which only helped to cast further doubt upon the reality of our story in the minds of the officers. The rest of that summer ticked by slowly. My brother and I taking it one day at a time each of us unwilling to be left alone in that house. Eventually though, once it was apparent that there would be no further activity we were able to get back into a normal lifestyle. Nothing else of this magnitude ever happened in that house and for years we had no answers. Was it a ghost we'd summoned through the Ouija board that was now set loose on the world? That was our best guess, but we had no clue until a few years later that is. It turns out that Jesse had known the whole time who these spirits were, where they had come from and what they wanted. He'd seen them before you see many times his whole life in fact. Now, we didn't know it at the time and wouldn't find out until my brother entered middle school but Jesse and his family were thought of around town as weirdos, they were thought of as outcast. This was due entirely to Jesse's grandfather who had once murdered a family in cold blood. A mother and her two children, a boy and a girl, the bodies had never been recovered. Jesse's grandfather had been tried and sentenced to death but apparently his punishment paled in comparison to what his family had gone through for years, constant torment from the unrestful spirits of the family slain by the grandfather's hands around town. It was just a story, one that the school kids told to scare each other and whispered about whenever Jesse walked down the hall, a family haunted for eternity by vengeful spirits. But when Dave and my brother first heard it and then related it to me, we knew that it was no story. I never saw Jesse again. He kept his distance from my brother after that and they rarely spoke again, if ever. According to Dave, Jesse and his family moved away a few years after the incident, no doubt taking the spirits with them. The bodies of the slain family, however, stayed behind where they were eventually discovered, buried on the property of Jesse's old house, a house that once belonged to his grandfather. I don't know for sure, but I think I hope that maybe two families finally found rest that day. Hey everyone, remember to like and subscribe if you enjoyed the video and a special thank you to the author. This was a very creepy, well-written story. Make sure to check out more of their work in the description. If you'd like to support me further, there's a link to my Patreon in the description and remember, never play with a Ouija board.


The death of Prince Philip has been used by the press to demonstrate their royalist credentials and by politicians to show their undying loyalty and sympathy to the Queen. But what about the royals themselves? Now, of course, I have no doubt the Windsors are genuinely mourning for a husband, a father and a grandfather. But this is also an institution for whom every public outing is meticulously planned to maintain a particular self-image. And it's in that context that more than a few eyebrows are raised when this member of the firm was rolled out on BBC News. Yes, it's a terrible loss. My father said to me on the telephone a few months ago that we're all in the same boat. And we must always remember that. But occasionally, we and the family are asked to stand up and show compassion and leadership. And unfortunately, with my father's death, it is brought at home to me not just our loss, but actually the loss that everybody else felt for so many people who've as it were died and lost loved ones during the pandemic. And so we are all in the same boat. Slightly different circumstances because he didn't die from COVID. Now, first of all, we're not all in the same boat. Not everyone else gets eight days of national mourning and similar casts on BBC One and BBC Two. And no one's allowed to watch any normal TV when they die. It's not only the fact that he didn't die of COVID, which separates him from the 140,000 people who tragically passed away from COVID-19. It's the response that his death gets, a disproportionate response. Second, and more importantly, what the hell is Prince Andrew doing on BBC News? Now, unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that Andrew is the friend or was the friend of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.  And this is the Andrew who has been hiding from the news, from the BBC, from the media since 2019. So he's refused to speak to anyone, refused to answer questions about all the legitimate issues that his past behavior raises. And now he comes out two years later on the one occasion when no one can ask him anything about his relationship to a convicted paedophile and can only ask him about his father who's passed away. Now, it's not an accident that he was rolled out onto BBC News. This is an attempt to launder his reputation. And the BBC really, really played along.  And obviously it's a bit inappropriate to put out an interview with someone who is refusing to give an interview to the FBI, even though they want his support to go forward with a very, very serious investigation into industrial child abuse. No, they didn't say, oh, we'll just have to film it and then we'll put it away afterwards. No, this led BBC News. On BBC News at 10 last night, a Sunday night, you had as their main clip, Prince Andrew saying something nice about his father, no mention of the fact that this guy, very close friends of a convicted paedophile, this guy is avoiding an interview with the FBI, which basically means that he is standing in the way of an investigation into industrial child abuse. Now, Ash, I can see why Prince Andrew would love this opportunity to go on the TV and talk about something other than his relationship to Jeffrey Epstein or whether or not he can sweat or what day he did or did not eat at Pizza Express. But why the hell did the BBC play along with this? A lot has changed about the relationship between the media and the royal family.  However, there is still a very cozy relationship between the royals and the media, because the media wants access and the royals want favorable coverage. Those are two things which are occasionally in tension, but often work quite well in concert with one another. So if the BBC know that they can get FaceTime and a direct interview with the senior royal, it doesn't matter that it's completely inappropriate for the BBC to land an interview with him before the FBI are able to, and that it's completely insulting to some of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, that this man who's been accused of very serious crimes, including the sexual exploitation of a trafficked minor, is able to have a very sympathetic hearing from one of the world's most prestigious broadcaster. It doesn't matter at that moment because what the BBC wants is access and access to those quite intimate moments where the royal family are seen and engaged with on a human level rather than on a distant ceremonial level. The BBC are quite happy to ignore, I think, the ethical considerations. And this is the thing about the royal family, and it's something which I think is particular to the UK's royal family. They've changed and adapted an awful lot over the 20th century, and one of the huge ways in which they've adapted is the way in which they've engaged with the media, television, celebrity culture, and also try to take on this identity of what we are, essentially, our public servants. They've rebadged themselves rather than an institution of power, of governance, of statecraft as one of symbolising the nation. It's Britain's first family, if you like, and also that they've dedicated themselves to public service. They're essentially an extension of the charity sector, and it means that many of those images, those tropes, those narratives can come in very handy and can be very potent when coupled with the disproportionate amount of power that they're able to wield because of their formal constitutional role. And so here's how we see it with Prince Andrew. Prince Andrew is a man who, were he a private citizen, would, of course, be affected the respect in his grief that we would allow for any other private citizen, but also were he a private citizen. It was likely that he would have to face the music, he would have to cooperate with the FBI's investigation, and who knows, he might face some quite uncomfortable investigations and accusations and perhaps even charges himself. That's what would happen if he was a private citizen. But because he's not, because he is a member of the royal family, he's able to take the best of what a private citizen is afforded, which is a sense of respect and regard for their grief and unwillingness to intrude on a moment which is very painful for somebody, and so that you don't really want to hold them to account. He's able to combine that with the lack of accountability, which plays out in a very distinct way because he is a member of the royal family. And that for me is just, it's proof of why we need, I think, a renewed republican movement in this country. I don't think we can claim to have a healthy media culture while we still have a royal family. And I don't think we can claim to be a mature democracy where we believe in people achieving their role in public life through talent, through merit, and because of what they've, you know, what they do and that their ability to meet the needs of the public rather than an accident of birth. And I also think we can't claim to be a society which takes issues of justice and equality before the law seriously while we still have people who, because of this enduring belief and bloodline superiority, are completely above the law and completely above accountability. You're watching Tisgesawa on Navarra Media. If you are enjoying the show, do make sure you hit that subscribe button. We go live every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7pm and we put out videos every day. There's one more clip of that interview with Prince Andrew I want to show you because for me, you know, we didn't, no one asked him about the Epstein case in that interview, but I think on one reading, maybe he did reveal something. In fact, maybe he was trying to. Let's take a look. If you had a problem, he would think about it. And that's the, that's the great thing that I always think about is that he was always somebody you could go to and he would always listen. He was always someone you could go to and he would always listen. Ash, do you think he is trying to tell us that Prince Philip knew? No, I don't think he is. I don't think Prince Andrew is that smart. You know, he's somebody who wandered into that interview with Emily Maitlis completely unaware of the fact that he was going to make a complete donkey of himself. He's got no self-awareness, no awareness of the limitations of his own talents. He's also got no intellectual capacity either. So I think he was just saying stuff that sounded good. And again, it's imploring us as the public to empathize with the humanity of the royals while at the same time having deference for their feudal and constitutional symbolism.  If he was not the second or third born, I can't remember which one it is, if he was next in line to the throne, we would all constitutionally have to say he was actually God's gift to mankind.  Actually, I mean, he's probably eighth now. They don't have to degrade themselves to that same, same degree. But that's the whole problem with hereditary monarchy. You don't get to choose who has the role. It is. And that's the thing. That's the thing is that you could see it in that parliamentary debate is that people have to invent a narrative of extraordinary talent and genius around these people because otherwise you'd have to confront the fact that their position in society is completely unearned. By virtue of being born into the royal family, you are catapulted to the very top of British institutions, whether they are arts institutions or philanthropic institutions. And we hear a lot about Prince Philip's public service. Now, I've got no doubt that he was a man of talents. He distinguished himself in the Royal Navy, for instance, during World War II. But was he really an expert conservationist, an expert in working with children, an expert in animal welfare, an expert in mechanics, an expert in the military? Was he really this man who, you know, left school and didn't pursue further education? Really an expert in all these things? Was he really the most qualified man to take on all these roles? Or was his symbolic power enough to get him to that place? And that's what made him useful to these institutions. Because this is the thing which I do not buy one bit about this myth of public service, which surrounds the royal family. Their value almost entirely lies in their ability to communicate an emotional affect and a sense of national symbolism to the public. They're not mastermind strategists. They're not talented organizational builders. They know nothing about, you know, what's an internal culture that you need to develop at this particular charity, or what's the most effective way we can reach, you know, XYZ demographic of people. They're essentially incredibly famous. They come loaded with ritualistic and ceremonial meaning. They're not exceptionally talented. They're not particularly interested in arts or culture. They're not extraordinary people in any way other than the circumstances of their birth.


Team Fairchild demonstrates strategic deterrence readiness during Titan Fury 24-1. Airmen assigned to the 92nd and the 141st Air Refueling Wings conducted exercise Titan Fury 24-1 at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, November 13-17, 2023. During the exercise, Airmen demonstrated, how various support activities contribute, to mobilizing KC-135 Strata tankers. At a moment's notice if called upon to support strategic deterrence and, other national defense strategy priorities. It's critically important that Fairchild AFB, conducts exercises like this for one reason only, and that's deterrence, said Lieutenant Colonel William Dowd, 97th Air Refueling Squadron Commander. We have to send a clear message to our adversaries and allies alike that Fairchild Air Force Base stands ready to execute this mission. Without making sure our crews are ready and able, regardless of how hard it is and how fast we need them to be, we can't ensure the delivery of deterrence worldwide. For decades, the KC-135 Strata tanker, has been the backbone of Air Mobility Command's Air Refueling capabilities around the world, because of its ability to extend global reach and project you. S. Air Power. Dowd explained, how teamwork and collaboration are, the keys to Fairchild's ability to keep this proud tradition going strong. The teamwork that goes into executing a mission of this scale really boils down to the relationship between, operations and maintenance. Then everything else has to come up and build the support pyramid for those too, he said. It is a challenging week for everybody, from maintenance and operations to the defenders in, security forces. Who protect the ramp and aircraft and the folks in the force support squadron, who are turning out meals for them and bringing food to the crews at the jet. Dowd also praised the hard work and long hours of airfield managers, fuel operations, safety, inspector general and, the other essential functions of the exercise that enable mission readiness. We could tell they were getting tired, but there was a gleam in their eyes, and we knew they were ready to show the world that Fairchild is ready to execute this mission, he said.  In addition to the 92nd ARW active duty and 141st ARW Air National Guard units at Fairchild AFB, TF-241 included aircraft and personnel assigned to the 912th Air Refueling Squadron who traveled from March Air Force Base, California, to participate. The 912th ARS is a geographically separated unit of the 92nd ARW. According to Lieutenant Colonel Roque Zerati, 912th ARS Director of Operations, participating in the exercise enabled his unit to integrate with, 92nd ARW Airmen and build interoperability in a training environment, that resembles the manner in which they would operate during a real-world scenario. US Marines with maritime special-purpose force, and battalion landing team, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, conduct visit, board, search and, seizure training, aboard the James River Reserve Fleet and, the USNS Narragansett, in the Chesapeake Bay, off the coast of Virginia. The visit, board, search and, seizure course, teaches Marines with maritime special-purpose force, and battalion landing team. How to properly conduct, vessel boarding procedures and maritime interdiction operations, while underway with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Master Sergeant Dustin Brockman, a generation superintendent for TF-241, highlighted the importance of exercising to build both proficiency and speed. Getting the aircraft ready quickly is important, he said. If it was a real-world situation, we don't know how fast we would need to act. If we take too long to get ready, then we might not be able to meet the mission requirements. We work quickly yet safely to get the aircraft generated as fast as possible. Like many Airmen, this exercise was a first for Captain John Will, a KC-135 pilot assigned to the 97th Air Refueling Squadron. He said his first Titan Fury experience enabled him to develop at a steady pace in his role as an aircraft commander supporting Fairchild's mission. There's still a lot of learning to be done, he said. I feel like with every step of the process, I've been just slowly learning this mission and getting better at it. We do other smaller exercises and classes to get us ready for this, so it's not just everything at once. Seeing it all come together has been really cool. This recurring total force exercise is an example of how the 92nd ARW and the 141st ARW, at Fairchild AFB are engaged. Postured and ready with a credible force to assure, deter and defend in an increasingly complex security environment. We ran 24-hour operations for a week, generated 21 aircraft and demonstrated our ability to deploy personnel and, conduct our mission from anywhere, said Colonel Chesley Dykus, 92nd ARW commander. We did this all by combining our efforts with our teammates and the 141st ARW, and the crews and jet here from the 912th ARS. I couldn't be more proud.


Brett, you guys have now lost nine out of your last 11 games. Just how disappointing is this stretch after the good baseball you had played prior to it? Yeah, I mean, very disappointing. I mean, similar to what I had to say last night after the game. We had a chance to win today, a couple chances with guys on base, and we were able to call back in it. They're in the middle of the game and tie it. But sometimes you've got to give credit to the other team. They've got a good team over there. They're obviously fighting for a postseason spot, just like we are. And they play us tough. They get at bats up and down the lineup, throw the ball well. And for us, we just need to do a better job of getting guys on base, hitting with guys in scoring position, and keeping runs off the board. Why do you think that has been a struggle for you guys lately? I'm not sure. We just haven't been playing good baseball. And obviously, that's something that we've got to figure out here in relatively short order, or our season will be over in short order. So hopefully, we can turn the page. And we've showed what we're capable of. We just haven't been able to maintain that for an extended period of time. So yeah, it's frustrating, disappointing. But you've only got two choices. You can show up tomorrow and get to work and fight through it, or lay down and give up. And obviously, we're not going to do that. So we've got a tough group, a resilient group. And hopefully, in a month or so, we're looking back on these as just another obstacle for us to another thing to make us stronger, to get to where we want to be at. Aaron Boone continues to voice his confidence in this group. Is there concern in the clubhouse, though, considering the way you guys have been playing and where you're at in the season? I mean, there's any time you're not playing well, I think there's a little bit of concern and disappointment and all those words that I used earlier. But I am confident in our group. I think that we've got a very, very talented group, not just our pitchers, but our hitters. Obviously, we've dealt with a lot of adversity and had a lot of guys going on the injured list from time to time. But other teams deal with that, too. And I still like the guys that we have available. And we definitely have what it takes to play much better and to get into the postseason. And I expect us to do that. And hopefully, we'll get things headed in the right direction starting tomorrow night.


When one fluid, a gas or a liquid, is brought into contact with another fluid, they diffuse into one another. You see this when food colouring is dropped into water, and you also know that if gas or smoke is released it will mix with air. Both of these are diffusion processes. I'm going to show you a simulation from FET that represents this diffusion process, and as you think about what's going on I want you to keep in mind the concept of probability. You start off with a population of particles contained on the left hand side of a divider. The particles are all moving around randomly, bumping into one another. Notice that when they collide they change direction, like billiard balls. When we remove the divider they're going to continue this behaviour, but each particle will now have the chance to randomly make its way through collisions into the other half of the container. The arrows at the bottom are going to show the flow of particles from one side of the container to the other. Okay, let's remove the divider. There's the flow arrow at the bottom. At the start the particle flow is only from left to right. That's because there aren't any particles on the right that could flow to the left. However, as time goes on and more particles make their way across to the right hand side, some of those can then move back to the left, and so the left hand flow arrow grows. Let's watch that again. This time watch the data box at the top, which shows how many particles are on each side. As long as there are more particles on the left, the chances of a left hand particle moving right outweighs the chance of a right hand particle moving left, so the right hand flow arrow is bigger. After the particles have been diffusing for a while, the number of particles on each side is about equal, which means there's an equal chance of a particle moving from left to right or from right to left. The arrows are now on average the same. Now you will see fluctuations, the arrows are not exactly the same all the time, but these are a natural result of the randomness in the system, and it's exaggerated in this simulation by the fact that it has a relatively small number of particles. At this point, when the left and right flow rates are equal, the system is said to be in equilibrium. Specifically for a chemist, it's in dynamic equilibrium. There are two key points here. The first is that looking at the system as an average, for instance, if you focus on the number of particles on each side, the system doesn't appear to be changing. There are those little fluctuations, but on average it's steady. Remember the larger the system, that is the more molecules that are involved, the truer this becomes. Because this simulation is looking at a very small number of particles, the fluctuations are more obvious. So on average things aren't changing. But the second key point is that if we look at the individual particles within the system, they're in constant motion, moving from one side to the other. This example is a simple physical system, no chemical reaction is occurring. It's merely gas atoms bumping around in a container. But the idea of dynamic equilibrium can also be applied to chemical reactions.


While students and staff at Bemidji's St. Philip School found themselves in a sticky situation today. Josh Peterson shows us how a pie in the face was the result of a good cause. It was no ordinary day of class at Bemidji St. Philip School as students and staff celebrated a record achievement. For years students have sold raffle tickets to raise funds for their school, but this year there was an added perk. If students surpassed their goal of $15,000 they got to pie their school staff in the face. The top kid in every class got to pie the teacher of their choice and so just supporting that kid and being able to cheer them on in the process. To help with the fundraising effort Catholic United Financial has played a key role in the raffle since 2009, which is why their representative was happy to take a pie in the face. That last week is when the kids really we couldn't even get tickets here fast enough for them to sell and it was the last week was a big push and the kids really went all out for it. With students surpassing their first goal the eighth grade students felt they could do better so if the school could reach $18,000 members of their class would each take a pie in the face as well. It's getting closer and closer all like as soon as it hit $18,000 we just all like look down and everybody else is cheering at us. While many laughed here's the joy at the spectacle for some of the students throwing the pies it was a bit nerve-wracking. It was exciting but when I got up there I was kind of nervous I'm like what are all the kids going to say. With a year of fundraising in the record books the bar has been set high for next year. We're just so proud of our kids and just so thankful for our parish for supporting us in the process. In Bemidji, Josh Peterson, Lakeland News. Money raised from the raffle will go towards purchasing Google Chromebooks and carts for the school. I think next year they should bring in the local weathercaster for a pie in the face. I'd be willing to do it. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.


Sarah Powell, the creator of a pilot program designed to encourage future rural leaders to recognise their potential, is the 2015 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Rural Women's Award winner. From Waimenda on the Air Peninsula, Sarah is passionate about her local community and Port's football and netball club, and was presented the award by Minister for Regional Development Geoff Brock. When girls see women from their own communities in leadership positions, the possibilities of their own accomplishments become more real, and I know from your own regions there people will be looking up to you and saying they can do it, so can I. You are leaders, you are inspirations to the people below you or younger than you and above you also. As part of the award, Sarah has received a $10,000 bursary from Reddick, which she will use to pursue her program called the Champions Academy at her sports club. The activities run by the academy will further develop social and professional skills that extend beyond the participants' interest or ability in sport, through to community participation and life skills. I was really excited to have the financial support to roll out some of the activities within the Champions Academy, but most importantly to me are the fundamental leadership training which will be rolled out for the core group of participants called Ignitioned, and what that does is uses brain-based behaviour in a cutting-edge mentoring framework to engage and empower the club members, particularly youths, to recognise their potential, become a high-performance team, reinvesting in a system of volunteerism that really sees benefits for the community. Sarah is eager to start her Champions Academy and has some advice for rural women thinking about applying for the award in the future. If you have a concept that you think has benefits for your region, strengthening the region and expanding your resilience, I think absolutely just go for it. Work with the team, they're so positive, they're so helpful in preparing the applications, dress testing your concept, helping you to get your head around where the boundaries are on it and what you can and can't do in a 12-month period with $10,000, absolutely just give it a go. I can't encourage that enough. Now, in its 18th year, the Riddick Rural Women's Award recognises women dedicated to primary industries and community. Pazza is proud to support this award and the women it recognises.


Welcome to the White House. You're running bedtime for Bonzo, maybe? Well, we're here for the... Wait a minute. What am I talking about? I got the wrong notes really for real there. I just came in here actually to thank you and at the same time that I'm thanking you for all you've done and for all the support that you've been to us and the things we've been trying to do and that I know Don has been talking about here, at the same time, I have to ask you something also, carry on and keep on helping because this job isn't finished. I think government has stopped spending more than it... or is, must be stopped from spending more than it takes in. Tax cuts and spending cuts and regulatory relief and monetary stability are now always popular with everyone, but they've gotten the job at least started. A job that must be finished and that is the job of putting us on the recovery road, economic recovery, and you have been the strength of our support. Now, we're faced with a lot of born-again budget balancers. It's surprising to me to find the people that have been a part of the machinery that for a half a century here have said that deficit spending was all right. We owed it to ourselves and suddenly they have decided that budget deficits are as bad as we've been saying they were for all these recent decades and I know that you've been briefed by Don, by Joe Wright on specifics of our budget proposal, and I know you're going to hear from Marty Feldstein and the sum of our message and their message I think is common sense. I know I'm accused of oversimplifying things, but if we can just look at government and look at government's problems, we have to see that really all that's needed to solve the problem is the same common sense that you have to use in business every day and people have to use in their homes every day, and I don't know why government should be exempt from that same kind of common sense. It can't pour more out of the bucket than is in the bucket. And I've had years of building up a series of horror stories about government and government overhead. One of my favorites used to be about the local community that decided they were going to going to raise their signs, their street signs up two feet, they'd be more more visible, better able to be seen from automobiles and all. And the federal government said they had a program to help doing that, and they would fund it. Their program called for lowering the streets two feet. But I have one that's for real that I have told our people over and over again. When I was governor of California, an example was that there was a part of the poverty program that came to us and it was going to take 17 people off of welfare, able-bodied people, and put them to work taking care of the county parks in Ventura County, California. Well, now that sounds like something I would be heart and soul in favor of. The governor is permitted under that or was permitted on that program to veto, but the veto was only good for 60 days.  My veto was never overridden, and I think because they didn't dare face in public the reason for the veto. I wasn't objecting to 17 people leaving welfare and being given jobs in the county parks. I was objecting to 50 percent of the budget for that going to 11 administrators to make sure that the 17 got to work on time. So all I can say again is don't let up and we'll keep doing what we've been doing and who knows, we might even have a few more years to stay at it if everything works out all right. Thank you very much.


Hello, thanks for joining us. Another episode of the non-profit show, Julia and I are thrilled to have this power week, non-profit power week with Fundraising Academy. And today is one of my favorites, Muhi Kwaja, to talk to us from Fundraising Academy. And he's here to share with us about discovering your donor needs and how you can best listen to what they're sharing with you. So before we jump into these questions to ask your donors, Julia and I want to remind you who we are. Julia Patrick, hello, so good to see you again. Julia serves as the CEO of the American Non-profit Academy. I get to have fun each and every day alongside Julia, serving as the co-host. I'm Jarrett Ransom, your non-profit nerd CEO of the Raven Group. And we are honored to have the continued support of our amazing presenting sponsors. So I'm going to give a shout out to Bloomerang, American Non-profit Academy, Fundraising Academy at the National University, Non-profit Nerd, your part-time controller, staffing boutique, and the non-profit thought leader. Do yourself a favor, check these companies out. They are doing great work to help you do your great work. They exist truly to help you forge your mission in, around and throughout your community. So please do check out these presenting sponsors. And if you missed any of our previous episodes, episodes, or you want to get back and listen to what Muhi is sharing with us today, you of course can listen to any of our previously recorded ones on Roku, YouTube, Amazon Fire TV, as well as Vimeo.  You can listen to the non-profit show wherever you stream your podcast. So today's guest is not a new face, our voice with us, but one of our favorites, Muhi Kwaja. And today he's joining us from Guatemala. So welcome to you, our friend. Thank you so much. What a pleasure to be here. And happy to be representing the Fundraising Academy today. You know, I love the things that you share with us, but I think I love even more where you're sharing your knowledge with us from, because you kind of, for me, Muhi reinstilled the notion that this cause selling cycle that Fundraising Academy teaches and really navigates us can be done from anywhere. And that's a really powerful lesson. Because I think sometimes we think, oh, we, you know, we have to be in a certain situation and we have to have control. But yet I've been learning from you that we don't. Do you think that's fair? You know, I definitely believe that is fair and true. And I think a lot of people, like I'm very blessed to be working remotely. So taking the principles that I've learned over the last 13, 14 years, and being able to share them with others who are passionate about their missions, I think that's the best part.  But that's just, you know, how our world has adapted over the last few years. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to be traveling and learning so much about myself and pushing myself through this growth. And hopefully, what happens from that is I become a stronger advocate for my clients. I become a stronger advocate for the people that rely on me because I can then take care of myself that much more through these travels. So I see it benefiting all around. Amazing. I love that message. And I just think it's so, it's so realistic for where we are and where we're going. And with the fundraising cause selling cycle, it's just such a fascinating linkage that I would have never, ever thought of. And so before we get into like the questions and the navigating this process, help us to understand where you fit. We're talking about face to step four, need discovery. If you can share with us what that means. Yeah, definitely. I like to think of need discovery as the heart of the cause selling cycle. This is where you want to ask those fundamental questions and really practice active listening. And what that will allow you to do is discover what matters most to your prospect and donor. We're going to be uncovering a whole bunch of questions that will uncover underlying motivations. And we're only going to cover a few questions, but there's so many more that you can learn in our online portal, which we'll talk about in the end as well. But these questions really drop into three categories, personal questions, and these are used to better understand your prospect and what they care about on a personal level. We also have philanthropic centered questions and how they like to be engaged or treated as a donor. And then we have cause specific questions, but to learn about what the impact they want to have through their philanthropy is. And by looking into these three different areas for the cause selling cycle and the discovery, you'll be able to better understand what your donor is trying to engage you in with their support. I love that you put it into like the three buckets. Yeah, I shift my brain. Does it to you, Jared? I do too. And I'm looking back because yesterday's guest was Pearl Hogan and this entire week, you know, really stacks on top of one another. So movie alluded to there's going to be some questions and it's really about, you know, listening to your donor, which I love. And it's a great reminder because oftentimes we get nervous and we start talking and talking and talking. We try to fill that void. But start us off, movie with sharing some questions that we might want to ask our donor when it comes to their personal giving. Yeah, definitely. So when you look at the three different types of questions and these personal questions, these first two examples right here and really at the base of it, like trying to figure out what it is, what that they want to solve in the world, like what are they most passionate about and why and really allowing them to say it in their own words. So these are like open-ended questions.  Like, this is a more direct and poignant, open-minded, get you thinking, have your first sip of coffee and ready for the day to answer type of question. And that's what you really want to know. You want to get down under that surface level of the donor. What motivates them? What are they passionate about? So I love that first question. You know, what comes to your mind when you when you see that first question as well?  Because we have nine main sectors within the nonprofit, you know, community. And for some, you know, it's animal welfare for others, it's social justice. And so really just looking at what that looks like, there's so many questions. But to get someone to talk about what they're passionate about, I think just opens Pandora's box. It's really interesting. Moji, when you, when you haven't, you have another question here and it's, how would you describe your personal mission? And I'm wondering, when you've asked this question, are people shocked or surprised or do they have an answer? Do they know the answer? Like, what's been your experience with this question? Yeah, well, the reason why I love this question is because previously we had talked about Ikigai in one of the other episodes that I was a guest on. And really, this leads in beautifully to that. So if you're unfamiliar with Ikigai, it's a Japanese concept around the purpose of life. And the reason why I love this question so much is because it gives people a chance to think of, like, even if they haven't thought about it in this context, it really allows them to strategize around all the charitable giving they've done, all the volunteering they've done, all the things that make them happy in life. And what is that weaving back together? So hopefully, you know, definitely get a lot of surprised, oh, that's a good question, or oh, I haven't really thought much about that recently, or like things like that. So you get these questions that really help percolate all these feelings that the donors have and their underlying reason with what motivates them to get. And these are some key questions to help reveal that. I was hoping you would bring up Ikigai. And yes, that is, it was a wonderful conversation that Mui and I had several months ago. But again, you can find all of these recordings. And so for, to bring that in, as you said, to weave that into your, you know, your personal, you know, mission is fantastic. How else might we ask these questions to really get the donor to talk so that we can listen? Are there some other questions that you're, you know, you really guide through? Oh, definitely. And this one is really interesting of, like a family slogan, right? I know it's silly, but the one that comes to mind is like Game of Thrones and like a Lannister always repays his debts, right? Like we have this idea of like this old system of like, you know, think of like a family crest and like the colors that represent it and the slogan that's with it. But like, should we bring that back? Is that a way to like inherit a legacy and like a lifelong attitude of pride for a family and the good that they do in society? So yeah, like I think that's a really interesting question. It gives me a lot of thought, a pause to think about that as well. And I don't know, maybe by the end of the show, I'll have a family slogan. I was going to ask if you had one. I don't, but Julia, I'm curious. I'm on it. I'm going to work on it because, you know, I think it's really an interesting concept. We talk about this with our, with our nonprofits, you know, have a 12 word statement that you can share about what your mission is. Well, why don't we do that with our families so we can teach our children or remind them or ourselves or mates, you know, how. So I'm really fascinated by this and I'm going to work on that movie. I really am. Another question that you asked is what type of legacy would you like to leave and be remembered for how do people respond to that when you ask that of potential donors? Well, most commonly what I've heard is that, you know, they, they've made an impact in the areas that they care about that they've been kind to others that they've been remembered in a positive way. And really at the end of the day, like other than our actions and the way that we make people feel like what are they going to remember about us, right? So hopefully you have those stellar examples of people who went above and beyond and, and really lived life to the fullest. But did they do that with their time? Did they do that with how they made you feel always being available, a gentle smile when you needed it? Like, that's what I hear most when it comes to philanthropic giving in particular, knowing that the support they gave helps somebody's life a little make it a little easier, right? Whether it was to support programs for after school activities or to provide a meal to a family who didn't have access to one or disaster relief and all of these things that we are so passionate about. I think at the end of the day, it's did that gift make a difference? Did it support a mission? Did it make someone's life a little bit better? Wow, it's it's fascinating because those are very emotional answers. Yeah, I am curious how you've seen, you know, these donor conversations move in this digital space, right? Like whether it's picking up the phone, not meeting so much in person, you know, we've shared with our audience, you've been traveling internationally. How are these questions achievable in a one-to-one be a video component? Good question. Yeah, no, it's been my lifeline. You know, I've still been having donor meetings a few times a week for American Muslim Community Foundation and working with families to distribute their charitable giving through donor advice funds. So technology has been so critical in all of that and to be able to have a video conversation and still read the room and see the motion and feel it, you know, if it wasn't for that, it'd be a lot more difficult. And of course, some people just want to have a quick phone call and that's their preference, but really go base off as a preference of the donor. Like how do they want to be engaged and what's the best method for that donor? Some is just like email back and forth and that's their preferred method of communication. And others want that more handheld white glove service of being taken care of and heard and listened. And as much as we need to be listening, they also want to be heard, right? So it's like that perfect fit of listening while asking these particular questions of what they want to accomplish through their charitable giving. Yeah. Now, I have a bump to Jared's question. As you are, you know, working remotely, Kevin, our executive producer says we need to start saying instead of work from home, work from anywhere, you know, opening that up, you know, WFA instead of WFH. How are your donors responding to you? Are they saying, oh, well, when you get back home, we'll talk. Or are they saying, yeah, we can still have these generative discussions with these big questions in this environment? Yeah.  So although I wasn't going to be physically in an office or back in San Francisco and, you know, all of our clients are across the entire country. So a lot of it wasn't face to face anyways. But knowing that they still had access to me as they needed, that we expanded our staff, we hired an executive director, we hired a donor manager, a nonprofit manager, to support them as well. And I decreased my hours. I went from full time down to 10 hours a week with American Muslim Community Foundation. So there were a lot of interesting ways that we supported this entire shift. So now they can rely more on our other staff, but I'm still there as they need. And I can still generate new business, new donor advice funds, work on the donor relationship management aspect. And, you know, even in this time like Ramadan is usually the main time of fundraising for Muslim charities and Muslim donors, but we received a $50,000 gift in July. So in Ramadan is back in April. So it was all about maintaining the relationship, staying in touch with the donors, and showing them the impact that we're still having. And we're working on our Muslim philanthropy awards for November. So we have a lot of great stuff in the pipeline that we're all doing remotely, that the event's going to be virtual, that, you know, we're still catering to that ease of mission delivery through technology. So we're all excited. Yeah. Congratulations on that gift. I know that that's transformational will help so many, so many people within the community. Definitely. Now, one of the next donor questions, and this dovetails to what just happened to you, one of the next questions is how do you feel when you make a gift to an organization? Were you able to ask that $50,000 donor investor that question? Yeah. Yeah, definitely. He's our top donor. He and his wife, they support and really believe in our mission. They feel like we're one of the few people in the space pioneering Muslim philanthropy in the US. So he was very fortunate and has done well in his career and wanted to support other organizations. So when we talked to him about his favorite gift that he made, it was to other entrepreneurs and setting up a scholarship at a university that he was very fond of. So that was his favorite gift. But just knowing about that, even though it wasn't our charity or it wasn't, you know, our organization, we still got to learn and peel back a few layers on the donor and see what it was that was so inspiring about that gift. And for him, it was seeing people who grew up like him have the opportunity to still live the same life that he did and by providing them with scholarships and making sure that they had an opportunity to be successful and change their family trajectory from not being able to afford education to having one. Fantastic. What a great opportunity to hear from the donor side how that gift makes them feel. This next question, you know, I've got a, I can't wait to hear. I just can't wait to hear what you say, but have you ever made a gift and regretted it? And then the question is why? So how do you ask this of a donor and what are some responses that maybe you have received? Yeah, I'll share an example of an organization that later came out to have not the best HR policies and it was a small team. It was a relatively small organization. They'd been doing community work for about 15 years. And then a few employee, disgruntled employees had quit and started a whole campaign about shutting light, whistleblowing and shutting light on the HR practices and what the ED and founder had made them go through and like emotional distress and all of these things. And it was a well-respected, reputable organization. But once that came out, a lot of donors felt like they could have been putting their resources elsewhere and that they had lost the trust of the leaders in that organization. So I think one of the things around this is trying to get a good sense of who it is in the leadership that you're supporting. Talk to the staff about how they feel before making a gift, if that's a concern for you. And then looking into, there were never any concerns about fiduciary responsibility and how the money was spent, but it was more so knowing that the staff members who reported to these respected leaders were not being respected themselves. Great example. And I can imagine that that's happening so much, especially in light of social injustice right now. It's almost like being silent is your decision. And I see how this might be a regretful action of some donors, if they've been a loyal contributor to an organization and they just were called off guard by maybe the practices that were taking place, like you just shared in this example. So I can imagine that sometimes that happens, there's 1.8 million nonprofits that are registered in the US. And so while we're not often thinking of competitors, we are competing for dollars. We're competing for that trust and that loyalty from our donors. And these business practices can make very, very big impact. So thank you for that example. One of the things that we want to finish up with is to get your comments on questions that kind of evoke a sense of stewardship, communication. One of the things is, what are you asking that donor? What are you looking for in a relationship with our organization? What does that look like? Because that's kind of a big question, right? Yeah. And this is hopefully getting to the fact of like, do they want to volunteer? Are there opportunities for them to engage in your mission? How do they want to be recognized and stewarded for the gift that they make? So these are all key questions that have like listening cues for you to then be like, aha, you know, so that's the main reason I think why this question exists is because, you know, you may have a plan of action for your donor relationship, but if you don't ask them what they want, you'll never know. So it's really important. And some people might say, I only have a capacity to make gifts right now. But others might be ready for an advisory committee or a board position or being coming a volunteer or being able to host something for your organization. So there's a lot of different ways that the answers to this question can help point you in the right direction to build a relationship with the donor or prospect. I love that because when I read this question, I didn't think of all that. I mean, it didn't seem like, you know, how multifaceted it could be by asking that question. I think there's, you know, a lot, a lot of things that we can get through these questions. We also heard yesterday from Pearl, you know, how have other organizations recognized you? What are ways in which you wish, you know, we could also do the same as these other organizations that you're supporting or have supported? What worked? What didn't work? And learning about, you know, how they prefer to be stewarded is all part of the cycle. Yeah, definitely.  You know, it's saying, oh, I noticed that this donor's name was listed in the YMCA in the $5,000 to $10,000 category. Good to know. They're only giving us $2,500. So it's sussing out the other places that they give to. And one of the questions that I would add here, one of my favorite questions, what are your top three charities that you love to support? Oh, good question. And then ask if yours isn't one of those top three where it is in the list and how can it become a stronger affinity for you? So, you know, these are all questions geared at figuring out and listening about what it is they feel about your organization, why they want to continue supporting your organization, how they want to be engaged, and that's why active listening is such a critical part of this. That is a bold question. And I love it. It makes me a little nervous. Yeah. But I think it's, it's the right question. And I think it also, to your point, maybe it kind of cuts through some of the noise. Definitely. On both sides, right? Yeah. Yeah. Very interesting. And it allows you to get to know the donor a little bit more based on their mission and their life purpose. And if you see a connection in those three organizations, it's maybe centered towards health-related causes, or oh, it's maybe centered towards education. Right. And sometimes it's going to change through the phases of the donor's lives. Maybe they have kids in school and they want to support the PTO really well. Maybe their kids are now out of elementary school and are at their alma mater and they're alumni, so they're giving big to their university. So it could change in every phase of their life, but at least for that moment, you know what those top three charities are. That's a great point. Well, Mohi, you have been a great voice to share with us on Nonprofit Power Week with Fundraising Academy at National University. I've always have learned, I haven't really been on air with you. This is only the second time, but I've watched all the archives where you've been on with Jared. And I've learned a lot from you, and I love your point. Thank you. It's really good. It's a calming presence, and it's logical. And I am such a fan of the fundraising cost selling cycle, but I kind of feel like you give us a little bit of a difference to it as well. And so it's really been a lot of fun to get to know you. And we have you coming back with us for a lot. So be prepared, my friend. You're not ridden me yet. Good. Yeah. Check out fundraising-academy.org. And you're going to be able to find the cost selling cycle information, a lot more information, many more questions. So much, so much, virtually all of their content is free. You just have to register and get on there and start learning and connecting with the fundraising academy folks. Before we let Mohi go, we want to also let everyone know that Fundraising Academy is starting up another cohort. It's a 10-week Accelerate. It's actually a certificate program. I believe Hannah Berger is going to be leading this one. It starts in September. But the deadline for application is August 26th. This isn't just something you can sign up for. You do have to apply because they're building a cohort of folks across the country. And so they want to make sure that this is a good fit for everyone because it really is an intensive. So check that out. You can get more information at fundraising-academy.org and learn what they've got going on because it's a really amazing opportunity. Again, I'm Julia Patrick. I've been joined by my favorite non-profit nerd herself, Jared Ransom. Thank you so much, Jared, for being with us. And we also want to thank all of our presenting sponsors for this very special non-profit Power Week, Blumerang, American Non-profit Academy, Your Part-Time Controller, Non-profit Nerd, The Ray Van Group, National University Fundraising Academy, Staffing Boutique, and Non-profit Thought Leader. Without these folks, we wouldn't be here each and every day. So we say thank you, thank you ever so much to them.  I can't wait to work with you more. Thank you. We are so excited that you would join us from this exotic, fabulous place in Guatemala. We are super jealous. Hey, Jared, we need to take this show on the road. I know, but I mean, I like coffee, too. So just hint, hint, Muhi, if you're picking up coffee. You got it. I'm telling you, I think we need to like really, you know, take our show and reach out with folks- Let's do it. Around the world. Wow. I've learned a lot today and it's been a lot of fun. Hey, as we end every episode, we want to remind everyone, ourselves, our viewers and our listeners, to stay well so you can do well. Thanks so much. We'll see you back here tomorrow.


To me, LGBTQ pride is deeply believing I'm not cursed, or depraved, or deserving to die just because of whom I love.