The American Cancer Society announced it was laying off 1,000 staff members and anticipated a $200 million shortfall during 2020.
Peeling the Onion
Katrina VanHuss has been instilling passion in volunteer fundraisers since 1989 when she founded Turnkey. Otis joined in the fun in 2013 as Turnkey’s resident human behavior expert. One thing led to another, and now as a married couple, they almost never stop talking about fundraising, volunteerism and human decision-making, much to the chagrin of most dinner companions.
Through their work at Turnkey, the pair works with the likes of the American Lung Association, Best Buddies, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, using human behavioral tendencies and recognition to create attachment and high fundraising in volunteers.
Katrina and Otis present regularly at clients’ national conferences, as well as at BBCon, NonProfit Pro P2P and Peer to Peer Forum, and are the co-authors of the 2017 book, Dollar Dash. They live in Richmond, Va.
Katrina has been developing successful fundraiser recognition programs for organizations like the American Lung Association, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Special Olympics and the Alzheimer’s Association since 1989 when she founded Turnkey. Her client’s successes and her dedication to research have made her a sought-after speaker, presenting at national conferences for Blackbaud, Peer to Peer Professional Forum, Nonprofit PRO and her clients’ national meetings — to name a few.
Katrina also regularly shares her wit and business experiences on NonProfit PRO as a blogger on “Peeling the Onion.” When not writing or researching, Katrina likes to make things — furniture from reclaimed wood, new gardens, food with no recipe. Katrina’s favorite Saturday is spent cleaning out the garage, mowing the grass, making something new, all while listening to loud music by now-deceased black women, throwing in a few sets on the weight bench off and on, then collapsing on the couch with her husband Otis to gang-watch new Netflix series whilst drinking sauvignon blanc.
Katrina grew up on a Virginia beef cattle and tobacco farm with her three brothers. She is accordingly skilled in hand to hand combat and witty repartee – skills gained at the expense of her brothers. Katrina’s claim to fame is having made it to the “American Gladiator” Richmond competition as a finalist in her late 20s, progressing in the competition until a strangely large blonde woman knocked her off a pedestal with an oversized pain-inducing Q-tip. Katrina’s mantra for life is “Be nice. Do good. Embrace embarrassment.” Clearly she’s got No. 3 down.
There’s an old saying about collegiate athletes: “The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores.”
For the last five years, I’ve been repositioning Turnkey to leave product fulfillment to someone else, for a few reasons.
Right now, nonprofit leaders are faced with a lot of tough decisions. “How should I speak to my supporters?”
Mother Nature just ripped our shorts off. We are exposed, big time. She took us to a place we were already going, but much faster.
Participation in nonprofit missions is a way that people can reclaim some of their power.
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