I summed up last week with the word, ‘history.’ The work I did this week was similar, but I want to define it with a new word: thoughtfulness.

The week consisted of a lot of communications work. I sorted through even more of the Women’s Fund archives to build out a mini social media series for their 25th anniversary and for inclusion in their donor newsletter, created a handout for the summer party, tested my filming materials (mics and ring light) for the summer party, compiled interview questions for the project with The Columbus Foundation, and sat in on part of a mini-retreat for the team.

Like last week, I had so much fun getting to look into what the Women’s Fund was up to from 2002 to 2012. I may have went overboard on the digitization, and it was very hard to choose what to include in each post, but at least I know that the material is there for future use. I took my time going through binders of old newspaper clippings and papers, giving thought to each page, carefully selecting what I wanted to scan. I then organized it all by year for easier access, and collaged my favorite clippings into themed visuals on Canva. Looking back at what I did this week, I got upset thinking about how long I spent going through the archives and making the posts. Then, once I reflected for a moment, I realized that while I could have done it quickly, I would have missed some of the gems that I included in the posts. That is where my word of the week, ‘thoughtfulness,’ comes in.

The handout for the summer party also took me a while to finish. I knew the brand standards, and even had a previous handout for the 2026 Keyholder event to reference, but even then I still spent hours agonizing over the spacing, phrasing, and visuals, trying to make it ‘perfect.’ The whole reason I was tasked with making these handouts was to use up some legal paper lying around the office, but even then I messed up the sizing. I originally designed the handout to fill up on a legal sheet, but then I was reminded that that would be way too big, and I had to go back and resize it so three would fit on a sheet, agonizing over everything all over again. Navigating this mistake and dealing with the consequences, I learned a lot. I got better with Canva, the platform I used to design the handout, but I also realized that while it is important to be thoughtful about what I create, I don’t need to let the small details consume me.

My last example of thoughtfulness doesn’t actually apply to me, but to the Women’s Fund team. When I sat in on part of the mini retreat, the team discussed their goals for the next two quarters, mapped out the work needed to achieve those goals week by week, and divided up other responsibilities. They took their time to discuss each part of the plan, having an open dialogue throughout. Although none of this information and planning really applied to me, it was so inspiring to witness a team so thoughtful and dedicated to their work. It also gave me a taste of what future planning looks like in a nonprofit.

This week, it felt like I was taking a long time to complete seemingly simple tasks. My ‘thoughtfulness’ felt futile. However, once I was able to shift my perspective, I realized that without this thoughtfulness I would not be able to soak in as much learning as I did. Now that I’ve taken the time to learn, I know that I might be able to go a little faster next week, agonize less, and keep on going with intention.

~ Eva