On this day of record consumerism, guilt and excess, take a moment to ponder the above statement: Love is not enough. You can love your donors, honour your staff, respect and cherish your board and volunteers, but like a good marriage, ongoing TLC is required to keep everyone happy, giving and content. So, here are my tips that are guaranteed to work for all of your relationships:

• Don’t take the ones you love for granted. Look for ways to connect and build it into your day-to-day life. Schedule it.
• Don’t pay attention only when you want something - avoid the fundraising one-night stand. As a side note, this has been my most popular post. If you haven’t checked it out, enjoy!
• Listen more than you speak.
• Never assume - you know the saying, it makes an … out of you and me.
• Be a part of the solution, not the problem - look for ways to pre-empt problems by being the partner you want your partner to be.
• Don’t contribute to suspicion and confusion - keep the information and dialogue going.
• Be respectful and courteous. Familiarity need not breed contempt.
• Never go to bed mad - translated in organizational terms, don’t leave conflict to fester.
• And most importantly, love is not a selfish act! It’s about them, not you.

Wishing you lots of love on Valentine’s Day.