Contact

If you need to reach me, email me at rainwalker at gmail dot com. Please do not contact me if your email will sound anything like these below:

• “Vu, would you consider sitting on this awesome task force? It’s only 3 hours a week for 9 years and it pays your organization absolutely nothing and your opinions will most likely be ignored anyway.”
• “Vu, we are doing this awesome project to help make the world better, but we are having trouble reaching communities of color, and I hear that you and your staff are great with that, so could you conduct a focus group with 20 of your clients or so for free? Also, can you print out and pass these flyers around at your programs?”
• “Vu, we got a big grant to do something awesome to make the world better and we want to collaborate with your organization. Would you have time to meet? Sure, we didn’t budget any funding for partner organizations, but since we think it aligns with your mission, would you collaborate with us anyway?”
• “Vu, could you or your organization help with translating something into Vietnamese, or just checking if your translation is accurate? It’s due in two days, and we didn’t put any funding in the budget for translations.”
• “Dad, I can’t believe I’ve found you! I am your son! 18 years ago, when you were a carefree teenager in Memphis…”

Basically, if you’re trying to contact me to ask me or my staff to do something for free, the answer will likely be no. We have our own programs and stuff to do, and so we have to turn down all sorts of important projects that make the world better. It is not personal, but seriously, we don’t have time trying to do our own work and tackle everyone else’s work too. If your email might sound something like any of these below, though, please hit me up (after reading “How to schedule a meeting without being punched in the pancreas“):

• “Vu, we have this grant that we think your organization and its work around educational equity would be a great match for.”
• “Vu, there’s a 7-day conference in Hawaii on cultural competency/educational equity/social justice, and Seattle is sending a delegation. Would you consider being a part of this delegation? A grant is covering all expenses.”
• “Vu, I am confused by the all the characters on the Game of Thrones and I need someone to spend a few hours over drinks explaining to me who everyone is and how they relate to everyone else.”
• “Vu, we lurvvv your columns! Would you consider being a speaker at our staff meeting/luncheon/event? We will provide you with vegan food and chocolates and will donate some funds to support your organization’s great work as a token of thanks. Plus, we’ll also provide Vicodins in advance for your nerves upon request.”
• “Vu, I am a producer in LA, and we thought your idea of having a show about nonprofits is brilliant! I want to talk to you about making it happen.”
• “Vu, we hear you do fun and awesome retreat facilitations on teambuilding, vision/mission/planning, etc. We have a budget that we can pay VFA for you to facilitate our next retreat. Would you be interested? By the way, the retreat is in Hawaii.”
• “Dude, there’s 2-for-1 specials on happy hour drinks RIGHT NOW, yay-yuh, wanna come?!!”