Leading Through Change: Eighteen Years of Putting People at the Heart of Digital Work

This weekend, I celebrated eighteen years of running Firefly and partnering with nonprofits to strengthen their digital outreach and engagement. Two decades into this work, it is still the people and the missions that keep me rooted. I have always been driven by the work of building a more equitable and sustainable world and by supporting the organizations that make that possible in real communities. That focus brings me joy, and it remains the core of why I continue to show up.

Leading a digital agency in 2026 means operating in a time when tools, expectations, and organizational pressures are all shifting at once. Teams are stretched thin. The digital environment evolves quickly. The gap between what supporters expect and what small organizations can deliver grows wider every year. In this environment, forward-thinking leadership is not about chasing novelty. It is about staying clear on what is real, what is noise, and where technology can meaningfully support people working toward change.

Leadership is about staying clear on what is real, what is noise, and where technology can meaningfully support people working toward change.

AI is now part of that landscape in ways none of us can ignore. The engines behind it are controlled by a small group of powerful companies, the models carry the biases embedded in their training data, and the computing demands reinforce extractive systems many of us are working to challenge. At the same time, there is genuine potential for small and overstretched teams to process data more efficiently, reduce technical bottlenecks, and reclaim time that can be redirected to mission-driven work. The opening I find most compelling is the possibility of building tools that truly serve social impact teams rather than forcing them to adapt to platforms designed for profit-centered enterprises. It will not be perfect or simple, but this moment could spark new creativity, experimentation, and capability in our sector if we choose to participate rather than wait for others to define the terrain.

The opening I find most compelling is the possibility of building tools that truly serve social impact teams rather than forcing them to adapt to platforms designed for profit-centered enterprises.

What comes next is not a reinvention of Firefly’s mission but a deeper commitment to it. We will keep listening closely to the challenges our clients face. We will continue to evaluate emerging tools with rigor. We will work to translate the parts of AI that genuinely serve social good and leave behind the parts that do not align with our values. And we will keep pushing to expand access, reduce friction, and support mission-driven teams in building the relationships and engagement that fuel real change.

We will work to translate the parts of AI that genuinely serve social good and leave behind the parts that do not align with our values.

Leadership in this sector has always required responsiveness, clarity, and adaptation, and that is even more true now. Our clients navigate limited time and limited resources. They need partners who can help them stay focused on what matters and tune out the noise. They need honest analysis about which tools deserve attention and which are distractions. They need technology that supports their work rather than reshaping it. Those principles have guided Firefly from the beginning, and they will continue to guide how we evaluate and apply AI in the years ahead.

After eighteen years, I am still energized by what lies ahead. Not because of the tools themselves, but because of what becomes possible when values-aligned people have clearer insight, stronger support, and more time to focus on the human work that truly moves the world.