An Ode to the Night Owl – how this blog got its name

As I tinkered endlessly with the concept of a blog, something that always “stopped” me was not having a “good name”.

I am sprinkling the quotation marks generously because this was NOT what was stopping me, it was who I am as a person, but it felt like a good excuse…What IS a “good name”? I never had an answer except that I was waiting on a vibe. If you know me, you know I rely heavily on vibes. In fact, I am constantly talking about vibes. But we’ll return to that later.

For now, let’s do some exposition.

It starts in 2020, I know, how original. COVID smashed my fun loving, NYC lifestyle and I moved back to NJ. Suddenly, I was living on my own for the first time (there WILL be a post about the value of roommates and your fundraising career…don’t worry). For 3-ish years the vibes were slightly unstable as I moved back across the river and shifted between a couple apartments and jobs until I found the right fit.

Finally, I felt certain parts of me emerge and lock into place. I started to explore the unique quietness of solo living. I also uncovered a new sense of self-discipline. I enjoyed my daily tidying and rituals. And I liked doing it at…11pm? I always knew I wasn’t a morning person, but I had never truly accepted that I was a night owl.

As I did my silly little chores alone, I felt my mind working. Stretching and releasing itself throughout the night, my brain was activated.

One night, I thought of an excellent solution for a problem that had been plaguing me at work (also gets its own post). The idea came so late, I was IN bed. I jumped up and scribbled it down on a piece of paper. A few hours later I woke up and went back to it…it was STILL a good idea. An ACTUAL good idea, not one of those half asleep “ideas” that turn out to be gibberish in the morning light.

I had wanted to start a blog about fundraising for a long time, for years I complained there was a dearth of resources for young professionals. It wasn’t until I was making my schedule, exploring my solitude and finding a natural rhythm that I felt I could actually do it. That one breakthrough gave me the confidence to finally start writing my nocturnal musings down.

Just a few nights later, the blog’s name came to me. “Midnight Fundraiser” was born under moonglow.

Once the name was there, I started coming up with the idea of fundraising being a constellation and other celestial themes. How it sometimes feels like you’re looking out into an abyss of twinkling promise and you don’t know where to start. How the moon will always be a constant just like the need for our work, you know the poetic stuff. The inspiration (or perhaps a vibe) appeared at the right time and I was there to catch it. 💫

P.S. this draft was originally started at 12:45AM on a Saturday night, and finalized at 11:51PM a few weeks later