Nicole Collier, NACC Executive Director
Nicole Collier, MPSA
Executive Director, NACC
Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy
Bush School of Government and Public Service
Texas A&M University
Greetings,
Somehow, it feels like it’s been both a few weeks and a few years since I last wrote to you! I hope you all have been doing well and enjoyed the start of this year. As this is my first note of 2026, I want to honor one of my New Year’s resolutions to prioritize joy by sharing a bit of what is making me happy lately and what is happening at NACC right now.
Prioritizing Joy. Like many of you in public universities, I have been especially feeling the influence of outside pressures on my work and in the classrooms around me. I won’t pretend I have a solution, but I do know that one of the best ways to preserve my work is to preserve myself, which is why I am prioritizing joy in what I consume outside of the office.
Over the past month, I have been working my way through a playlist of the best podcast episodes ever. The list comes from an assortment of recommendations on social media and Reddit, so we should probably treat the superlative with some skepticism, but the episodes have been very enjoyable so far. If you would like the full playlist, send me an email, and I will happily pass it along. In the meantime, I have put information about one of the episodes I especially enjoyed below.
Show name: Reply All
Episode: The Case of the Missing Hit
Ways to listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud
What is something that is making you happy? I’d love it if you could email me a note or recommendation. I think we all need a little bit of joy in our inboxes occasionally!
What’s New With NACC. NACC itself is in what I like to call preparation mode. We are refining our goals, sharpening priorities, and planning upcoming events and programs. Our call for conference hosts is open for summer 2027, and we are already looking ahead to our member meeting in Philadelphia on November 18.
As part of this same preparation mode, I want to highlight that the most recent edition of the curricular guidelines is available for all to use for free and, just as importantly, to respond to. Our feedback form is always open, and I hope you will share how useful the guidelines are, what could be improved, and any additional thoughts you have. Your input will help shape future revisions and ensure the guidelines stay relevant to the evolving needs of our field. You can view the guidelines and access the feedback form here.
I hope you enjoy this edition of NACC News, which highlights ways to enrich our data and reporting practices and to better link evidence and experience to long-term impact.
Wishing you all the best,
Nicole