Holly's Helpful Hints: The Final Hint

Dearest Blackbaud Community,

This will be my final helpful hint to you as I'm moving on to a new and exciting role at Blackbaud. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know you over the past three years. From the original 10 community members who sat in that Indianapolis conference room with me three years ago, testing and giving feedback on the earliest version of this site, to the myriad amazing peers, colleagues, and friends I've met thanks to this site - working with all of you has changed my life. Thank you.

And with that, I want to share with you my final Helpful Hint: How to Make the Most of this Incredible Community.

I have three tips for you:

1. Connect with Your Community Manager(s)
Shannon, Jon, Crystal, and Ami are four of the most passionate, caring, dedicated individuals I've ever worked with and, lucky you, they are the four Community Managers behind this amazing Community. Friend them. Message them. Talk to them. And, in return, they will work tirelessly for you. You can learn about each of them here.

2. Don't be Shy
This is the friendliest, most helpful Community I've ever been a part of. Think about this for a minute. How many places can you go online and see nothing but helpful, productive, and encouraging content? I'm immeasurably proud of the culture this Community has developed and how each and every one of you is a steward of that culture. It's a safe and welcoming space thanks to each of you. So if you have a question - ask it! If you have an idea - share it! If you just did something awesome - tell us! This site has and will continue to be all about you. If you don't know where to get started, I'd suggest browsing discussions from across the site.

3. Make Friends
As I look back on the last three years, my favorite memories of this site aren't about the hours of coding or reporting. My favorite moments all revolve around people. This Community is full of some of the most incredible, knowledgeable, and passionate people anywhere. I've seen Community members engage with one another, learn from each other, and connect with each other over and over again. I've seen a DBAs from Kentucky, Arizona, Colorado, and beyond treated like rockstars at bbcon because they were so amazingly helpful and knowledgeable in this site. Take advantage of this mind hive and start sending friend requests to people whose responses, questions, or ideas you like. If you need help getting started, take a moment to browse our Community Leaderboard. That's where the rockstars live.

Once again, thank you for everything this Community is and will be. This journey has been an incredible one and I look forward to seeing where you take us next!

Curious about my new role? Check out my newly updated community profile.