Funding Friday: Education Is THE Silver Bullet

A shiny silver bullet stands upright on a wooden desk, illuminated by rays of warm light. Stacks of books, an open book, eyeglasses, a pen, and a notebook surround it, visually representing the idea that education and continued learning are powerful tools for professional growth and change.

Earlier this week, I shared a little about my favorite album by my favorite band, The Alan Parsons Project, and how Vulture Culture has influenced how I have approached building SWAN and deciding what it to become. Apparently, this is the week when more of my favorite cultural references are finding their way into conversations about professional development than usual.

Today, it's The West Wing. There is a moment in the series when Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn says, “Education is the silver bullet.” That idea has stayed with me for a long time, probably because education was my profession for many years before SWAN, the CFRE, and much of my current nonprofit work entered the picture.

I spent years in classrooms teaching writing, communication, public speaking, and other subjects. My professional path has changed considerably since then, but I still consider myself an educator, and I suspect I always will. I also still believe in the basic philosophy behind Sam's statement: education changes what becomes possible.

Investing in the Person Behind SWAN

This Funding Friday, I am happy to share that I have joined the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) as part of the professional development work I am doing while building SWAN.

PANO brings together nonprofit professionals and organizations from across Pennsylvania and provides education and resources on nonprofit management, governance, advocacy, ethics, organizational effectiveness, and many other pieces required to build strong organizations. For me, that educational component was one of the most compelling reasons to join.

As SWAN's Founding Partner, I believe that growing this consulting practice also requires me to continue growing as a professional. The knowledge, relationships, training, and perspectives I gain through professional development become part of what I can bring to the organizations and people SWAN serves.

I don't regard professional development as something that ends when you earn a degree, pass an exam, obtain a credential, or reach a particular stage in your career. Continuing to learn is part of being responsible for the quality of the work you offer other people.

Learning, Teaching, and Advocating

That philosophy also extends beyond traditional professional development. Education works in more than one direction, and some of the most valuable opportunities allow us to learn from others while also sharing knowledge and experience that may be useful to them.

That brings me to another piece of news I haven't formally shared here yet. I was recently appointed to the Advisory Council of Disability Belongs, where I can contribute to work on disability inclusion, accessibility, advocacy, and belonging while learning alongside other disabled leaders, advocates, professionals, and organizations.

This work is directly connected to what I want to build through SWAN. Accessibility should not be an extra consideration added to nonprofit work when someone remembers to ask about it. It belongs in conversations about communications, fundraising, events, governance, employment, community engagement, arts and culture, and organizational planning from the beginning.

My work with Disability Belongs gives me another opportunity to join those conversations, contribute what I have learned through my professional and nonprofit experience, and keep expanding my understanding of disability leadership and accessibility. Education is part of advocacy, and advocacy creates opportunities for education.

What Does This Have to Do With Funding?

Quite a lot. Funding Friday frequently focuses on grants, donors, fundraising strategy, stewardship, sustainability, and organizational capacity, but successful fundraising requires knowledge that extends far beyond knowing how to write an application or make an ask.

Knowing how to write a compelling grant proposal matters, but knowing whether an organization should apply for that grant in the first place matters just as much. Knowing how to ask someone for a gift matters, but so do donor stewardship, ethics, financial accountability, governance, program evaluation, communications, accessibility, and organizational sustainability.

The strongest fundraiser in the world cannot single-handedly compensate for an organization that refuses to learn, and none of us knows everything. The more nonprofit work I do, the more convinced I become that good leadership isn't demonstrated by pretending to have every answer. It requires continuing to ask questions, seeking out people who know things I don't, listening to people whose experiences differ from mine, and investing in opportunities to expand my knowledge.

Professional development isn't about collecting letters, memberships, certificates, or affiliations. Those things have value when they represent something larger: becoming better equipped to do the work.

Growing SWAN by Growing Professionally

PANO membership and my appointment to the Disability Belongs Advisory Council are two of several steps I have taken recently as I continue developing SWAN. I cannot share other developments yet because those announcements belong to the organizations involved, but I expect to have more news in the coming weeks.

What I can talk about now is the philosophy connecting these decisions. If I ask organizations to trust SWAN with important work, I have a responsibility to keep investing in my own education and professional development. That means strengthening what I already know, recognizing what I don't know, finding people who can teach me, and looking for opportunities to put what I learn into practice.

It also means bringing those lessons back to SWAN. My professional development and SWAN's development aren't separate endeavors. The expertise, relationships, perspectives, and experiences I gain become resources I can draw upon when helping nonprofits think through fundraising, communications, accessibility, project management, arts and culture, and organizational challenges.

For someone who spent years standing in front of classrooms, perhaps it isn't surprising that education would become part of the philosophy behind this next chapter. I may no longer teach in a traditional classroom, but I haven't stopped being an educator, and I certainly haven't stopped being a student.

After all, I still believe education is THE silver bullet.

Resources & Links

Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO)
Learn more about PANO, its work supporting Pennsylvania's nonprofit sector, professional development opportunities, advocacy, and nonprofit resources:
https://pano.org/

PANO Training & Events
Explore upcoming educational programs and training opportunities for nonprofit staff, board members, and volunteers:
https://pano.org/training/

PANO Membership
Learn more about PANO membership and the resources available to nonprofit professionals and organizations:
https://pano.org/membership/

Disability Belongs
Learn more about Disability Belongs and its work to advance disability inclusion, accessibility, leadership, and representation:
https://www.disabilitybelongs.org/

Meet Carla E. Anderton, Disability Belongs Advisor
Read Carla's Disability Belongs Advisory Council biography:
https://www.disabilitybelongs.org/2026/08/carla-e-anderton-advisor/

Disability Belongs Welcomes New Board and Advisory Council Members
Read the organization's announcement introducing its newest leaders and advisors:
https://www.disabilitybelongs.org/2026/09/new-board-and-advisory-council-members-2026/

Connect with Carla E. Anderton
Follow Carla's professional work and nonprofit leadership on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlaeanderton/

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