From a downloaded file with weird fonts and titles, wacky colors, no wrapped text, superwide columns, and repeating header rows, I was able to create a useable, sortable, shareable, printable, filterable, not-make-you-want-to-throw-your-computer-out-the-window spreadsheet. And you know what the best part is? You can too!
lipstick on a pig
What do pigs, horses, donkeys, formulas, and tables have in common? Read more to find out, plus GIFs and best practices for formatting spreadsheets for optimum share-a-bility.
summary offense
What do pivot tables, the concatenate function, and Parks and Rec gifs have in common? You'll have to read this blog post to find out!
borders / no borders
How do you apply borders and formatting to a spreadsheet, and then copy them somewhere else? When should you use borders? Are geopolitical borders wrong? Yes, we tackle all this and MORE! Plus, .GIFs!
beginner friendly
Inspired by Samin Nosrat, thinking about formats available to us for lists, spreadsheets, and more complex options - and when to pick the right one at the right time. Plus, gifs and memes!
Reuse, Recycle, Retain your Volunteers
A challenge to calculate "Returning Volunteers" has me waxing poetic about re-gifting, digging deep into the Meme Stache, and writing some gnarly formulas. Join me!
encountering a real, live Excel bug
I think I stumbled upon an Excel "bug" (gasp!!) when I was combining SUMIF formulas plus sorting alphabetically. @___@ This is a new one, grasshoppers and honeybees! Sit down, buckle in, and enjoy the ride - we're gonna get technical with some formulas and explore what to do when you get real confused.
If only
Slicers, Subtotals, Tables, Ranges, Sort criteria, OH MY. We've got it all in this post about dealing with frustration, solutions, and spreadsheet empowerment.
validation rules!
Ahh, nothing like a good pep talk to make you feel validated. When I can't cheer you on, try data validation tools to add "dropdown menus" inside of your spreadsheets. Google Sheets and Excel users will both find something of value here. Read more for useful tips and tutorial videos.
Year end fundraising! Now what?
It's 2019... do you know who your donors are? You have new data about your donors... and a LOT of it. But how do you take a list of hundreds or even thousands of donations and turn them into helpful statistics and meaningful insights? Here's my top tips for donation spreadsheets, served with a smile and side of puns and gifs.