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People often tell me that they initially found me intimidating.  Not that I did anything to intimidate them, just that my energy, my intellect, my confidence gave them the sense that they better come correct and have something to actually say if they are going to approach me. To be sure, this impression is the right impression. While I do soften as I get to know and like you, I don't suffer fools gladly.

And so it is with my work, even in lighter touch ways, when people come talk to me, I find they are already challenged by the mere idea of endings. The amount of time people say "winding down" this or that when we are on a call is sometimes so cute and funny. The work is introducing (forcing?) new framing, new or different language. People get to thinking about the endings in their own life.

A few weeks ago, while talking to a professor who teaches a class on endings,  she shared that her university was having commencement that day. That morning, her daughter had asked, "But, Mom, doesn't commencement mean beginning?" We both thought it an astute observation! Together, we wondered what a better word might be to mark this milestone:  conclusion? resolution? denouement? Definitely not "graduation," that still implies movement, either up or down, not an end. Why are we avoiding that end in the language we use there?

And just the other day, I heard back from a consultant I was going to work with telling me that meeting me and learning about my project had helped him confront an ending he was avoiding in his life. He was no longer excited about doing the work he was doing and was off to find something he found more engaging! He was grateful that we'd connected. I'd (unintentionally!) planted a seed.

To be sure, I HAVE OTHER INTERESTS,  I'm not just droning on and on to everyone about endings all day long.  That said, I *am* nerdy about this stuff, but like my kid told me the other day, I'm a "cool nerd." So in my cool nerdiness, I'm writing a little about endings, talking a little about them, and then. sitting in my shades, holding a lot of open space for the way the *mere idea* of endings might hit people. 😎🤓

Here are this week's links:

4) UK men's domestic abuse group sunsets
Since 2017, Ashford's Dads Unlimited has served as one of the UK's few organizations supporting male victims of domestic abuse. Last week, the group abruptly announced the end of activities citing vague "circumstances out of their control." As a parting courtesy, they were at least able to pull together a short list of other groups that survivors might be able to access.

5) Another tech-backed health venture wanes
If you've been reading along here for a while (or just keeping your ears open over the last year), you'll have seen quite a few cases of tech bros haphazardly jumping into the space of social services and making a mess of things. It's undoubtedly a theme. The latest casualty is OneFifteen, an addiction treatment facility in Dayton, Ohio funded by Alphabet, Google's parent company.

Founded in 2019, the center apparently failed to generate enough revenue to keep it a going concern for the tech conglomerate. It will be shutting down on July 20th, leaving a substance abuse treatment vacuum in an area where such services are sorely needed.

6) Kenyan media platform collapses under censorship
African Stream, a pan-African media platform, worked to elevate African stories and challenge colonialism and western aggression. The group began to suffer de-platforming after accusations of Russian collusion were lobbed by the Biden administration. They formally ceased operations on July 1, 2025

7) The Inferno Coming for Nonprofits: A Call to Steward the Forest, Not Save Every Tree

"What if the nonprofit sector is like our forests? What if the assumption of perpetuity is akin to “full suppression” of fire? What if these unexamined assumptions make our missions, not just our organizations, much more vulnerable to the kinds of threats our sector and society face now?"

Another great piece by my friend Katya Fels Smith who is in the final throes of winding down Full Frame Initiative and doing a lot of FANTASTIC writing and thinking about how to change the field for the good of lasting social change.

8) Dissolution of a Religious Corporation: How to Secure your Legacy
As I mentioned, I am a nerd about institutional endings. To that end, I listened to this VERY EXCELLENT webinar (yes, I know,webinars…but seriously) on dissolution of religious corporations. I had NO IDEA that church closures were governed by different laws than other nonprofits or that the laws can vary by religion and denomination! WOW. Real nerd biz, but super fascinating 🤓

Yours in the end,

Camille

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Closing Remarks is brought to you by The Wind Down, a consultancy for exploring, building, designing, and delivering better endings for mission-driven projects and organizations, and also raising closure consciousness. If you're enjoying it, please support my work.