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Lauren Girardin

@girardinl.bsky.social
940 followers 556 following 1.3K posts

Communications consultant, storyteller, and plain language writer for nonprofits, foundations, and others who inspire. @lwvsf.bsky.social member. Em dash fan. For hire. she/her juhr-RAR-din 📍 San Francisco

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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
League of Women Voters of San Francisco @lwvsf.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Don't get overwhelmed by all the candidates in the upcoming election. We got you! Ballots are arriving soon. Get ready to vote by learning about the candidates in our San Francisco voter guide at 👉 lwvsf.org/vote 👈
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This is one of my favorite things I've made in a while! (Halloween costumes excluded)
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
If you're concerned about the obscene amounts of money being spent to influence your vote on San Francisco propositions in the election, come to this free @lwvsf.bsky.social & @sfpublicpress.bsky.social event! @jrivanob.bsky.social of @missionlocal.org is a speaker. 🎟️ bsky.app/profile/lwvs...
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Hey @sfmta.com! I know you're suuuuuuuper thirsty for fares, but if you remove the bus route number from all of the electronic signs on the outside of the bus so you can blast FARE REQUIRED at people, then no one can tell what bus they're getting on!
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Most of my fellow GenXers have long believed we'd get screwed out of our social security benefits
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 15/08/2026
"The more analytically a story was written, and the more statistics it contained, the fewer people commented on it. Emotional stories did the opposite, drawing bigger crowds." www.niemanlab.org/2026/08/we-a...
niemanlab.org
We analyzed 6,400 New York Times stories to find out how comments change when you give readers more information
The same stories that produced sharper, more analytic conversation also produced <em>less</em> conversation.
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Waldo Jaquith @waldo.net · 19/08/2026
If you've ever bought birth, death, or marriage certificates from a local government, you know the process leaves more than a little something to desire. San Francisco has published an RFI about this. They'd love ideas about how they can modernize their vital records system to be user-centered.
sfcitypartner.sfgov.org
SF City Partner
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
The courage of the trans women, drag queens, and young queers who fought back at Compton’s Cafeteria Riot in 1966 created a legacy of fierce self-determined resistance that still anchors San Francisco’s trans community today. My newest @npquarterly.bsky.social article. #WeTheCivic
nonprofitquarterly.org
The Resilient Riot: Mobilizing Trans Power Against Campaigns of Erasure | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
Compton’s Cafeteria riot is a testament to the courage and resilience of the trans women, drag queens, and young queers who fought back created a legacy of fierce self-determined resistance, which sti...
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
The courage of the trans women, drag queens, and young queers who fought back at Compton’s Cafeteria Riot in 1966 created a legacy of fierce self-determined resistance that still anchors San Francisco’s trans community today. My newest @npquarterly.bsky.social article. #WeTheCivic
nonprofitquarterly.org
The Resilient Riot: Mobilizing Trans Power Against Campaigns of Erasure | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
Compton’s Cafeteria riot is a testament to the courage and resilience of the trans women, drag queens, and young queers who fought back created a legacy of fierce self-determined resistance, which sti...
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
nationalnonprofits.bsky.social @nationalnonprofits.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
The Gatekeepers: For-Profit Platforms, Nonprofit Power, and the Risks to Charitable Giving ~ @npquarterly.bsky.social
nonprofitquarterly.org
The Gatekeepers: For-Profit Platforms, Nonprofit Power, and the Risks to Charitable Giving | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
When for-profit intermediaries prioritize their own best interests, the results can be catastrophic for organizations. Recent scandals at Flipcause and GoFundMe offer grim case studies in what…
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Congress has stopped the Trump administration from gutting federal afterschool funding before and can do so again. Advocates say this is the moment to go even further. Learn more in my latest @npquarterly.bsky.social article nonprofitquarterly.org/trumps-threa... #NPsky #NonprofitSky #AA3PM
nonprofitquarterly.org
Trump’s Threat to Afterschool Funding—and What’s Emerging to Meet It | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
As the Trump administration attempts to eliminate federal funding for afterschool programs for underserved and low-income students, some states are building their own funding.
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
Alison @alisonhgoh.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
I kept all of our mail for today's California Primary election. Guess how much we received?
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
If San Francisco voter turnout is as abysmally low as it seems on track to be, there will be a lot of finger pointing. I'll point one. This is on Mayor Lurie & the Supervisors. SF gov staff hiring is stagnant, morale is low. Grants to community orgs that do most of the GOTV work was low to zero.
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Congress has stopped the Trump administration from gutting federal afterschool funding before and can do so again. Advocates say this is the moment to go even further. Learn more in my latest @npquarterly.bsky.social article nonprofitquarterly.org/trumps-threa... #NPsky #NonprofitSky #AA3PM
nonprofitquarterly.org
Trump’s Threat to Afterschool Funding—and What’s Emerging to Meet It | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
As the Trump administration attempts to eliminate federal funding for afterschool programs for underserved and low-income students, some states are building their own funding.
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
Erica Joy Astrella @ericajoy.astrel.la · 01/06/2026
california is gonna have so many mail in ballots that don’t get counted because people don’t know the new USPS rules that are impacting mail in voting. tl;dr don’t put your ballot in the mail today, find a ballot drop box. www.kqed.org/news/1208537...
kqed.org
Still Need to Mail Your Primary Ballot? Don’t Rely on USPS, Officials Say | KQED
State officials are warning that some ballots mailed too close to Election Day might not be counted. Here are other recommended ways to submit your ballot instead.
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
We voted! If you can't tell through my wind-blown hair, we're sporting our SF "I Voted!" stickers by Hollis Callas. Don't sit this election out. There's stuff on the ballot that matters nationally and locally. I recommend @lwvsf.bsky.social's San Francisco voter guide at lwvsf.org/vote Go vote!
Me and Todd smiling with our I Voted stickers on our forehead, My hair is blowing wildly in the breeze. We're standing in front of a view from Bernal Heights in San Francisco.
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
“After analyzing crash data over a 13-year period in areas with separated bike lanes on city streets, researchers estimated that having a protected bike facility in a city would result in 44% fewer deaths and 50% fewer serous injuries than an average city.” Safer for ALL. Via @usa.streetsblog.org
usa.streetsblog.org
Separated Bike Lanes Means Safer Streets, Study Says — Streetsblog USA
Cities that build protected lanes for cyclists end up with safer roads for people on bikes and people in cars and on foot, a new study of 12 large metropolises revealed Wednesday.
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
It is supremely shortsighted to go back to partisan primaries when the better solution is ranked-choice voting. RCV or GTFO www.threads.com/@sfchronicle...
threads.com
San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) on Threads
The latest reason for concern among California Democrats: A provision in the top-two system forbids voters from writing in a candidate in the general election, eliminating a crucial backstop.
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
San Francisco Mayor Lurie would never. Lurie is forcing a severe austerity budget that will defund services for the most vulnerable people, terminate hundreds of gov workers, and cut taxes on big businesses. Call it Cruel Capitalism or Secret Republicanism. It is government that harms people.
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
San Francisco Mayor Lurie would never. Lurie is forcing a severe austerity budget that will defund services for the most vulnerable people, terminate hundreds of gov workers, and cut taxes on big businesses. Call it Cruel Capitalism or Secret Republicanism. It is government that harms people.
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
Rusty Staples @cpnfurious.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
SF voters: here are the *multiple* ways our June election works! Thanks to @lwvsf.bsky.social!
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
This is exactly right, with one caveat: the reason "no it'll never fucking happen" is there (I bet) is to try (probably not successfully) to stave off dozens of annoying people replying just that. Except that impossible things become possible all the time, and it starts with saying what should be.
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
League of Women Voters of San Francisco @lwvsf.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Here's why we recommend you vote #NoOnB in the upcoming San Francisco election! You can trust that our endorsements are focused on benefiting our community. Read more about why we’ve made this endorsement for the June 2, 2026 election at lwvsf.org/ballot-recom... and vote with the League!
League of Women Voters of San Francisco - No on Prop B. This strips voters of their
right to choose the candidates they want and permanently disqualifies diverse, experienced leaders from serving our communities. A lifetime two-term limit on Mayors and Supervisors is an unnecessarily rigid ban that reduces the accountability and effectiveness of government. Vote through June 2, 2026.
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
League of Women Voters of San Francisco @lwvsf.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Here's why we recommend you vote #YesOnD in the upcoming San Francisco election! You can trust that our endorsements are focused on benefiting our community. Read more about why we’ve made this endorsement for the June 2, 2026 election at lwvsf.org/ballot-recom... and vote with the League!
League of Women Voters of San Francisco election proposition endorsement - Yes on Prop D! This protects essential government services by restoring a voter-approved tax on large companies with the biggest gap between what they pay their top executive and their typical workers. This will raise about $250 million to $350 million every year. It does not tax small or struggling local businesses. Vote through June 2, 2026.
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
Sam Chavez (she/they/he) 🌈🤠 @rootschange.federate.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/04/2026
RE: sfba.social/@lwvsf/1163250096996840… The library has $2 free printing every day! Print 5 zines and pass them out to your friends. #activism
sfba.social
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Todd Berman @theartdontstop.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Spoiler alert for the #SanFrancisco voting guide I'm writing - I agree with all the @lwvsf.bsky.social endorsements
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
From unauthorized fundraising pages to millions in missing donations, the underregulated for-profit "intermediary economy" is creating a growing power imbalance. My newest @npquarterly.bsky.social article: nonprofitquarterly.org/the-gatekeep... #NPsky #NonprofitSky
nonprofitquarterly.org
The Gatekeepers: For-Profit Platforms, Nonprofit Power, and the Risks to Charitable Giving | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
When for-profit intermediaries prioritize their own best interests, the results can be catastrophic for organizations. Recent scandals at Flipcause and GoFundMe offer grim case studies in what happens...
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
I'm voting with the League!
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Fabulous article by my mentor, Leysia Palen, chronicling the rise & fall of Twitter as information source & organizing site during disaster events: journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mc... Citing a wealth of literature, Palen reflects on what Twitter was (for disaster response) & what it became
journal.media-culture.org.au
What the Rise and Fall of Twitter Revealed about Collective Behaviour in Natural Hazards Disaster Response | M/C Journal
Introduction The golden age of social media revealed a great deal about the socio-behavioural phenomena of online activity during disaster events arising from natural hazards. The period from 2007 t...
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
From unauthorized fundraising pages to millions in missing donations, the underregulated for-profit "intermediary economy" is creating a growing power imbalance. My newest @npquarterly.bsky.social article: nonprofitquarterly.org/the-gatekeep... #NPsky #NonprofitSky
nonprofitquarterly.org
The Gatekeepers: For-Profit Platforms, Nonprofit Power, and the Risks to Charitable Giving | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
When for-profit intermediaries prioritize their own best interests, the results can be catastrophic for organizations. Recent scandals at Flipcause and GoFundMe offer grim case studies in what happens...
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
It's so nice, a relief really, after I write a long, complex article, when I read it the next day and see that it's good! #amwriting
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
hahahahahahahahaha Nancy Pelosi endorsing the San Francisco proposition to impose lifetime term limits on the Mayor and Supervisors is JUST TOO MUCH.
Leonardo DiCaprio wearing a tux and holding up a martini glass. Text overlaid says I got mine. What do you have to do to get yours?
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
#WordsMatter
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
I made a zine!
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
The League of Women Voters say heeeyyyyyyyy
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
The League of Women Voters say heeeyyyyyyyy
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Good.
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Reposted by Lauren Girardin
Noah Arroyo @noaharroyo.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Fantastic interview. If you care about AI (one way or the other), you need to listen. @reckless.bsky.social grills CEO on Grammarly's fake editor personas (AI) that purported to provide the expertise of real professionals — without asking their permission. www.theverge.com/podcast/8987...
theverge.com
Confronting the CEO of the AI company that impersonated me
Superhuman CEO Shishir Mehrotra responds to the Grammarly “expert review” controversy, and whether AI is extracting more value than it creates.
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
YELLOW CRAYON
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Buffy was huge for me when it came out. A good friend and I watched most episodes at a weekly "Buffy, Beer, and Burritos" night. During a rewatch I finished just last week, I read about the struggles Nicholas Brendon went through since Buffy. Life never went easy for Xander...or Nicholas it seems.
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
The bus should be free when temperatures get above 80. Let seniors and heat vulnerable folks ride in AC. Give people a break by making it easy and free to not walk a hot few blocks. Get people out of their cars when smog settles and stays.
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Flipcause withheld $29M+ in donations from thousands of nonprofits while executives paid themselves millions — now there's one underwhelming bankruptcy buyout offer. Learn about the fiasco in my latest @npquarterly.bsky.social article nonprofitquarterly.org/nonprofits-i... #NPsky #NonprofitSky
nonprofitquarterly.org
Nonprofits in Limbo as Flipcause Bankruptcy Unfolds | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
Flipcause, a fundraising platform for nonprofits, withheld millions in donations and then filed for bankruptcy.
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Bad news for people trying to "revitalize" downtown San Francisco through return to office mandates and the occasional drunken block party
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Mia Sato @miasato.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
this is completely insane: since when is it acceptable for a tech company to rewrite news outlets' headlines without their consent? especially at a time when audiences are sensitive to how stories are framed in headlines? (ie Israel/Palestine, the Trump admin, ICE) www.theverge.com/tech/896490/...
theverge.com
Google Search is now using AI to replace headlines
Let us know if you see more.
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
"She's crazy, and I love that...but I also don't." "She never gets black out drunk, but I do, and I resent her for that." "I looked good. Hella good. You know I don't say that about myself. And I had to ask her for a compliment." I need to befriend the queen these other queens are venting about!
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Joe was a gem. A loss for all of San Francisco.
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Dr. Stephanie @punkrockscience.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
It is *fascinating* to me how quickly some people have gone completely from “we all must work in the office! human collaboration is vital and only happens in person!” to “I can replace all these pesky people with chatbots!” Definitely some commentary there about our society and who gets to choose.
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Pretty sure I just had adenovirus, and it was ROUGH. Almost two weeks, wiped out, hacking cough, sore throat, and toward the end, pink eye. Not fun stuff!
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Derek Powazek @fraying.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
This is the destination of every company that tries to replace creative human workers with AI slop. futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com
BuzzFeed Nearing Bankruptcy After Disastrous Turn Toward AI
Three years after its pivot to AI, the writing is on the wall for BuzzFeed. The company said there's "substantial doubt" it can keep going.
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Lauren Girardin @girardinl.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
For the evening crowd
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