by Monica Vandeventer | Aug 28, 2025 | Uncategorized
In 1998, I worked at the FedEx hub at the Indianapolis airport. It was my first summer out of high school, and I was all in—working the day shift loading truck trailers, sleeping in my car, and hoping to get called in for the night shift loading aircraft. At FedEx,...
by Monica Vandeventer | Aug 28, 2025 | Uncategorized
Let’s be honest: fundraising can wear on you. You’re always giving. Always asking. Always carrying the weight of your mission and your goals. It’s easy—so easy—to slide into cynicism, frustration, or fatigue. You start seeing donors as obstacles instead of partners....
by Monica Vandeventer | Aug 28, 2025 | Uncategorized
What if your year-end appeal was already written, printed, segmented, and scheduled—before the Thanksgiving leftovers were even cold? Sound impossible? It’s not. In fact, it might be the greatest gift you give yourself this year. Our new course, Write Your Year-End...
by Adriana Sánchez | Jun 6, 2025 | Uncategorized
Let me tell you a story. It was 2012. I was standing in the hallway of a donor’s office, heart pounding. I had just wrapped up a meeting that, in theory, should’ve been one of the biggest asks of my career. I had my pitch ready. I had my numbers, my stories, my budget...
by Adriana Sánchez | Jun 2, 2025 | Uncategorized
I want to share something that might sound obvious but is often overlooked. It’s a simple idea, but if you apply it, it will change how you show up in your role as a fundraiser: have a goal—and make it a SMART one. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably had...
by Adriana Sánchez | May 17, 2025 | Uncategorized
Greetings from Lake Tahoe. After a week of camping off the grid, swimming in alpine lakes, and soaking in the stillness of the mountains, I’ve found it surprisingly hard to get back into work mode. Tahoe has been our home base for over a decade, and it’s the kind of...
