“Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one” –Brad Paisley

Universities, colleges, small and large nonprofits all need to utilize volunteers to accomplish programmatic, governance and fundraising goals.

The season of gift giving is upon us. Presents are being wrapped and finding their places under Christmas trees all over the world.

An article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy caught my eye this past week.

I secured my first annual fund challenge gift in 1994. The very generous donor and his wife, agreed to match every new and increased gift to our campaign up to $25,000. It worked brilliantly, and we far exceeded the challenge.

When I first started my fundraising career, I was given a laminated card the size of a business card and on it was listed all of the questions a prospective donor should be asked in a cultivation meeting.

I love everything about it. The changing leaves, cooler temperatures, hay rides. I love hot apple cider, harvest displays and pumpkin EVERYTHING! And then, of course, I love the holy grail of Fall: Halloween!

We are in the self-proclaimed information age. At almost any given moment, we have a world of knowledge available at our finger-tips. Some might call it information overload.

A few weeks ago, my colleague Shannon Williams wrote an interesting blog post called “The Rise and Fall of the Desk.’ In it, she observed that today’s workplace is different from that of even ten years ago.