By Marcus Hammond, CF APMP   Chaotic deadlines encroach on personal commitments. Working from home blurs the lines between work time and family time. Capture managers in different time zones make urgent requests on their schedules.   These scenarios are commonplace for a proposal professional. However, they do not exactly lead us to healthy work-life balances.   Balance between our professional and personal lives is critical to maintaining mental health, personal happiness, and a s...

By Rachel Carlson, CF APMP  Making a career change while eight months pregnant during a global pandemic is completely insane... right?   This is the question I asked myself (and anyone around me who would listen) over and over as I considered the state of my career. I had been fundraising for non-profit organizations for nearly 10 years but felt intellectually uninspired and socially burnt out. So, before I committed to making a life-altering decision while hopped up on pregnancy hormones...

Mercedez Thompson, MA, CP APMP, Shipley BDC  This month, I took an entire week off work—an entire week. I’m not talking about the sort of PTO where I check my emails every morning, contribute to Teams chats throughout the afternoon, and return a few of my boss’s texts at dinner. I’m talking off-the-grid, couldn’t-reach-me-if-you-wanted-to PTO. Naturally, upon my return, I was sunkissed, refreshed, and ready to win something big. Right?  Wrong.  Instead of feeling for...

By Becky Petty, CP APMP  Have you watched the movie Catch and Release? This romantic comedy embodies the phrase “only in the movies.” It was a complete box office bomb but I loved the cliche supporting characters. Kevin Smith (from Jay and Silent Bob) plays a character who writes the short poems and profound messages that Celestial Seasonings prints on tea tags. When the movie was initially released, I was in college studying general marketing and had zero professional goals. This scare...

By Jen Borucki  My APMP journey started with a random browser inquiry: “RFP Certification.”   Many people I knew were boosting their credentials with certifications and that got me thinking – is there a credential for what I do? To my surprise, there was!  The more I read about APMP and the Foundation Level certification, I knew I needed to join.   That was last August. My little business was facing a new normal that had me exploring next steps. I had b...

By Marcus Hammond, CF APMP To be 100% honest with you: studying for and taking tests is not my strong suit. I start to hyperventilate when I’m sent something as simple as a “What Superhero Are You?” personality test.  I vividly remember sitting for the GRE in college. I did all the things necessary to prep for the standardized test, I went to study groups, and I took practice exams. But on test day, I froze up, freaked out, and utterly flopped.   Fast forward 20 glori...

By Pamela Keith  A Content Management System (CMS) is an application with a user-friendly interface that allows users to easily design and develop a knowledge base without ever understanding, writing, or interacting with programming code. In other words, it is sort of freaking AMAZING.  A fully-designed CMS is an organizational asset, especially when it comes to proposal management. A CMS can drastically increase your ability to access content efficiently and effectively for RFP resp...

By Christine Sowinski, MBA, CP APMP  Whether it is raising your hand to lead a challenging effort at your company or donating your time to a non-profit organization in your community, volunteering can enhance your career by providing many benefits… no matter where you are in your career progression. If you are new to the proposal profession or changing industries, you can gain new skills. If you are looking to advance mid-career or planning to retire soon, you can share your knowledge a...

By Jen Borucki  This past weekend, we raised our burgers and lemonade (or other beverages) high and saluted the start of an eagerly anticipated summer season. But our celebrations truly pale in comparison to remembering the people who sacrificed everything.  As I was reflecting on the spirit of Memorial Day, I realized we have an opportunity to celebrate the people who built our company’s heritage and legacy every time a proposal leaves our desks.   Take a moment to...