I’ve been a GMC member for several years and have taken advantage of many programs, including being paired with a mentor that helped me through a very stressful transition and taking advantage of the membership stipend when I lost my job during the pandemic. I now have a great job (thank goodness) and feel like I’m in a position where I have time to give back to the proposal community. But I'...

Mercedez Thompson, MA, CP APMP, Shipley BDC A friend and colleague recently presented a webinar about proposal design. Afterward, she shared with me that she was receiving very mixed feedback. Some, myself included, raved about her design skills and tips. Others found the material too niche and suggested it was applicable only to marketing professionals working at large firms with seemingl...

By: Jen Borucki Editor’s Note: I honestly don’t know if I’m writing this for you or myself right now! Supporting our business development goals seems like a peak and valley enterprise. Just when we least expect it, the peak raises the bar to a whole new level. As I type this, knowing there are pots running over all four metaphorical burners in front of me, I had to take a moment to celeb...

By Rachel Carlson, CF APMP   Anyone remember the glory days of NBC’s Must-See TV? I’m talking Seinfeld, Friends, Will and Grace, ER, Scrubs, and The Office. Your couch was the place to be on Thursday nights for a perfectly curated night of laughs, drama, and pop culture.  (Oh, no? You don’t remember? Have I just outted myself as an elder millennial?) Well, I digress…  ...

Does asking for a due date extension reflect poorly on your company?  When I first entered the proposal profession, I worked for a well-known Fortune 500 company. The RFP team culture had no qualms about asking for another week or two. “What do we have to lose by asking?” But when I switched to a smaller company, that team reacted with concern to my casualness. They didn't want t...

By Jen Borucki One of the great things about APMP GMC membership is the focus our chapter puts on individual growth and development. There are so many opportunities for us to step out of our comfort zones and try something new. But sometimes, to move a step forward, we must take a quick look in the rear view mirror.   In a post COVID-19 world, many of us have spent a few years learning ...

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 p...

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and taking some much-deserved time off work. Even if you aren’t traveling or have a vacation planned, taking time off gives your mind a break and your body time to rest. The stress of our jobs is real, and it can sneak up on you when you least expect it. Don’t take my word for it; check out the Forbes article on Why Taking Vacation Time Could Save Your...

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 ...

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 sunkisse...