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...

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 initial...

By Tony Des Chenes  Please join us for an upcoming Lunch & Learn on July 28! Kati Stutsman will reprise a presentation she recently gave at BPC Dallas on designing proposals like magazines. She will share how her background as a newspaper section editor has influenced the way she manages proposals. Attendees will see real examples of how storyboarding content helps set author/participa...

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 w...

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 e...

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 ...

There are a ton of "And that's a wrap!" posts on LinkedIn about BPC Dallas, and I figured I would hop on the bandwagon. I attended BPC Denver last year – it was a very small group and it seemed that everyone was trying to get back into the groove of attending in-person events. BPC Dallas was different. There were SO many proposal and bid professionals in attendance ready to mix and mingle. It was...

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....