How has your career evolved since its beginning? 

“I began in development by default, raising money for recreational programs that I was in charge of at the YMCA.  Over time, I realized I did not like working in recreational programming, but enjoyed the business side of things.  After staying home with my daughters for a few years, I found myself with the opportunity to work at my local Newman Center/Parish.  It is there where I honed my skills and discovered my love for helping ministries grow their mission” 

What are some of your career highlights? 

“Many years ago, I became the first Development Director of our local Newman Center and Parish.  My first day on the job I purchased an office computer.  The only historical records we had were student registration cards from the 1970's, written in pencil!  Needless to say it seemed like an overwhelming task to get the office up and running.  When I left the position last year, there were 2 full-time staff members, a data input associate, and we had just completed a million dollar capital campaign; things had come full circle” 

What mistakes and valuable lessons have you learned from? 

“Relations are the key to raising money.  We live in an instant gratification world and relationships take a long time to develop.  Development is a long process, if you expect instant results you could be disappointed.  Stay the course for the long game!

And not making enough phone calls or asking for in-person visits.  These things are key to success, but are often the things that we put at the bottom of our lists” 

What is your favorite thing about development? 

“Meeting new people!  I love the many ways we are all sharing our stories and trying to make the world a better place.” 

Read more about Tara's story here.