The other day someone relatively new to development reached out to discuss his career trajectory and it gave me a great chance to reflect on my own career. In Part 1 of this 3 part story, I will share the story of my first job in development and why I left a great work environment and moved across t...

By Matt Bond, Director of Development at St. John's Catholic Student Center at Oklahoma State University

As many people in our field, I fell into the profession of development by happenstance. A great priest walked into a classroom of my former student center where my sister-in-law just happ...

By JoAnn Shull, Petrus Consultant

I’m going to be really honest with you, dear reader, in that for the vast majority of my life I had no idea what this idea of “development” was or that I would end up in a career that I didn’t even know existed.  

Growing up, my family was not church-going, bu...

By Josh Whelan, Petrus Vice President and Senior Consultant 

In 2000, I went to the University of Mississippi with the career goal of either becoming a psychologist or a lawyer.

My father is a psychologist, and like him, I want to help people. He is a person I greatly admire, and I often se...

By Rhen Hoehn, St. Albert the Great University Parish Development Director, Houghton, Michigan

I grew up in a Catholic family that practiced the faith. While I was preparing for confirmation, I went on a NET (National Evangelization Team) retreat. This retreat plus the grace of the sacrament en...

By Tara Doyon, Petrus Director of Client Services and Senior Consultant 

Like many in a development-related profession, I had planned on a career in “something else.” When money was needed for organizations and programs that I cared about, I discovered and honed my development skills. 

Grow...