by Eddie Thompson | Feb 27, 2025 | Development Management, Professional Development
A brief historical survey reveals several narratives about the origin and applications of the term “benchmarking.” Some associate the word with rapid deployment of military forces, with the assembly line for automobiles, or with various management processes. However,...
by Eddie Thompson | Aug 30, 2024 | Development Management, Professional Development
While my last post referred to the “building blocks” of an integrated growth system, another useful metaphor could be the machinery of a system, a collection of different-sized gears that work together—like a clock. Large gears rotate slowly (the hour hand, for...
by Eddie Thompson | Jul 16, 2024 | Development Management, Professional Development
In the March-April 2024 issue of Harvard Business Review, Paul Blasé and Paul Leinwand published an article on the challenges of maintaining consistent growth utilizing their expertise as seasoned executives and successful advisors to other executives at...
by Eddie Thompson | Apr 22, 2024 | Development Management, Professional Development
“What were some of your greatest professional mistakes?” In every Thompson & Associates public engagement, online interview, or continuing education seminar, that is the most frequent question I am asked. Luckily, the most important lessons I’ve learned in my 40+...
by Eddie Thompson | Oct 23, 2023 | Development Management, Donor Communications, Professional Development
As a rookie fundraiser at a small liberal arts college, Si Seymour’s 1966 book, Design for Fundraising, had an extraordinary impact on me, so much so that it has been the primary inspiration throughout my 45-year career. Every page of Seymour’s little book resonated...
by Eddie Thompson | Sep 25, 2023 | Development Management, Donor Communications, Professional Development
Almost all worthwhile advice about fundraising can be traced back to one ground-breaking publication: Harold (Si) Seymour’s Designs for Fundraising: Principles, Patterns, and Techniques. First published in 1966, this book continues to be regarded as the essential...
