Time to Bid Adieu to a Series

Dear Diary,

In 2017, I started a series called Seasonal Poem. It was an opportunity to creatively express elements of prospect development and fundraising. I started with Unfiltered nonprofit chaos during the holidays, a way for me to lyrically paint the most general and chaotic thoughts of a nonprofit staffer during the Holiday season. In 2018, I started thinking about different forms of poetry to use as inspiration as I described what was familiar to me in my industry. I began with the Haiku and wrote Three Haiku Poems from a Prospect Researcher. Simple and direct, I hope as you read them you were inspired to create your own.

In 2019, I tried my hand with limericks through the poem, Seasonal limericks for nonprofit professionals. Limericks are the verse style that include humor and AABBA rhythm. I definitely remember the challenge, and the will to innovate. My theme remained consistent, I needed to create something that spoke to prospect development and fundraising, and I hope that resonated.

In 2020, I believe I wrote one of my favorite poems, A poem told by a fundraiser’s heart. Although the author, I read it and enjoyed the imagery and optimism, it felt fleeting but also like a gradual give-and-take of expressions.

In 2021, I took the helms of personification and wrote from a CRM’s perspective in The Forgotten CRM. This was definitely a favorite of mine, and one that I think my college creative writing teacher would have liked. I hope you chuckled a bit as you read it.

In 2022, in an effort to pinpoint the intentionality and characteristics in the fundraising industry, I wrote, The Building Blocks for Fundraisers and Prospect Researchers. I hope you realize that each letter in the alphabet can illustrate your work and posture in this work, in an illustrative way.

For the next two years, I returned to testing classic poetic templates. In 2023, I wrote three Acrostic poems, Threading Through Loops in Prospect Development, that highlighted certain themes and threads of prospect development. An acrostic poem is a type of poetry where the first, last or other letters in a line spell out a particular word or phrase. In 2024, I chose an Ode, lyrical poems that praise a person, place, and/or thing, in this case specific to prospect development - Odes to Prospect Development. Deriving from the name, and based on historic times, odes are designed to be sung and accompanied by music, a dedication to and for a subject that brings harmony. I really hope these poems took you through familiar and distinct thoughts and entertained you.

In 2025, I ended the series with The Power of a Name. Unknowingly, this was the best way to end the series because there is so much power in a name, not only based on its ambiguity and its commonality. A name is cultural, it is personal, it is chosen, and as I wrote in the poem, for prospect researchers, it always begins with a name.

Thank you dear Diary readers for experiencing all the forms of creativity expressed through this platform. Revisit these when you can, share them with friends and colleagues.

As my poems signified my yearly wrap up, I am using this post to wrap up the year. In December, I hope you spend time reconnecting with friends, family, and closing out relevant work. Have a great holiday season, so many great things are in store for the new year.

Until next time,

January 15th!