About

Need Input is a personal project where I can explore various curiosities — personal and professional — and help document my thoughts, observations, and those random articles and things one finds along the internet.

Generally, I cover topics from sales and marketing, to how-tos for friends and family, travel, and reflections on articles I have read. I am all over the map, but I like to think that's what keeps me interesting.

Not long ago, I came across the concept of the commonplace book. A place where you keep your thoughts, quotes, anecdotes, articles, clippings, etc. with the idea that you can refer back to these things if and when you need them. So, while I do all my work in Ulysses, I take the ones I think are worth sharing and post them here for anyone who is interested.

I have also finally started podcasting. The idea is to discuss things I am writing about — hence the blogcast — and to create conversation threads across the podcast, leapfrogging from one episode to the next, rather than always starting off as if there wasn't one before it.

About Me

Curious and obsessed on methodologies in non-profit & higher education fundraising, he is acutely aware of the balance between high-tech and high-touch and looking at how we can be more effective and efficient. He brings this process-driven approach when collaborating with organizations to realize their aspirations.

A consultant with nine years of experience in higher education, fundraising, and non-profit & startup spaces focused on relationship building, program management, and data-driven results.

Identifying problems and collaborating to find solutions is what peaks my interest, but working with people and forming relationships is what gets him energized. Additionally, he is interested in exploring the use and role of technology in relationship management and engagement, i.e. the art and science of our work. (Intuition tells him that high-tech vs. high touch is a false dichotomy, however distractions are formed by technologists focused on creating sophisticated, robust — often complex — systems at the expense of user-centered process. But that's a entirely different conversations.)

While he tends to see the big picture — internalizing the strategies and direction — he is never shying away from rolling up his sleeves to get things done and see things through. Donald earned his B.S. in Industrial and Management Engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2007. Graduate school is on the horizon.