Coming home from Reno recently I was amazed to find that the Las Vegas airport was suffering delays because the Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego and Ontario, California airports were shut down. Airport delays are always a good reminder that weather is something we can't control. And sometimes, like the weather, our development programs seem to be filled with uncontrollable upheavals. Staff members are left go or leave for better positions, major donors have economic setbacks that cause them to cut their funding, and "loose cannon" board members can wreak havoc on our organizations. So what can you do in the face of an imploding development program?

We are excited to offer some tools for our readers that are designed to help strengthen your development program and bring order out of chaos. We will present some of these ideas in future "Hot News" features.

For the first "hot tip", check out our Fundraiser's Private Vault, a good place to find the tools you need to be successful. Members of the Vault report these tools have made their jobs easier (no need to reinvent the wheel) to convince organization leadership that their role in fundraising is critical, and helped them solidify their development program goals. See our February newsletter for a special discount on the Fundraiser's Private Vault.

Linda