Driven fundraising/advancement professional and longtime writer/editor. I research, write and manage grant proposals, nurture foundation relationships, and direct digital and in-person special events/initiatives for the Diocese of Scranton, which encompasses 114 parishes and 19 schools across 11 counties as well as Catholic Social Services and the Catholic Youth Center.Role highlights:~ Managing diocesan participation in NEPA Gives, our region's annual foundation-sponsored day of giving challenge, and achieving the milestones of Most Dollars Raised and Most Donors each year we participated. I also oversaw giving rallies and helped organize related creative giving events, such as a 24-hour swim endurance challenge, in conjunction with NEPA Gives and ran a personal P2P campaign, earning the title of Top Peer To Peer Fundraiser in 2023.~ Designing/directing Rectory, Set, Cook! - an anti-hunger digital peer-to-peer fundraising initiative that puts priests into their kitchens and raised nearly $220,000 in its latest iteration.Formerly handled resource development, special events and marketing/communications tasks for NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania, a member of the congressionally chartered NeighborWorks America network. I managed an annual gala and annual campaign, wrote grant proposals, and directed a successful Rappel for a Cause peer-to-peer fundraiser for two consecutive years while also rappelling off the tallest building in Scranton and serving as a peer-to-peer fundraiser myself, raising more than double my goal. I also designed a new fundraising event: Comfort Food Fest and Celebration of Home.Employment history in media with work and volunteer experience as an event planner, fund-raiser, public-relations/marketing chair, mentor and more. Have held almost every newspaper position - reporter, columnist, copy editor, assistant city editor, acting city editor, bureau chief and special-sections editor. Was features editor and features columnist for The Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where I worked for 16.5 years.Freelance writer/editor, specializing in short- and long-form creative pieces. Careful, thoughtful editor and dedicated grammar geek.May every comma know its place and not go nosing around where it is not wanted. (Same goes for those pesky apostrophes.) May subjects and verbs live in perfect peace, always in agreement. When it comes to negatives, may our vision be 20-20, and may we never see double. May we someday again see a world where people care deeply about clean, clear language.Follow my blog on sandrajsnyder.com