I’m blogging live from the exhibit hall in Phoenix, AZ, for the 2007 National Development Catholic Conference- it’s been a great week! I’ve always assigned myself to this conference as I like to interact directly with our customers and get their direct feedback.

It was great to see the ‘regular’ conference crew. This included Vinay Bhagat from Convio, Spence Hoopes from Wealth Engine (one of our partners), and Beckie Mann (former DonorPerfect employee) from Blackbaud. (Yes, even though we are competitors, we still are friendly to one another!)

I had the chance to talk to Paul Clolery, the editor of the Non-Profit Times, one of the leading industry papers for the non profit. We talked about the industry in general, the effect of the consolidation wave, and where DonorPerfect stood. I gave him some insights about our new product, code named Spider.net, and we both agreed it will be an interesting addition to the non-profit market.

Temperatures in Phoenix were HOT. Ridiculously hot- 107 degrees in the shade. Like they always do, the staff at NCDC did a fantastic job of taking care of the conference attendees, even providing personal fans for attendees to use when walking from building to building.

We had a chance to show off our new integration with Wealth Engine to a packed classroom- it was fantastic to see the interest and be able to show off just how easy and powerful our solution is for everyone. We also sponsored the Internet Cafe, increasing our exposure and making sure that people know they have a real choice in fundraising software.

Next stop is back home, where I hear it’s 70 degrees…nice. I’ll be taking a break from traveling for a bit- While I was away my daughter learned to ride a bike and she can’t wait to show off to her daddy when I get back!