With little to show but enthusiasm, the development staff at the National Constitution Center managed to fund a dream.

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

In the beginning
The development staff at the NCC currently comprises 10 full-time staffers plus a number of interns. But when the NCC dream was first conceived, there was just a handful of folks working on fundraising. They started by asking board members for pledges and then for names of potential donors. Those potential donors went on the list. Teachers who requested lesson plans went on the list. Basically, anyone who showed the slightest interest went on the list.