Meeting

Introduction

  • The conversation starts with a friendly greeting between two individuals who discuss the impact of recent snow and ice weather conditions in their area, particularly regarding icy roads and public spaces.

Background Information

  • Location Context: One individual is from Charlottesville, where they attended local schools: Charlottesville Catholic School for elementary and middle school and Monticello High School.

  • Community Connections: They share a connection through their children's schooling, which highlights the smallness of the Charlottesville community and its tight-knit nonprofit connections.

Career in Fundraising

  • Initial Interest in Fundraising:

    • Began during college at a small liberal arts college that has since become a university.

    • Worked as a work-study in the Office of Development and Public Relations, leading to further involvement even beyond study hours, securing a part-time job.

    • Gained experience in meeting donors and participating in events, including data work, grant writing, and reporting.

  • Academic Focus Shift: Initially pursued a prelaw major (political science and biology) aiming for a career in environmental law.

    • Ultimately changed focus to nonprofit work, emphasizing value alignment and community service instilled from family and church upbringing.

  • Additional Experience: Worked at a local foundation serving individuals with developmental disabilities, gaining insight into human services and community-focused nonprofit work.

Current Position and Role

  • Position: Director of Philanthropy at Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS).

  • Organization Focus: Culture of mentoring at-risk youth ages 6 to 18 through one-to-one relationships:

    • Encourages avoidance of risky behavior and promotes educational achievement.

    • Closes socioeconomic gaps through mentorship.

  • Staff Responsibilities: Small size of staff requires wearing multiple hats:

    • Works closely with the Executive Director and program staff to ensure program effectiveness and participant safety.

Mentoring Program Insights

  • Program Dynamics: Discussions revolve around the partnerships with local students from the University of Virginia and other recruitment strategies for mentors (referred to as 'bigs').

  • Impact Measurement:

    • Mentors ('bigs') report significant personal growth from their experiences, mirroring the positive feedback from mentees ('littles') and their families.

Philanthropic Strategy

  • Fundraising Approach: Prior fundraising efforts were outsourced, leading to disconnections with donor motivations and needs.

    • New internal strategies include improving communication and relationship-building with existing and lapsed donors.

    • Increased focus on understanding donor interests and aligning them with organizational goals.

  • Donor Engagement:

    • Acknowledges previous attempts at community engagement which suffered during the COVID period.

    • Focused strategy on reacquiring lapsed donors and increasing prospect events.

Organizational Challenges and Successes

  • Challenges: Navigating the high volume of tasks without sufficient staffing capacity.

    • Balancing different fundraising roles: processing donations, writing grants, meeting with donors, and event planning simultaneously.

  • Recent Successes:

    • Focused on rebuilding organizational culture and improving philanthropy systems:

      • Reestablished a major gift society with significant strides in gaining local support and capacity-building grants.

Alumni Relations

  • Engagement with Alumni:

    • Recognition that the organization has not historically maintained strong connections with alumni ('littles' and 'bigs').

    • Plans to implement strategies to capture contact information and maintain communication to encourage alumni engagement in future fundraising.

Daily Operational Challenges

  • Role Variety: Enjoys diversity in daily tasks, which range from administrative duties to community outreach, despite it being overwhelming at times.

  • Long-term Planning: Emphasizes the need for prioritization of tasks based on their impact on the organization’s objectives and deadlines.

Future Organizational Growth

  • Utilization of AI: Currently not integrating AI into their fundraising processes but remains open to exploration as capacities allow.

    • Following trends in professional literature on potential efficiencies AI can bring to nonprofit work.

National Organization Affiliation

  • Organizational Structure:

    • BBBS affiliate operates independently as a 501(c)(3), while aligning with national standards for safety and program consistency.

  • Safety Protocols: Emphasizes importance of background checks and training for mentors to ensure participant safety.

Research and Impact Measurement

  • Outcomes Assessment: Engages in ongoing research and data collection:

    • Use of annual surveys to gauge social, emotional, and educational outcomes for 'littles'.

    • Collaboration with national office for rigorous data analysis to assess long-term impacts of mentoring on participants' future trajectories.

Community Engagement and Partnerships

  • Collaboration with Local Entities: Works with schools, youth-oriented nonprofits, and local businesses to provide programming:

    • Develops partnerships for events like hikes and sports activities to enhance participant experience.

    • Introduces financial literacy and employment programs with community resources.

  • Utilizing Local Resources: Committed to leveraging existing community assets rather than duplicating efforts, encouraging holistic support for 'littles' and 'bigs'.

Conclusion

  • Continued Outreach: Encouragement for community members to engage with BBBS through word