Her Story
About Adrienne
I have been in my field for 15 years, and it will be 4 years in July in my current position. Prior to being in what I like to call the impact sector, I was a full-time stock broker and a part-time dance teacher. Now I'm a consultant that works with nonprofit organizations on anything related to fundraising, strategic planning, or board development, which are all things that I am passionate about. The beauty of my day-to-day is that it's not the same every day. I may wake up and focus on an organization that's passionate about veterans, then spend 2 hours in that space, and then switch over to an organization focused on women's economic self-sufficiency, and then come back and focus on an organization focused on pets. Because I have a great mentor relationship with my boss, I can actually focus on doing some things for the business, learning the business of consulting, being able to brainstorm some marketing ideas and look for spaces where we can also share our nonprofit industry knowledge. I'm passionate about putting it out there that you can still be successful in the nonprofit sector. Just because it says non-profit does not mean that you can't earn well and be happy spending 8 to 10 hours of your 24 hours you're allotted in a day in somewhere meaningful.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Adrienne
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say being a part of a program that helped launch the conversation about getting diverse individuals in the field of professional fundraising really set me on a positive trajectory. I was part of the New Faces of Fundraising Program in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was kind of first of its kind, way back in 2013 when the program was launched. Being a part of that inaugural class just set me on a positive trajectory for everything that I've been able to accomplish within my fundraising career. Just the content, the sessions that we had, the ability to get a free professional membership, we had mentors, we had a paid internship. After going through that program, I then joined the leadership team and was able to take other classes through this program. There was some notoriety and some recognition of this program, and even other metropolitan areas wanted to take it on and right-size it for their area so that they could begin to see diverse fundraisers in their communities as well. My graduate experience at the University of Cincinnati also really set me off for where I am today. I completed their dual degree, MBA, and Masters of Arts in Arts Administration program, and it was just 2 years full-time of me learning the business side of the nonprofit sector while also taking appropriate business classes for the corporate side of things. Our master's programs required us to have a real-life experience, and I think that just gave me an extra kind of an edge up a little bit, leaving the institution and trying to get a job, because I've had those experiences and I've made those connections with alums.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Right now, I'm part of a pilot that's rebirthing the New Faces of Fundraising Program on a national level. I'm looking forward to being able to promote the evolution of a program as such, where we are really still trying to tackle the problem of hiring diverse fundraisers and people of diverse backgrounds who are also as passionate about people giving of their time, talent, and treasure. No one talks a lot about being satisfied or finding that nice career in the nonprofit sector, or what I like to call the impact sector. I just wanted to put it out there, like, you can still be successful. Just because it says non-profit does not mean that you can't earn well and be happy spending 8 to 10 hours of your 24 hours you're allotted in a day in somewhere meaningful. That's another reason why I like to talk about what I do.
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