Priyanka Singh

I can definitely attribute my success to the people I've met along the way. There have been some people that opened my eyes to different ways of thinking, different projects, programs, or different parts of the industry. Community and relationships and people have really been a huge support for me to get to where I am, and I know that I will end up leaning on my network, my community, in order for me to get to the next step and even beyond that. The other thing is just forward thinking and not getting bogged down with mistakes. I think it's about keeping on and pushing, because people make blunders or they second-guess their trajectory, but really just pushing on and moving forward and not staying too caught up in the past is something that's helped me move in a forward momentum and keep going.

One of my mentors told me to trust my capabilities and not fall too far into imposter syndrome. I think a lot of the time, women really second-guess themselves, and I second-guess myself a lot - second-guess my capabilities, my achievements, and my contributions. My mentor has told me to take things at face value and really trust the work that I've put in and the work that I'm able to do, so that I don't fall into that imposter syndrome too much. Another piece I've gotten from my peers is to really shoot for the stars, because women, when they look for jobs and try to get out there in the field, they apply for jobs that they have 70-80% of the qualifications, if not more, whereas male counterparts might apply for a job if they have 40% or less because they believe that they can rise to the occasion. So really just shooting for the stars and being willing to put yourself out there and challenge yourself, and represent your capabilities as best as you can, rather than second-guessing the fact that you're able to step to the plate and be a key contributor.

One of the challenges I've faced and continue to foresee, especially within working in major gifts and working with high-net-worth individuals, is feeling like being a woman, and especially being a woman of color, trusting that I can take up space and show up authentically in the space and actually make a positive impact. The world of philanthropy can be a very white, male-led place, and a lot of the times, people don't realize that there are wealthy communities of color, and we need to make sure that the individuals we have working in that space also look like the individuals that we serve, but also accurately represent the wealthy individuals out there. Sometimes, being a woman, being a woman of color, and getting in my head about it, I feel like I need to represent this white maleness, I need to be broken, or I need to be a little bit tougher in a space, or I need to embody being something that I'm not. That's the challenge for me, and feeling like I don't necessarily belong, quote-unquote, belong in a space. But I want to see more people of color go into philanthropy and go into the work of fundraising because it's definitely valuable, just having that representation.

One of my top values is community, both with family and with friends. The people that you keep close to you are not just there to help you when you're down or help you day-to-day, but I've learned so much from the community that I've built. I have a lot of great women around me that are go-getters, that are people who also master the pivot and lean into their expertise in a great way, and I learn from them every single day, whether it's something small, like a great show to watch, or something even greater, like how to pivot in your career or how to stay focused. Family is always a key cornerstone of your village too, no matter what you go through with your family, they're always there for you in some way, shape, or form. Service is another key value for me - being a servant leader. My mom used to tell her friends, oh, she wants to save the world. I think that if each of us does something small in service of others each day, whether it's something small like picking up trash in your neighborhood or something large like dedicating your life to empowering others, teaching others, or finding ways to uplift communities that are disadvantaged, service is a big value for me. Courage is another one - just to have the courage to lean into who you are as a person and to take some risks. I wouldn't be where I am with Habitat for Humanity if I didn't have the courage to put myself out there. The last one is probably being inquisitive and asking questions. You don't get somewhere unless you are learning from others constantly and asking questions, and no matter where you are in your career or how much you've learned, there's always more that you can learn from someone else. Being curious helps you get further, and it also helps me with my relationships too, of asking people what drives them or just asking my friends how they're doing and caring about people.