Her Story
About Sara
After graduating from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor's in Marketing and a minor in Spanish from the Terry College of Business I have been involved in my field for the past 15 years.
After my last role at Google, I had the opportunity to travel the world on several mission trips. It left a lasting impact in my life and led me on my journey to do something that was more meaningful. I wanted to make an impact and have my actions make a difference in the world. Leaving a legacy to be further grown by generations ahead continues to be a driving force within me. I switched to the nonprofit world with these intentions and have loved it ever since.
My husband and I founded One Good Deed, inc. As the name suggests, we like to help people find that one good deed to help society, either domestically or internationally. Our focus is to help the vulnerable/forgotten populations around the world one good deed at a time.
One Good Deed is a Muslim organization looking to help serve the broader Atlanta community and internationally. We go out in this path searching for good deeds that please God.
One Good Deed’s name stems from the concept in Islam that no good deed is too small to be done. Stemming from the stories in Islam that highlight the deliverance of human beings with acts of kindness that are humble and subtle (ie. giving a dog water, or even a smile being charity). Only God knows the weight of these deeds and among them may lay that one good deed which may be the reason for us to enter into paradise.
Our mission to Columbia represents our first campaign into Latin America. Our aim is to seek out areas that are needing resources and help, market and campaign to raise funds, and distribute them to the areas where the need is greatest. I spearhead the fundraising, marketing, and donor management in the organization.
Our scope is:
-Youth Homelessness in Atlanta
-Prison dawah
-Latin America community development and dawah
-Aiding Orphanges
-Aiding food deserts
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sara
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say God. I feel like all things that I'm able to do is because of God. It’s what grounds us and makes us have fulfillment in life. We want to strive to be our best, not just for our family, but also for society and our community that we live in.
I’d also like to add my supporting husband. He’s always there to help me when I need it. I’m very grateful to have him in my life and as a business partner as we venture this journey together.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice that's ingrained in me is that even a smile is charity. Essentially, that kind of means no matter what you're doing, whatever bad day you're having, even if you get a smile, it's all worth it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say don't give up, and don't hear the little voices. It could come from family members or friends, the closest people could hurt you the most. So I feel like you just have to have the good supporters around you.
Life is short, and if you want to do good things, you've got to get good people around you to help you. To empower you, to make you feel positive and happy, and make things happen!
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say management has been one of the biggest challenges. Throughout my journey, I've had really poor bosses and managers, and it has been really hard to be creative, but also do new things or level up. That journey kind of pushed me and motivated me and my husband to create our own nonprofit and do the things that we would like to do in the best manner. As for opportunities, I feel like connecting with different networks and organizations is huge. You never know when you're going to use that resource again. My volunteer at one of my nonprofits ended up creating her own nonprofit, and now I'm asking her for advice for my nonprofit. It's kind of crazy how help comes in multiple ways. You can get help from one resource, one person, and see it develop into a village of big supporters for you.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are honesty, trustworthiness, being able to do things in a timely manner, and being able to communicate. A big part of who I am is spreading the good word. That’s why I got into marketing and then into nonprofit. Often times people lack a sense of direction. For this reason I value good leadership that has been lacking in my field. Bringing to light campaigns and outlining the needs of the communities we work with offers me the opportunity to practice good leadership. That's something that I really enjoy doing in my life.
Speaking of which, please donate and support us at www.1gd.org.
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