Can you tell us about yourself, and all the wonderful things that you do?
I am currently the Director of Development at the Urban Justice Center, a nonprofit organization that advocates around poverty issues through a combination of direct legal service, systemic advocacy, community education and political organizing. My personal career path has been non-traditional. I attended school at Washington University in St. Louis where I obtained a degree in Civil Engineering. For most engineers, fundraising or work in the nonprofit sector is not a logical next step. I found that what drove my educational experience was not what I was learning in my engineering classes, but what I was learning through my volunteer experiences. I was afraid of being a broke social worker and decided to finish my engineering degree as my financial cushion. After several years of working in direct service, I found I was missing the strategic and analytical skills I had developed in the classroom, but I still wanted to be connected to work that I saw as important to our society. For me, I found this by transitioning into fundraising.

The Urban Justice Center has a non-traditional fundraising model, where individual projects are responsible for raising enough to cover their project budgets. My responsibility is to raise general support or non-designated funds that can be used for the organization as a whole. I find that I need a base of relationship building skills and passion for our work. Analytical and strategic acumen have proven to be added advantages as a fundraiser.

You have been in Development for a little over five years. Where does your passion come from?
In selecting any career position, the first issue for me is the heart and soul of the organization. Most people in the nonprofit sector have the opportunity to make higher salaries, but have chosen to work in an area they feel is important. If you don’t feel strongly about the mission and the goals of the organization why make the sacrifice? More importantly, from my perspective in fundraising, how can I ask someone to reach in their pocket and support our organization if I don’t believe in the work? Each day I come to work, I know we are making real differences in people’s lives and in the world around us. When I read the paper and get that pit in my stomach about the state of the world, I feel good about coming to work. There are times I know we are fighting an uphill battle and that pushes me more.

What sort of professional or personal development and/or resources have you accessed to help you further your career goals?
I have joined numerous professional associations to help me continuously expand my network of peers. I have found the best resources to be the people I have built relationships with along the way.

I try to make time for courses that are offered whenever possible. There are many free classes out there that may seem like a waste of valuable office time. However, attending even the least helpful course can provide time to reflect and push your own thoughts and ideas a little farther. Industry publications often serve the same role by sharing other stories and information on the forefront of the fundraising world. There is no limit to the opportunities that are presented to exercise your own brain and to go beyond your comfortable level.

Whenever possible, I really try to have someone with a fresh perspective look at anything. Particularly in fundraising, I am constantly communicating about my organization with people outside the organization. Reaching out to a test audience can give you an opportunity to see the obvious point you may have overlooked as an insider.

How important is development in the non-profit sector? What changes would you like to see take place in the next few years between funding and non-profits?
I think anyone that does work in the nonprofit sector knows the importance of development. We have to pay our staff, we need space, we need phones and computers to serve our clients. It is natural to have a vision and desire to see it realized. Most often the obstacle is funding the dream. It is much easier to request funds that will directly pay client services, but what about support systems we need in place in order to provide those services.

Accountability has become a very large issue for both grantors and individual donors within the nonprofit sector. Particularly in light of large funding surges around September 11th and Hurricane Katrina, we are becoming increasingly aware of the potential for corruption or just inadvertent mismanagement. I think this has steered us into very clearly designated gifts that are earmarked for a particular purpose. This can often hamper an organization’s ability to serve their clients to the maximum potential.

It can be difficult to fund the ingredients needed to create a more solid business models that can appropriately track gifts. For example, it’s natural want to support disaster relief, but would you want to pay for an organization’s audit? It is extremely important to have full disclosure on spending and appropriate reporting and accountability, but this requires resources. I would really like to see more build in funding to assist in accountability models balanced with increased opportunities for discretionary funding to cover operational necessities or unexpected expenses that will continue to exist for nonprofits.

Funding is a tough, heavily needed requirement, and is rewarding. Can you share an experience that renewed your passion for funding and development?
When I first started at the Urban Justice Center I had worked with the Board of Directors at several smaller organizations. They were certainly functioning boards that were supportive financially and as a steering body, at various levels. At each of the previous organizations where I worked, I found the highlight of Board meetings was generally the staff update on the work of the organization, followed by some Q&A. At my first Urban Justice Center Board meeting, there was a staff member present, but nothing formal on the agenda about an update. When I attended the meeting, I immediately knew why. The conversation in the room largely involved the discussion of pro-bono cases involving some of our Board members directly or indirectly. I quickly realized that most of them had direct experience connecting them to our organization. They were even updating me on some of the particulars of the work. It was invigorating to see such a direct connect and in-turn a strong passion. Dealing with an informed Board takes away the burden of keeping them sold on our mission and allows me to focus on engaging them in our development plans for the organization.

What are some of the challenges you face as Director of Development, and where do you find the desire to keep going when faced with adversity? One of the biggest challenges as Director of Development is accepting that you are often in a supportive role and depending on others to raise funds. Particularly with individual donors, a Board of Directors or and Event Honorees will extend themselves personally to their contacts. It is important to be extremely supportive and arm them with the necessary materials, but to have reasonable expectations and to understand this is a volunteer role. I think sometimes when you are expecting a positive response

What are some professional and personal skills that are needed for a career in Development?
The most important professional and personal skill in development is solid relationship building skills. One of the biggest roles is sharing the good work of your organization. This involves good communication both verbally and on paper. Good administrative skills are important when managing and tracking communications with many individuals as well. It is also important to know this is largely a behind the scenes job, you must be able to walk away from the spotlight.

For all the readers out there who are thinking of having a career in development, what insight would you offer them?
Carefully choose the organization for you. If you don’t believe in the work, it will show. Also, ask about where current funding streams are coming from. You want to have a diverse funding stream and the full support of the Board of Directors.