As we mark our 25th anniversary at Venture for Fund Raising, I cannot help but reflect on how much Venture has influenced my life. I am who I am now because of Venture.
My first encounter with Venture was in the early 2000s, (please don't do the math!) when I attended the Basic Course on Fund Raising. I had just been assigned by our president at Miriam College to oversee its 75th anniversary fund raising campaign to raise the seed for an endowment fund that will support scholarships and faculty development, and a capital fund to renovate our Marian Auditorium. Immediately thereafter, the school became one of Venture’s early consulting clients, since we recognized that we needed help in organizing the campaign. As we were working to raise our target, I made sure I attended pretty much all of Venture’s training courses and developed a friendship with the team at that time, and would consult them on the many fund raising-related challenges I faced.
Fast forward to 2007, when I was invited to serve as one of Venture’s Program Directors. Three years after, I returned to Miriam College at the request of our president to help ‘finish the campaign’, which had slowed down when I left. When word about how we surpassed our fund target got around, I was re-invited to join Venture in 2012, and so many years later, I’m still here!
Throughout this 24-year relationship with Venture, I learned so much, not only about fund raising, philanthropy, and non-profit management, but more importantly, how, when one is committed to a mission, one becomes resilient, and learns to be creative in overcoming obstacles and challenges.
I learned how important it is to earn and value the trust, faith, and consistent support of our Board, who have guided Venture through the best and the worst of times, and celebrated numerous milestones with us along the way.
I learned how to evolve a group of individuals into a solid, committed team, with whom I felt we could do everything, go anywhere, and have fun while at it. Our mantra was/is ‘we work hard, but we play harder!
I learned how to consider Venture’s and the team’s well-being in every decision, from the mundane - where shall we eat lunch today? - to the lofty decisions on how best to steward our resources and what new programs or interventions to develop.
And equally important, I learned the value of forging authentic, sincere relationships with YOU, our over 1,269 [and counting] partners, donors and friends. Your generosity and belief in our mission to ‘teach the joy of giving’ have been the driving force behind every success story, every organization transformed, and every goal realized. For this, we are profoundly grateful.
To our former and current team members, Board, partners and friends, here's to 25 fulfilling years of ‘teaching the joy of giving’, and to many more years of making a difference together! Thank you for being a part of our story. Venture is where it is now, because of you.
Looking forward to many more years of ad-Ventures with you,
