This week, at Equitas Health, I got the opportunity to be involved in a whole-day meeting of the development team as we planned and presented what we have accomplished the last year. It was really interesting to me to see all the different facets that go into nonprofit work. As my primary focus has been events, I had not fully realized the scope of our department. We talked through everything from the budget for the next fiscal year, to website redevelopment, to the events at both the Columbus and Dayton locations, to how to best thank donors. The part of the meeting that discussed how to best thank donors was interesting to think about; I had not considered the work involved in deciding how to send handwritten thank-you notes, at what rate, and for what seasons in depth before. It was also nice to hear from the Dayton events team, with RED and Masquerage both major events there, I benefited from hearing about the unity between the two cities in our organization.

I also have gotten to spend some time with the Equitas Health Institute this past week, as I have worked on sending out their incentives and rewards for participating in their programs. The Institute is the education wing of the organization, which works to reduce healthcare disparities in the LGBTQ+ Community through cultural competency and cultural humility training. While I work in development, the diversity of facets of nonprofit work was insightful; all of these areas help us to best serve the community.

Also, this week, I got an office plant! I have a small tree I am currently growing in the corner of my cubicle. Currently, the tree is only about 10 inches tall and perfectly fits, but it is supposed to get to 8-10 feet, so I’m excited to see it start to grow throughout the summer as I continue my work.