It was a very productive week for me at Ohio Humanities, as I finally got to finish the donor stewardship project that I’ve been working on for weeks! After I finished the phone calls to donors last week, I drafted and sent out thank you notes to donors that called for them to reach out to us for conversations about our work. I sent these notes through emails and through written notes that were mailed, and I’m excited to see the response that comes from them. From one response we already got, I had the opportunity to have a phone call with a donor and with the Senior Development Officer, Scarlett, to hear about what the donor thinks Ohio Humanities is doing effectively in sharing our work with our donors, what changes or advice they had, and why they love the humanities like us. It was a very valuable experience hearing directly from a supporter, and I’m anticipating more phone calls in the coming weeks with Scarlett, as well as in person conversations with donors to gauge what actions we should take to gain more donor support.

At this week’s Learning Session, we got to hear from Elizabeth Martinez, the president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, in person about her professional experience and the mindsets she adopted in her struggles and journey to have a prestigious leadership position in the nonprofit sector. Her advice resonated with me substantially, particularly when she expressed the significance of mentorship and having guides who can act as accountability partners as well as facilitators to connections. I also appreciated when Elizabeth highlighted the significance of being the best version of yourself – we need to consider everything with our name attached to it, be thoughtful about the way we are presenting ourselves in all our interactions, and refining ourselves in spaces where our point of view and opinions are expected. This perspective helped begin to erase some of the reservations that I feel as a young professional in whom I feel I am “permitted” to interact with, and I think that adopting Elizabeth’s advice is going to have a valuable impact on my journey to create new opportunities for myself and in becoming a leader in the nonprofit industry.