The latest expert to join us for the Be Our Guest series is Madelyn Anetrella, Director of Development with Kentucky Habitat for Humanity and the owner of the My Nonprofit Experience blog. Prior to joining Habitat in August, Madelyn worked with The Salvation Army as the Director of Volunteer Services, Grant Administrator, and Angel Tree Program Manager. She is a Western Kentucky University alum and also participated in many philanthropic activities as a student.Throughout her career, she has worked, interned, or volunteered with organizations such as the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, Kentucky Humane Society, Girl Scouts, American Heart Association, USO, and her church. As Madelyn put it "I have been involved in some way, whether I knew it at the time or not, with the nonprofit sector since I was 5 years old!"
After college, Madelyn moved to Louisville, Kentucky to attend graduate school. She had planned to get her Master of Arts in political science and then attend law school. In the last semester of her Master's program, a class in nonprofit management intrigued, challenged and inspired Madelyn. After following the intrigue to an internship with the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, she got hooked on the philanthropic world, withdrew from law school and embarked on her career as a nonprofit professional.
My thanks to Madelyn for taking the time to answer these questions - share your thoughts and insights in the comment section below.
What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts currently face?
When I first read this question, two responses came to mind. Since one is general and the other more specific, I thought I would share them both:
- The recessed economy is definitely the biggest challenge to my fundraising efforts, specifically frozen foundation funding and reduced individual giving.
- I am the first Development Director at my organization, and there is no precedent or structure in place in regard to fundraising. I am building everything from the ground up, which is both challenging and exciting!
What are you doing to overcome these challenges?
- In response to the economy, we are trying to be creative in our fundraising by creating new partnerships with similar organizations in the community, exploring new funding streams, and using this time to steward our donors.
- Fortunately, I am a planner. I will spend the next 3-6 months studying the organizational culture, meeting with Board of Directors members and coworkers, developing our development strategy. I do, however, have to keep reminding myself to take it one day at a time and the more time I put into planning on the front end, the more organized, effective, and efficient I will be in the future.
What is the most successful change/program implementation you have made in your current role?
I am new to my current position, but I think my careful, thorough, and extensive planning is my most successful contribution. When I am organized and prepared, I feel better equipped to participate in meetings, discussions, and maximize my contributions to the organization.
Where do you see social-media’s best application for fundraising?
Social media has helped me engage individuals and corporations in the community who have not known about who we are or what we do. I use social media to distribute information, share good news, post pictures, stay in touch with donors and volunteers, and make special requests. I am currently using Facebook to collect ideas/contacts for potential vehicle donors for KyHfH's Sustainable Building Specialist so she can travel throughout KY and work with our affiliate chapters on green building.
What book / blog / twitter feed would you suggest fundraisers pay attention to in order to further develop their skills?
Book: Currently reading the Networked Nonprofit (Editor's note: So am I - great stuff!). Like I said earlier, the distressed economy is forcing us all to be creative. Social media is one way to engage donors and disseminate information.
As a young nonprofit professional, many of my peers are in the for-profit sector. I feel that I work harder but make less money. However, I am happy and confident with where I am in my career. I love my organization and what I do, but... Will the pay difference eventually catch up with me? Do we suck it up and accept the difference in compensation between the nonprofit and for-profit sectors? Is it our responsibility to work toward change to keep our fellow nonprofit professionals in the field to maintain the efficience, effectiveness, and future of the nonprofit sector?
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