I began this blog as a nonprofit professional seeking to learn new and better ways to create social change, believing that others might find it useful for their own professional development.
My experience with the nonprofit sector began as a volunteer at the Boys & Girls Clubs. Let me be clear: I am not one of those people who loved kids and so sought out the nearest afterschool program. I was asked to volunteer, and my first response: “I don’t really like babysitting.” That was being mild; I loathed babysitting. Nonetheless, I gave it a try and by the time I graduated from college, I had volunteered more than 500 hours and accepted a staff position with the organization. I had come to see firsthand that Boys & Girls Clubs save lives – every day, one child at a time.
Over the course of several years, I was promoted to the position of Unit Director, where I was responsible for opening a new club location inside of an area public school. This meant taking responsibility for everything from developing the budget and raising the needed funds to managing staff and measuring program outcomes. This was a tremendous experience, which demonstrated to me both how much I was capable of doing and how much I had yet to learn.
At this point, I decided to pursue my Masters in Business Administration (MBA). I wanted to find new ways to (1) better retain and build the talent within the sector, having found the people to be the sector’s most significant asset, and (2) better market the work being done, thereby mobilizing greater financial resources for these efforts. Through the program, I also received instruction on the basics of running a business (such as finance, operations and accounting).
What I didn’t expect from this experience was to develop a love for the city of Detroit. You’ve read about the city in the news, no doubt, as it struggles with a shrinking population, corrupt politicians, and an education system that fails its students, – not to mention the troubles with the auto industry. What you don’t hear often enough, though, are those people committed to defining a new Detroit. The city’s motto is “Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus” or “We hope for better things; it shall rise from the ashes.” There are so many stories of people who are taking what seems like an insurmountable problem and finding immense opportunity. To those people, I say: Count me in!
And so I begin this new chapter of my life, this new adventure filled with hope and challenge, and I look to make myself the best person I can be so that I can do the work that is so badly needed. I hope you find the golden nuggets within this blog that help you to do your own work better, and that you’ll challenge me a long the way, pushing me to find a better version of myself.
Doing good better 