Post 2: Sector with a Purpose

After hearing from Dr. Wade, I felt so much more connected to the nonprofit world. No one I know ever talks about the specifics of what nonprofit organizations have to do to get money, or the struggles in their budgets...or the complex relationship between the board members and the staff. I knew that board members needed to have a variety of different skills but I guess I had never thought about how important the members' networking connections could be. So it really was great to hear from someone who knows the in's and out's of the nonprofit sector! Of course it was also eye-opening to see all of the broad kinds of nonprofits there are. For example, the US Postal Service? Never would have thought. I guess it makes sense though!

I really liked learning about all of Dr. Wade's specific day-to-day tasks working for I Know I Can. I was surprised that they only had a staff of 13 people but had such a huge budget available! I never realized how important a founder's endowment could be. It's things like writing the annual report for donors that I wouldn't like to do, but I realized how important it is in order for donors to keep giving. I also liked that she was able to tell specific stories about different students, such as the girl who needed money for the expensive photography camera. It gave me hope about not being too far away from direct service if I were to work on the staff of a nonprofit.


Dr. Wade was definitely inspiring because she seemed so talented, on-top-of things and well-educated. She mentioned a few times that going through her doctoral program really helped her be great at her job, especially in regards to grant writing. I was so surprised to hear that she'd only received two denials! It's also intimidating at the same time! I realize that the qualifications of being truly good at your job require a lot of education and skill. For someone that wants to do something similar to Dr. Wade, I see more clearly how much farther I have to go before I come even close where I need to be. Even though grant writing seems scary and dealing with budgets are kind of an unknown territory, I like the idea of being able to go home everyday as though you somehow made a difference. Dr. Wade said that she loves her job for that reason. I knew I never wanted to get into the corporate world because that world seemed so self-oriented and sad. It's almost as if I've discovered a world similar to the corporate world, but one with purpose. It also made me feel better that Dr. Wade said that you could still make the same salary (if you're good at what you do) as if you were working in the for-profit sector. That gave me hope because even though improving the lives of others is great, my family is who I am going to want to ultimately provide for through and through.