A Fundraising Journey

Let me take you on a fundraising journey from coast to coast and through my life.

Our first stop is Quincy, Illinois, Hog Capital of America and my hometown. As with most other girls of the time, my introduction to fundraising was through Girl Scout cookies, which in those days cost 35 cents per box. One year I won the prize for selling the most boxes, 53 in all. My aunt bought 3 and my father bought 50.

My next job was recruiting other kids to go door-to-door with coffee cans covered in red construction paper, soliciting for the American Heart Association. Afterwards, everybody came over to my house for my mother’s famous chili and to have our group’s picture taken for the local paper. I think the shot must have gotten cut for an expanded hog report because it never got into print.

Our next destination is Evanston, Illinois, about 280 miles to the north and home to Northwestern University where I coordinated car washes to raise money for student volunteer projects. After graduation, I got my first grown-up job working at a PBS station in Florida where I wrote fundraising copy, PSAs, and conducted station tours.

I decided to trade the Gulf of Mexico for the Pacific Ocean and attended a political rally in San Francisco where I signed a petition. Before I knew it, I was a canvasser and cold-caller for a political group. This type of fundraising is the hardest job of all, especially for a controversial issue. We should all be grateful to the gutsy folks who do this.

During the next 40 years in the Bay Area, I started two nonprofits, got an MBA, worked over 10 years as a development director for organizations small and huge, served on many boards and committees, taught lots of classes and workshops, met some of the best, most wonderful, generous, broadminded, humanity-embracing folks in the world and eventually settled in as a fundraising consultant. I will forever be grateful to my mentors and tour guides along the way.

Thanks, everybody.

– Suzanne Irwin-Wells