I haven’t posted in a while because a lot of what I have been wanting to write about has been top secret. I tried to steer clear of my blog for fear of accidentally letting something slip. However, now that the decision has been made and the appropriate people have been informed, I can officially announce my news: I have accepted the position of Director of Development at a national organization’s Silicon Valley site.
It was an extremely difficult decision. For the most part, I have really enjoyed working at my current organization. After being there 5.5 years, I know it inside and out. I know the key players and have built solid relationships with donors, funders, and board members. I like my co-workers and have a great boss. And, there are no surprises – meaning that I know what the challenges, flaws, and areas for improvement are. I love the mission of the organization and know that we do good work in the community. So why would I leave?
A lot of factors played into my acceptance of this offer. I am ready for a new challenge. I want to work in the community in which I live. I am tired of commuting and do not want my son to have to spend so much time in the car each day on the way to and from daycare. I have a vision for my career and in order to get to where I want to be, it is time for me to broaden my experience, work in a different environment, and fundraise for a bigger budget. Contrary to what people may think, it was not really about a higher salary or better benefits…though that didn’t hurt.
I was made aware of the opening by my mentor, who encouraged me to take a look at it because she thought it was an organization I might be interested in. She was right. I submitted my résumé and didn’t hear anything for over a month. I assumed they weren’t interested and didn’t sweat it because I had a job. I was surprised when they finally did contact me because I had applied so long ago. It was an intense process…8 interviews (3 in-person, 5 by phone), each lasting 30-90 minutes, with people from the San Jose/Silicon Valley office, as well as in Boston, Seattle, and Los Angeles. I did as much interviewing of them as they did of me. I wanted to make sure this was 1) the right fit, 2) an organization I could be passionate about, 3) a fiscally responsible organization, and 4) the best decision for me at this point in my career and life.
A few thoughts about my new position. Working with a national organization has a lot of perks, career advancement and the occasional trip to the Boston headquarters, being a couple. While my title is Director of Development, specifically I’ll be handling individual giving, major gifts, events, and strategy. There is no real individual giving program established, so my big task (which is a little scary, but exciting) is to get one going. My new office is down the street from where I live. If I wanted to, I could walk. Even if my office hours are slightly longer than what I am accustomed to, the time I will save in my commute is HUGE.
I’m a little torn about my son’s daycare situation. I know we will find something closer to home and that it’ll be great, but we (all three of us) love his current provider. He has been there since he was 2.5 months old. They are practically his second family. We’ll keep him where he is until we find new arrangements.
I was able to negotiate a start date of July 1 so that I can finish out the fiscal year at my current job. We have a big fundraising event in 2 weeks and I want to do what I can to get things organized and document a lot of the things I do that have lived in my head for 5 years.
This experience, of informing and getting ready to leave my current organization, has been far more emotional than I expected it to be. I am lucky and blessed to be in this situation. Not everyone can say they genuinely like their job, the mission, and the people they work with and are moving on mainly because of a bigger opportunity/career advancement. I couldn’t have asked for a better starting point to my career and look forward to this next chapter.