I believe in the power of education.
I’ve seen it in my own life when great teachers unlocked the beauty of Shakespeare through group readings. When they helped work and re-work drafts of papers before my love of storytelling blossomed into a career. When they helped me see how seemingly unrelated events intersected and crescendoed into major cultural shifts throughout history.
My education helped me make sense of the world, set me on a path to provide for my family, gave me a lifelong passion for learning, and instilled in me a drive to leave the world a better place.
Supporting Education Is a Worthwhile Endeavor
I’ve had the privilege of traveling and seeing firsthand what education can do around the world. I’ve seen that when children in developing countries get to go to school, they’re not just gaining access to a classroom—they’re opening a door to a better future. The same happens here in the U.S. when students from marginalized or poor backgrounds gain entrance—and the tuition support needed—to our best schools and universities.
Every day, futures are transformed within our schools.
None of this happens without philanthropic support. As advancement organizations, we’re not just fundraising to grow an endowment. We’re raising support from partners who care about the next generation.
At EverTrue’s Raise 2016 conference, Scott Nichols, senior vice president of development and alumni relations at Boston University, said something about the advancement industry that resonated with me.
“Tell every young person you know to go into this field,” he said. “It’s so noble. It’s so impactful.”
Do you believe that? Do you believe we’re working in a noble profession?
We are, because what we do changes lives.
EverTrue CEO Brent Grinna and Boston University VP Scott Nichols at Raise 2016
That means that with every email you send, every proposal you create, every event you plan, every prospect you research, you are a partner in this noble work. You are at the forefront of changing lives for the better. You should be proud to be a part of this worthy effort.
EverTrue Is Leading an Innovation in Fundraising and Alumni Engagement
What we do as advancement professionals matters. It matters a great deal because the result is critically important—perhaps more important today than it ever has been.
So when I talked with EverTrue about moving from being a customer to joining its growing team, it was a no-brainer. I made the move because I knew that this was the best place to help the advancement industry as a whole leap forward in the digital age.
By putting easy-to-use tools into the hands of advancement professionals, helping all fundraisers find gems of information within their own database, giving advancement shops a better view into how alums are engaging, and serving up powerful views into donor habits and social media interactions, EverTrue is the best advancement platform for the modern fundraising team, bar none.
Joining EverTrue wasn’t about leaving a great job, a talented team at Phillips Exeter Academy, and 1,080 remarkable students. It was about seeing an opportunity to do more of this noble work and to help raise support that changes lives at every school, not just at my own.
This is a team that knows our business and is passionate about helping change lives. That’s exciting. I’m proud to be a part of a company that’s transforming fundraising so that we can all impact more students with the results of our efforts.
This is noble work. And I’m glad to be doing this alongside you.
Interested in joining the EverTrue team? Learn more about our mission and check out our job listings here.
Mike Nagel used to be the associate director of digital marketing at Phillips Exeter Academy. Now he’s the customer marketing manager at EverTrue. Follow him on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.