Q: Tell us a little about your organization. Mission? Population you serve? What do you like most about working there?  

Seeds of Caring empowers kids to make a difference in their communities through service, social action, and empathy-building experiences. We serve children and families across Central Ohio and Central Indiana, partnering with nonprofits, schools, and community organizations to address real needs from hunger and homelessness to environmental care and senior isolation.

What I love most about working at Seeds of Caring is that we take big, complex issues and invite kids into them in ways that are hopeful, tangible, and empowering. Watching young people realize they can help—and that their kindness matters—is incredibly grounding and inspiring.

Q: How long have you been an AFP member, and what has your involvement been?

I’ve been an AFP member for almost 15 years. Like many new members, my first couple of years were fairly passive. I attended a few lunches but struggled to figure out how to truly plug in or make the most of my membership.

Everything changed when I attended a new member orientation and decided to join a committee. Through committee service, my involvement really took off. After a year or two, I joined the Board of Directors – my very first experience serving on a board. Today, I’m honored to serve as President of AFP Central Ohio.

Q: What do you consider the most valuable part of your AFP membership?

Not long ago, I was wrapping up a committee meeting where we’d been finalizing our strategic plan. A few of us lingered afterward, finishing a beer and talking shop. Someone I’d known for years through AFP (but never deeply) shared an idea her organization had implemented that was exactly what I’d been searching for. Total lightbulb moment.

That conversation never would have happened without AFP. I took the idea back to my boss, and she loved it. Those organic, unscripted moments….benchmarking, commiserating, problem-solving with people who truly understand this work…..are what make AFP so valuable to me.

Q: How long have you been in fundraising, and how did you get into it?      

I’ve been in fundraising for about 15 years, and like many fundraisers, I found my way in through a side door. I was put in charge of planning a fundraising event because I knew how to run events, but I quickly realized I was struggling with sponsorships.

Our HR Director suggested I attend some AFP events, and suddenly an entire world opened up. Until then, I had no idea fundraising was a profession, let alone a career path. I was intrigued, learned quickly, and eventually became that organization’s first full-time Director of Development. The rest (as they say) is history.

Q: What is your favorite part about living/working in Columbus? Favorite place to go?

I love Columbus’s local coffee scene—Portia’s Café (thanks to Past President Erika Gable for the reintroduction), Kittie’s, Crimson, and Roosevelt are favorites.

I also have a four-year-old, and becoming a parent made me deeply appreciate how much this city offers families: COSI, the Zoo, Franklin Park Conservatory, and so much more—all incredible nonprofits by the way! It’s a wonderful place to live and work.

Q: Tell us a fun fact about you that other AFP members wouldn’t know.

In my early 20s, I saw a newspaper ad from a guy in Grandview organizing an “eco-tourism” trip to the Andes Mountains in Bolivia. After some email exchanges, I bought a plane ticket and met him, and the other nine travelers, for the first time at the Miami airport.

Somehow, this turned into one of the most incredible experiences of my life. We hiked to a completely remote lodge above the rainforest and were among the first Americans to walk an Incan trail. I’m now close friends with that organizer and his wife—but looking back, I still marvel that I wasn’t killed! It was truly amazing.

Q: What has been your biggest success in your career?

Raising the grant and foundation funding needed to purchase a new facility; one that allowed an organization to serve more people, expand programming, and hire additional staff. More recently, being part of a team that grew our organizational budget past $1 million for the first time in its history.

Q: What has been your biggest learning opportunity in your career?

Serving on the AFP Board of Directors (seriously, I swear!)

Q: Where would you take your dream vacation?

Honestly – back to Bolivia! Or perhaps Hawaii.

Q: What is one thing your organization does really well?

Cultivates empathetic, community-minded citizens who lead with compassion

Q: Do you have a favorite book/blog/podcast/etc. that has been very helpful in your career that you’d like to recommend?

I’m in a podcast phase, mainly because time is limited. I recommend Joan Garry’s Nonprofits Are Messy and The Modern Manager by Mamie Kanfer Stewart.