I had the pleasure of hosting Nicole Tekulve from Kettering University, the recipient of Apra Carolinas’ 2023 Road Trip Grant, at Elon in early September. As a Past President of the Chapter, I had volunteered to serve as a resource and when Nicole expressed an interest in meeting with a colleague at another small private college, Elon fit the bill.
Nicole is giving background on the day from her perspective, but I thought I’d share a few takeaways from my experience as the “mentor.”
From left to right: Nicole Tekulve, Merissa Lawson and Megan Wynn at Elon University
- It was relatively simple to plan. Nicole had some back and forth over email with Megan Wynn, a member of my team and an Apra Carolinas board member, to coordinate a date that would work best for everyone. We asked Nicole to send over a few questions/topics in advance so I could get a sense of how to best spend our time together. The only other things I needed to do were to schedule a conference room, pick a lunch spot, and pull together some resources.
- It was fun to share our campus/culture. In addition to spending time going over Nicole’s questions, Megan and I took her to College Coffee (an Elon tradition where faculty, staff, and students gather for a weekly break) and walked her through a short campus tour. I’m sure Nicole could feel the pride we have in our campus, and it was great to see things through a visitor’s eyes. We also got to compare our different organizational structures and our unique way of doing things. Research is never one-size fits all, but it helps to hear what works and what doesn’t at another shop and leave with fresh ideas.
- We got to commiserate. Everyone who has been to a networking or educational event knows the value of getting to connect on the similarities of our work. Some things seem to be universal: fundraisers who don’t put in call reports? YUP. Administration asking for everything at the last minute? YES! Bosses that don’t feel our pain when asking us to “just do a quick profile?” ARGH. There’s a small amount of comfort in knowing that some of our research pain points are shared.
- I saw the value in my experience. Believe it or not, I have imposter syndrome. Even after spending almost 20 years in the field, I know that I certainly don’t know it all (and sometimes feel like I know nothing!). But it was a pleasure to talk through my experience and help someone else learn from my successes and mistakes. We spent a good deal of our time together going over comprehensive campaigns and it was so gratifying to help set Nicole up for success. (As an added bonus, this day of conversation didn’t just benefit Nicole, but also Megan, who was able to learn more of the details of campaign planning along with our guest.
- It was a good reminder of WHY we do the work. Beyond hashing out some questions, I think our discussion reinforced the importance of our role in the greater fundraising process. Time and again we talked about our curiosity, problem solving abilities, the value in seeing data patterns, and our unique view of context and strategy. When things can feel rough, or a problem looks insurmountable, it helps to remember that we have a unique skill set and bring VALUE to our organization.
All to say, we had a wonderful day! I’d highly recommend volunteering if you’re considering a way to give back to the Chapter. It’s such a gift to share your time and talent with colleagues – remember, we’re all in this together! Or apply for a Road Trip Grant: it’s a fantastic opportunity to connect with peers, hash out problems, and gain new perspectives.
-Merissa Lawson (Immediate Past President, Apra Carolinas)
