Career Path: New Times Two

"I'm on my way up, and you should get me while you can afford me."

Believe it or not, I actually said this to University of Alaska system President Mark Hamilton. At the time, I was chief of staff and a legislative finance aide for Kevin Meyer, a member of Alaska's House of Representatives. Having worked in the Statehouse for eight years, I was ready for a new career.

I had come to know Hamilton through my involvement in Alaska's legislative process. In the winter we worked together on state issues that affected the university system, and in the summer our families often fished together. One day while fishing the Kenai River for king salmon, I turned to him and said (far less confidently than it might sound), "You know, you need me. I'm a lifelong Alaskan, an alumna, and a current student in UA's Master of Public Administration program. I'm smart, I speak well, I'm on my way up, and you should get me while you can afford me."

We all have defining moments in our lives, and this certainly was one of mine. More than a year after having this critical conversation, I interviewed to become the University of Alaska's first corporate and foundation relations manager—a job I accepted in August 2004. Because I had raised money for political campaigns, I assumed that raising money for a university couldn't be that much different. I had a lot to learn.

Getting here

In the eight years I spent at the Alaska Statehouse, I helped carry bills through the legislative process, wrote amendments and press releases, helped develop agency budgets, worked with constituents, and was on call day and night for my legislator. I even testified before state House and Senate committees on everything from natural resource management to education funding.

Although I enjoyed my job, I knew it couldn't be a lifelong career. The logistics alone were a nightmare. Because I worked for an Anchorage-based legislator, I had to move to Juneau, Alaska's capital city, for each 120-day legislative session. The trouble is, Juneau is accessible only by airplane or boat. It takes two days to drive from Anchorage to Haines, where travelers catch the four-and-a-half-hour ferry ride to Juneau. As much as I loved the adventure and the job, moving twice a year had begun to wear on me. I needed a new career path.

Knowing the right people and marketing myself aggressively ultimately led me to university advancement and its unique learning curve. Fourteen months into my tenure, I realize I'm just getting started.

Hurdles galore

I wasn't intimidated by my new position at first, perhaps because I didn't really know what I was getting into. Reality set in quickly when I realized I would be operating with no infrastructure. Not only was I new to development, but my function (corporate and foundation relations) was new to the 16-campus system.

To make matters even more challenging, development itself is a relatively new function at UA. Only within the last five years have officials at the three main campuses begun hiring development officers and implementing strategic plans to set and work toward fund-raising goals.

All of this meant, of course, that I didn't have anyone to show me the ropes. Although Mary Rutherford, UA's associate vice president for development and my immediate supervisor, knows a lot about planned and major gifts, she has limited experience raising money from corporations and foundations. For the most part, I was on my own.

Negotiating the learning curve

It didn't take long for me to start experiencing "fraud syndrome." I couldn't help thinking, if these people really knew that I don't have any idea what I'm doing, they'd fire me.

Luckily my boss understood my predicament and encouraged me to ask colleagues at other institutions for advice and support. In a span of two months, I traveled at UA's expense to the CFR offices of Stanford and Washington State universities and the universities of Washington and Massachusetts Amherst. I was amazed by how welcoming and supportive these colleagues were. I am certain these trips were sound investments of time and money. Not only did I learn tricks of the trade, but I also built relationships with contacts I can call even today.

From these meetings, as well as informal sessions with my co-workers, I learned about the different development positions at each campus. Before I started this job, I had never heard the titles annual giving manager, donor relations coordinator, or major gifts officer, nor did I know what they did. The learning curve has been very steep, but I'm really enjoying it. I've even found the fun in learning basic things like new vocabulary, aspects of university structure, and the difference between a provost and a chancellor.

One day at a time

One of my primary responsibilities is to bring in $1 million in new corporate and foundation money each year. I'm proud that I'm making a difference in so many lives by helping raise funds for University of Alaska projects, programs, and scholarships. Knowing every day that I can help make Alaska smarter keeps me focused on the smaller tasks that help me achieve my larger goals.

Still, building this position from the ground up means taking the time to do it right. I not only need to hit the streets to introduce myself to corporations and foundations, but I also need to develop and refine processes and procedures, build contact lists and databases, and create the other components of a successful CFR program. If the proverbial bus hits me tomorrow, my successor won't have to start at square one, as I did.

I believe that if I can create an effective infrastructure within the next three to five years, the university might be able to employ CFR managers at each of our two largest campuses, Anchorage and Fairbanks. We're not there yet, but I'm determined to make it happen.