For today's edition of 7 Questions for a Changemaker, I sat down with Jeff Sodowsky, Vice President, Pacific & Senior Consultant at Global Philanthropic Canada. Jeff has years of experience fundraising in the Arts and Healthcare sectors, and is one of the most stylish guys I know!
1. Who are you, and what do you actually do? I'm a guide and partner focused on securing money for charities that make our world a better place. Sometimes that's helping a campaign advance. Sometimes it's putting a plan in place. And sometimes it's guiding one or a group of passionate and committed individuals. I do this under the guise of being the Pacific VP and a Senior Consultant for Global Philanthropic Canada. I'm an avid traveller, learner, and somewhat of an artist. I'm a newer Canadian. I'm a husband, dog dad, big brother, and friend.
2. What pulled you into the nonprofit world? As a retiring stage performer, I knew a secondary career would be inevitable. The ballet world had not fully set me up financially for the decades still to come. So, I had to contemplate what was next on a journey toward potentially growing up. (Still not committed to that.) I found that I had skills that enabled me to champion support for other artistic visions and needed community efforts. I had done this for my own artistic works and priorities. And it became something of value that I could share with others.
3. Tell me about a moment that made you think, "Yes. This is why I do this." I knew what it was to sit on the edge of a stage looking out at an empty theatre before the audience was admitted, and realizing I had made a childhood dream come true. I knew that I could help map a path for others to journey toward finding and connecting with like-minded and like-valued individuals who could come together to realize common visions. I've seen the universality of humanity in the theatre, in the classroom, in remote locales, at the hospital, on the building site, and so many other settings around the globe. I could visualize something that was not yet manifested and walk alongside those who were desiring an outcome until they reached a point of seeing their dream beginning to become a reality. There are so many moments of impact that reinforce this for me, but sitting in Nepal with women who had been rescued from human trafficking and learning from them how to make momos without the benefit of a common spoken language certainly stands out.
4. What's something about working in nonprofits most people don't understand? These are complex businesses on tighter margins than most for-profit corporations. There are talented and skilled individuals who are frequently under-resourced but still pull off miracles. When there's flexibility to take risks or be creative, the results are frequently astounding. As one of the largest sectors contributing to GDP, we make a huge difference financially while also making the world a better and more humane place.
5. What's one thing you wish more fundraisers or hiring managers knew? Here are several. Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Donors are not ATMs. Relationships are important. It's worth teaching someone to fish.
6. What's a small, underrated habit that's helped your career? Realize that everyone around the table has value and perspective, regardless of their skills and experience level, especially the young. I remember the first time an interviewee told me that he had googled me, and I had to ask, "What's a Google?"
7. Finish this sentence: "The future of fundraising is…" ...critical for our continued well-being and increasingly reliant on those willing to advance their skills in multiple areas while never losing the ability to listen, learn, and unite around common values and visions.