Let’s do good work together!

For over a decade I worked with the Alzheimer’s Association to raise awareness and funds; supporting education, advocacy and research. In collaboration with participants, volunteers, committees and fellow staff we raised millions of dollars through our peer-to-peer events and were able to see direct impact. We increased our annual event revenue by over half a million dollars in a few short years.

One of my proudest accomplishments was working with our team to secure our spot in the Top 15 walk events (in 2019 we were #15 to be exact); out of over 600 events nationwide.

During my tenure at the Association I learned incredible skills and built meaningful relationships. However one of the most important lessons that I learned was quite simple; “don’t put things off.” 

For years my husband and I had talked about hiking portions of the Appalachian Trail (the longest footpath in the world spanning 2200 miles from Georgia to Maine); and in June of last year we rented a camper van, packed it up and hit the road. By heeding the advice that I learned through my work I would have to take a bit of a sabbatical to make this dream a reality. 

My trail experience was an adventure of a lifetime. In true transparency, I ran support for my husband's day-hikes much more than I actually hiked myself. I’m sure I’ll write a more detailed piece on my many “trail take-aways” but there were so many parallels to the work that I am so passionate about; relationship building, the creation of vibrant communities and the uniqueness of individuals that come together to achieve a goal. 

Now it’s time to take my previous experience from the trail and various roles at the Alzheimer’s Association, Central Ohio Chapter (volunteer, committee lead, walk director and development director) and start a new adventure. I am excited to start the new year connecting with other peer-to-peer nonprofit fundraisers, providing fractional and contract, virtual support during staff transitions or those busy times throughout event season. Being a peer-to-peer development professional is so rewarding; taking incredible time and dedication. With my experience I hope to work with teams and simply provide extra support; filling the gaps when and where needed. 

In short, this year I look forward to doing more good work together.