Have you ever been excited to start a new job as director of development for a nonprofit news organization, only to have your flight home canceled (twice) and your first week kind of get away from you?
My husband, daughter, mother-in-law and I just returned from an incredible trip to England and Wales visiting family and making friends with cab drivers, castle constables and garden cats. On our trip, we spoke a great deal about my new position at NonDoc Media and the importance of quality journalism. Buying papers during our airport adventure and having time to ponder the modern press on long plane rides, I found myself more and more grateful to join this team.
I have been a nonprofit professional for almost 15 years, first in health care, then in education. All of the organizations for which I have worked held significant meaning to me — causes I have desired to support and help thrive. I am most in my element and feel professional satisfaction while supporting those doing the important work. During my fundraising career, this has included doctors, nurses, teachers, counselors and more. I feel honored to be able to add journalists to this list. Put simply, my job is to seek and secure resources needed to support NonDoc’s mission, vision and values. These resources are found in the form of sponsorships, partnerships and individual donations.
Raising the next generation of readers and donors
While my professional life is important, my priority role involves parenting my strong-willed 7-year-old daughter. On our recent holiday to the U.K., a parenting milestone occurred: My daughter started calling me mom, not mommy. While it might seem small, I felt a range of emotions about this simple sign that my child is growing up. She is starting to read in English and Spanish, and she is forming her own opinions on things she sees in the world, including my abilities as coach of her soccer team.
For me, being a parent involves so much more than just caring for my child. It includes caring for the world in which she grows up. Of course, this isn’t a responsibility I can take on alone, but I do like to find ways where I can make positive contributions in our community, and I am thrilled to be able to start this work at NonDoc.
Oklahoma has been my home my entire life. I grew up in rural Cherokee County, but I moved to the Oklahoma City metro for college and stayed. I love this state because I love so many people who live here. Having the opportunity to support journalism means I get to have a small role in giving Oklahomans the information they need to make informed decisions about our future.
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I’m grateful for all the past, current and future supporters of NonDoc Media. I worked with Tres Savage at a health care nonprofit before he returned to journalism with NonDoc. When I attended the launch party in 2015 at Elemental Coffee, I never could have predicted that I would get to be part of this growing team eight years later.
Speaking of new hires, I am looking forward to adding one more member to NonDoc’s development team over the next few months. The job qualifications and application details from this prior post are still accurate, but I will add that I am looking to hire someone who is passionate about NonDoc’s vision to sustain reporting on under-covered civic issues while increasing public knowledge and encouraging public dialogue.
If you are interested in joining our development team or if you would like to become a donor to our Writers’ Fund, I would love to chat. You can reach me at tara@nondoc.com or @houseofmchall on Instagram. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must prepare for the chaos of running 7-year-old soccer practice.
