Guest

Megan McKinley Thomas. I'm the associate director of Donor Relations and Engagement here at End Street Village. I've volunteered my whole life and that's just, giving back with how I was raised. And I was like, yeah, I need to be in non-profit. So, End Street Village is the largest provider of supportive services in housing for women experiencing homelessness in DC. We have five sites around the city. That include a full spectrum of housing, from emergency and temporary shelter, to recovery housing, and permanent supportive housing. And large chunk of my job is focused on donor stewardship. &gt;&gt; Okay. &gt;&gt; So, after people give a gift to an organization, we want them to feel the love, so to speak. And it's really important that they understand where their money is going. And understand the impact that their dollars are having. I had been around so many strong women in my life. And I came to realize that that was not everyone's experience. And I kind of fell into development and fundraising, but it led me here, so it's great. 

Trust your instincts and follow your gut. Do the homework and do your due diligence, but don't be afraid to take leaps of faith. You know deep down what's right for you.

Living in Washington, D.C. is expensive and working in this industry it doesn't always pay the best. I'm fine now, but starting out was really challenging.

I originally attended Sweet Briar College but had to drop out after only a year because I got really sick.

After dropping out to recover from my illness, I felt defeated. I started taking classes again at ODU just to get my foot in the door. I decided to push through my illness and recovery in order to finish my degree, which wasn't easy.

My parents got divorced when I was really young and so I was raised by a single mother. That came with its own challenges, but she was a very strong role model and instilled a good work ethic in me.

My day is typically spent managing relationships with our donors and keeping them engaged in what we are doing at N Street Village to make them aware of where their money is going and how it is helping the community. It's a lot of emails, phone calls, and meetings. Our communications manager reports to me, so I help her organize and strategize a lot of our outreach and marketing targeted towards securing new donors. I also help organize our year-end fundraiser where we raise $1 million.

Associate Director of Donor Relations and Engagement

Ok, let's be realistic...nonprofit work isn't going to sustain you. What are you going to do with a women's studies major?

Megan McKinley Thomas

About Megan

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