Entering a new career chapter is always an interesting experience. It’s scary to embrace change and plan for the years ahead. It’s also exhilarating to reflect on the journey and think of all the wonderful “nexts.”
Over the last twenty plus years, I’ve had the tremendous pleasure of working and volunteering for several amazing organizations with missions that, without doubt, change the world for so many. This is important to me. It always has been. It’s why I’ve chosen the work I’m in.
I feel an immense sense of gratitude to have learned from many wonderful and compassionate leaders and people who work day in and day out to make a difference in the lives of others. Recently, a friend called after watching the nightly news and asked, “Do good things happen in the world because I never see them on TV,” I responded “They do, and I see them every day.”
I’ve seen a physician celebrate the last chemotherapy visit of a patient who, after a three-year battle, is cancer free. I’ve attended the wedding of a once at-risk young man whose mentor, the man who met him at age eight and paid for his education, served as his best man. I’ve watched homeless veterans connect to employment, secure places to live, and change their lives forever. I’ve been there to cheer on a man with a developmental and physical disability who received his first job. These are the beautiful things in life- the things that make “work” worth working for, and these are only a few of them.
Over my career, I’ve enjoyed nothing more than walking alongside others as we build and grow reach and impact. The transformative process of watching an organization and its people think bigger and act bolder is something I literally love to witness and experience. As a huge baseball fan, it’s just like seeing a player in “the zone,” like watching Griffey Junior hit a homerun or Nolan Ryan throw a 100 MPH heater right down the middle knowing the batter has no chance. It’s thrilling! And, you watch in jaw-dropped awe.
As we came to the close of the $30MM finish line of Easterseals Redwood’s transformative campaign, one of many I’ve worked on, I found myself thinking more and more about legacy- my personal legacy, the legacy to gift what I love and know to other missions, the legacy of the people and organizations I support, and even the legacy of organizations and people I have yet to meet.
Ultimately, months of contemplation led to the creation of MASON Consulting Group as my partner, Fearghal Reid, and I felt deeply that our next professional step was to create a strategic fundraising firm rooted in legacy. In fact, MASON was derived from the letters of our kids’ names! Our firm is focused on fueling visions, building futures, and transforming legacies. Our legacy is your legacy, and we hope to have the privilege to work with you.