ProInspire Alum Ivellisse Morales Shares Social Sector Learnings in Presidio Institute’s Newsletter
2014 ProInspire Fellow Ivellisse Morales recently published a piece about her Fellowship experience in Reveille, the Presidio Institute’s quarterly publication for social impact leaders. In this thoughtful reflection titled ‘365 Days in the Social Sector,’ Ivellisse shares her journey that led her to the social sector and what she learned while serving as the Marketing Manager for Year Up in the San Francisco Bay Area. The piece is excerpted below and can be read in its entirety here. Thank you for sharing your insights, Ivellisse!
365 Days in the Social Sector
By Ivellisse Morales
reposted from Presidio.gov
It was finally the day of my six-month review. I hadn’t slept well; flurries of anticipation distracted me from sleep. To calm my nerves, I quickly got dressed, headed to my favorite coffee shop, and whipped out my notebook.
Caffeine fueled my list of retrospective reflections of the last six months at Year Up, my first job in the social sector. I scribbled down everything I could remember: The big projects, the failures, the accomplishments… A wave of astonishment and gratitude washed over me. Wow, I’ve learned so much in such a short amount of time. I realized at that moment how working at a non-profit had been the best professional development boot camp my career could’ve asked for.
Call me a Millennial to believe that I can combine my personal values with my job, but I call it my life purpose. I can’t imagine leading a career where my energy, talents, and creativity aren’t contributing to the greater good. Before heading into the world of non-profits, armed with optimism and an expensive undergraduate degree in public relations, I tried the corporate route. In 2012, I kickstarted my career at a Boston-based PR/marketing agency where I developed Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies for Fortune 500 companies. I filled my days designing cause marketing campaigns and initiatives to raise awareness and funds for a variety of social issues from childhood cancer to upcycling used clothing.
Despite doing socially good work, I felt a void. I felt far removed from the social impact initiatives I was developing from soup-to-nuts then handing off to the client. Fortunately, just as I was starting to feel unfulfilled, I discovered the ProInspire Fellowship. ProInspire is a mission-driven organization that believes high-quality talent and professional development can accelerate social impact in the social sector. Fellows work full-time for a ProInspire hiring partner while receiving professional development through workshops, coaching, and career support. Curious about the social sector, I applied for the one-year fellowship program, and in 2014, I became one of ProInspire’s Bay Area fellows.
Through ProInspire, I became the marketing manager for Year Up, a non-profit that empowers young adults from low-income communities to kickstart their professional careers through education, training, and mentorship. What I learned in 365 days at Year Up will forever influence my career path:
- Career growth resides outside of your job description
- Relationships matter more than your work
- Being mission-driven is a commitment
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