Giving Back and Growing Up
By Alex Stanton, 2016 ProInspire Fellow
My penchant for volunteering stems from growing up in a big family. As the middle of five kids, there were always chores to do be done, siblings to be watched, and problems to be solved. From a young age, I enjoyed taking care of my siblings and helping them achieve success, which eventually translated into a passion for coaching diving (a sport that I played for 12 years) throughout high school and college.
After graduating and settling into a full-time job, I quickly felt an absence in my life. I’d been so caught up in my own major transition that I had neglected the part of me that draws energy from helping others reach their full potential. I became a tutor and mentor with two different organizations, but I realized there was an opportunity to mesh my innate passion for volunteerism with my newfound business skills. I joined the young professionals board of a local nonprofit in Boston, unaware that it would be the beginning of my new career path.
After a year of strategizing, marketing, and fundraising as part of this board, I began to understand the potential to use a for-profit, business background to bring diversity of thought into the social sector. Through research I discovered the ProInspire Fellowship, which allowed me to make the transition with a clear pathway and support for my professional development through a network of peers and resources. ProInspire also helped me find a role that would both challenge me and empower me to have a significant impact.
I have spent the last eight months of my ProInspire Fellowship at The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, a 40-year-old institution that promotes equity, access, and opportunity in the D.C. area. During my time there, I have managed significant change as we hired a new senior team, reengaged our board, and reevaluated our internal processes. Helping to ensure that the largest funder of nonprofits in the region — with over $300 million in donor assets and $75 million in grants per year — can continue to support our community through turbulent times has been an incredibly rewarding experience.
True to form, a few months into my fellowship, I felt the familiar urge to do more to help others. I had recently participated on a grant review committee for The Community Foundation, and one of the nonprofits we selected really stuck out to me. Generation Hope is a local organization that provides caring, committed, adult mentors and an emotional and financial support system to teen parents striving to complete their college education, thereby driving a two-generation solution to poverty. Their mission and success inspired me, so I joined the planning committee for their annual Hope Stroll in order to do my part to empower their ambitious scholars. I’m excited to play a role in building a community of support for people who need it — just as my family, friends, and ProInspire network have been for me.
My fellowship experience has had more of an impact on both my professional and personal life than I ever could have anticipated. It helped me realize how to combine my personal interests with my career, allowed me to test out a new sector, and encouraged me to reflect on my priorities. As my fellowship winds down and I prepare for the next step, I will carry the mission of The Community Foundation with me, and diligently find ways to give back and solve problems right in my own backyard.
Alex Stanton is a ProInpire Fellow at The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region (CFNCR), an organization that promotes equal opportunity for all residents of the DC Metro area by distributing over $300M in charitable funds, providing philanthropic advisory services to donors, and leading initiatives that address the region’s most critical issues. As Special Projects Coordinator, Alex manages cross-departmental strategic projects that increase operational efficiency, improve donor engagement, and help the organization reach its financial goals. Prior to CFNCR, Alex worked in the Professional Development Program at State Street in Boston, MA for two years. She rotated through three different teams at the financial institution, including being selected for an international assignment in London, UK. While at State Street, Alex was an active volunteer, including serving on the Young Professionals Board of Good Sports, a nonprofit that increases access to sports in low-income areas nationwide. Alex graduated from Harvard College in 2014 with a B.A. in psychology and was a member of the Women’s Varsity Diving Team. In her free time, Alex can be found working out, indulging in the latest Shonda Rhimes show, or spending time with her four siblings.