Supporting Latinos by Investing at NCLR

By Ivelisse Fairchild, Vice President of Resource Development, NCLR

Even after twenty years in the business, I still get up each morning raring to go to work. I am blessed to have a job that allows me to interact with individuals who want to make difference in the lives of others. How cool is that?

Like many development officers in my age group, I fell into the field because I saw the need to find investments in programs in the community I lived and worked in. In the early 90s, Washington Heights was known as the “crack capital of the world.” It had the highest murder rate in the City of New York the year I entered the field, and lacked the educational, health, economic, and social services that the large immigrant community there needed.

Local community groups tried to address these problems, but many did not have the capacity or the resources to do so. I wanted to find the resources to create opportunities for these new community residents like the ones my mom created for me when she emigrated from the Dominican Republic. I stayed in the field because I realized that I was good at telling our stories, raising money, and building collaborative partnerships with community groups and funders. My whole life my mom had ingrained in me the importance of creating meaningful relationships with people, and fundraising gave me the opportunity to do that while making lasting changes in the community I loved.

I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. As a Latina, I am proud of the work NCLR does to create opportunities for Hispanics. I am glad that I can share our work with others and find ways for them to invest in our programs.

This is a great time to invest in the Latino community. Latinos are entrepreneurial—the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States—and are already an economic force to reckon with. When you partner with us, you are not just checking off a “social responsibility” box; you are engaging in a movement to make the lives of Latinos more productive, more uplifting, and more successful. We commit to a meaningful partnership as good stewards of your investment, and commit to transparency. When you invest in our work, you join the NCLR familia, whose work has great impact not only on individuals, but also on community-based organizations throughout the country.

When I am not raising funds for NCLR, you can find me teaching Spinning or curled up on my couch or by the pool reading the latest fiction or nonfiction book or writing. My dog, Gracie, is usually by my side and we are disturbed multiple times by my ringing cell phone, mostly from my kids calling to tell me how much they love me. Not really…they’re usually calling because they need money—fundraisers in the making!

Ivelisse Fairchild is Vice President of Resource Development at NCLR. Under her leadership, NCLR is helping maximize the impact of donor investments in the organization. Follow NCLRamigos on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about the impact of our donor community.