Here at DC Ecowomen, our goal is for our community members to benefit from being a part of our community. It’s a hard thing to measure, but we’re going to give it a try! Throughout the next few months, we’ll be highlighting some of our own Ecowomen Success Stories – and we encourage you to submit your own story to us! If you feel that you have gotten where you are today because of DC Ecowomen, email info@dc.ecowomen.org and tell us how!
But first, read our first Success Story, Beth Porter. Beth is currently a member of the DC Ecowomen Board.
Her Story:
After I had graduated from college, I spent copious hours doing what every new grad does…emailing resumes and crossing my fingers. Dozens of emails, applications, and cover letters later, I heard back from an amazing non-profit group that works to promote the green economy (requiring both environmental sustainability as well as fair trade and fair labor practices). After a phone call with their director of development, I was on my way from NC to DC for my first post-college full-time job interview.
The first meeting went quite well and though I had a good feeling about the job (Marketing Membership Coordinator), I later received a very kind voicemail from the organization letting me know that they had chosen another candidate who had more fundraising experience. Despite my disappointment, I asked that they keep me in mind as a volunteer, as I truly did love the organization and respected their mission.
Moving to DC
Fortunately, I received an offer from an interview I had a few weeks later with a conservation non-profit in DC, and accepted the open position in their Grants Administration department. I moved to DC and soon began attending EcoWomen events, my very first being a tree-planting day with CaseyTrees last April. Then, in the summer I took advantage of an email for the upcoming DC EcoWomen happy hour which requested resumes to apply for the Executive Board. This led me to become a part of the membership committee of our executive board, which focuses on diversifying membership for the group as well as fundraising efforts and outreach through tabling events and building relationships with groups who have a similar mission.
Getting involved with Ecowomen
After a year of learning about grants funding, I was eager to find a job which would build upon the skills I’d gained from serving on the EcoWomen board. I was thrilled to see that the previous Marketing Membership Coordinator job had become available again, so I applied letting them know that I had previously applied and was still excited about the prospect of working for their organization. During the interview, I cited the experience I had gained from serving on the board in terms of fundraising and outreach to prospective members.
How it all paid off
Less than a week later, I received the call offering me the position I had been denied just a year and a half before. I am incredibly grateful for the chance to build upon skills through the work of DC EcoWomen and have no doubt that the experience I’ve gained was a direct influence on my brand new exciting job.
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