How Home Organizing is Similar to Fundraising

My career as a fundraising professional spanned 20 years inside Chicago-based housing, healthcare, and cultural organizations. Today, I’m a professional organizer helping people achieve order and peace in their homes so they can focus on what matters most to them. But how does professional non-profit expertise translate to a seemingly disparate field of work? The skillset required for each of these careers is surprisingly similar.

My favorite part of fundraising was one-on-one donor engagement. I loved getting to know volunteer leaders and long-time donors and supporting their pursuit of meaningful engagement with important causes. I found that in-home organizing offered the same opportunity to provide high-touch, personalized customer service that positively impacts people’s lives.

In addition to customer service, both fields require strong project management and problem-solving skills. Fundraising can be demanding. To be successful, you must effectively manage many details and address challenges as they arise. I would often say to myself, “I don’t know how to do this yet, but I’ll figure it out.”

It’s no different when facing a complex in-home organizing project in which a client may be feeling overwhelmed. Just like my former career, I can help by assessing the situation, identifying end goals, and breaking the project down into logical, actionable parts. Organizers regularly encounter situations they’ve never faced before. Having the confidence to say, “I’ll figure it out,” relieves the client of a tremendous burden and gives the organizer a deep sense of purpose.

Finally, the transition to operating and marketing my own business has been smooth, having gained similar experience at the organizations I served. Some of my favorite work activities are writing, storytelling, and managing spreadsheets (yes, I enjoy doing this!). I’m grateful that my own business allows me to flex these mental muscles in service to my clients.

I have several of Chicago’s non-profits to thank for my mission-driven approach to life, customer service skills, and project management expertise. Today, I’m excited to be pursuing a lifelong passion for home organization as a career instead of a hobby. If you know me as a non-profit development professional, I hope you’ll consider referring me to people in your network who might benefit from personalized, in-home organization services.