Today we’d like to introduce you to Luiza Raposo.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Luiza. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am Brazilian but lived in Canada as a kid before immigrating with my family to Georgia in the summer of 2000. After graduating from Duluth High School in Gwinnett County, I went to the University of Georgia, where I majored in Advertising and Fashion Merchandising.
I started my career as a marketing assistant for a wholesale apparel company in Atlanta. When the recession hit, I moved back home and eventually spent time in Brazil, trying to get an internship. I came back to Atlanta and found a job doing digital media, but also started learning and doing as much social media as possible since that was an exciting and exponentially growing market. From there, I worked in ad agencies in Atlanta, New York, and back in my hometown of Rio de Janeiro before moving client-side and managing the marketing and communications department at a CPG (consumer packaged goods) brand.
I moved to the nonprofit sector last year to realize my goal of using my marketing skills at a purpose-driven organization. The Georgia Center for Nonprofits (GCN) was a perfect match. I get to learn about and support the nonprofit sector in Georgia and work with an amazing team and leaders like our CEO Karen Beavor and our Vice President of Programs Kathy Keeley.
One of my biggest projects at GCN is GAgives on GivingTuesday, the state’s largest generosity campaign for eight years running, which brings attention to the work and worth of the nonprofit sector. This year’s campaign kicks off on Monday, November 2, and culminates on December 1, GivingTuesday, as part of the worldwide celebration that takes place each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Since its founding in 2012, the GAgives movement has rallied 284,000 individual contributions and raised more than $41.5 million for nonprofits across Georgia.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Being an immigrant meant dealing with change and learning new things from a young age. While that’s never easy, learning to work and collaborate with a variety of people is a struggle that is also rewarding. Building that skill has helped me learn from others and be able to work in a variety of roles and organizations. Being honest with myself and using every professional opportunity to learn about what I like and what I’m good at helped me blend my skills with my passion. I say you have to be patient too. The struggle and learning is how you find out what is your passion. You still have to work hard and struggle even working in your passion field!
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
The mission of the Georgia Center for Nonprofits is to build thriving communities by helping nonprofits succeed. We’re the largest capacity builder for nonprofits in the state and known for building solutions that help the field, from strategy to governance, and its people, from CEOs to job seekers looking for a position in a purpose-driven organization. I’m proud to work every day in an organization that is focused on helping Georgia nonprofits succeed, especially in the current climate of enormous need and uncertainty.
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
In terms of our generosity movement, we will continue to leverage digital, especially video, and help connect nonprofits to donors via stories.
As an industry, the nonprofit sector faces challenges in the short-term but will ultimately grow steadily, per GCN’s CEO Karen Beavor. In terms of particular causes, we’re likely going to see continued, concentrated growth in healthcare, the environment, and new forms of education.
Contact Info:
- Address: 100 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 1500, Atlanta GA 30303
- Website: www.gagives.org
- Phone: 678-916-3028
- Email: team@gagives.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GAgives
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GAnonprofits
Image Credit:
C Brown Photo https://www.cbrownphoto.com/ and Julia Raposo
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