My Road Back to AFP

BY SHERRY JOY HUGH

“I know my journey’s not over yet, and that life is a winding path, but I can only hope it somehow circles back to the place I belong.” - Nicholas Sparks

My road back to AFP is closely linked to feeling a sense of belonging to a community, which is a two-way responsibility. What I’ve learned along the way, is that gaining a new perspective, being inspired, and feeling included, were the signs I needed to guide me on the pathway back.

I considered myself lucky. I had this great new job, using my skills to help raise funds for the local hospital my family and friends relied on, and bonus, my new boss Catherine, was a joy to work with. Smart, witty, fun, and well-connected in the fundraising world. She encouraged me and the others on the team to network and take courses to help us grow professionally and that’s how I first heard about the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP). I had so much to learn, and I had a boss and this association where I could start learning and meeting others in the sector. But, within less than a year, all of that changed, and I found myself on another path.

A merger. A bigger, better hospital. The boss I loved, gone. A new boss in place. A whole new team. A different environment. A different role. I was starting all over again. This time with a team that I didn’t feel like I belonged to. A new word replaced Community and that was — Survival. My plan was to try and fit in, don’t ask for too much, put my head down, don’t rock the boat, and do a good job. Professional development and AFP did not fit into this plan that lasted for close to a decade.

I later moved on to work at an educational institution and later, a national organization, that had memberships with several associations, including AFP.

I was back! I was motivated to take advantage of all the learning and networking opportunities available to continue building my career and grow my network. I enthusiastically attended lots of AFP days and conferences. I did my best to show up at events, proactively introducing myself and starting conversations, actively listening, and trying to find common ground. People would engage in polite small talk, and they’d answer my questions but noticed that they weren’t really asking me any questions or inviting me into their conversations with others. I felt like that new kid walking into the cafeteria and not being invited to sit at anyone’s table.

After a while, I got tired. For reasons I couldn’t articulate, my interactions with other members felt one-sided. Did I mention that I was one of the only fundraisers of colour at that time? There were so few people of colour at the events I attended, and absolutely no other Filipinos, at least, that I could see. But I refused to believe that this was why I felt a barrier to really connecting with people. I was raised believing that if I worked hard and did my best to fit in,

it would all work out. I honed the ability to blend in, and still, the same feeling prevailed event after event and I started to think — “Was it me?” “Do I even belong here?”

I decided that I didn’t belong, and almost completely stopped going to AFP events. From time to time, I would pop into a conference on a shared pass, but at that point, I would just focus on going to the courses, taking notes, and then doing my job. I didn’t believe AFP was a community for me. So, I stayed away for years, until…

I lost my job. It was a job I loved and thought I would be at for the rest of my career. There were good reasons why my job no longer existed, and COVID-19 was one of the main ones.

This sudden and unexpected break forced me to reflect deeply about my career and rediscover if fundraising was where I wanted to be. I considered lots of options — Do I start my own business? Do I look at working in the private sector? Do I go back to school and go on a completely new path?

My heart, followed by my mind, knew that working for a mission-based organization was something I needed to do, and fundraising was the skill I could bring. This reflection also got me to take a good look at myself — was I doing everything I could do to refine my fundraising skills and connect with others.

That has been my experience volunteering on the AFP Fundraising Day committee so far, and I have the committee and especially its leadership to thank for that.

I have a renewed hope that AFP is evolving and that the younger me would feel more of a sense of belonging, today.

What is also clear to me is that I have a personal role and responsibility to help build a community that makes people who may feel like outsiders, feel included.

Where I am right now So today, I’m a renewed member of my local chapter of AFP and am open to see where this new path will take me, but I don’t want to walk it alone and welcome others to join me on this journey of discovery.

If you have ever felt like I felt, like that kid not being invited to sit at the table, hopefully my story brings you a new perspective, inspires you to try again and gives you confidence that you’ll be more included. And if ever you don’t feel like you belong, come find me — we’ll find a table to sit at together.

SHERRY JOY HUGH is the Director or Corporate Giving & Employee Engagement at Canada’sChildren’s Hospital Foundation (CCHF).

Sherry Joy Hugh is the Director or Corporate Giving & Employee Engagement at Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundation (CCHF), the largest non-governmental funder of children’s hospitals in Canada. She has worked for national and local charities supporting community, education, health, children and youth – with her personal mission to serve community as her guiding star.

Sherry started her career in a hospital cafeteria which led to a job at The Scarborough Hospital Foundation where she learned about the fundraising profession and has been ‘hooked’ ever since. She’s been in roles ranging annual fundraising, community and donor engagement, special events – leading the team that ran some of the largest fundraising events like the CN Tower Climb and Rat Race – and now managing national corporate partnerships with companies such as TD, RE/ MAX, Sun Life for CCHF. In addition to her work at CCHF, Sherry is also active in her community as a specialty group fitness leader at the City of Markham, Groove Barre studio and a long-time volunteer at the Markham YMCA. No matter where she goes, Sherry’s goal is to connect people, opportunities and ideas to create a positive and inclusive community.