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Thank You

Sarah Ince

Looking Back

Running a non-profit was a new experience for all every person on our team; we had varying levels of work experience, volunteer work and board experience – but actual experience running a non-profit?! None. What we did have is a deep desire to help our local community, a great team and plenty of zest (this is the key ingredient). Starting a non-profit is a ton of work. And it takes a while before you actually help your first organization, person or group. Hence the need for zest – it is a marathon, and you need to stay committed to finding new ways to reach out to the community. We asked our team to share some key learnings over the last year.

Britney – Chief Marketing Officer

  • It’s hard having essentially two jobs at once
  • Working for an organization with the soul mission of giving back is crazy rewarding
  • Working with new people is amazing – it’s the best way to grow and develop as a business person/ human
  • If you believe enough in something, others will follow
  • Crazy and stressful first year full of ‘mistakes’ and learning, and I am so thankful for every second of it

Megan – Data Management Associate

  • Don’t lose sight of your mission and take pleasure in the small achievements.
  • In a growing company, it’s necessary to wear multiple hats where needed
  • There is not much data out there about the remaining amount of money left on gift cards in Canada

Sarah – Chief Communications Officer

  • The non-profit sector in Calgary is truly amazing – making connections in this space has been inspiring
  • Working within a start-up, non-profit has been a large learning curve but it develops such a valuable set of skills
  • Communicate and be vulnerable with your team – we all wear multiple hats within re:give and our lives, and it was so important that we could tell one another if we were feeling overwhelmed or had extra time to help on projects

Alix – Graphic Designer

  • Being with re:give has really been a light in the past crazy year for me! To see a group of empowering women come together to do something amazing, and do it so well, has been an absolute honour to be a part of
  • I got to help visualize the bright brand image of re:give and watch it continue to grow by the efforts of everyone else involved
  • I’m thankful I’ve got to make new friends and connections through being a part of this team. Thank you everyone!

Andrea Co-Founder & CEO

  • How, despite the pandemic, businesses and people are still passionate about giving back to their communities. To be honest, I was very apprehensive about launching our non profit during COVID, but the support we have received has been overwhelming   
  • Surrounding yourself with team members/people that have different skill sets than you is literally THE BEST thing you can do for yourself. I have learnt so much from the team, and re:give’s success is solely due to the different opinions, backgrounds, and knowledge of each member
  • This is a vulnerable one: learning to trust myself and confronting my struggle with imposter syndrome. I think many people struggle with this, especially young professionals. While I can’t say I know everything, and I will still make mistakes, I have grown to be comfortable in decision making spaces and feel confident that my perspective holds value
  • I have learned so much about governance frameworks, and policies that ensure our organizations compliance with non profit status. Still not one of my strengths (shout out to Jenna), but I feel so thankful to have been able to have the opportunity to broaden my knowledge on all the ‘behind the scenes’ stuff 

Jenna – Co-Founder & COO

Above all, starting re:give has shown me how truly generous the Calgary community is and how most people will take any opportunity to help. We received a response much larger and more positive than we ever expected when we launched this July. In light of COVID-19 we expected it to be difficult to get buy in from the small business community because they have been hit hard by all the restrictions but there was no hesitation at all! I am reminded all the time why we started this organization when we interact with a new person or business who is excited by the idea and interested in helping out. Of course, I have also learned lessons about flexibility, hard work and persistence but those tough lessons are outweighed by my complete gratitude for the re:give community we have built so far. 

A massive thank you to everyone who has supported re:give and our mission. We are excited for our continued outreach in 2021 and cant wait to see how we grow!

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Sarah is a self-professed busy bee. Currently she is working as an HR Manager at a Financial Planning & Investment Management Firm, while studying towards a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management at the University of Regina. She is focused on employee communications, establishing and supporting strategic HR direction, developing change management plans and everything in between. Sarah hopes to use her communication experience with content strategy and development to maximize re:give’s community outreach and engagement. In her spare time, Sarah is an avid travel enthusiast, cat mom and newly avid golfer.

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Tyrone is a technology enthusiast in every sense of the word.  Tyrone works with client’s day-in and day-out on solving industrial automation solutions as Regional Sales Manager at WAGO.  In his spare time he has helped numerous startups with their technology and automation focused goals, from equipment startup and implementation to IT and backend support.  Tyrone’s community-focused goals are to help younger generations foster an entrepreneurial mindset and help instill the values required for personal success in both career and life.

 

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Growing up in Toronto, Megan recently moved to Calgary in 2019 and currently works as a Strategy Analyst for ATB Financial. Megan is dedicated to contributing to the pursuit of elevating innovation in today’s financial environment. She joins us from Toronto where she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Guelph’s Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics. In Megan’s spare time, she enjoys skiing, horse-back riding, and spending time with her dog, Stella.

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Jenna is a born and raised Calgarian who currently works in Pediatric Oncology Research at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Jenna was a founding member of a not for profit, Outrun the Stigma, founded in 2013 when she was an undergraduate student at the University of Calgary. Outrun the Stigma was the first and largest mental health awareness run in Western Canada and has raised over $173,000 for mental health organizations in Calgary between chapters in Calgary and Edmonton. Jenna prides herself in her attention to detail, being a reliable leader, and enjoying the more “behind the scenes” work like understanding and creating various applicable policies and procedures and monitoring for compliance. She recently graduated from a Master’s of Science in Law from Northwestern University which gave her a unique understanding of law and regulatory frameworks that has been an incredible asset to the development of re:give.

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Andrea is an aviation enthusiast, and gender advocate. Her tandem pursuit of a commercial pilots license and a gender studies degree has provided her a large community network, which has allowed her to build relationships with professionals from a variety of sectors. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Club of Calgary, and her ability to build valuable relationships, as well as her marketing skills, have provided her the opportunity to sit on the communications and membership committee. Andrea strives to be an innovative problem solver, and enjoys exercising her skills as an effective leader and communicator. Andrea hopes to pair her experience, education, and tenacity to work towards diversity and inclusivity within the nonprofit sector and beyond.