The Journey in Snapshots
THE START OF IT ALL
Jordynn had always been an eager volunteer growing up. In high school she was an officer for Key Club, and during that time was awarded a scholarship for community involvement from the parent organization Kiwanis International. There, she was able to volunteer in a variety of settings from nursing homes, to churches, schools and nonprofit events.
After high school graduation she immediately became involved with For A Day Foundation (FADF), volunteering in collaboration with Golisano Children’s Hospital to make children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses feel special at hospital visits. She had caught the attention of the national office with her enthusiasm and involvement. After 6 months of volunteering Jordynn was asked to join the team as Community Outreach Coordinator — expanding their services from Syracuse to Rochester, NY.
HUNGRY TO LEARN
After two years with FADF, Jordynn was still passionate with wanting to help more. While her primary knowledge was in communications, she knew what charities needed most at the end of the day and wanted to move to the next level with it — fundraising.
During her final semester of college she applied for an internship with Bishop Kearney High School working in the Advancement Office. Melanie Barnas-Simmons, VP of Advancement, truly took Jordynn under her wing and introduced her to the world of fundraising. One of her projects was to solicit donations for a silent auction.
Jordynn fell in love when she began cold-calling businesses and earned 5 new gift-in-kind donations in 3 hours, then went in person to businesses and secured 5 more. She enjoyed the challenges of fundraising and wanted to learn more, so Melanie introduced her to the Association of Fundraising Professionals and generously was her reference when Jordynn applied to Hope Hall School.
PUTTING IT INTO ACTION
Jordynn joined the Hope Hall (HH) family at a bustling time. She jumped into working on numerous events occurring within the next 8 months: an ‘Experience Italy’ fundraising dinner, volunteer appreciation dinner, Century Club donor appreciation Event, ‘Walk for Hope’ event, golf tournament, 25th anniversary gala and 4 community-based events.
Working in a department of only 2 people, Jordynn wore many hats and was heavily involved helping wherever possible, including areas like donor database management. She was in love with the school, the kids, volunteers, board members and co-workers. When she made the decision to depart from her position, she spent nearly 2 months helping with the transition—ensuring the department would have time to find a new replacement and creating a manual with the tools necessary to the position. A week after Jordynn’s resignation as Development Associate she returned to HH to volunteer at their Christmas Woodworking Sale.
LIVING THE DREAM
Leaving Hope Hall was hard but Jordynn knew it was a decision she had to make. After Christmas she started her position as a manager in the development department at Volunteers of America (VOA), and after one year was promoted to Director of Communications & Special Events.
Jordynn loves strategy and came on board, designing a communications plan to effectively rebrand the organization so people are aware of the extensive services VOA provides. She works daily to share the stories of the most vulnerable populations that VOA serves: children, families, seniors, prisoners, the homeless, and those struggling with addiction, mental health and/or disabilities.
Her most memorable experience has been interviewing Mr. Gerry Frost (pictured here), a resident at one of VOA’s housing programs. He witnessed a 22 year old woman being assaulted by a man with a large knife, and Gerry rushed over to stop the attack — saving the woman’s life. Another wonderful memory is when the VOA CEO, Lynn Sullivan, married Jordynn and her husband (also named Jordan!)