Rob Rogers
Corporate Relations Manager, Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Georgia Institute of Technology
How did you get interested in the fundraising profession? As a result of my previous experience in Career Services. I was an advisor who worked with co-op and intern students at Drexel and at Georgia Tech. When the position arose in the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, I realized it would provide me with an opportunity to work with corporate partners in a different arena. I wanted to connect corporate partners with partners institute-wide while also helping students. My current position provides me with an opportunity to obtain funding for an audience I didn’t get a chance to work with as much as I had hoped or was able to when I was in Career Services at Georgia Tech.
What is something you wish you had known early in your fundraising career? I am still early in my career, and I am fortunate to work with a manager who has provided me with guidance as I navigate through the world of fundraising. If I could say something, I would say always aim high when soliciting funding. The only two answers you will ever get in life are yes and no. And if you don’t ask, you’ll never get either answer.
What is the one quality every fundraiser should have? Empathy, you need to understand that all people you work with within this role are human and have all the same feelings. Especially the people from who we are soliciting funds. If we frame our experience with them with empathy, I believe it gives the fundraiser a quality of authenticity that helps solidify their relationships.
What inspires you about the fundraising profession? To find resources for our URM population here at Georgia Tech. It makes me feel good knowing that the resources that I can secure will provide students with programs and opportunities that might not always be there like they are for their peers.
How do you want to be remembered as a professional? That I am authentic and an optimist. What you get today from me, you’ll get four weeks, eight weeks, or even a year from now!