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A Day in the Life of Rainbows' Development Assistant

It’s not just a job

Hey, all! I’m Rebecca Saxton, development assistant for Rainbows United. The end of July will mark my one-year workiversary for Rainbows, so this is great timing for me to reflect on what I do at Rainbows and what I love about my job.

Guiding principle that resonates with me the most: “Be resourceful in finding solutions through intelligent decision making and determination.”

Where you’ll most likely find me at an event: at check-in and check-out.

What I spend most of my time doing:

* Managing our donor database: tracking all donations, reporting them to the VP of development and our board of directors, sending thank you letters to donors, creating online donation forms, sending emails to donors, and lots more.
* Tracking event registrations and all event purchases (auction items, merchandise, etc. for The Blarney Breakfast, The Rainbows Run, Peter Hampel’s Luau and Fashion Passion.) For a glimpse into what I do for the Blarney Breakfast, check out my wrap-up blog from 2018.
* I also get to write most of the social media content for our events and am a brand new member of Rainbows’ grants team.

Things I like most about my job:
* Problem solving – I live for the thrill of improving a process. Some days, this is as simple as sourcing an electronic check-in app so volunteers don’t have to use paper guest lists for an event. Other days, it’s long-term brainstorming with the development team to find a way to better identify and update business contacts within our database.
* Knowing I work for an organization that cares (and attracts others who want to contribute their time, money and talents) – while I don’t often have direct interaction with those individuals and families Rainbows serves, I get to work with some amazing employees who volunteer their after-work time and talents for Rainbows at special events and throughout the year. Working alongside these people who care so deeply reminds me that it’s not just a job.