AFP Member Spotlight: Andrea Carvalho

AFP Member Spotlights are a recurring series of interviews with AFP members, highlighting the unique individuals and career paths that exist within the fundraising profession. If you know an inspiring fundraising professional who deserves to be featured, please email afpmarcom@afpglobal.org. 

In this AFP member spotlight, we interviewed Andrea Carvalho, assistant director of annual giving for the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University. She shared with us how her background in marketing has helped her make digital fundraising an essential part of her organization’s campaigns. She also discusses how she has been able to take advantage of opportunities such as the AFP/Alford Group Women’s Impact Initiative Mentor Program to get more deeply involved with AFP and advance her fundraising career.

Q: How did you start your career in the fundraising profession and what led you there?
A: When I graduated college with my major in animation and minor in marketing, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I only knew that I loved telling stories. Luckily, a really amazing PR professor of mine saw that and eventually hired me in my first nonprofit role. I learned a lot in that position, from honing my marketing skills, to event planning, to eventually assisting in fundraising campaigns. I learned that, at its core, fundraising was all about using storytelling to build community and inspire folks to become part of your cause. I also realized that fundraisers have a hugely impactful position in a nonprofit, and I wanted to make a difference. From then on, I knew that I wanted to grow my fundraising career!

Q: When and why did you decide to become an AFP member?
A: I first heard about AFP early on in my nonprofit career when a colleague invited me to a networking event at the AFP Genesee Valley chapter. I immediately felt a strong sense of support, which was something I especially craved as an upstart. I eventually became more involved by volunteering on the newly formed IDEA committee, which inspired me to officially become a member. I also was the recipient of a membership scholarship, which allowed me to really understand all the amazing resources AFP had, that I was eager to take advantage of.

Q: Are you doing anything innovative at your organization (or a past organization) that you think other fundraisers could benefit from?
A: One passion of mine is integrating digital communications and marketing into fundraising. In the past I've had success in pivoting annual campaigns to cross-channel and digital-first campaigns. Digital especially inspires me because I think it's a tool with a lot of potential to reach supporters of all levels. If you can establish a truly authentic digital presence, it can inspire such profound trust and participation from people.

Q: What is your favorite word? (only one word) How has this word influenced or inspired your career?
A: This might be cheesy, but I'd honestly have to say community. I think so much about what it truly means to live "in community". I think a lot of people my age gravitate towards that philosophy because we've seen how normal it is in our culture to prioritize individualism over strengthening relationships with our neighbors and loved ones. We've seen how that can be so damaging, and that often a strong community is one of the only tools we have to protect ourselves and survive hardship. We can't rely on traditional systems; we have to rely on each other. And that's hard. I definitely have not mastered living by that philosophy. I think sometimes even nonprofits and philanthropy can be part of that traditionalist system, and our sector has to contend with that. But I also believe at our core, fundraisers believe in investing in our communities — it's why we do our work. And we have to channel that belief as much as possible if we're truly going to see change-- in our lifetimes and/or beyond.

Q: What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
A: This is a hard one, but one of the most rewarding moments in my career so far has been seeing a major capital campaign, that I had a part in, come to life. Just before the pandemic hit, I jumped onto a project to help a small group finish their campaign to create the Autism Nature Trail in NY's Letchworth State Park. The trail would be the first of its kind, a nature experience that was designed for visitors on the autism spectrum and with a wide range of abilities/ages in mind. It was extremely rewarding to help the group not only reach their goal, but to go visit the trail in person over a year later and celebrate with them. Sometimes as a fundraiser it can be easy to forget that your work has an impact. To see and feel it so tangibly energized me in a profound way.

Q: How has being an AFP member and participating in the AFP affinity groups benefited you in your career?
A: Being in AFP has been so beneficial to me. Since I first joined, my local chapter and AFP Global have supported me in countless ways — membership scholarships, mentorship programs — I even had the privilege of participating in the 2022 Women's Impact Initiative Mentorship Program and attending ICON. It has been incredibly motivating to be surrounded by people who get it, who are willing to share their wisdom with me and support me in my career. Whether that's by being a member, volunteering, or by participating in the Latinx Affinity Group. It's encouraging to meet people who truly want to see you succeed.  

Q: In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing the nonprofit fundraising profession today?
A: Nonprofit professionals and fundraisers are always in problem-solving mode because we often have to do so much with so little. But I think we need to continue to challenge ourselves to be honest about the role nonprofits play in our society. It's true that nonprofits and philanthropy have a legacy of aiding or perpetuating oppression and racism in our country. Many industries do, and ours is no exception. What's more is that our field has a reputation of being risk averse and struggling to make headway against the very problems our organizations are built to address. I say all this not to discredit our work as fundraisers, but because I wholeheartedly believe in it. If we are really going to see a day where nobody goes hungry, where we proactively close poverty gaps and invest in reparations, where everyone has access to a full and healthy life, we need to start by at least not shying away from these hard conversations. That's why I'm so energized by movements like community-centric fundraising, decolonizing wealth, and mutual aid. I believe that we have the power to make our work obsolete, and I hope one day to see it.

Q: What advice do you have for other fundraising professionals, or people interested in getting into the field?
A: I'm still pretty young in my career all things considered, so I find it strange to give advice. But if a new fundraiser asked me, I'd say to remember that you hold the cards to your success. So often we give a lot of ourselves, personally and professionally, to our role as fundraisers. We get into this work because we believe in it, but sometimes that means a culture of putting "the mission before yourself" can be ingrained. Whether it feels like it or not, we are critical to our organization's success and that means we have the power to prioritize our working conditions. Even if that just means setting your own personal boundaries as an employee and sticking to them. I think especially as a young Latina woman, even one that holds a lot of personal privilege, it took some time to internalize that — that I have the power to uplift myself.