AFP Member Spotlight: Racquel Bratton

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 member spotlight, we interviewed Racquel Bratton, development manager at Logos Academy. She shared with us her efforts to make her donor pool more reflective of the community her organization serves, as well as how being involved with AFP’s affinity groups has helped her build a community of mentors who are inspiring her in her new profession.

Q: How did you start your career in the fundraising profession and what led you there?
A: I stumbled into fundraising, which I hear is somewhat normal for this profession. I previously worked in a role that was heavily administrative and I felt like it was starting to take a toll on me.

My friend gave me a call and said that his office was hiring a development manager. I had no clue what that meant until he started to describe the work that it would entail. I instantly knew that this was something I wanted to be a part of and would energize me. I became excited! Although I am new, my current place of work is keen on hiring for personality and training for skill. I now work at Logos Academy in York, PA and it is an honor to serve my community in this way by being able to stand in the gap for students who are looking for opportunities and inviting partners to join in on our mission.

Q: When and why did you decide to become an AFP member?
A: I joined AFP in October of 2023. My supervisor suggested it as a great resource to help me get acclimated to fundraising. I took the Fundamentals of Fundraising Deep Dive course, which was a helpful overview to kick start me!

Q: Are you doing anything innovative at your organization (or a past organization) that you think other fundraisers could benefit from?
A: I have noticed that our donor pool does not reflect the students that we are serving. It is important to fund our mission and it is equally important that the people we are serving feel that they are represented in every way. This has led me to work on a development plan where I will partner with diverse churches in the area and work on building a partnership between our school and their church. 

Q: What is your favorite word? (only one word) How has this word influenced or inspired your career?
A: Intentional. This word has inspired my personal life and career because it pushes me to lead with intentionality, to nail down the “why” that is motivating me to act. If I am running a campaign, interacting with a donor, or writing an appeal, I want to show up as my full self and put my heart into it. I never want to do something “just to do it”, it needs to be accomplished with intentionality.

Q: How has being an AFP member and participating in the AFP affinity groups benefited you in your career?
A: Being an AFP member is helping me to better understand the world of fundraising, how to be an ethical fundraiser, and how to better serve my community through fundraising. 

Joining the Black/African American Affinity Group has been nourishing to my soul. In six months, I have already noticed that I am usually the only Black woman, or one of few people of color in fundraising meetups. It can be lonely and hard to describe the emotions that come along with that — the tension that the community I am serving looks like me, but the people who are donating do not.

Joining the affinity group has let me know that I am not the only one who is experiencing these lofty emotions and has encouraged me to push through. There are a lot of successful Black fundraising professionals who are paving the way for newbies like me and bridging the gap between the community that we serve and philanthropists.  

Q: What advice do you have for other fundraising professionals, or people interested in getting into the field?
A: The best advice I have received so far was to not stress over the dollars, but to focus on the interactions that I have with donors. The money will come, and I will work hard, but if the donors do not feel genuinely invited to be a part of our mission it won’t matter. So, that's the advice I would share to someone entering the field — the money will come, focus on building relationships with donors, sharing the mission of your organization, and how they can partner with you.