Career Path of a Vice President of Philanthropic Strategies at United Way San Diego
Katie's career path began in casino marketing after college, but realizing heart wasn't "very happy," passion for helping people led to a transition into the nonprofit sector, gaining experience at YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs before growing career with Vice President roles at Emilio Naris Foundation and currently, United Way of San Diego. The path highlights the importance of following passions and demonstrates how experience in various roles can lead to leadership positions in philanthropic organizations.
Nonprofit, Career Change, Fundraising, Leadership, Philanthropy
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Katie Khaism-San
VP Philanthropic Strategies
United Way of San Diego County
SDSU & Springfield College
Humanities, Business Management & Admin
Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Communication and Marketing
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Importance of Passion: Even more than education, realizing what you want to do is key. Katie realized her heart wasn't happy in marketing for casinos and wanted to help people, leading her to switch to the nonprofit sector.
2. Early Experiences in Nonprofits: Katie gained experience in the nonprofit industry through roles at YMCA (Pride Teacher Director, summer camps) and Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego (programs, fundraising, and corporate partnerships).
3. Career Growth and Transition: Katie progressed from program roles to director-level positions and then transitioned to the administrative side of fundraising and partnerships, eventually becoming a Vice President of Philanthropic Strategies at multiple organizations.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you've had before your current role.
I actually had a different career path when I was in college. It's okay if you have a different career path in the beginning.
I ended up in marketing for casinos. After two years, I realized my heart wasn't happy and there had to be another way; I really wanted to help people.
Having that passion is more important than the education. Once I realized that, I switched over to the YMCA and was a program director, teaching diversity in the school system.
I also did some summer camps, so I started getting my feet wet in the nonprofit industry. From there, I went to Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego for eight years.
There, I worked in programs with kids, moving up to a director level. I then moved to the administrative side of fundraising and corporate partnerships. After eight years, I wanted to grow my career.
I moved over to be the Vice President of Philanthropic Strategies for the Emilio Nares Foundation, an organization that helps kids with cancer. Then, I was a consultant for two years.
Now I'm with United Way of San Diego as the Vice President of Philanthropic Strategies.