Favorite Parts Of Being A Senior Vice President At A Fundraising Consulting Firm
Polly enjoys the collaborative environment at CCS, stating that "I thrive in places where I can work with a team," and appreciates the diverse sectors the role exposes her to, allowing for continuous learning and a "nice balance of working with people and also really having dedicated time where I can put my head down." This variety, encompassing healthcare, education, and urban healthcare policy, keeps the work engaging and challenging.
Teamwork, Project Management, Lifelong Learning, Leadership, Healthcare
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Polly Breit
Senior Vice President
Fundraising Consulting Company
University of Wisconsin, Madison
N/A
Classics, Spanish Literature
Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Consulting
Honors Student
Video Highlights
1. Polly enjoys collaborating with a large team of colleagues across the country and globally, sharing best practices and seeking advice.
2. She values the opportunity to learn about multiple sectors, citing experiences in healthcare, education, and urban healthcare settings as examples of how her work has broadened her understanding of diverse challenges and approaches.
3. Polly highlights the balance between teamwork and independent work, mentioning the dedicated time she has for project management and strategic planning, which she finds fulfilling and prevents boredom.
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being in your current role?
That's a great question. Before I came to CCS eight years ago, I was doing project-based consulting for nonprofits on my own. I enjoyed it, but I realized quickly that I thrive in places where I can work with a team.
I have 550 colleagues across the country and globally that I can reach out to for best practices and advice. That's a piece I really enjoy.
Another piece I enjoy is learning about multiple sectors. For the first couple of years in my career, I did feasibility planning studies for small rural hospitals. I learned about the challenges of healthcare delivery in rural communities.
Then, I worked for several years at an independent school that focused on diverse learning profiles for students. These students had incredible talents but potentially faced challenges with reading. I saw their model and understood how they approached supporting kids with access to resources that empowered them through a strength-based approach.
After that, I moved to where I was working for a couple of years with a big safety net hospital. This hospital served patients who were often underinsured and I learned the complexities of a large urban healthcare center, the policy, and how philanthropy fit into that.
I feel like I'm constantly in a place where I get to continue to be a lifelong learner, which I've loved. I don't think there's been a day in my eight years that I've been bored in my job. I'm constantly challenged, which I love.
It's a nice balance of working with people and also having dedicated time where I can focus on managing projects, creating project plans, and strategy. It's a great balance.