Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Schumacher.
Hi Laura, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I moved to Florida from Texas in 2012 after graduating with my Bachelor’s in Fine Arts Degree in Musical Theatre from Sam Houston State University. I started with Walt Disney World in the College Program as operations at Finding Nemo the Musical. I loved the experience and the community here in Orlando that I made the decision to stay! After working in Children’s Activities at the resorts and not having much success with entertainment auditions, I looked into getting involved with the local theatre community. I worked with Mad Cow Theatre on Church Street for a bit and then went to the Orlando Repertory Theatre, where I was the Front of House Manager from mid-2014 through 2016.
I’m so thankful to the Orlando REP for supporting me in education with the Edyth Bush Institute. I took a certificate in Volunteer Management, but it was the “Fundraising Dress Rehearsal” class that really changed my perspective. I loved the concepts of fundraising and the relationship-building so much. That class is what encouraged me, with the support of my husband, to pursue a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from UCF with a Certificate in Fundraising.
As I approached my last semester of my masters, I had done enough research and networking to know that I really wanted to get into a position in higher education advancement. In January 2017, I accepted the Research Associate position at Florida Polytechnic University and in May 2017, I graduated with my masters.
In my role at Florida Poly as part of my “other duties as assigned,” I got the chance to start their Alumni Association. These interactions and the connections made enlightened me to this type of position, so in September 2018, I started with Seminole State College as the Coordinator of Alumni and Employee Giving, and in June 2020, I accepted the Interim Assistant Director of Development Position.
2017 was my first position in Fundraising and is also when I started my membership with the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Since then, I’ve served on the Board since 2019, I was recognized as an Emerging Leader in the 2019 National Philanthropy Day, and I stepped in as President-Elect in late 2020 to transition to President in July 2021.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Finding my way to where I am now was absolutely not smooth. There were definitely some challenges both in my work environments and also in discovering who I was and what I could contribute. I would say that my biggest obstacle was finding the confidence to be myself and assured in what it was that I was worth and could accomplish.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
In my current role with Seminole State College, I wear a few hats. These include coordinating the Alumni Association, running our annual internal employee giving campaign, strategizing marketing for the Foundation and Alumni Association, managing the Presidents’ Club, working with fundraising strategies for programming at the College, assisting with the planning and execution of Foundation events, and helping to secure sponsorships for Foundation events.
Something that I feel that I have excelled in is building new programs and bringing innovative technologies and ideas to the table. I’m proud to have built out a Salesforce platform for tracking our Alumni data that can accurately pull reports and track engagement. My amazing team here at Seminole State has been collaborating on an update to our website that will be really exciting. I am also excited about our growing Alumni Association and the great volunteers that I have been able to gather and hopefully lead forward for more growth.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I’ve always wanted to get into books or podcasts to help with work and professional development, but I honestly can’t find one that has kept my interest and didn’t make me question every decision I’ve made. However, I do listen to the Daily by the New York Times and I’m a Crime Junkie listener. For professional development, my personality and learning style is dependent on human interaction, so AFP and CASE are my favorite resources. I’m so happy to have the professional network of friends through AFP Central Florida.
Image Credits
Dream Gala Photo of Foundation Team by Ice Sculpture was taken by Courtney Kiefer
