Hello! My name is Allyson, and I’m entering this program after a year in Eugene with UO’s Environmental Studies program. When I came back to school I’d been working at an environmental nonprofit for two years and was frustrated with the experience, mainly because of a hurdle I recognized while reading Philips’ case study: I was hired as the lead on communications and community outreach for a citizen science program, but the overbearing hierarchy of the organization (wherein my bosses were all biologists) constantly hamstrung whatever project I had on my desk. My reaction was to throw up my hands and say I wanted to be a nonfiction writer, where I can sit alone with a word processor.
After a year of reflection I’m not so jaded, which is why I’m here in this class. I’m still interested in environmental and science writing, but I do find collaborative pursuits immensely rewarding both for their results and their challenges. I’m interested not only in developing my ability to produce quality multimedia work, but also my professional skills as mediator and collaborator in many-faceted projects. Also…it sounds so shallow to me, but I think a Master’s could help alleviate some of those hierarchical struggles I experienced by giving me some official clout.
So, perhaps this program will take me into journalism, or into nonfiction writing, or back into nonprofit work—or perhaps a permutation of all three. In the here-and-now, though, I’m excited to be here and I’m looking forward to working with you over the coming year!
Katharine, where did you work? I worked for The Nature Conservancy for seven years. So perhaps we can join together in a project some time because I am very interested in learning how to tell the story of conservation, and why people need nature, in new and compelling ways and via effective media.
I mean Allyson, sorry!
I would love that, Natalie! What did you work on while at the Nature Conservancy? I was at The Peregrine Fund, which is really a fabulous organization, just, I think has been going through some growing pains as it transitions from breeding and releasing endangered birds of prey (totally hard science) to projects that require heavy outreach.
Ah, I just read your intro and see you wrote grants. Did you enjoy grant writing? In college I was thinking of this path.
I liked grant writing, but it is limiting careerwise, in my opinion, unless you want to delve further into fundraising via major gifts, bequests, etc, OR start your own grant writing kind of shop. But I could see the possibility of marrying fundraising and communications work.
I love working with conservation scientists. TNC was full of them, too, and my work as a journalist frequently involved them. I think it’s really fun to take hard conservation science and figure out how to frame it in a readable, simple, compelling, inspirational way.
Where are you hoping to go with your MMJ degree?
Seems like a common problem for non-profits to have. Especially with thin operating margins, I imagine yours isn’t the only organization to exercise tight control over client- (and potential donor-) facing content. The fact that the Scribe center wasn’t directed toward as specific a goal avian conservation allowed them to give more freedom to Facilitators and the content of the stories generated, but I’m sure many other non-profits and community service don’t have that luxury.