Meet Brinkley Cox! 2460

Meet Brinkley Cox!

Published

Meet Brinkley Cox, a Target Analytics user, with the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Meet Brinkley Cox!
 

This Community Corner spotlight shines on Target Analytics user, Brinkley Cox, with the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri.

Brinkley's Community Profile>

e37cf7e7dc51e724c35dec086dfae76c-huge-or

About Brinkley:
 

Tell us about your family (fur babies count!): "I am currently a proud dog momma to my schipperke, Rudy. I'm also a first time aunt to my niece, Elena! I’m Italian so family is very important and her being the first baby born of us four girls she is very spoiled. "

Where do you live? "St. Louis, MO. I love our little part of the city nestled between Forest Park & Concordia Park. I’ve lived here most of my life and couldn’t dream of living anywhere else."

What do you like to do for fun? "I’m currently in training for my yoga teacher certification. I’m hoping one day to help promote the #yogaisforeverybody movement and bring yoga to those that might have felt scared to try it before. I also enjoy teaching my coworkers to help with stress management, a big problem for most non-profits. My boyfriend and I are also avid hikers and have a goal to hit every state park in Missouri this year."  

What’s a life achievement you are particularly proud of? "Other than receiving my RE Professional Certification, I’m most proud of finding my dream job at 26. My grandfather always inspired me to pursue a career I could put my heart into and although I never dreamed it would be in the data world, I love coming to work each day and doing what I do." 

How did you get your start in the non-profit world? "I had a college professor tell me that if my first internship was during my college years than I was already a step behind. I took that as a kick in the pants and worked for 3 non-profits in Chicago that year alone. I fell in love with the idea of helping an institution that culturally uplifted a city. When I returned to St. Louis I sought out two other non-profits before finding my place at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The Garden does some incredible work for the environment, from our seed bank to our conservation projects across the globe, and we really feel like we're working towards a better future here." 

Tell us about your organization? "The Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis was founded in 1859 by Henry Shaw, an English merchant & philanthropist with a love for nature. Today, 157 years after opening, the Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a center for science, conservation, education and horticultural display — widely considered one of the top three botanical gardens in the world."
What’s a typical day like for you? I am a part of our Institutional Advancement Division and work with the Annual Giving/Membership team & Major Giving team to secure funds and memberships, as well as handle a large majority of our prospect research. One of the things I like best about this job is the variety. One week I’ll be pulling lists for our acquisitions and renewals and the next I’ll be creating a portfolio review and solicitation calendar for our Major Giving Officers. I also try and take a 10 minute walk (at least) in the Garden every day to see what is blooming. It’s magical here in the Spring.  

What’s the best part of your job? "Being able to make someone else’s job easier. I think that’s what most data professionals strive for in their work and I am a big fan of a two-click system. If it takes someone more than two clicks to find their data or their way around a database they usually call me for either a solution or to build a query, dashboard, invitation, etc. I despise being bored and would prefer a full day of projects to being on Facebook wasting my day. I would also have to say the best part of this job is having the world’s best team. We all support each other and I’m constantly inspired by their drive and passion for what they do." 

Do you have any advice for someone starting out in the non-profit field? "The first thing I would recommend is try and make connections. Go to networking events, volunteer, intern, whatever you can do to become a part of something you are passionate about. The next thing I would recommend is Training. Training. Training. I was incredibly lucky to be able to come into my new position and immediately start training in Blackbaud systems, a great commodity to anyone wanting to work in St. Louis, let alone most non-profits in the US. I hardly did anything else for my first two months at MOBOT but take online classes and shadow those in my field and I couldn’t dream of a better way to get acquainted with the software and the way my organization used it. I am now a resource for our entire division and I continually take courses to keep up with the new changes."
What do you love about the Blackbaud Community? "We data nerds (term of endearment in my opinion) love to communicate and the Community creates a safe space to discuss issues, creative ideas, and things we’d like to see created/changed in the system. I’ve never heard of another software program that actively participates in their Community pages and even updates their constituents to things they could be doing better and things that are being created in real-time. It’s a considerate touch to an already great system and I’d suggest every organization take advantage of it."

Finally.. 

If you were a sandwich.. what kind of sandwich would you be? "A King Elvis. Warm wheat, nut stuffed bread with peanut butter (chunky), banana, wildflower honey, and bacon. What sandwich is complete without bacon?" 
News ARCHIVED | Member Spotlight 07/07/2016 6:52pm EDT

Leave a Comment

3 Comments
Great community spotight! I like the idea/practice of the two-click system. Is this something  you can share more information about with other TA users? 
Hey, my running buddy! Congrats on the spotlight, and awesome meeting you at bbcon. :)
Jen Claudy Jen Claudy Nov '16
Glad I got to meet you in person at bbcon!

Share: