Meet Jeff Seidl!

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Meet Jeff Seidl, an Online Express, Raiser's Edge, and TeamRaiser user, with For Pete's Sake Cancer Respite Foundation.


Meet Jeff Seidl! This week's Community Corner spotlight shines on Online Express, Raiser's Edge, and TeamRaiser user, Jeff Seidl, with For Pete's Sake Cancer Respite Foundation. Jeff Seidl's Community Profile>
About Jeff: What do you like to do for fun? "My favorites activity is reading (my favorite novels being George RR Martins A Song of Ice and Fire), followed closely by a love of film and quality television, I also write occasionally and was published on a couple websites in college. Music is a big part of my life, I am almost always listening to something. I love to run and play golf. Travel is important to me as I love experiencing different cultures and customs, whether they be a different area of the US or a different country entirely. Tied to my love of travel is an obession with food and drink, I'm not a fan of the term "foodie", but I would definitely fit the definition- always looking for a restaurant I haven't heard of, or trying a dish I haven't had yet. I tended bar before getting hired by For Pete's Sake, so I love speaking with managers, chefs, bartenders whoever at the places I visit and asking about their dishes or whatever they want to tell me about their restaurant." What’s a life achievement you are particularly proud of? "I found myself in the non-profit industry because of my history of enjoying volunteer projects. In high school I helped lead 2 trips to Appalachia where my classmates and I repaired homes for underprivilged families, and in college I chaired a 5K that reached new heights of fundraising under my leadership. The proceeds from this run benefit a small school in Philadelphia offering education to families that pay only what they cana afford for tuition, so they depend on fundraising for a large part of their budget and technology upgrades."
	What’s one memory that always makes you smile? "I've never been able to answer questions that force me to pick one thing. I've been blessed with many moments in my life I look back fondly on and wouldn't want to categorize one over the others." What is one interesting fact about yourself most people don't know? "I come from a musical family and play myself. I am classically trained in piano, but also play the drums and have dabbled in the saxaphone, guitar, and bass."
Tell us about your organization: "For Pete's Sake Cancer Respite Foundation benefitsan underserved group of people facing a cancer diagnosis, young adults and their families and caregivers. We focus on an age group of 24-55 years old and provide those patients that we can with a respite vacation. This vacation allows the patient and their caregiver (frequently their spouse) - and children if they have them, time to spend together and rejuvenate themselves and their relationship. Through generous partnerships with various resorts, camps, and personal home owners we are able to send families to places like The Jersey Shore, Florida, and Maine to name a few. Marci, our Founder and CEO, began this mission after her husband, Pete passed away from a battle with cancer and expressed a desire to help other families in the same way they were helped- after friends and family held a beef and beer, which gave them the necessary funds to take a vacation together late in his struggle. 16 years later our ability to help others is stronger than ever, but still on a limited scale, which is something we endeavor to expand everyday." What’s a typical day like for you? "As our Data and Development Associate I spend about 99% of my time in Raiser's Edge. Entering gifts we receive takes anywhere from a few minutes to a couple hours in a given day based off some factors like, if we recently did an ask, or had a major event. Reporting and analysis of data takes up part of my time, as well as data management and clean up. I started out using Sphere, but we recently upgraded to Team Raiser for our community events and our major Walk, so creating events, maintaining events, processing gifts, etc. through those software programs also falls under my responsibilties." We recently hired a male intern, but before that I was actually the only man working in the office previously exclusively staffed by women. So, half-jokingly "carrying things" was included in my job description and I do indeed frequently find myself unloading or loading things needed for events and outreach. We still laugh about it. Besides what I am required to do I like to look for opportunites to contribute to the organization beyond my day-to-day responsibilites and go the extra mile in helping us achieve our mission such as finding new companies to sponsor events, attending networking and outreach events, and researching technology and strategies that can improve a foundation's operations and mission."
	What’s the best part of your job? "The satisfaction of knowing that what I do contributes to a family getting to spend time together, without cancer invading every minute of their life, and thus being able to focus on each other and build positive memories together." What advice would you give someone starting out in the non-profit field? "I think this industry more than any other requires someone to go above and beyond what they are asked, especially considering there is no tangible incentive, like a commission on a sale, for doing so. If you want to be successful within your organization and its mission you need to show that you understand the mission above all else and then show that you're willing to committ yourself to it. A desire to make a difference and a passion for your organization are absolutely required if you're going to enjoy yourself at work and further yourself in the field." What do you love about the Blackbaud Community? "The sheer amount of discussions, training, and support available is incredible. Coming out of university with a degree in Philosophy and having focused as well on psychology and political science I had basically no experience with the day-to-day of a non-profit or the technology used by a non-profit. I learned quickly on the job and am still learning, so having the level of support Blackbaud offers is huge when I run into small, or large issues during my work on a given day."

Finally, if you were a sandwich - what kind of sandwich would you be?: "If I were a sandwich, I would be The Schmitter. Featured at a hole-in-the-wall in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, The Schmitter is comprised of extra cheese, grilled beef, grilled salami, tomato, fried onions, and a special Schmitter sauce on a flash-broiled kaiser roll. It could be considered a more complex verison of the Philly cheesesteak and is infinitely better. Add bacon to it and you have what is the best sandwich in the city, maybe the country. Simple, yet decadent and delicious."

News ARCHIVED | Member Spotlight 02/08/2017 9:00am EST

Added by Crystal Bruce

1 Comments

Eileen Disken Apr '17

Great profile. Sounds like you work for an amazing organization Jeff!