Meet Kerry Ayres-Smith!
Published
Meet (and friend!) Kerry Ayres-Smith, a Raiser's Edge & RENXT user, with the Marcus Jewish Community Center.
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Meet Kerry Ayres-Smith!
This week's member spotlight shines on Raiser's Edge and RENXT user, Kerry Ayres-Smith, with the Marcus Jewish Community Center. |
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Tell us about your family (fur babies count!) "I love my family! I have one older sister, who is a pet sitter, and my parents. I am very close to my father. We both love watching baseball together. I don't have any fur babies yet... but I am in the process of adopting a cat!" Where do you live? "Atlanta, Georgia." What do you like to do for fun? "I love to do sudoku and read. Also, I live right next door to a park that has a paved walking trail so I enjoy spending time out there - when it isn't too hot!" What’s a life achievement you are particularly proud of? "All of my Raiser's Edge training! When I graduated college, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. But once I started working in the database at my first job, I was hooked. The trainings have been tough, especially the exams. But I have learned so much, and become a much more efficient database manager, and been able to help out all my coworkers by making lists quicker and building better and stronger mailing lists." |
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What’s one memory that always makes you smile? "The day that we brought home our first dog. My sister and I had always begged for a dog, but it wasn't until we had both moved out that our parents finally got a dog. When we brought the dog home, she was afraid of everything! I remember my mom and I were sitting in the living room and we looked at each other and asked where the dog had gone. We searched high and low, only to discover that the dog had gotten in to my old room and managed to climb on top of my platform bed and had made herself a little nest with the pillows and blankets that were there!" What is one interesting fact about yourself most people don't know? "I love Braves Baseball!" What are three things on your bucket list? "Run a marathon, travel to Italy, and re-learn Spanish." |
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Tell us about your organization: "I work at the Marcus Jewish Community Center, which is an organization committed to strengthening the quality of life in Atlanta and is recognized as one of the most highly-regarded Jewish community centers in the Nation. We impact more than 60,000 people annually, and we welcome people of all faiths, ages, and backgrounds. Our mission is to foster and ensure a vibrant greater Atlanta Jewish community by providing programs and services of distinction that attract, involve, and inspire meaningful connections and promote Jewish values." What’s a typical day like for you? "I wake up about 6am, have breakfast, then get in to the office about 7:15am. Once I am in, I check my emails for gifts that may have come in over night. I begin by entering gifts in to Raiser's Edge, then I process them in our merchant services software. After that, I work on what ever lists need to be pulled for upcoming mailings, any queries that people might need, and just general assistance with the database. I am always ready to look up a donors contact information, or to run a report about how a specific fund is doing. As I get ready to leave, around 4pm, I run acknowledgement letters and give them to my boss to review. She passes them on for signatures, and when I come in the next day I am ready to print the envelopes and stuff and seal and send them off!" |
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What’s the best part of your job? "I work with an AMAZING team. I love each of my coworkers. We all balance each other out and help each other when needed. We all fit together and work together very well. Everyone has one goal in mind - to make our organization better - and we are all working together to meet that goal!" What advice would you give someone starting out in the non-profit field? "Don't be afraid to ask questions! Even if it may seem like a silly question, go on and ask it. Chances are that someone else has already asked that question before. Asking questions is a great way to learn. Also, learn as much as you can about your organization as a whole. Learn about the development department, but learn about the other departments and how they all work together. Spend some time talking to the finance department, or the membership department, and learn how all the departments fit in to the grand picture of your whole organization." What do you love about the Blackbaud Community? "All the support from the other members! I post a question, and by the end of the day, I have responses! It is wonderful! Also, just searching through the community. I have learned so much just by searching random topics, like Manual or Best Practices." |
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| Finally, if you were a sandwich, what kind of sandwich would you be? "I would be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (creamy peanut butter with grape jelly) on whole wheat breat. I grew up eating that sandwich so now I associate it with happiness and relaxation." | ||
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ARCHIVED | Member Spotlight
04/18/2018 10:58am EDT
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I would be a tuna made with mustard, celery, pickles, on wheat bread.. grew up on that ... we had 8 in our family!
Mark