Folly #71: Dream Jobs

Manifesting Maya – and Aesop.

My mom – the invincible Maya Hamburger – had about nine dream jobs.

Chronologically, they included…

Nanny. The job that paid for her dream college in Boulder, Colorado.

Translator. A German immigrant, she spoke several languages.

Fashion advertising. A photo shoot inspired my name: Tippi Hedren, known for Hitchcock’s The Birds and her work helping Vietnamese-American refugees launch nail salons, had a daughter named Melanie.

Realtor. A career that gave her flexibility as a working mom.

International tour guide. She took groups to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tahiti, and I bet they had a bunch of fun.

Criminal defense attorney. She went to law school in her 60s, passed the California bar, and was televised on her first case as part of the OJ Simpson defense.

Maya in the courtroom with Johnnie Cochran and OJ. Watch the video.

She manifested one of her favorite expressions. As Maya – and Aesop’s Fables – used to say…

Be careful what you wish for.

She was in constant reinvention, undaunted in her bright blue blazer.

My Dream Job Starts Today

Since my “job” is supporting small nonprofits in their fundraising, my dream job is a very specific kind of consulting project, where I work with a foundation.

I have been asked by a community foundation to teach their grantees how to build sustainable revenue. Today is fundraising class #1.

Few things are more satisfying than helping small organizations create fundraising ease. (Guess what? It’s not from grants!)

Small-staffed nonprofits do such amazing work with limited resources. I love to help them hit the ground running in reaching more donors, no matter where they are in the process.

Grantmaking foundations are a hub connected to lots and lots of small nonprofits. I’ve taught fundraising for years, and this is the role that I’ve wished for.

Wish me luck!

Now, if only I had a bright blue suit…