Jackie Miller, aka J$ (“J-Money” when spoken aloud), is the Director of Partnerships here at VFA and is responsible for maintaining and growing VFA’s network of donors and supporters. Jackie grew up in the Bay Area before taking her talents to the east coast where she worked at two international humanitarian organizations prior to VFA. Known as a fearless leader in the office and the life of every party outside, Jackie provides both the intellectual and social firepower needed for us to not only kick butt at our jobs, but also have a blast while doing it.
Name: Jackie Miller
Position at VFA: Director of Partnerships
Department Name: Development aka Team $
College or University: University of California, Berkeley
Job before VFA: Strategic Marketing at the International Rescue Committee
What does your team do and why is it awesome?
Team $ is constantly hustling to raise the funds that make our program possible: that’s everything from Selection Day to Training Camp to the VFA Seed Fund. This means writing grants and reports for major foundations, networking with philanthropists across the country, crafting partnerships with corporate sponsors and providing board members and volunteers meaningful opportunities to engage with the VFA network. Team $ is awesome because we have to be VFA generalists and know a little bit about everything the organization does in order to build meaningful relationships with our supporters and report out to funders.
What do you do?
As the Director of Partnerships, I am lucky enough to work with some of our major corporate partners, including UBS, Barclays, PwC, and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. I get to work with our partners to launch and grow initiatives like the Innovation Fund, the Accelerator and the Seed Fund. My job is to dig into our strategic growth challenges and then find the perfect partner or sponsor to make the solution possible – how cool is that?!
What are you known for at VFA?
While I am primarily known for my fundraising hustle, I am a true proponent of the “work hard, play hard” lifestyle, and therefore vigorously embrace a life of leisure and all it entails. I think the team likes to imagine I spend my out-of-office time sipping champagne in a cashmere onesie on a moonlit beach, etc. Which may or may not be true.
How did you come to work at VFA?
When I graduated from college, I was certain I wanted to work at a nonprofit. I knew that I wanted to contribute to a social cause and make the world a better place. I began a career in fundraising for large international humanitarian organizations and while I was passionate about human rights and international development, I found my ability to make an impact at large and sometimes inefficient NGOs was pretty limited. When I discovered VFA, I was thrilled to join an incredibly smart and industrious startup team as one of the first fundraising hires with the ability to shape the direction of the organization – all with only a few years of experience under my belt.
Favorite part about your role at VFA:
VFA is scrappy and startupy and all-hands-on-deck. I work with Barclays to fund the annual Innovation Fund, which involves grantwriting and employee engagement, but I also get to work with the Fellows in the competition to advise them on their projects, coordinate skills development programming and connect them to mentors and advisors. Not only do I get to raise funds for VFA projects and programs, but I get to build and implement them.
One thing you do every day at VFA that you probably couldn’t do at another job:
When I take a business trip to a VFA city, I’m automatically linked up with a group of fun, enthusiastic, and connected 20-something Fellows – the best city guides ever! It’s basically the coolest way to visit and explore new cities.
Favorite annual VFA event and why:
Every year when the Innovation Fund rolls around, I get excited about working with the crowdfunding teams, because I know that these are the future VFA Fellow founder success stories being born and it’s so exciting to see them in their early days.
Favorite Training Camp memory:
The time I went to Providence to stay in team housing for a few days, and there were no extra towels for me in the supplies closet, so Isa resourcefully located a VFA picnic blanket and one washcloth for my showering needs. #scrappy
Coolest thing you’ve done outside of work with VFA team members in the last year:
Barclays, one of VFA’s biggest national supporters, recently hooked the team up with tickets to a Nets game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The team that balls together, stays together. Evidence on Instagram here.
What newspapers, websites or blogs do you kick off your day with?
I read the NYT every day and I also love me some Jezebel. And I eagerly await my Startup Digest email every week.
What are you reading and/or watching right now?
I’m currently reading Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a beautiful novel about what it means to be black in the U.S. I’m also pretty excited that Game of Thrones is back on.
Best tip or life hack for increasing productivity during the work day:
Spend at least an hour of completely email-free time every day.