Fundraising consultant – Ketchum Canada Inc. – www.kciphilanthropy.com

“Fundraising truly is a rollercoaster and you just need to enjoy the ride,” says Karen Dackiw, a professional fundraising consultant with Ketchum Canada Inc.

KCI sends her to different organizations to help with their campaigns. Currently, as the campaign director for the RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina, she is responsible for raising $10 million. Despite the challenge, she is excited about the chance to educate people about the RCMP’s long and illustrious history.

For Dackiw, fundraising is about “impacting the community,” not just about raising money. The 29 year-old Edmontonian started her career working for the United Way at Norwood school, in the Partners for Kids mentor program. “Norwood was a rude awakening,” says Dackiw, having discovered it was in one of the most impoverished communities in Edmonton. She realized how fortunate she was when she was growing up, and how poverty impacts families. It was from this experience that she decided to become a fundraiser.

While Dackiw loves her job, it isn’t easy. Not many people like to ask for money, and people aren’t easily parted with their money. Good thing she’s tenacious. “Fundraising is about linking donors with organizations in order to work collaboratively to improve the community and create lasting impact.”

When she was at Norwood, she made over 200 speeches about working with students and families living in poverty. In 2000, Dackiw was the United Way’s most requested speaker and named the speaker of the year.

“The best thing about my job is that I get to learn about all the good work being done.” Each assignment has its ups and downs—that’s the nature of raising money for a cause. “At the end, I can say it was hard… it was
challenging… but it was worth it.”