Julie Davis is one of the Foundation’s founding board members. Originally from Australia, Julie moved to Canada as a young university graduate after getting involved with AIESEC (pronounced eye-sek), a global student run platform that affords young people the opportunity to explore and develop their leadership potential.
Through AIESEC, Julie landed in Vancouver for a six-month contract with the BC Ministry of Communications and Culture. She stayed in Canada, going on to work for Unilever in Toronto, and later Quaker Oats in Peterborough. Now in her third term as Vice-President External Relations & Development at Trent University, Julie sat down with the Foundation to discuss her life experiences and what inspires her to devote so much energy to the philanthropic sector.
The following is our abridged conversation.
Can you tell me about a significant life experience that shaped your values and beliefs around giving back to your community?
Julie Davis: I moved to Peterborough in the mid 90s to work for Quaker Oats and didn’t really spend much time in the community. My work often involved being in Toronto or in Chicago. In 2004, Quaker was bought by PepsiCo and I was offered a job in Oakville and I chose not to take it because we wanted to stay in this area. We love it here, but I wasn’t sure what I should do next. I had a 2-year-old daughter at the time, so I sat down with someone who kind of helped me develop some focus for my job search.
One of the major themes was I wanted to spend my day doing something that I was proud to tell my daughter about. That led me to getting a job running the hospital foundation, which is where I really learned how a community is built by volunteers.
Are there specific causes that you’re most interested in or most passionate about?
JD: For me, the central focus is supporting strong families. A strong family is the foundation of a child’s growth and of a community’s health. My parents were divorced when I was young, so I was raised by a single mother who hadn’t gone past Grade 9 and had a very low income. We relied upon second-hand school uniforms and programming at the YMCA. That has shaped my desire to help families overcome challenges. That’s why my current volunteer focus is Five Counties Children’s Centre where I’m the chair of the Board. Connected to the focus on families is education, because it provides a pathway out of poverty for families, which I see here at the university all the time.
How do you define success in terms of your community involvement or charitable activities?
JD: I think it’s “have I helped in a meaningful way?” Can I see new connections or new partnerships that I’ve brought to the organization I’m working with? Have I created a good pipeline of volunteers and board members for the stability of the organization, or new ideas that provide longstanding revenue or community engagement benefits? I tend to think of myself as a connector; of bringing people together. I try to get more people involved and magnify the efforts of the organization to inspire and engage others.
Is there something you can point to during your time at the Community Foundation that you’re particularly proud of?
JD: I was honoured to be invited to be on the founding board and I led the committee for recruitment of the first executive director. That was Andrea Dicks who has gone on to be the President of Community Foundations Canada. So, it’s wonderful to see that success for her and for her success to shine the spotlight on Peterborough.
The other thing that really struck me; I served on the granting committee for a couple of cycles and that exposed me to many smaller charities that I wasn’t aware of, and it just gave me a really good understanding of how lean they are; how resourceful and creative they are to accomplish their goals. In many cases, these organizations don’t have sustainable revenue streams but at the same time they’re doing really good, important work. So much of their focus is just trying to keep the money coming in, which was very eye opening.
What do you see as the role of the individual in helping to address social issues within our community? Is there a role for ordinary people?
JD: Yeah, absolutely. People in the community can spend their time and resources on the causes and issues they care about. They can also raise awareness and communicate with all levels of government about what they believe should be prioritized based on what they see in their own communities. I think charities can pilot new initiatives, which governments should pay attention to. You know, the new ideas being tried in cities like Peterborough can be adopted and expanded elsewhere.
What are the most meaningful or impactful ways that a person can contribute to their community?
JD: I think one of the best things an individual can do is to focus for a period of time on a particular issue that is important to them. One can easily get fragmented and want to help so many different causes that it becomes too hard to manage. I find having some focus for a period of time is helpful and I do think working through established organizations is important.
How do you balance your personal and professional commitments with your desire to give back to the community?
JD: So, for me, it is just because of the nature of the work that I do, I have found that I tend to take on things that have structured engagements so I can plan for the meeting times. When my daughter was young, I brought her to lots of events when I worked at the hospital foundation. You can go back through the photographic records and she’s standing beside me at the kickoff for the Dragon Boat Festival or at weekend events to honour donors. I brought her along because I felt it should be part of her learning.
I also try to have one local volunteer role and another volunteer role in my sector. Right now, that means Five Counties locally, and also chairing the board of my national sector association, the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education. So, it’s giving back to my community and to my colleagues coming up behind me in the advancement field. It’s busy!
What would you say to help someone who is thinking of joining a board to take the leap?
JD: I have learned so much about my community doing this. I’ve enjoyed learning about all the positive work being done in Peterborough and I’ve been surprised and shocked and upset about how much need there is. The best part is meeting and getting to know people who really are working hard to make a difference in our community.
I still remember a lovely little farewell that was held for me when I left the hospital foundation. They invited a number of our bigger donors, many of whom came up to me and thanked me for getting them involved with the Foundation. They said, “thank you for asking me.” That really surprised me but, you know, people who care about an issue sometimes just need help connecting to the people doing the work.
How have you faced challenges or obstacles while trying to do the work that you love to do in our community?
JD: I was introduced to this wonderful concept of abundancy versus scarcity and that’s a belief that there is enough money and there’s enough people who want to be involved and help, you just have to find them. It’s a very liberating perspective. I know I wear a pair of rose-colored glasses but I also know that our community will find a way to make something happen by getting the attention of good-hearted people and funders; by tapping into good connections, and solid relationships. I’ve always believed that by sharing our challenges and issues with as many people as possible, eventually a crack will form, or a door will open, and then a pathway to a solution will be uncovered.
So, just never give up.
JD: When I first started in fundraising, I had never done anything like it before. I’d never asked people for money. And you know, it started with really believing in what the outcome is that you’re trying to accomplish and finding people who want to accomplish that as well and giving them a pathway to do that. That’s the whole magic of it. You’re not asking for yourself. You’re asking to help other people, and when you realize that people are grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of that, to give to it, that takes away a lot of the fear of being rejected. It’s very liberating.
If you were given significant resources and support, what kind of community-based project or initiative would you get off the ground?
JD: Well, I think like many people, the homelessness issue has really captured my attention. One of my colleagues on that founding board of the Community Foundation, John Martyn, came to us with a deep sense of focus on homelessness and here we are nearly fifteen years later with even greater challenges and, seemingly, few solutions. Back to my grounding values and emphasis on the family. You can’t raise a healthy family if you don’t have a stable home, so that’s where I’d put my focus.
That’s a great note to end on, unless there’s anything else you’d like to add.
JD: I’m very honored to have been involved in the start of the Community Foundation, and so enormously gratified to see how many other people have joined the Foundation over the years, including the wonderful leadership that we have under Jennifer DeBues today. The impact it’s had in such a short period of time; I think it just reflects so well on this wonderful community.