Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Kohler.
Sarah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It’s a long one! At the University of Iowa I served as my sorority’s event coordinator. As I neared graduation I started to become more involved in charity work; in particular the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk. The fundraising minimums were high for an undergrad so I realized that I could work with local venues to host our sorority events and give a kickback to charity. In doing this I was able to raise over $10,000 for SGK. When I graduated I started to look for event related jobs and ended up working in operations for SmithBucklin; a non-for-profit trade association management company with an expertise in events. During my first year at SmithBucklin I was still fundraising for Susan G. Komen. One day on lunch someone stopped me for a donation to another charity and I refused; saying I was already in the thick of fundraising for another group. As I walked away I realized that I had donors that year after year gave, attended my events, supported me – yet I hadn’t stopped to ask them how I could help. I set a goal for the following year to return to my donors and ask them what charities were close to their hearts and I would reverse the role and become supporter. As I shared my idea, more and more people told me they were interested and wanted to get involved. In 2012, at 23, I launched the charity platform ‘twelve’ that would support 12 charities in 12 months in whatever way the organization needed. Our services ranged from marketing and social media support, fundraising ideas, connecting philanthropists with events, and then the biggest of them all; creating and executing full events for organizations that needed them. My target was the 20-30-somethings. I realized that charity support is so intrinsically motivated but as young adults we don’t have much of a reference point. Loved ones haven’t been diagnosed so the motivation isn’t there – so what gets 20-30 somethings to pull out their pocket books? Experiences.
I started working with charities on how to create experience or event driven support and how to stand out and be as efficient as possible. I ran the ‘twelve’ model completely volunteer with zero compensation and only the support of friends and family that had the time to give all while working full time for nearly 4 years. I finally came to a cross road – I was doing well at SmithBucklin and enjoying the work I was doing there but ‘twelve’ was receiving more and more inbound requests. I didn’t have the time to give in order to produce the best results possible for either aspect of my life. I also faced the decision of being compensated for the charity work I was doing; how can I inspire others to give their time volunteer when I was being paid to do what I wanted them to be doing? In the end, I decided to rework the ‘twelve’ model and stick with my career. ‘twelve’ only allowed me 30 days with a charity before switching to the next – in 2016 I cut the charities in half and stuck to 5-6 that I could work with in depth and for longer stretches of time. I started serving on boards and committees – bringing as much experiences I could to the table. I never keep information close to my vest – sharing in the charity community is so important. If I have a contact, or an idea, or a business that has helped one group, I am open to share that to whomever asks. I’ve gone as far as creating and founding charitable boards that have such strong infrastructures that in a few years they will be running successfully and completely without me. I am proud to say that I closed out 2017 supporting 6+ groups, connecting dozens of up and coming philanthropists with deserving organizations, and being part of the fundraising of over $800,000. And I still love my job at SmithBucklin!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When you pave your own path; you learn to expect the unexpected and that change is constant. Because I was running everything grass roots it was important to understand that if any of my ideas failed; I had to be able to personally manage it. In the beginning, one of the major events we put on (that is still run to this day) was a yacht party. It was financed by one of my best friends who just trusted in the vision. But each day leading up you are just hoping and praying that it all works out, that enough people buy tickets, that sponsors come through, that it doesn’t rain (of course it did). Charity budgets depend on the net because that is what goes back to the cause. These struggles are what taught me about the importance of marketing, how to manage a budget, what will make or break and event, how to create an unforgettable experience. I had a huge group of friends and family cheering me on along the way which made it easier.
One of my biggest personal challenges happened in 2016. When I started this journey, it was really as a ‘just because.’ Revisiting my idea of intrinsic involvement; when I started all of this it was because an organization needed help so why shouldn’t I help? In 2016 that all changed. In April my aunt was diagnosed with Metastatic Stage 4 Breast Cancer and in December my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. I felt gut punched. I just spent 4 years giving all I had to organizations and now I was hit with a double whammy. All of a sudden two organizations certainly did stand out to me, it was tough to not drop everything and just focus on the two. I am happy to say I continue my support of the two alongside the rest.
Never believe someone who says it only takes one person to change the world; that one person did not get there alone. They changed the world hand in hand with the help of friends and family; together.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I think this is where I may differ from the other stories here. I still work full time at SmithBucklin. I cannot speak higher of this company or the organizations we serve. As a full service association management company I get the opportunity to work alongside trade organizations and industries to help them achieve their missions and goals. We do this through memberships, events, educational opportunities, on-line resources, and networking opportunities. SmithBucklin had taught me the importance of a well-run organization; not just a well-run event. It’s here where I learned about governance and in turn built Habitat for Humanity Chicago’s Emerging Leaders board. It’s here where I learned about budgeting conservatively, event platforms, marketing tools, and everything in between.
As far as charitable consulting; I am so proud of the work I do on a daily basis. I’m serving Chicago’s most deserving organizations and continually excited to work with more! What sets me apart? I stopped asking why a long time ago and started asking how can I help? I’m willing to share. I’ve worked with so many groups that I cannot reiterate enough how many important causes there are, not only in Chicago but Globally! We cannot play territories or sides; we cannot say one is more important than the other. Dig deep and see what you have to give and give it.
What were you like growing up?
If you can believe it; I have the same 11 best girlfriends today that I had in high school (plus me makes 12, the number 12 really seems to follow me!). I recently hosted a party and you can typically see me working the room; connecting new friends with old by remembering a common interest. One of my girlfriends joked that “I am the exact same today as I was then.” I think I’ve always been fascinated by networking and connecting people. I’ve always been a host and an entertainer. I was always singing and dancing. I competitively sang and was always in plays and musicals. Giving back was always a huge part of my childhood – my parents were really involved in the community and always taught me that you should give as much as you can and then ask how else you can help. That always stuck with me.
Contact Info:
- Email: sarahannkohler@gmail.com
- Instagram: sarkohler
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
