A career in philanthropy wasn’t one that I’d even really considered an option for myself until a little bit later in life, but once I stumbled into it I quickly realized that I’d found my calling.

Growing up in the rural countryside just outside of Ottawa, I was always surrounded by family. Aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents were all just a (quite literal) shout away, and big extended family gatherings were an almost weekly occurrence during the summers.

The cousins and I have all long since grown up and moved away to start our own families, but that sense of community and of helping each other out has never left me. I truly believe that people are stronger when they lean on one another.

After many years of working in the magazine sector, I discovered that there was a way that I could use my experience in the print industry to help out people in need. The sense of joy that I feel knowing that work that I’ve done is genuinely helping some wonderful causes harkens back to that sense of community from my childhood, when there was always someone nearby to lean on whenever the going got tough.

As a member of the Xennial generation – not quite Gen X, not quite a Millennial – I have one foot firmly planted in both the analogue and digital worlds. I love direct mail – or anything printed, for that matter – and I love it even more when there’s some kind of digital integration that can help remove barriers to giving.

After all, at the end of the day it’s all about people coming together to help each other out. Just like family.