UBB Staff Spotlight
Today we say goodbye to one of UBB’s staff members, Stephanie Tam. Stephanie spent over a year with us as our Development, Communications, and Operations Assistant. She helped spread the word about our impact by handling all of our social media platforms and writing blogs. She also supported day-to-day fundraising activities through appeals, acknowledgements and donor cultivation efforts, and assisted in planning and the execution of fundraising and outreach events.
Why did you want to join the UBB team?
I really admired UBB's mission, which is to empower prisoners to fulfill their potential through communities of higher learning that transcend prison walls. I wanted to be a part of the UBB team, in making efforts to create a social impact on their students, and to help them feel more confident and empowered.
I have interned and worked for educational non-profits before, but not a non-profit like UBB. UBB is a unique organization that works inside a prison and works directly with incarcerated individuals in earning an education. Although I work everyday at the UBB office, I got the opportunity to meet with our students at WSR, and to work with them on some development and communication materials. They are such a joy to work with, and some of the most intelligent, kind-hearted, and passionate individuals I’ve ever came across with.
Stephanie and her sister, Jenny
Program Manager, Margaret Burke, and Stephanie Tam
What was your favorite memory at UBB?
Working on last year’s gala fundraiser. I have worked on gala fundraisers during past internships, but not at this caliber. It was a lot of hard work planning, strategizing, and executing the gala, but it was worth every minute of it. I got to develop more of my development and fundraising skills (which was one of my goals in this position) by reaching out to potential companies, individual donors and sponsors to support the gala, by procuring live and silent auction items, and by learning how to use Greater Giving, a fundraising software used to manage and track all of the logistics of the gala.
Being heavily involved in the gala gave me the opportunity to work more with our board members, as well as to meet and work with our volunteers. I was happy that my boyfriend, my sister, and her fiancé were able to attend the gala. It was great to share with them and some of our guests who aren’t too familiar with UBB about the organization and the work we do. The gala turned out to be a major success, as well as a rewarding and inspiring evening. (Special shoutout to Catrina Coulson from Bella Notte Auction Services for being our event planner, and for guiding and supporting me through the process of planning and executing a large fundraising event!)
What are your plans after UBB?
I got a job offer at The Max Foundation as a Development Coordinator here in Seattle. I am so excited to start my new role, and to continue to grow into the development side of working at an international global health non-profit.
I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with UBB: to all of our volunteers, instructors, and sponsors for dedicating their time from their hectic lives to volunteer and teach our students out at Monroe, to the board of directors for being supportive during my time here and for instilling knowledge and passion in advocating for our students, to the staff (Joel Strom, Margaret Burke, and Michelle Sato) for becoming my friends and mentors, and for helping me to grow both professionally and personally, and to our students for continuing to persevere through their classes, earn their degrees, and ultimately for setting a positive example for everyone, making all of their friends and families so proud of them.
It is bittersweet to leave UBB — I am constantly inspired on what UBB does in providing educational opportunities for our students, and I cannot wait to see what they do next for our students and for the community! I feel so honored and grateful to have been part of such a hard-working, compassionate, and close-knit team!
Stephanie has been a wonderful addition to the UBB team. We thank her for all of her hard work and dedication for what we do at UBB. We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors!