Alumni Spotlight: Joi J. Rae (MPA-PNP 2018)
Joi J. Rae (MPA-PNP 2018), director of special projects and strategic partnerships, Stand Up America
We'd love to learn more about your journey in civic engagement and political action. What drew you to this field?
I come from a family of immigrants who mostly work in the healthcare professions. They are people who supported each other in order for it to be possible to thrive in this country, and they are people who have dedicated their careers to caring for and improving the wellbeing of others. Healthcare was not my calling, but I grew up with the understanding that dedicating your career and life to caring for other people was something that you absolutely had to do. Civic engagement and political action are my way of caring for people. I use my skills as a generalist to help organizations create and execute strategy, to fundraise, and to operationalize new projects and programs. Although I'm often working behind the scenes, this work helps causes and people that I care most about.
In your current role, you oversee fundraising and special projects. What does that look like in practice? What are you most excited to work on?
My official title is the director of strategic partnerships and special projects. My role has internal and external components. The internal part of my role involves planning and facilitation for political and advocacy campaigns, supporting our team across the organization, and handling special projects. This can look like a lot of things during the work day. I plan and facilitate meetings for our monthly planning process, campaign planning, and campaign debriefs. I also advise and support our executive director on a range of organization-wide initiatives, including strategic planning, DEI, and professional development.
My external responsibilities entail managing fundraising and other work that helps to raise the profile of our organization. That can mean that I'm creating presentations and proposals to share with funders, drafting our monthly funder newsletter, and tracking and managing our communications with donors on any given day. I also take on projects that don't fit neatly on the plate of anyone else in the organization. I put together panels, apply for awards, and attend events that help to raise awareness about our work. It's a little bit of everything, and that's what I love most about my work.
As a student, which courses, initiatives, or skills gained at Wagner have proven to be the most impactful in your work?
There were many classes and programs that helped to prepare me for the work that I'm currently doing, but my Capstone class and my fellowship with Social Sector Leadership Diversity (SSLD) really stand out. The classmates in my Capstone group were wonderful to spend time with, and my professors and Capstone client were all Wagner alumni. I got to see what it was like firsthand to be a consultant solving knotty challenges and learned a lot about how to navigate working on a big long-term project with a group.
The SSLD fellowship brought together Black and PoC graduate students from all over NYU to help us build leadership skills and community. From the skills I learned to the people I met who are still close friends, that fellowship changed my life in the best way possible.
You serve as a board member at a nonprofit yourself. What helped you find the right match, and what advice do you offer those considering joining a nonprofit board?
Fellow Wagner grads have been incredibly instrumental in my personal and professional growth. My classmate, Whitley Richards, works for an organization called Cause Strategy Partners (CSP). CSP runs a program called BoardLead that I learned about through Whitley. BoardLead trains professionals so that they can use their skills and expertise to become effective board members and connects them with nonprofits across the country that need to fill spots on their boards. Being on a board serves as a mutually beneficial opportunity. Nonprofits get the support and guidance they need while professionals have the opportunity to expand their professional experience while giving back to their communities.
As a part of the BoardLead process, I matched with a non-profit called the Ya-Ya Network. Ya-Ya is a New York based non-profit that teaches young people the skills they need to be organizers and activists. The work is especially gratifying given the uncertainty and fear many people are experiencing in this current socio-political moment. These young people organize strategically to do things like rally outside City Hall to demand the reversal of education cuts and talk to City Council members about health and safety in their schools. They give me so much hope for the future.
Looking ahead, what impact do you hope to make?
I've known since I left government that I would eventually make my way back to it. It may be years from now, but I'll always think of myself as a public servant. Working in government is one of the best ways to do the most good for the greatest number of people. Making my way back to that is a question of when, not if.