Mentoring Program - An interview with Michael Ticzon, CFRE
Posted by [email protected] on Jan. 25, 2022 / Subscribe 0
Mentoring Program
An interview with Michael Ticzon, CFRE
January 2022
There have likely been moments in your life where you’ve leaned on someone you trust for advice or assistance. Whether the person you turned to is a professor, friend, family member, or colleague, the importance of mentors is undeniable. One of the many benefits of being a member of AFP-GPC is the opportunity to participate in the Mentoring Program. Offered twice a year (Feb-Sep), the program matches new or returning members to the profession together with seasoned fundraising professionals.
Michael Ticzon, CFRE, recently participated in the Mentoring Program and was kind enough to assist with this month's blog by sharing his personal perspective on this valuable program.
Q: Tell us a little about your career to date and where you presently work?
"I'm a certified fundraising executive (CFRE) and have spent close to a decade in the nonprofit sector. I think like most fundraisers in the field, it wasn't traditionally something that we thought of as a career path, but I fell into event planning right after college for a national nonprofit and then worked myself up the development ladder across organizations, from Development Coordinator to Director of Development & Community Engagement at a Philadelphia focused nonprofit. I'm now working for Comcast NBCUniversal at their Philly Headquarters, spearheading employee engagement opportunities as a member of their Impact & Inclusion Team. My responsibilities include employee giving, matching gifts, board service, and general volunteer opportunities for specifically our HQ campus that is around 9,000 employees."
Q: How long were you an AFP member before starting the mentoring program, and what prompted you to join?
"I became a member of AFP in 2017. I was at an organization where two of my managers were active members who really saw the value of being involved in the Greater Philadelphia Chapter. My director was closely connected to a lot of the chapter’s leadership and took the time to introduce me. That director took me to my first ICON event and just really set aside a budget for that membership and professional development. I did not know anything about AFP so I was really fortunate that they introduced me to a whole world of opportunities and just connections opened up after that. So I really value AFP for sure, and the many resources and opportunities it provides. I joined the chapter and for about two years I attended several events and also joined the young professional’s committee. During my membership and in connecting with other members in various areas of development, I wanted to make an intentional move to move out of my organization and role. I was in an arts organization at that time and I really wanted to move into an 'Eds and Meds' environment. After some leadership change at my organization, I was interested in pursuing mentorship and getting help to navigate outside of my organization into a big pond so to speak."
Q: When thinking about what you wanted to get out of the program, how did you determine your specific goals?
"I knew right off the bat that I wanted to move out of my organization into a higher education/academia or hospital development shop, so that was first and foremost my goal. I also wanted to be more in a specific role. I did a little bit with database administration and event planning and knew that I wanted to be more of a frontline fundraiser, so that was another goal that I had on my checklist for what I wanted to get out of the program. I was also able to talk with my Mentor about what was essential to me in my next role and developed specific goals for our time together."
Q: Share a little about your Mentor and how you worked together to identify the skills you needed to advance your career?
"I want to shout out Josh Miller-Myers, who was the Mentorship Program Lead at that time. I was very open with Josh about what I was looking for in a Mentor and I think the overall matching process was just really spot on with me. Josh ultimately matched me with my Mentor, Kelly Grattan, MBA/PhD/CFRE, Senior Consultant & Director, Shultz & Williams. I knew that I was getting someone experienced right off the bat. 'Fun Fact' We were former neighbors in the same building but I did not realize that until we actually met for the first time for coffee… So this was something to break the ice. But in terms of identifying skills needed, I knew that I wanted a new job and I wanted to be a little more focused as a frontline fundraiser, annual giving, or major gifts officer role. So we talked about the kind of interviews I was landing, tracking that in an excel document, and practicing interview questions. I didn't necessarily have the frontline fundraising experience at that time, but we were able to take what my experience was and show potential to future employers. We would go over the questions and interviews that I had, review my applications and samples, talk about the STAR interviewing method when answering questions, and just the soup to nuts for interviewing, especially for a development role. We covered the basics and then also how to keep these connections with thank you emails/notes and connecting on LinkedIn. So it ran the gamut in terms of just skills needed to advance my career in my time spent with Kelly Grattan."
Q: Overall, what would you consider the greatest success from your participation in the Mentorship Program?
"Since finishing the program, I still keep in touch with my Mentor. Kelly has helped me get two jobs. During my first job hunt where I landed my Director of Development role at that community-focused organization, I went through several interviews at high-profile organizations. At the end of the day, it lined up that this Director of Development role really worked out for the timing, the experience, and the growth potential. An additional goal she helped me obtain was a 30-40% increase in salary, which I would not have negotiated if she did not coach me through. From texts to phone calls, I discussed every interview. At times I was really overthinking, but I felt able to lean on her so that was a huge success. Even recently I was interviewing for my current role, I had a few opportunities match up with me, and I was fortunate enough to really consider things with Kelly’s help. Kelly has helped tremendously through a lot of hardships, personally and professionally. I feel really fortunate that Kelly has been my shoulder to lean on here, to listen to, and to help me navigate the job prospects I had and even some tough conversations for some of them. Ultimately everything worked out with her perspective."
Q: As a former program participant, do you keep in touch with your Mentor?
“Kelly and I still keep in touch and are planning on getting together in 2022 when everything dies down. I think this is a testament to the match and what I wanted to get out of the professional Mentorship, someone that I could talk to beyond the six months. Kelly has been really open about staying connected with me. I talk to her about AFP, about volunteer opportunities, about my 401K, and even about real estate! I'm just very fortunate that the match worked out so well."
Q: Do you feel that the Mentorship Program has enhanced your overall AFP membership experience?
"I really got so much out of the Mentorship Program. I achieved the goals that I set out, and beyond that, I have a long-time Mentor and friend, and someone that I can really trust. I also feel my Mentor was wonderful in connecting me with a few individuals that serve within AFP committee and board leadership roles. The program got me out of my comfort zone and connected me with individuals that I wouldn't have connected with outside of AFP, and really expanded my network. It also provided some opportunities volunteering-wise and things that really allowed me to branch out and work on those other skills that weren’t so clean of cut and dry, those soft skills. I've always felt tapped-in enough with AFP-GPC, but there were always other AFP opportunities and resources that Kelly would often remind me of, not only in the local chapter, but also with AFP Global."
Q: Do you have any advice for members considering becoming a Mentee or Mentor in 2022?
"I'm just gonna say don't wait, do it!"
We’d like to give a special shout-out to Michael Ticzon for assisting with this month’s blog and for his willingness to share this personal and valuable perspective on the Mentoring Program.
If you have any questions about the program’s format, level of commitment, or wish to sign-up, please let us know asap. We’ll always welcome a conversation with you.
Dean Farrar
Mentorship Program, Chair
e: [email protected] | c: 215.805.1592
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