A moment with: Vanessa Graham

Vanessa Graham is the Manager of Special Events at St. Joseph’s Foundation in Phoenix, Ariz., where she has served for the past five years. Born and raised in Phoenix, she began working with live and silent auctions and event set-up for nonprofit events while in school attending Arizona State University. Working strictly on events, however, didn’t ignite her passion.

Fortunately, she found her way to St. Joseph’s where she is able to plan all of the foundation’s fundraising events, help to raise money for the hospital and see the impact of her work on the patients and community served.

Philanthropy is...
I’ve always thought philanthropy is really wanting to make the world a better place. I think it's just as simple as that.

Can you tell us about your role at the foundation?
On our team we have plenty of different hats that we work with but one of my main responsibilities is to plan and manage all of the fundraising events, any donor stewardship and cultivation meetings, and any celebrations that we do at the hospital on behalf of the foundation. Everyone relies on me to make sure everything is in-line. For our big events I collect sponsorships and get all of our auction items. We typically have one big event, which is the St. Joseph's Signature Event in the fall, and then we do a lot of third party events where we have races and a golf tournament. Since St. Joseph’s has another location on the west side of town, St Joseph’s Westgate, we are currently working to implement a Signature Event there as well.

How do you see your work advancing the mission of the organization?
I see our events as the first step into “Hello humankindness.” The events that we put on … when we get new prospects or donors to attend … it's our chance to really showcase who we are and why we’re in this community. We can highlight the unique programs, advanced technology and the amazing doctors and nurses that we have at St. Joseph’s. We can show them the kindness and compassion that we have as well. That gives us our first step in the door to say “okay, let's build this relationship” and to give them even more information about what we're all about.

What advice would you give to someone entering the field of philanthropy?
It's important to like what you do. For anyone working in philanthropy, if you have the desire to help others then you're in the right position. That's how I started. I was always wanting to help others but I just didn't know how. To actually work in a nonprofit organization that you're passionate about and to see all these amazing donor stories and the patients who are overcoming illness … it really makes you feel like “this is why I’m working for who I’m working for. This is why I’m here.”

Is there an event that stands out to you?
When we started the St. Joseph’s Signature Event in 2018 I was a little hesitant. What if no one showed up? What if no one bought tickets. These are the worries you have putting on a first event.

It is now our premier event where we showcase some of our most advanced lifesaving technologies and presentations by hospital innovators. The first year we had demonstration stations with the daVinci surgical robot and Giraffe [incubator carestations] isolettes from the hospital’s NICU. We ended up exceeding expectations. We thought we might sell 250 tickets but we ended up selling 600 tickets that first year. That shocked us. To see the support from our community and how everyone has been positively impacted by St. Joseph's was amazing.

When are you most happy in your work?
Being on-site at an event. The build up, the planning and execution, working long hours just to make sure we get our guests their information, making sure we have our auctions ready to go and making sure every detail is complete. Then when it actually comes together and people are arriving, they are checking in, going through the auction tables, mingling with each other … the doctors and nurses are there and talking with the guests … that’s my satisfaction! Knowing that I created this and that the community can come together for an event and they can learn more about our programs and technology from our doctors and nurses. Seeing the donors together and showing them, “Your support makes this all possible.”

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I actually dreamed of being a marine biologist. I was fascinated with the ocean and especially with dolphins. I had an obsession with dolphins! I love going to the beach and when we were on vacation every summer we would go to San Diego or Los Angeles. I've always had a fascination with the ocean because it’s just a big unknown. If I wasn’t doing this, I probably would have been a marine biologist.

What’s something that might surprise others about you?
When I work, I’m very calm, cool, collected and organized. I think people would be surprised to know that at home I’m the opposite. Sometimes I have clothes all over the floor or dishes are still in the sink.

What does relaxation look like for you?
My relaxation starts with a shower. After having twins, I forget to take time for myself. When I do have those moments, I savor a hot shower, catching up on my tv shows or just simply laying down in bed and having a conversation with my husband. That’s relaxation.