According to Lana Benatovich and Isabel Miller, neither expected to devote their lives to non-profit volunteer work.
Benatovich worked as an educator for several years before working for non-profits, while Miller climbed the corporate ladder in New York City.
Both women, however, found professional success working for non-profits, and on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 11 offered information to students and faculty on charitable work during a panel hosted by the Career and Professional Readiness Center (CPRC) in the Robert R. Jones Board of Trustees Room in Doyle Hall.
Miller began working in the non-profit sector six years ago after she and her husband moved from Westchester County to Rochester. She became involved with Saint’s Place, a volunteer association that provides education, clothing, and household goods to refugees coming into the Rochester area, thanks to its cooperation with her church.
According to Miller, of the 16 million refugees in the world, the United States takes in 70 thousand per year, 800 of who end up in Rochester.
Saint’s Place has proved incredibly beneficial to the refugees trying to make their home in Rochester, and Miller finds gratification in her work.
“You’re helping someone to change his or her life,” Miller said.
Before beginning work in the non-profit industry, Miller spent 25 years working for The Jim Henson Company in New York City. During her time there, she closely collaborated with Henson, the creator of The Muppets and Sesame Street.
Though Miller states that she was fulfilled by her time in the corporate world, there were times when she would stop and ask herself, “When was the last time I thought about someone else?”
According to Miller, in the non-profit world, “at the end of the day… you feel great.”
Benatovich said, “The only word I could use to describe the not-for-profit world is ‘fulfillment’.”
Benatovich, a graduate of Tufts University and a former kindergarten-through-second-grade teacher, started work in non-profits after visiting Israel on a mission trip with her husband.
While on her mission, Benatovich “had a lot of self-realization” and developed a deeper awareness of her Jewish faith, which led her to a job opening in the Jewish Federation in Buffalo.
From there, she started work at the National Federation for Just Communities (NFJC).
Benatovich said volunteers are agents of change. However, she believes that those interested must be aware of what they want to give and what they intend to get back from their service before they begin to work in the non-profit sector.
When asked about the difficulties of running service organizations as women in the workforce, both agreed that there are certain challenges.
Benatovich said, “Don’t let anybody define you: You define yourself.”
She says that when she began her work in the charitable service world, she was told that she did not need a big salary because her husband worked.
Miller says that she combats sexism with humor, and advises others, “Don’t be afraid to laugh.”
Both Miller and Benatovich agree that whatever path students choose, they should spend some time volunteering, in keeping with the Franciscan tradition of service.
