Aliguma Young
Member update - Aliguma Young is currently:
Managing Director, Development
Leading Educators
Aliguma Young, MBA is currently seeking a new opportunity in fundraising and is Managing Partner of 5 Star Consulting, Inc., a fundraising and business development consulting firm.
Aliguma has nearly 15 years of business experience in for profit and not for profit organizations including higher education, human services and cultural organizations. She was the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations and the Director of Development of the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University. Prior to that she was leading the multimillion dollar capital campaign for the construction of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Ga. Aliguma has also worked in Corporate and Foundation Relations with Georgia State University and in BtoB sales with the Hershey Company.
Aliguma has an MBA in Finance from Ball State University and a bachelor's degree from Tufts University in Child Development with a minor in Africa and New World Studies Aliguma is active in the community serving as a volunteer to several local and national nonprofit organizations and was the founding Co-President of the Tufts University Black Alumni Association.
What are you most proud of in your career?
I am most proud of the fundraising I did for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Every time I pass by it, I am excited to have been a part of something that will last through time and is dedicated to engaging dialogue around human rights.
Who inspires you?
My daughter inspires me. She’s smart and funny and thoughtful and reminds me every day to make the world better for her and her siblings. I see the impact of their education and experiences and want to be a part of creating access to quality education for all children.
What do you do to recharge?
I have a few ways to recharge that usually revolve around church, gospel music, meditation and good action movies. I am also a big fan of a Netflix binge.
What motivates you after a loss?
I allow myself to feel the hurt for 5 minutes. I then take 1 minute and sit in quiet doing deep breathing thinking about all the things that went right in recent days. After that time of reflection, I look at the situation objectively, removing my emotions, and figure out how I could have done it differently. I then let it go and move forward, because there is always another opportunity for success.
What do you love about being a fundraiser?
I love hearing people ‘s stories and building relationships. I also really enjoy hearing the many ways that people gain wealth and the ways that people engage in solving problems in the world. There is also a lot of strategy involved in figuring out how to move a donor through the giving continuum and I enjoy seeing the strategy coming together. At the end of the day being a fundraiser is rewarding because you were a part of bringing resources to an issue and making a difference in the world, that’s amazing.
What is the best advice that you have received related to your career?
I have had so many wonderful mentors and guides throughout my career who have shared so many wonderful words of wisdom. As I seek my next role I have this advice in my mind, focus on what you’re passionate about because you can be good at a lot of things but what matters most is what you want to do not just what you can do.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a fundraiser?
Be comfortable with planning for the unexpected. Fundraising is an art and science and you have to have a plan about how you are going to cultivate a donor as well as understand how to develop a new plan if things go in a completely different direction during a donor meeting.