Jesus Rangel
Assistant Director of Development
Scholarships & University Initiatives
Oregon State University Foundation
Jesus Rangel has been part of the Oregon State University Foundation since 2018 and is the current Assistant Director of Development for Scholarships and University Initiatives, working closely with university leadership to increase philanthropic support for student scholarships and programs. As a first-generation student, he advocates for philanthropy in higher education to advance education worldwide and transform lives.
Jesus earned his B.A. from Texas State University and is actively pursuing his MBA in organizational leadership from Oregon State University. He is a longtime member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, participating in the CASE Internship program, part of the inaugural graduate trainee program, and actively serves as a volunteer for the district 8 opportunity and inclusion committee. Jesus also serves on his alma maters alumni board as a director at large and is a faculty advisor for Sigma Chi Fraternity at Oregon State.
When Jesus isn’t further investing himself in the world of advancement, he enjoys working with students interested in attending college and talking with current students about the importance of networking. He also enjoys the occasional travel trips with friends.
How did you get interested in the fundraising profession?
I’ve always been interested in fundraising. In fact, during my elementary school days, we’d always be asked to sell raffle tickets for the school’s annual spring fling. The first year I got involved, I sold more tickets than anyone in the K-5 school. Looking back, that’s when I realized that I was a great fundraiser. Fast forward a few years, and while attending Texas State University, I got involved with the University Ambassadors organization, a chartered organization by the Office of Admissions and the Alumni Association. During my tenure with the group, I was re-energized and further interested in the world of fundraising. I was able to get first-hand experience of what it takes to plan and run a giving day by helping to assist with Texas State’s first giving day; I was given the opportunity to go on several tours across the state with the University President to meet with donors and alumni to thank them for their gifts and involvement with the university and also talk about what their support meant to a student like me. Through those opportunities and many connections, I met my mentor Dr. Barbara Breier, Vice President of University Advancement. Dr. Breier took me under her wing and allowed me to shadow her and poke her brain about fundraising. She and others on her development team introduced me to the fact that I could make a career out of fundraising by sending me to my first CASE conference. At that conference, I learned about the CASE Summer Internship program, where I was selected to work with the UCSF Alumni Association for a summer in San Francisco. Later, I got involved with the inaugural CASE Graduate Trainee cohort at OSU. It’s a long way of saying I’ve always been interested in fundraising, and through the opportunities and connections that I was able to receive, I found fundraising to be my passion. What other job allows you to work with others to inspire support for projects you are passionate about that can transform lives and society.
What is something you wish you knew early on in your fundraising career?
Something I wish I knew early on in my career is to live in the fundraising moment. Too often, after we close a gift with a donor, we begin to immediately think about the next BIG ask and how we’re going to meet the next metric. While metrics are important, they don’t define our success. Instead, success comes from the fact that the gift we just closed will positively impact our institutions, donors, society, and us, and we should take the time to celebrate that success.
What is the one quality every fundraiser should have?
One quality every fundraiser should have is being a creative thinker. To be a fundraiser is to cultivate creativity. As fundraisers, we have to recognize opportunities and seek possibilities by collaborating ideas, resources, and people. Several times, as fundraisers, we will be required to think outside of the box to close gifts that will create effective change.
What inspires you about the fundraising profession?
What inspires me most about the fundraising profession is it’s quickly becoming a more diverse and
inclusive profession. We’re seeing younger professionals come on board—men and women of color elevated to leadership positions. And we’re seeing a fundraising community that reflects the donor community that we help to serve. Which makes it an exciting time to be a fundraiser as we are change and history makers committed to our work to transform society. Thanks in part to the work of CASE and AADO.
How do you want to be remembered as a professional?
As a professional, I want to be remembered as someone who made the fundraising industry a better, more diverse, and inclusive place. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I represent a small but fast-growing group of young professionals; if at the end of my fundraising career, I can see our fundraising world with more younger professionals of color and men and women of color in senior-level positions. I know I’ve left a mark on our profession that will continue to thrive because fundraisers look and represent the global community that we serve.