Matt Stokes
Administrative Services Manager for Major and Planned Giving Berea College
Matt Stokes is currently the Administrative Services Manager for Major and Planned Giving at Berea College. He has been in the role since 2017, and enjoys collaborating and communicating with his teammates to advance Berea’s mission through philanthropy. For more than eight years, he has had a rewarding career working with educational nonprofit organizations and the generous donors that support them.
A native of Chicago, Matt graduated with a B.A. in history in 2014 from Oberlin College. He became familiar with Oberlin’s unique history and academic rigor through the Posse Foundation. Matt is a proud Posse alumnus. During his time at Oberlin, he tutored local fourth and fifth graders in math and reading, and was a student fundraising assistant for the Oberlin Annual Fund; the latter launched his career in philanthropy. He also studied abroad in New Zealand for a semester, where he learned about the kiwi and Maori cultures through exploring the cities of Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.
Matt resides in Central Kentucky. He enjoys writing slam poetry, traveling, spending time with family and close friends, and working out. His kin would describe him as witty, friendly, and tall.
How did you get interested in the fundraising profession?
One of my good friends in college introduced me to the fundraising profession. During my sophomore year, I signed up to be a student fundraising assistant for the Oberlin Annual Fund. My primary responsibility was calling potential and existing alumni and friend donors to ask for their support toward student financial aid and scholarships. As a first-generation college student, those same donors afforded me the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a great liberal arts at Oberlin. To this day, I’m grateful for their generosity. My experience with the Oberlin Annual Fund deeply inspired me to continue to advocate for access to higher education for students from all walks of life.
What is something you wish you knew early on in your fundraising career?
Early in my fundraising career, I wish I had known the value and importance of networking with other professionals in the field. Since then, I have met many smart and caring fundraising professionals who have supported and mentored me. They were happy to share self-care tips, career advice, and fundraising best practices. I look forward to growing my existing relationships, making new connections, and supporting others along their fundraising journeys.
What is the one quality every fundraiser should have?
Every fundraiser should have patience. Patience is truly a virtue because it takes time to build lasting relationships with donors who want to support causes that matter most to them. As fundraisers, our primary duty is to emphatically listen first to understand before responding. We have to meet donors where they are.
What inspires you about the fundraising profession?
The colorful stories of donors and colleagues with whom I have met and engaged inspire me. Their stories, full of triumphs and tribulations, have grounded and centered me as a person and as a professional. More importantly, they have motivated me to keep moving forward in the fundraising profession. Morgan Harper Nichols once said, “Tell the story of the mountains you climbed. Your words could become a page in someone else’s survival guide.”
How do you want to be remembered as a professional?
I want to be remembered as a caring and passionate professional who uses his skills and talents to facilitate growth opportunities for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds as well as first-generation college students. I also want to be remembered for my commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession. I am dedicated to increasing the number of professionals of color in the field.