The face of Mercy Corps

Minda is the Community Relations Officer in Portland. She works with people who want to fundraise for Mercy Corps in their communities across the nation. This can occur in the form of community events, online fundraisers, or appeals. She also does community engagement in Portland and is the face of Mercy Corps at events and processes requests for speaking engagements and info tables. 

How long have you worked here?

Off and on since 1997.

What’s a typical day like?

The majority of my days are spent at my desk answering lots of email and phone calls from the people who want to engage with Mercy Corps more.  Sometimes I have meetings with people about their relationships with Mercy Corps or I attend different events.  I wish I had more time to be strategic about reaching out to people, but my work keeps me busy already. 

What are some of the perks of your job?  And some of the challenges?

The perks would be seeing the creativity of people in how they want to explain aid and humanitarian work to their communities, the variety of ways in which they try to reach out.  They do it in community driven, locally appropriate ways, which reflects Mercy Corps approach to doing field work in the same manner. 

One challenge is not having enough time to give to each group I work with.  It can also be difficult to communicate to groups what exactly Mercy Corps really does in the field.  Someone might come to us wanting to build a well in Indonesia, but that’s not what we do.  We work with the people in Indonesia to do projects that address their local needs.  I try to get people away from their preconceived notions to what our reality is in the most effective and efficient way I can. 

Something that is both a perk and a challenge is that I have to stay on top of what Mercy Corps is doing in all our different field sites so that I can be ready for any calls I might receive.  It can be time consuming, but I like knowing whats going on all over the world. 

What’s your education background?

Willamette University in Salem, OR for both my bachelors and masters degrees.

I received my bachelors in Business Economics and Art History in ’94, and three years ago I went back for my M.B.A. The M.B.A. has been helpful for understanding systems and processes, providing effective management, and evaluating use of resources.

What did you do before Mercy Corps? Other fields of study?

I have mostly worked in International Development.  Immediately after college I went into the Peace Corps in the Solomon Islands.  Then I worked at Mercy Corps in data entry, as an assistant to the CEO, went to Kosovo as an administration manager, and did community fundraising after 9/11 with people who wanted to support our Comfort for Kids program.  Next I went to East Timor with the IRC reuniting separated children after the war.  Then I went to Iraq with the American Refugee Committee to do an assessment for UNHCR on the infrastructure of southern Iraq for the returning refugees and stayed on with Creative Associates to help local groups effectively use grants and participate in democracy dialogues.  After that I worked in Kuwait with the Kuwait and Iraq governments to move fuel from Kuwait to Iraq.  In early 2006 I moved to Portland, OR and took this position as Community Relations Officer at the Mercy Corps headquarters.  My work has shifted from working on the ground as an aid worker to working in the states explaining to people what we do on the ground.  My work overseas took place while I was still single.  Now I have made the shift to living in one place where I am now married and have a 7 month old son. 

Where are you from? 

I was born in Oregon, but grew up overseas, including Germany and South Korea.

What experiences led you into this type of work?

When I was a senior in highschool, I was living in Korea.  We visited an island where I saw local women doing their laundry in the ocean, bubbles were everywhere.  I remember thinking to myself that these women needed a washing machine.  Later I realized they were having fun and that this was their life.  Who was I to say everyone needs washing machines?  Maybe we should all be washing clothes in the ocean…

That was a defining moment, which led me to go into the Peace Corps to REALLY SEE what other people live like.  Those experiences help keep me grounded and motivated to advocate for people.  I think a lot about how do we integrate new technologies that can improve situations with the culture and lives other people live. 

Who or what inspires you and your work?

The fundraisers I work with, they are so engaged and passionate about volunteering and helping others.  Also I am inspired by the beneficiaries and national staff overseas.  People who live in difficult situations, like post-war areas, where they can still sit drinking coffee and find something to laugh about.  People who seek positive change in the face of adversity are always inspiring to me.

What motivated you to work in this field?

Seeing the world, connecting to it, and realizing we are all apart of one world.  Traveling, the possibility of visiting new countries.  I don’t care how undeveloped, war-torn, poverty stricken it is…I want to see them all!

Are you an active volunteer? If so, with what organizations?

I was involved in all sorts of activities and groups in college, went on an alternative break to San Francisco to work with people with HIV/AIDS.

Currently I’m a board member of Trillium Artisans – we help these artisans with the business aspect of selling their wares and earning a livable income. 

What skills do you need to work in international development?  Any ones that surprised you/didn’t learn in school?

Be a good writer – you’ll have to write lots of reports, and communicate with people.  The ability to be conscientious in a thoughtful way and portray it in your writing is important.  

You must be able to multitask – juggling the demands of your boss, donors, the people you’re working with, etc.  You need to be able to see all the trees in the forest, if you can only see one at a time, go into consulting. 

Finally, be willing to train and teach people, not just do everything yourself.  While that might be faster for the time being, it doesn’t teach people in the community.  Empower people, motivate them.

Any advice for students considering a career in this field? 

Getting your masters degree is really important to be qualified for a lot of jobs, this is a competitive field because the applicant pool is international, and many people have their masters and amazing international experience. 

I would encourage young people to do the extra digging to find smaller groups and NGOs who could really use their help and where they can make a big difference.  So many people want to create their own NGO, but there are already so many out there that just need more support.  We need more links between groups, and more connection to reality, especially in this economy. 

I always recommend the Peace Corps – it’s a great way to find out if you really can survive in developing country conditions with local people.  Don’t expect much running water or electricity.  Its important to find out if you can handle those situations because if you don’t like it in Peace Corps, you’re probably not going to like working further in international development. 

Finally, start young.  Do these things when you can, while you’re not too attached (single, no kids, not too many possessions, house payments, etc). 

What are your other interests?  What do you do to stay sane / motivated / fresh?

Attending community fundraiser events that go well is always motivating.  I also spend time with my family, travel to new places, and enjoy Portland and all that it offers.  After spending a lot of time overseas, I have an appreciation for things that are uniquely American – like American pop culture.