Interested in Marketing?

Meet Devan, a Marketing Officer at Mercy Corps Headquarters in Portland, Oregon since August 2007 where he oversees direct mail for the organization. We sat down with Devan on February 3, 2009 to ask him a few questions and find out how he ended up at Mercy Corps...

Check out a slideshow of Devan's travels.

What’s a typical day like?

First thing I check to see what the mail has brought in each day.  I am involved in each part of our mailings – I manage two artists and well as our relationship with a contractor in D.C.  I work on strategy for who to direct our mailings to as well as analysis of those mailings. I proof and edit the mailings.  Additionally, I do some speaking engagements and work on partnerships and developing relationships.  

What are some of the perks of your job?  Challenges?

The perk is that I get to raise funds for a cause I love.  The challenges are in the nature of fundraising – taking risks, being accountable, being responsible yet maximizing income return.  Another challenge is the work load – I manage 18 mailings a year, which means every week I have 3 or 4 deadlines to meet to keep everything on track.  

Where did you go to school? What did you study?

University of Oregon – Political Science and International Relations

What did you do prior to this job?

After college I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa for 2 years, working in Business Development.  That experience changed my perspective (not just working to making money and becoming a doctor or lawyer) and is why I now work for Mercy Corps.  After returning home from Africa, I canvassed for Mercy Corps, was successful at it, and then got the job I have now. 

Where are you from? 

Boston, Massachusetts.  I also lived in Virginia, California, and Sweden growing up. 

What experiences led you to this type of work?

I wanted to see the world and help people while doing it.  This was a broad idea until I was in the Peace Corps 

Who inspires you and your work?

Neil Keny-Guyer, CEO of Mercy Corps.  Also my country director in the Peace Corps who inspired me to work in non-profits. 

What motivates you to work in this field?

Realizing what a privileged life I had growing up and that most people in the world don’t live that way.  Specifically working in marketing comes from realizing where my personal skills are and that I can be successful in fundraising. 

What activities prepared you for this field?

I was in a business club, as well as actively involved in debate in both college and high school which was where I honed my communication skills that now help with fundraising.   My International Relations focus was key – it made me passionate about world issues.  When I was in the Peace Corps in Guinea, I read all about the history of the country, and understanding that history really enriched my experience there. 

Where have you traveled? 

My Peace Corps experience ended when Guinea broke out in a civil war and we were all evacuated across the border into Mali.  Once I realized I would not be able to return, I traveled north to Morocco and then Spain, and in the process traveled through the Western Sahara.  

What skills do you need to work in Intl Devel?  Any ones that surprised you or you didn’t learn in school?

First, patience.  Then perseverance and determination.  Working in this field you deal with a lot of failures before you achieve success.  At Mercy Corps we take the more difficult approach to development.  The easy way is to hand out a bucket of food to a person, and 20 years down the road you could still be handing out food.  The much harder way is to empower people.  You also need to be flexible and understand that time functions differently in other countries.  Not everyone follows the American belief that “time = money”. 

Any advice for students considering a career in this field?  Activities, experiences, courses of study…

Volunteer.  You will need at least 1 to 2 years of experience somewhere, somehow.

Learn another language.

Take classes or find ways to understand the different socio-economic-political backgrounds of the places you want to work.

If you’re going abroad, don’t have any expectations.  It will be completely different that anything you would expect. 

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

I mountain bike a lot, ski, play Frisbee, read, do triathlons, stay active. 

Click here to see a slideshow of Devan's travels.