Venture Coordinator, Manager, & Director
Greater Seattle Area
"The 'Venture' begins when the trip ends"- that was how we explained the uniqueness of returning from a short-term mission trip with our organization back in the early days of my missionary work with COTN. Passionate people would return from Africa or the Caribbean, only to realize that what they were returning to was now, somewhat, stale and dull. Their hearts would long and yearn for what they'd just left behind...and thus, a new adventure awaited them. We believed (and still do today) that people are looking for significance - that their life would count for something bigger than themselves. Being a part of the global justice work of rescuing, raising, and transforming the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children...now that's significant. I began in 2007 as Venture Coordinator (working with a small group of clients who would travel overseas with us) and quickly moved up the "ranks" to become a Venture Manager and then Venture Director (overseeing the whole program) for 5 total years. I had the pleasure of working with a team of staff who did incredible work - caring for teams, interns, consultants, and missionaries. My main job throughout those years consisted of coordinating short-term mission trips for teams who were supporting the work of COTN globally. - Developed team equipping manuals & processes for preparing, traveling, and returning on trips - Personal relationship holder with hundreds of contacts, overseeing all details of trip preparation & debriefing. - Organized all major trip details including, but not limited to (pre-trip leader training & post trip leader debriefing, flights, fundraising, project development, passports, visas, travel emergencies, insurance, in-country emergencies, reimbursements, and more). Additional tasks included: recruiting, strategic planning, fundraising, speaking, training new staff, developing web automation systems, and more.
