Katie Leckenbusch – Uphill Words of Wisdom

What are 3 signature things you tell people regarding your area of expertise?

Career in the Arts:

Yes. You can have a career in “the arts” and still make enough money to have a family, save for retirement, etc. It is not a dead end! There are jobs! But you have to be smart, tenacious, and realistic.
Don’t minimize your arts related experiences or positions if you look at opportunities in other sectors. Skills in the arts related fields are just skills. We call them different things: Stage manager = project manager, but they all translate, and often better than you would imagine.
The care and feeding of your network is even more important in an arts related field. Treat everyone with respect, compassion, and as if they are best friends with the person you are submitting your next resume to…they may very well be.

Fundraising:

Fundraising is a passion, not a position. You can make a huge impact even if you are not the director or lead gift officer.
Because it is a passion, it does not end at 5:00pm. Be prepared to be flexible!
When faced with a tough situation, no matter what it is, listening is always the right answer.

What is your favorite quote?

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt, 1913

If you could offer one piece of advice, what would you tell your younger self?

Learn to accept change and lean into it. A goal is great, a timeline is lovely, your “5-year plan” is going to disappear in a heartbeat for many reasons and that doesn’t mean the new path is born from a failure of the old plan, so don’t waste time and energy beating yourself up that you are going in a different direction, just enjoy the journey.

What are your favorite books?

What are three nouns that describe you?

Connect with Katie:

Listen to Katie Leckenbusch on UCYP!