Leveraging Inspiration and Ongoing Education to Improve the Welfare of Others

Betsy Wason, CFRE | Washington, D.C., USA

With 25 years of experience in philanthropy, Betsy Wason, CFRE, has worked to move philanthropic causes in healthcare and animal welfare forward. She’s currently the Senior Vice President of Development at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), whose mission is to save and improve human and animal lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research.

Betsy has held various roles with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) since 2018, and earned the CFRE in 2007. We chatted with her to learn more about the value she’s found in the certification and how she hopes to use the credential to grow her career and expand the service she provides through her organization . . .

Inspired to Make a Difference

I became inspired to pursue a career in fundraising after becoming involved with my first development role. I got my foot in the door as a special events manager, organizing charity golf tournaments and galas. Through that role, I was exposed to other areas of development where I was able to build individual relationships with donors. That’s when I really became inspired by the donors—their passion, their unique stories, their generosity. It ignited the spark in my interest to make fundraising my lifelong profession.

At PCRM, I get to make the world better for animals and people, while working alongside the most dedicated donors and staff. Every day is different, and I’m eternally grateful that my fundraising journey has brought me to this point in my career. I’ve been in my position for 20 years, and it’s still as exciting as when I was first figuring everything out!

Professional Development Leads to Career Accomplishment

I very much appreciate that a component of earning and renewing the CFRE is education. It’s made me appreciate how critical professional development is to staying relevant and successful. Earning my CFRE validates the hard-earned knowledge of fundraising I’ve gained throughout my career. It means dedication to continuing to grow skills that will make me a stronger fundraiser and help to improve fundraising outcomes.

I’ve had the honor of creating an educational program that has helped millions of people, developing relationships that have resulted in transformational gifts, and giving back to the fundraising community by serving on boards and being a mentor. 

However, I’m most proud of my accomplishments that will carry this work forward far into the future, like establishing our major gifts program at PCRM. It’s a bit intimidating to create something completely new and bring a vision to life, but taking a leap and achieving success in major gifts is something I’m proud of.

Knowledge is Power

People in the CFRE community are very generous with sharing their knowledge; I’ve seen the power of knowledge sharing firsthand. I’m fortunate that I’ve been supported in my position in a way that allows me to give back.

With almost 30 years in the fundraising profession, there’s a lot of experience and dos and don’ts trapped in my brain. It’s such a good feeling to be able to share that with fellow fundraisers in my office and through professional organizations, such as AFP. I recently volunteered to be a mentor and had a wonderful experience—learning so much from my mentee while I was giving support. Communication is power, and the fact that the fundraising profession is so generous with its knowledge makes us all more powerful advocates for our causes.

You will never regret investing in yourself and your professional development. Imagine the feeling of affirmation that comes with knowing you’re part of a special group of dedicated fundraising professionals who are all striving for excellence. It’s a big win all around!