‘A place I need to be’ says Joliet MorningStar Mission’s new development director

Erin Shade recently was working at the reception desk of a Joliet mission when a young man walked in.

“He was probably the same age as one of my sons,” said Shade, whose sons are 23, 21 and 19. “He walked in the front door and said, ‘I need help.’

“This could be my child needing something and needing a place to stay, since he had just lost his housing. And so, every day, there are people who have absolutely nowhere to go. And we want them to come here.”

Shade was hired in December as MorningStar Mission’s director of development. She’s worked her job in different areas of the mission during office renovations.

MorningStar Mission Ministries Inc., a nondenominational organization founded in 1909 to serve people in need, provides a variety of services including food, clothing, housing, recovery counseling, emergency shelter and a new drop-in center, according to the MorningStar Mission website.

Kevin Watson, MorningStar Mission’s executive director, said Shade inquired about contract work for the mission just as the nonprofit started looking for a director of development.

So Watson said he encouraged Shade to “put her hat in the ring.” As it happened, Shade was a good fit for the mission because of her knowledge, experience and values.

“She’s really good at connecting with people, and that’s what we need,” Watson said.

[ New executive director at MorningStar Mission in Joliet feels called to serve ]

Shade knew she wanted to work at MorningStar Mission from the moment Watson gave her a tour and she saw the mission “in action,” she said.

“I got to see the need in real time – people with needs and those needs being met,” Shade said. “And I said, ‘This is a place I need to be.’”

She said human need is so great domestically and globally that people who want to help can easily become overwhelmed and wonder if they can actually make a difference.

“But when I look at MorningStar Mission, I feel like this is a place where I 100% know that I can make a difference for the people we’re serving now and for the people we’ll serve in the future,” Shade said. “So [I’m] making an investment in a place that will pay dividends for years to come in the sense of hope – of hope for the future.”

The heart of fundraising

Shade said few people go to college thinking, “I’m going to be a funds raiser” – and Shade was one of them. But when she graduated in 1992 from Wheaton College with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and a minor in philosophy, she said the “job market was terrible,” and she wound up working in retail.

After that, Shade learned Wheaton College’s development office needed an assistant director. Shade applied, and she found her career path. She served in various roles through the years, including as director of annual giving and director of donor relations and campaign director.

“I’m in my 20s, and I had a different job description every year because we were growing,” Shade said, adding that she had wonderful mentors, too. “We were expanding the work we did because we were successful in fundraising.”

Shade said she took a sabbatical in the early 2000s when her sons where young, eventually returning to Wheaton College.

She has since done consulting worked and worked for smaller nonprofits. Because MorningStar Mission is a nondenominational, “unapologetically faith-based” organization, Shade as a person of faith said she can really embrace its mission and her new role.

“Some people are just waiting to have someone like me contact them so they can talk about their experiences with MorningStar Mission, and I can hear their stories,” Shade said. “People have many different motives for giving to the organizations they give to.”

Shade said that’s often because the organization helped a donor’s loved one.

“Or perhaps they themselves fell on hard times at one point in their lives and are looking to give back to make a difference,” she said. “Those are the stories that I’m so interested in and looking forward to hearing.”

“When I look at MorningStar Mission, I feel like this is a place where I 100% know that I can make a difference for the people we’re serving now and for the people we’ll serve in the future.”

—  Erin Shade, director of development for MorningStar Mission

Watson said potential donors are more likely to give when they understand the mission and develop that human connection. Shade also understands MorningStar Mission’s overall mission and communicates that very well to others, Watson said.

The man at the door when Shade worked the reception desk is a perfect example, Watson said.

“She gets it, if that makes sense,” Watson said. “She understands that people are in need and that to do what we do, you have to be connected to those that are in need. And she’s willing to do that.

“She’s so willing to develop relationships with our guests here. And in that, she can translate that to our donors when she meets with them. She can tell their stories and tell their experiences. And that’s what will really connect with the donors.”

Shade also hopes to place a greater emphasis on gratitude, too. For instance, MorningStar Mission held a Law Enforcement Appreciation Day on Jan. 9, during which local first responders could stop into the mission dining room for food and hot coffee.

“We want our donors, our community partners and our civic leaders – everyone – to understand how much we appreciate them,” Shade said, later adding, “You can’t thank enough times.”