Support the Garden

When Ivan Adames was in college, he volunteered to help with thank-a-thons. He and other college students would call alumni, thank them for their support, and ask if they’d like to donate money to the university. “That’s what got me started,” he says. Today, Adames is the chief development officer at the Chicago Botanic Garden, in Illinois.

Like the university Adames raised money for, the Chicago Botanic Garden is a nonprofit organization. Nonprofits are meant to serve the public good rather than earn a profit. But they still require funding to operate. That’s where Adames comes in. He and his team work to encourage people to support the garden, by donating money and by donating their time.

Persuading people to support the Botanic Garden, Adames says, requires building relationships, conveying what the organization does for the community, and involving people in that work. “It tends to be a people position,” Adames says of his job. “If you’re interested in other people, this kind of work [might be] perfect for you.”

Adames spoke to Your Hot Job about what it takes to lead development efforts for a large organization and what keeps him motivated. Read more about his work below.

“Much of our function is really storytelling. We are constantly promoting the good work that’s happening here.”

The work of the Chicago Botanic Garden extends far beyond the garden itself. Through its Windy City Harvest program, for example, the organization grows and distributes more than 100,000 pounds of produce each year. Another group within the organization runs a seed bank that helps prevent plants from becoming extinct. Spreading the word about these programs is an important part of Adames’s job. “People don’t just give for nothing,” he explains. “They give for impact.”

Adames and his team share stories about their work on the organization’s website, on social media, and in conversations with donors. Institutions like the Chicago Botanic Garden often do much more than many people realize, Adames says: “That’s why we love telling those stories.”

“Philanthropy is more than the dollars.”

The word philanthropy usually refers to people giving away money to help others. But Adames points out that donations of time and talent are also essential to the Botanic Garden’s mission. A large group of volunteers helps keep programs running. Volunteers give their time for free, but that time is valuable. If the organization were to pay these volunteers, Adames says, the cost would be about $1.5 million each year.

Many supporters also lend their professional expertise. Lawyers, marketing professionals, and artificial intelligence experts have all helped out. Their contributions, Adames says, “have tremendous value.”

“Being able to elevate causes to create positive change is a wonderful gift, and that’s what motivates us.”

Adames, whose mother was a teacher and whose father was a social worker, feels lucky to have found a profession that allows him to give back to the world. “All you hope at the end of the day is that you leave it better than you found it,” he says. “And this kind of work lends itself so beautifully to that.”