Our next CWIP in Focus profile introduces Barbara Graham (she/her). Barbara is an inspirational and driven nonprofit professional with a warm, compassionate heart.

Barbara started her career in hospitality, spending 10 years working in Chicago hotels. With a deep commitment to making a positive impact in her community, Barbara found her passion and career path leading her to the nonprofit industry– although like many of us, her path to working in fundraising was not a linear one. 

Barbara currently works as the Corporate and Foundation Relations Manager at By the Hand Club for Kids. By the Hand Club for Kids is a Christ-centered, after-school program emphasizing educational excellence in under-resourced neighborhoods across the city. She started there in 2019 as a team leader, working directly with kids and supporting the organization’s programming. After the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic and personal changes (like the birth of her son!), Barbara made the transition to fund development, and has been supporting fundraising at By the Hand for the last three years. 

Barbara is also founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization, Hey Benji, which is named after her son, Benji. Hey Benji is a tangible way for Barbara to bring together her passion for helping her home community of Englewood and the legacy of her grandparents to give back. Formally established in September 2020, Hey Benji is a nonprofit that provides summer meals and enrichment programs to children in underserved Chicago neighborhoods.

Family is so important to Barbara, and it's not surprising to learn that giving back to the community is something she learned from her grandparents, who were very active in their church and community. They donated clothing and fed people, provided counseling and supported their neighbors. It was clear throughout our conversation that Barbara is committed to doing good and giving back to her community. 

Her family, specifically growing up with her grandparents, inspired her to take initiative/ignited her passion at a young age. Supporting her community was central to Barbara’s life, but she didn’t immediately consider formally starting her own organization, despite the encouragement from her friends and family. Life kept getting in the way, and for two years, Barbara continued this work without an official name, before Hey Benji was founded. But her role at By the Hand continued to remind her of the needs of kids in her community, as she would notice that some of the young people coming to the organization often arrived hungry. She decided to call her newly-founded organization Hey Benji as a reminder that kids are central to their work– and for her son to remember the importance of community service. Barbara shared, “Hey Benji is named after my son. It’s an important reminder for my son to give back to his community.” 

During the summer months, when Hey Benji is most active, Barbara’s son is always excited to get involved with the work– going out into the community with his mom to feed kids and lend a hand. Their team provides the community with a number of free food programs, indoor and outdoor children activities, safe spaces for counseling, shelter and enrichments.

When motivated by what inspires her in today’s climate, Barbara shared, “My son, Benji, inspires me as I want him to know the importance of being kind to others. I want to show and teach him. Kids will grow up and take over, we need to teach them the right way. Values of kindness, respect and helpfulness will grow with them as they get older.”

The community that CWIP provides also inspires Barbara. Her CWIP involvement started this year. Connected through a former colleague, she finds that CWIP brings together a dynamic group of women in philanthropy to create meaningful connections. Her favorite event? Face to Face with Funders! 

When asked what advice she would give to new CWIP members, Barbara shared “Being actively involved is much better than just membership. Attend events, get engaged, be present and get to know other members!”

In an effort to end each interview on a positive note (especially important in these challenging times), we asked Barbara a simple question: What brings you joy? Barbara’s response was indicative of her joyous spirit, sharing her reflections on the faces of children returning to Hey Benji each year, stories of impact in her roles and overall collaboration with colleagues to create a bigger impact in the world around us.

Barbara’s joyful spirit shone through the entire interview, and she is clearly committed to building people up and supporting others through her personal and professional life. What a privilege it was to speak with Barbara, and we look forward to seeing her more at upcoming CWIP events. We are so thankful to have her as a member of CWIP!