Angie Docking completed her undergraduate degree in English and International Development Studies from Dalhousie University. After a couple years of working she returned to school to complete her Post-Graduate Certification in Fundraising and Volunteer Management from Humber College.
Angie and I embarked on a road trip to Washington, D.C. earlier this year. We get along for many reasons, some of which include reading, travelling, libraries, world issues and our passion to always be learning. In the car, Angie talked to me about a book she had been reading, Escape from Camp 14. It is a story about how Shin Donghyuk escaped from a North Korean Concentration Camp. We then began to discuss the politics of North Korea and why the world hasn’t tried harder to intervene.
This lead us to an existential discussion about ranking world problems. The conversation rendered us both emotional. Why not rank the world’s problems from 1-100 and start at one and FIX them. But then how do you decide what is number one? How do you choose one person over another? It’s just not possible.
This is when I began to ask Angie why she is so passionate about the Arts compared to these world issues? She told me that you cannot rank one as more important than the other. That everything in moderation, together is what makes our world … well, our world.
I decided to ask Angie some more questions recently. Here are a few of her answers.
Why did you choose fundraising as your choice of career?
“Throughout my time as an undergraduate student, I had worked part-time jobs with the Housing Department at my university. When I graduated in the winter of 2010, I was offered a full-time position. After working there for a year, I realized how little passion I had for what I did every single day. It made me question what career path I should take, and how it would make me excited to wake up in the morning. My answer to this question was RESOUNDINGLY that I wanted to be working for a theatre company. This answer set me on my journey to seek out opportunities to become a full-time fundraiser.”
Why not be a performing artist then?
“I’d like to make it clear – I am not an artist. However, theatre and the Arts are an important part of my life, and it is my belief that they are integral to our community. Whether you are watching a play, looking at an art exhibit or listening to music, art helps us to open doors to a greater understanding of diverse perspectives within our community. This is especially important for all Canadians, since our national community is chalk-full of cultures from around the world.
Since I am no artist, I wanted to find a valuable way to contribute to a theatre company. My strengths in administration and my passion for the value of art in the community helped me to discover my path toward fundraising. While I don’t have the talents to contribute artistically, raising the money required to carry out the artistic mission feels like an important contribution to any theatre company, and something I’d like to come to work for everyday.”
How would you describe philanthropy?
“I like to describe Philanthropy as a synonym for empathy. As fundraisers, we come to work every day in order to create capacity for empathy. To me, that makes it the coolest job in the world.”
Angie has a passion for so many things in this world. While she works full-time in the Arts she volunteers in her spare time, she reads and educates herself about the world and it’s problems; our problems and then shares this with others.
Angie is a true philanthropist. She believes in the mission, in the people; she has a love and hope for humankind that most of us can only wish for. Most importantly Angie proves that an act of kindness can make a difference.
One cannot take on the world all at once. Our smallest actions can make big changes. (me)volution believes in small acts of kindness to render this possible. Keep this in mind in your day-to-day life.
(me)volution 