Sometimes it seems like the biggest life choices happen by accident.
That’s certainly true for Linda Baker, 1819 News’ retiring director of development, who never anticipated entering the fundraising world. Yet this career move was no accident, nor was Baker’s time at 1819 News in which she became a key supporting element in the success of Alabama’s leading independent, citizen-supported news organization.
Coming to 1819 News was a bit of a full-circle capstone on her career, as Baker began her time in the adult workforce in communications, journalism and public relations. Yet one day, she was asked to interview for a development position and then suddenly found herself the development director for United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham (now United Ability).
“Had I known what the job really entailed, I would not have accepted it,” she recalls. “I don’t think anyone thinks that they want to go out and ask people for money for a living.”
1819 News Development Director Linda Baker is retiring and stepping off "the merry-go-round of life" to pursue more quality time with her family.
Yet she realizes she was fortunate in landing that first development job in a place that helped children, for even on the worst of fundraising days she could encourage herself by walking down the hall to see the kids she was helping through her fundraising efforts.
“I thought that getting people to give money to help children would be the most rewarding thing, but the most rewarding thing [was] seeing the joy that people got from giving,” she says, further noting that working with such children also instilled gratitude in her own heart about her own personal life. “When you see the physical disabilities … some people have, it makes your problems seem awfully tiny.”
That perspective served her well as she moved on to other development positions in her career, including Glenwood – a non-profit dedicated to serving those with autism – McWane Science Center, and the American Red Cross. The latter position was especially challenging, as her tenure came during the 2011 tornadoes, which swept the state.
“You see a lot of hard stuff,” she says, recalling those days when communication was limited, chaos was high, and close connections made her job quite emotional.
Baker’s initial connection to journalism is what inspired her to join 1819 News. “I’ve missed what journalism was – I think a lot of people have,” she says.
“I’m just excited about what 1819 News is doing in bringing back honest journalism, and more than that, it’s exposing so much of the corruption, because if it’s not being exposed, then nobody’s doing anything, it’s not going to change. I have grandchildren. I really care about the world they’re growing up in.”
Although she recognizes that she wasn’t with 1819 News for all that long, she does believe that the company has made a lot of progress during her tenure. She especially loves the team effort required in development work.
“I’m really proud of the way we stay in touch with donors,” she says. “Bryan [Dawson] makes such a priority out of staying in touch with people and letting them know what a difference their funds are making. There’s only so much time that Bryan has, so being able to help with that means a lot….”
As Baker steps off what she calls the “merry-go-round of life” to pursue more time with grandchildren and aging parents, she passes the development baton to her co-worker, Ashley Carter.
Like Baker, Carter was aware of 1819 News since its early days. Just before its conception, she found herself disgusted by the small-town politics of a mayoral race with which she had helped. The corruption present was eye-opening, she recalls. “I thought bigger cities, yes, but in small towns, this can’t be happening!”
“As soon as 1819 was started, I immediately approached Bryan [Dawson] and said, ‘This is it, this is how we can fix the problem,” she says.
Carter worked her way up from the bottom, serving in a number of key roles over the few short years in which 1819 News has been in business.
“I have loved every minute of it,” she says, particularly noting the growth of the company and the changes that it has accomplished at all levels in Alabama’s society.
[I]f Alabama had not had 1819 for the past three-and-a-half years, I do not think we would see things like school choice; I don’t think we would see things like taking the books out of the libraries, just holding the elected officials accountable – those things just really excite me to see that they’re actually happening!
Like Baker, Carter recognizes the team effort involved to keep 1819 News operating, noting the importance of everyone from the reporters to the CEO of the company. She wants to see their success grow, spreading out to all 50 states. “Every state needs it, needs a conservative news outlet that’s telling the truth, that’s not afraid to tell the stories that no one else is telling,” she says.
Her excitement to step into the development director position stems from the awe she’s experienced in watching 1819 News accomplish great things, but also because of her own personality.
“I’m very much a people person,” Carter explains, “so I love getting out, talking, meeting new people.”
Her enthusiasm is infectious. “I hope to grow 1819 to be completely self-sustainable – we are completely citizen-supported, without our citizens we couldn’t do what we do. I’d love to meet everybody in the state of Alabama,” she says. “I think once they learn about 1819, if they don’t already know, after we talk, they’ll be just as excited as I am.”
For those who read 1819 News, but have not yet joined its quest for citizen-supported journalism, Carter asks, “What are you waiting for?”
“It is not a physical fight, and it’s not just a political fight, it’s a spiritual fight,” she continues. “Being a part of something like 1819 is a part of the legacy that you’re leaving.”
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