Amie Bennight
Here’s the latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators, where we ask you to describe your day in your own words. Want to be featured in this series? Tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro.
Amie Bennight is Communications Manager for CPCD…giving children a head start, a nonprofit organization in Colorado Springs. She enjoys cooking, yoga, and the joyful chaos of raising three boys with her husband, Rick..
Here is her typical day:
Before 8:00 am: Mornings are busy – rise and shine around 6 am and take the dog for a short run (weather permitting).
By 7 am kids are stirring, lunches are being packed and breakfast is on the table…or will be shortly. A shower for me and we are out the door on our way to various drop off locations depending on your age (mine are 2, 7 and 9).
By the time I get to the office I’ve interacted with many…children, caretakers, baristas, co-workers and radio talk show hosts.
8:00 am – 10:00 am: On any given day, it’s important for me to know what’s going on in the world, what people are talking about, and what is relevant in my community. Through email, social media and the news media I collect a general summary, decide what if any of it should be shared or used and in what way. Is it worthy of a post? Good fodder for water cooler talk? A good talking point or brainstorm idea for a meeting this afternoon? Or a good conversation for dinner chat with husband.
10:00 am – 12:00 pm: I’m on to my never-ending task list of flyers, brochures, videos, photographs, messaging, cleaning up of, and rearranging everything we do to make a difference.
If I’m lucky, I’ll get to check one item completely off the list before lunch. If not, I’ll make use of the time and keep cranking at my desk – if I need a mental break, I’ll hit the lunch room and catch up with the rest of the team.
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Fuel is burning and the machine is running at optimum speed – A quiet afternoon at the computer is ideal for brilliant ideas and new strategies. I feel most productive after lunch for some reason – maybe it’s the post rush hour calm.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Continuing the momentum so a feel good day is in the works… I want to finish one more project or make a big step in that direction. Interruption, fire drills, hot potatoes, ‘you got to see this’, and any off-site activities may derail me but never fail me.
After 4:00 pm: Now circling back to pick up the 3 monkeys that I started the day with – and I can’t wait to see them! It’s been an eternity. What’s for dinner? Maybe spaghetti, maybe take-out from our favorite pizza spot but it will be recovery time until we get up and do it all over again tomorrow.
Want to be featured in this series? Tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro.
