How to Build Meaningful Connections: Bryce Henshaw’s Job Search Success Story

Meet Bryce Henshaw, a nonprofit development professional with PorchLight in Bellevue, Washington. In this job search success story, Bryce shares how their dedication to mission-driven work and meaningful connections helped them build a fulfilling career in nonprofit fundraising.

What do you do for a career?

My career has involved an array of mission-based fundraising positions. I started out working on political campaigns in Oregon and then moved into the nonprofit sphere once I moved to Seattle. 

Who do you work for?

I currently work for PorchLight in Bellevue, Washington. For three decades, PorchLight has been a leader in addressing homelessness on the Eastside of King County. Serving an average of 1,100 clients every year, our programs provide not only emergency, transitional, and permanent housing but also case management, employment counseling, health services, and behavioral health support. 

Working at PorchLight has taught me to question the status quo and constantly pushes me to think outside the box. I am so happy to be on the Development Team of this incredible organization. I recommend that anyone interested in learning about our career opportunities reach out to me!

What do you like best about your career?

Every day, I have the opportunity to work toward a mission I truly believe in. 

What resources ​have helped you in your career and your job searches? 

I have used many different tactics while searching for jobs. For ease, I have categorized them and put them in list form.

Strategies to use before landing your next position:

• Network intentionally: Nurture connections with people who are more experienced than you and who are willing to teach you. If someone expresses interest in your growth, whether in your current position or as a person, hold onto that. Do everything you can to foster that relationship. 
• Talk to professionals at organizations with job openings that interest you: This can often help you better understand the organization’s culture or even the specific team you are hoping to work on. Understanding culture and how you fit into it can often give you an edge over another candidate. 
• Get personal: Try to connect on more than just careers. Often, I start this by asking what they would have done differently if they could go back and do their career over. Not only will you learn from this, but often, people tend to get more personal with this question in a way that they feel comfortable with. Conversations like this build personal trust, which will make someone remember you fondly. This will lead to a higher likelihood of answering more of your questions or even offering you a reference to a job. 
• Thank your new connections: As a nonprofit fundraiser, I know the power of proper thanking. Often, the ‘thank you’ is all we have to offer directly after a donation to show gratitude. We are not offering a good or service for their funds. Instead, we are offering them a chance to make a difference, just like you are offering them a chance to positively impact your career.

Strategies to further your career once you have landed your next job:

• Go above and beyond within reason: I always try to be the best employee possible. Try to anticipate your team’s needs and inquire about ways to take something you think you could handle off their plate. 
• Communication is key: Do they like a calendar view of when tasks are due? Do they like an end-of-week email explaining what you have done that week or even a Monday morning email with a list of priorities for the week? Asking these questions demonstrates that you want to fit into their flow and routine instead of making them conform to yours. 
• Communicate and advocate for yourself: Advocate for what you need while demonstrating how your needs benefit the team. This could look like explaining why an extension on a deadline is necessary based on an unforeseen hiccup in the project you are tasked with. Then, tell your supervisor how an extension will create higher-quality work and benefit the team in the long run. 
• Get the most out of your position: Kerri O’Farrell, my current supervisor, once told me that you should always be focused on getting the most out of the position you are in right now – what ad hoc projects can you engage in that interest you? How can these projects be used to demonstrate your growth? Use these projects to learn more about what interests you and what you don’t need to try again. 

Are there specific tools or tactics that have contributed to your success?

My most successful tactic has been to put all my effort into not only doing well in my job but also making connections with people who may have job opportunities to offer me in the future. These two combined tactics have enabled me to find a new job I enjoy quickly. Besides this, believing you can achieve your goal is immensely important. If you don’t think you will get another job, you likely will be right. 

Throughout your career, what obstacles have you encountered when doing a job search, and how did you overcome them?

Graduation and the teller job

After graduating college with a double major in Economics and Environmental Science, I had no job prospects. I felt defeated, especially since many others had a plan out of college. Eventually, I started working as a teller at a credit union. While it wasn’t my dream job, I learned a lot here. 

With that said, after two months in this position, I was burnt out, sick, and out of PTO. I quit this position feeling that it was my only option. This was the lowest part of my career. Although I did enjoy being a teller, I also knew I couldn’t continue while battling an unknown health condition. I would later figure out that I have celiac disease.

A past connection

As soon as I was healthy enough, I started looking for other jobs. A few weeks later, I got a call from a friend. She had been a previous supervisor of mine when I worked as an intern on a political campaign in college. We had stayed in touch, and because of that, she wanted to see if I was interested in working on a campaign she had just started on. I immediately said yes and began working on the campaign the same day! 

Throughout these few months, I was extremely scared that I was never going to be able to hold down a job due to my chronic illness. A while into the position on the campaign, I even started to work part-time because I kept getting sick. 

The power of networking

Ultimately, I learned that the connections I had made in college with kind and talented people were immensely important. Therefore, my advice is to hold onto those people who demonstrate an interest in you and or your career. When you connect with these kinds of people, you will not only thrive in your current position but also be able to obtain long-term career advice that will serve you for years to come. This has continued to be true as I move through my career and into my most recent position at PorchLight. 

What piece of advice would you give to job seekers or professionals trying to advance in their careers?

I have mentioned several tactics above, but there is something I have yet to say: be passionate or find a way to be about the work you do. Finding what you love in each position makes such a difference, whether it’s the mission or the actual work you are performing. This will also shine through in job interviews.

If you find it hard to be passionate about your work, find meaning or purpose in supporting yourself or your family. Infusing positivity into how you think about your job will also put you a mile ahead of many candidates. If you really can’t find the positive in it, at least find a way to learn from each position until you have nothing else to learn. When you feel that you have gotten everything out of a position that you are in, it’s probably time to look for a new project or responsibility to take on, or it may even be time to look for a whole new position. 

Everyone’s job search story is different, but each individual story can inspire and empower others who are on their own unique path. We love to hear how our readers have found rewarding careers in Portland, and we want to share these stories with you to inspire you in your job search and to help us all better understand the local job market.