Nicole’s ride to conquer cancer

Here at CHIMP, our staff love getting involved in their own personal charitable efforts. This weekend, Nicole Macdonald, our Philanthropic Advisor, bravely cycled across British Columbia, creating real impact for the BC Cancer Foundation.

Ahead of the race, we caught up with Nicole to have a chat about her role at CHIMP, her feelings around charity, and just why exactly she chose to jump on a bike!

Hi Nicole. What is your role here at CHIMP?

I began working with CHIMP almost two years ago in a role where I worked with all of our different user groups. Supporting donors on chimp.net, coaching fundraisers, and building amplification initiatives like donation matching campaigns and employee giving programs made up my day to day.

Now I work specifically in Philanthropic Advising, where I help clients develop personalized giving plans based on their specific charitable goals, communication preferences, desire for reporting, etc.

What exactly is Ride To Conquer Cancer, and why did you decide to take part in the campaign?

The Ride to Conquer Cancer is a two-day, 200+ km bike ride and fundraiser that benefits a number of cancer agencies across Canada. In British Columbia, The Ride benefits the BC Cancer Foundation, which funds the advancement of cancer research and enhancement of cancer care for people throughout the province.

Over the years, I’ve participated in smaller fundraisers that benefit BC Cancer Foundation. I decided to take part in The Ride because, like many, there are people in my life who have been lucky and others who have been unlucky — some have won a battle against cancer, and some, tragically, have lost. Last year, my father joined the unlucky and it motivated me to make a larger commitment to the cause.

At CHIMP, we believe everybody has something in the world they want to change and for me that’s absolutely true. From my perspective, it’s important to support charities that are changing lives, communities, and the world for the better — giving to charity is one way of doing that. So while I don’t have the skills to find a cure for cancer, I have the means to support those who do.

What has been your most charitable moment, to date?

That’s a tough question… The Ride has been my largest personal fundraising effort from the perspective of a dollar amount. But I’ve adopted pets from local charitable shelters. I’ve also worked for a couple different charities and have been volunteering since before I can remember. Right now I sit on the board of a provincial charity that promotes and provides sexual health and education… so it all depends on how you define “charitable”.

Donating to charity makes me feel wonderful — there are so many causes that are dear to me but it would be impossible for me to get involved with all of them at once. Donating to charities that are tackling the causes I care most deeply about makes me feel as though I’m contributing toward their successes.

If you had one piece of advice to someone getting involved with charity for the first time, what would it be?

Start somewhere — there is no wrong way to start getting involved with charity.

There are strategies that can help individuals to become more proactive, more engaged and more informed, but there’s no one right way to start. Pick one thing you want to change in the world and do a bit of research.

In support of her fantastic efforts, we’d like to congratulate Nicole on her stamina, courage, and all-round spirit. You can still donate to Nicole via her Giving Group.