Staff Spotlight: Chloe Snyder

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Back in October, REACH welcomed Chloe Snyder to the staff as our new Annual Giving Officer. Chloe will be working closely with new and existing donors to help form lasting and meaningful relationships.

Tell us a little about yourself:

Chloe Snyder, Annual Giving Officer

I was born and raised in Western Massachusetts in a countercultural small city called Northampton. After graduating high school, I attended Hartwick College in Oneonta NY for my undergrad. At Hartwick College I earned degrees in Sociology (major) and Criminal Justice (minor) and explored the fields of domestic violence and child abuse through multiple internships and volunteer work. During a fall internship I had completed Opportunities for Otsego’s Violence Intervention Program and received my New York State Rape Crisis Counselor Certification. It was then after completing the training that I knew I wanted to work in the nonprofit field. I had learned how important Domestic Violence services were in the community and partnered with a colleague at Opportunities for Otsego and created the Oneonta Take Back the Night Walk for survivors of domestic violence. Listening to a survivor speak during the Take Back the Night walk was one of the most powerful and memorable moments for me and where I truly believe my passion for Domestic Violence advocacy took off. These experiences at various nonprofits influenced my decision to pursue a Masters of Nonprofit Management at Lasell College. While studying at Lasell College I was able to learn about how important nonprofit work is to the community and focus on nonprofit fundraising.

What are some of your hobbies?

I’m a huge indoor cycling enthusiast and instructor. There’s something about being in a room full of people pushing themselves to be the best they possibly can be that really lights my heart up. Besides cycling I enjoy going skiing in the winter and going on beach days in the summer. I have two adorable kittens and would definitely consider “cat mom” as one of my biggest hobbies!

What are you most excited about in your new job?

It has been just over two months since I started working at REACH and there are already so many reasons why I’m excited to be part of the team! First and foremost, I am thrilled to be working with a nonprofit that serves domestic violence survivors. As a survivor myself I feel incredibly motivated by all of the staff, volunteers and donors at REACH and their mission and commitment to ultimately end domestic violence.  

When I saw that REACH was hiring an Annual Giving Officer my heart lit up and I immediately applied. In my role I have the opportunity to really get to know our donors and sponsors here at REACH. In the last couple months, I have met some incredible donors with such passion for REACH’s mission to end domestic violence. As a survivor I can’t begin to express the gratitude I have for REACH’s donors and how important they are to the organization. REACH’s donors support our advocates as they assist a survivor in court, they provide funding for shelter operations and create opportunity for our Youth Education Specialist to teach in middle school and high schools on the importance of healthy relationships. The impact that REACH’s donors create is remarkable and without them we wouldn’t be able to do the work we do. In fundraising I truly enjoy learning and listening to donors and why they are engaged, but more importantly I love connecting donor’s passions with the impact that they can create. At REACH there are so many opportunities to help such an amazing cause and connecting donor’s philanthropy with REACH’s mission is extremely rewarding.

I am also very excited to be working with REACH’s new Young Professionals Networking Group (YPN) that will kick off on February 7th! This is a group of socially minded young professionals with the desire to be more engaged in their community, learn more about domestic and dating violence, establish personal connections with likeminded young professionals in their community, and help raise funds to help end domestic violence. Planning the kickoff for the YPN has been very inspiring and I can’t wait for the first event!