What It Is Really Like to Work at Universal Events Inc.

If you are looking at a role with Universal Events Inc., the most useful thing we can give you is a plain account of what the work is, what it asks of you, and what people find hard about it.

The work is face to face, and that is the whole point

Universal Events Inc. is a nonprofit consulting firm based in San Ramon, California. We provide fundraising counsel, community outreach, marketing and event support to nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. Our Great Place to Work certification profile describes the company as a national outsourced sales, marketing and fundraising counsel organization that partners with nonprofits and mission-driven brands, specializing in face-to-face outreach and leadership development. Those last two phrases are the job.

Face to face means in person. The outreach happens where people actually are, at retail sites, community events and partner venues arranged in advance.

What a day actually involves

A campaign day starts before anyone speaks to the public. The team meets and the first block of the day is training on the cause: what the nonprofit does, where the money goes, what the campaign is and is not permitted to say, and how to answer the skeptical questions honestly. If you cannot explain where a donation goes, you are not ready to ask for one, so that explanation gets rehearsed until it is second nature.

Then you go to the site. You set up, you represent the partner, and you talk to people for the rest of the day. Most of them will say no. Some will be short with you. A few will stop, ask real questions, and give because they care about the cause. Those conversations are the reason the job exists, and they are a small fraction of the conversations you will have.

The day ends in work nobody sees: what happened, what was raised, and what has to be reported back to the nonprofit partner and, where the law requires it, to state regulators. Professional fundraising is a regulated activity. The record keeping is part of the job rather than an afterthought, and doing it carelessly is treated as seriously as anything that happens at the site.

What the training and development actually looks like

Leadership development is part of how the company operates rather than a benefit listed on a page. In practice that means coaching happens in person and it happens constantly, usually from someone who has recently done the same work. You are taught the cause, the compliance rules, how to open a conversation with a stranger, and how to close one gracefully when the answer is no.

It also means feedback arrives quickly and in front of other people. People who want to be coached tend to move quickly here.

The company itself is small. Its Great Place to Work certification profile lists fifteen US-based employees, and the certification, which comes from anonymous employee surveys, has been earned four consecutive years. A small company means less anonymity. Your work is visible, your results are visible, and so is the effort behind them.

Universal Events Inc. was founded by Harmony Vallejo, who leads the company as CEO. The development model, promoting from within and training people in the field rather than only in a classroom, comes from her, and it is applied to everyone, including people who arrive with no background in fundraising.

The parts people find hard

Rejection, repeated. Most people you approach will say no, and you have to greet the next person with the same warmth you gave the first. That is a skill, and it is learned, but the first week of it is heavy.
It is physical and it is public. You are on your feet, on site, and in front of strangers for most of the day.
You are carrying someone else's mission. The words have to be accurate rather than improvised, because a nonprofit's reputation is attached to how you describe it.
The results are visible. There is a clear record of how a day went, which is motivating on a good day and exposing on a bad one.
The learning curve is front-loaded. The first stretch asks a lot of you before any of it starts to feel natural.

Who the work suits

People who genuinely like talking to strangers. People who can hear no without taking it personally, or who at least want to learn how. People who would rather be measured than managed, and who want responsibility early enough that they are willing to be coached hard to earn it. It also suits people who actually care about the causes, because the difference between someone who cares and someone who is going through the motions is obvious to a donor within about ten seconds.

Where to look next

More about the company, the people and how we work:

Universal Events Inc. supports community outreach and fundraising campaigns for nonprofit partners nationwide. Questions about a role, or about anything written here, are welcome at Corporate@theuniversalteam.com.

Universal Events, Inc.

Nonprofit consulting, fundraising counsel, and outreach.

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