Meet Austen Brown!

Crystal Bruce · July 2018

Meet (and friend!) Ninja Austen Brown, a Luminate Online, Online Express, Raiser's Edge, Team Raiser, and Blackbaud Merchant Services user, with Victory Junction.

What’s one memory that always makes you smile? "My wedding day. It was a wonderful day filled with so much love, laughter, and celebration." What is one interesting fact about yourself most people don't know? "In college, I double majored in Music and History." What are three things on your bucket list? "Learn calligraphy, travel the world, and be fluent in foreign language." What’s a typical day like for you? "I arrive at work, review my to-do list/priorities, and start with the most pressing things first. This could be anything from preparing a major mailing, running analytics, prospect research, to cleaning up the database. When I need a break, I will answer questions on community or do work on a long term cleanup project. My favorite part of the day is when I get to go into camp and see campers in action. In all, every day is a little different."What’s the best part of your job? "I get to do something I really enjoy doing, and my contributions to my team/organization help bring more kids to camp." What advice would you give someone starting out in the non-profit field? "Use your resources: network, ask questions, read, research – learn as much as you can." What do you love about the Blackbaud Community? "That there is a community of non-profit professionals that are more than willing to help each other out, answer questions, and be a source of information."


Meet Austen Brown! This week's member spotlight shines on Luminate Online, Online Express, Raiser's Edge, Team Raiser, and Blackbaud Merchant Services user, Austen Brown, with Victory Junction. Austen's Community Profile
Tell us about your family (fur babies count!) "My family is spread out all over the country, with a concentration along the eastern seaboard. I live in NC with my husband and our cat Boone." Where do you live? "Greensboro, North Carolina." What do you like to do for fun? "Read a good book, solve Sudoku puzzles, listen to music, create art, and explore vintage shops." What’s a life achievement you are particularly proud of? "Being a self-taught Raiser's Edge user, I am proud of the success I have in this field and the work I have put in to get where I am."

Tell us about your organization: "I work for Victory Junction; a year-round camp in North Carolina that serves children aged 6 to 16 with serious illnesses, always at no cost to the camper or their family. We provide medically safe camp experiences, through weeklong sessions in the summer and family weekends in the spring and fall. Additionally, through our REACH program we are able to bring camp beyond our gates to pediatric hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses in North and South Carolina. Victory Junction was founded in memory of Adam Petty, son of NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and grandson of racing legend Richard Petty, who tragically lost his life in a racing accident at the age of 19. The Petty family along with their friends and the NASCAR community came together to build Adam's dream of opening a camp for kids battling disease or disability in his hometown. Since our opening in 2004, we have served over 25,000 campers and their families. To me, camp is more than going down the zip line, riding a horse for the first time, or swimming in the Water Park. Camp is about showing kids that they are more than their diagnosis, they can be themselves, they can set goals, and they can achieve anything they can put their minds to."


Finally, if you could have any theme song when you walked into a room, what would that song be? "'Time' by Hans Zimmer. I find this piece very thought provoking and intriguing; often I listen to it while I work. I am a curious person by nature, always asking questions and seeking answers."