Alexandra Huang on Nonprofit Work, Capacity Challenges, and Staying Impact-Focused

Nicole Jamrozinski: [00:00:00] Hey Alexandra. Thank you so much for joining. I’m really looking forward to this conversation today and hearing more about your journey. 

Alexandra Huang: Hey Nicole. It’s nice to meet you. 

Nicole Jamrozinski: You too. So we’ll just jump right in. So if you could introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your nonprofit journey. What led you into this work and what keeps you inspired today?

Alexandra Huang: Yeah, so my name’s Alexandra. Um, I work at the intersection of people and planet, and I feel like a life goal of mine is to make our cities like more sustainable and help people see that, you know, they have a voice and they are part of shaping. The city. Um, so I work at Urban A. It’s a nonprofit that inspires actionable solutions to the urgent challenges of housing and climate change.

And so we have these, um, programming like competitions, debates, studios that really help us learn more about, um, the city that we live in. Um, and the role that I do, I [00:01:00] collaborate with our executive director and our affinity person, board of directors, um, and these board of directors, they’re like architects, uh, developers, urban planners, and they’re all really passionate about, um, making our city better.

And yeah, I do a communications work. I engage with our partners, our event goers, and really all the other people working in our space. Um, and you know, I’ve always like wanted to like work in nonprofit. Like back in university I was part of a youth organization that worked with survivors of child sexual abuse and abandonment.

Um, and like, you know, after graduating university, I’m sure you’ve also like, kind of experienced that, that you know, you have to be realistic about where you’re gonna go, you’re gonna make money and things like that. And yeah, I got my job, my first job in advertising and I stayed there for like half a decade.

Um, but yeah, like during the worst like parts of the pandemic, I was doing ads for a car brand. And despite everything that was happening, I [00:02:00] was like telling people that they should buy this new car with all this new great tech. Um, and here’s a great promotion. They’re like, buy it. That’s where I kind of like felt the huge disconnect.

Like outside of my four walls, there were people who were experiencing fear and health challenges, losing their loved ones and food insecurity. And I was here selling cars. So yeah, I was like, I have to go and, you know, do something more meaningful with my life. And that’s how I kind of like got into the nonprofit.

Nonprofit sector. 

Nicole Jamrozinski: It’s funny, I was in, uh, I took advertising and marketing in school as well, right. It was like soul crushing as I was in the course, I’m like, ah, there is no way I wanna do this. But I was fortunate there was a, a placement attached to my program, so I got into a nonprofit right away. So it just like gave me a jumpstart, I guess, into the nonprofit journey.

But I find so many people I talked to [00:03:00] started volunteering in university or college, and that’s what a lot of like. Excitement or like the spark of what they could do and like the impacts that can be made. I really love what you’re working on, the current role that you’re doing. It sounds super interesting and like thinking differently about how to connect the community and actually listen to what’s being done in the community and the impacts that can be made.

So I love, I love that’s where you ended up. I think it’s a really cool transition from advertising and still getting to hear from the people and try to make impact So. Good luck. That sounds super cool, and I, I can’t wait to follow your journey in that space as well. So curious, what’s one part of the work that lights you up the most?

Is there a story or project, an impact moment that reminds you why you’

re doing what you’re doing?

Alexandra Huang: Yeah. Um, so yeah, at Urban Area we have like an educational mandate, um, but then we also like try to avoid like lectures, panel discussions and, you know, all those like [00:04:00] boring passive rating kind of things.

Um, we recently put up a debate about Grandville Island in Vancouver, which is like North America’s like most successful public market. Which is like at high risk right now of being underwater by 2100. And so we had a debate if we should invest in new infrastructure to keep it above sea level or should we retreat.

And so rather than a boring lecture, we brought together like these experts to like dispute, um, the future of Grandville Island. And yeah, they. They argued about like these different sides and you know, they had like all these controversial decisions. And the cool thing about our debates is that people vote at the start.

Like what they think, um, what they think should happen, and then they vote again at the end. And it’s cool to see like how many people’s minds are changed after the debate. And yeah, I love putting together like these kinds of events and like talking to the attendees afterwards and they, they [00:05:00] come, come to me and then they say like, oh, I really love this event.

I really thought we should invest. But then after hearing the retreat side, I’m like, oh yeah, that’s such a good idea. I didn’t know about all these things. And I’m like. Yeah, that’s exactly what we’re trying to do. And just hearing that people are learning something and people are like, you know, coming out with something from the event that’s like a lot valuable and then they’re bringing it to their work or they’re bringing it to other people.

It’s like really great and, and I think another thing. Not at events. Like I just meet like random people and then they tell me, and I tell them that I work at Urban A. They’re like, oh yeah, I’ve seen like your videos before. And I’m just like, oh my gosh. And it’s just like a random video and I’m like, oh my gosh.

I guess the work that we are doing is reaching the right people and that we’re doing a good job. So those kinds of things like really motivate me to like do my job better and, you know, keep going because it’s [00:06:00] reaching people. 

Nicole Jamrozinski: That is such a cool concept. We, um, like just having people in a space where they can learn and then make informed decisions because I think sometimes like you come in with your own perceived ideas, notions and biases, whatever that looks like, but until you actually are, uh, like witness to some of the other perspectives, and I think we need to do that more in our life and across the board.

Um. I love that you, you get to like bring the community and the experts into the same space. So what happens after? You vote on it? Like does it go to council? Like what’s the next step in that place? Just outta curiosity? 

Alexandra Huang: Yeah. Yeah. Um, so we actually like record the whole debate, so people who don’t get this on debate, they get to watch it online afterwards.

Um, and yeah, we post it on social media. We do have plans on like one day, um, having like PR articles. Because [00:07:00] it’s such a trending topic and everybody loves, um, these spaces that we’re talking about or like these topics. Um, so we also like plan on having more articles that come out and things like that.

Um, but we also have, um, a program called called. Competitions where it’s mu on a much bigger scale. Like we really try to, um, have a design competition where we’re trying to get people to think about like how to make housing more affordable. 

Nicole Jamrozinski: Mm-hmm. 

Alexandra Huang: Um, and it’s usually through those competitions where we are able to like.

See, oh, these are how the policies can be changed and how it can work better for our, um, communities. And from those competitions, we have all these design ideas. We put them in a publication and then we disseminate them. We bring them to um, leaders, we bring them to the industry. And that’s where the kind of change happens, um, where people start thinking, oh yeah, maybe we should update this policy.

And we’ve seen that, um, with some of [00:08:00] our competitions in the past. 

Nicole Jamrozinski: So you’re really like the community infrastructure, bringing the voices together, and then you share that with the, the leaders in the, the actual change leaders that make policy. Yeah. Correction. 

Alexandra Huang: Yeah. Like bringing all of these like architects and urban planners to like think about this one issue and this one challenge.

Um, and, and being able to like, come up with new ideas. Put that all together and bring it to the general public industry and government. 

Nicole Jamrozinski: Such a cool concept. I think more organizations need to be thinking kind of creatively like you guys are doing. I love that.

So what’s one challenge or shift you’re currently navigating in your organization? I know you’re a, a smaller team, so I’d love to hear some of the, like the hurdles that you’re trying to overcome.

Alexandra Huang: Yeah, so at Urban A, it’s me and the executive director, um, and we’re like passionate people who wanna be able to do all of these different things and partner all with all these different people. Um, but [00:09:00] at the same time, you know, wanting to be able to do everything and being able to be, I mean, being excited about it is one thing, but.

Also we have to think about like our capacity. So that’s like one challenge that we’re trying to, um, one hurdle that we’re trying to go through right now. Um, and so yeah, it’s really like, you know, being strategic about how we spend our time, um, the different projects that we wanna work on, um, and, you know, being able to do the work that is most impactful.

Nicole Jamrozinski: Yeah, I think that’s really, really fundamental. And. It respects the, the community. Like if, when you’re able to take that step back and actually see the opportunities that are in front of you, but also what’s going to impact the community the most, I think that’s a really, I find it challenging, but I think it’s also a really great way that you can make sure you’re doing the most with a small team.

Yeah, I love that. So I know you’ve been part of a nonprofit hive [00:10:00] for a while now, and I love hearing about people’s different conversations, the type of people they’ve met, met with, and potentially perspectives that have shifted since meeting some folks from the nonprofit Hive. So I’m wondering, have you had a conversation or met somebody that’s kind of done that, um, help you shape the work that you’re doing or potentially change your PERS perspective of what you’re currently working on?

Alexandra Huang: Yeah. Um, so after advertising I worked in the global social sector and I was fundraising for organizations for over in, that worked in over like 30 countries. Um, and then I moved into the nonprofit side in Vancouver, and I feel like that’s like totally different. Like I. Having all of like these different perspective of like what’s happening outside of the world and then like going to a nonprofit that works at a specific city, um, is very different.

So I love that nonprofit hive allows me to like, meet all of these people from different, um, countries or like different parts of [00:11:00] Canada. Um, and I feel like that helps me broaden my perspective or like keeps me updated with everything that’s like happening around the world. Um, and I love how. For nonprofit hive chats.

I don’t really like prepare, like I come in, I, I look at their LinkedIn profile for a bit and then I come in and I don’t have like, questions prepared or anything. So I feel like I end up having a lot of unexpected conversations, like all of these different topics just like come up and I’ve had like chats where.

Um, I’m talking to somebody who’s in, who works in strategy, but then I don’t work in strategy, but I still end up like learning so much about like how we should be able to like, take all of these things that we wanna do and like move it towards actionable things and like. It’s like really unexpected ’cause I wasn’t even working on a strategy then.

And you just kind of like learn all these things [00:12:00] or talking to somebody who, um, who had like a book on, on how on systems change and I love Sister Change and you know, thinking about like theories of change and things like that. And having those conversations with people who have done a lot of the work and um.

Just share their perspective is something that I super appreciate about the nonprofit hive. 

Nicole Jamrozinski: I find the people of the nonprofit sector tend to be like very thoughtful and kind about how they give back and when there’s not a like competition component attached to it, I just find that so many people are willing to share their.

Personal experiences, resources. Like I’ve had somebody share a document with me after and be like, yeah, you could totally use this. And it was very like, normally, you know, you’d have to dig around for something like that. And it was just so freely given and it was so thoughtful, but, and just easy to offer.

[00:13:00] And I just, yeah, really appreciate how this community specifically that way. 

Alexandra Huang: And then sometimes you have like the unexpected conversation about, oh yeah, we love the same K-pop band, and then we’re not talking about nonprofit work anymore. And yeah, sometimes you just end up bonding about those kinds of things.

So it’s cool the people that you meet here. 

Nicole Jamrozinski: Yeah. I fully agree. So I’d love to wrap our conversations. I’ve been asking, um. An insight resource or mindset that’s helped you recently? And I’m wondering, um, what’s, what’s doing that for you lately? 

Alexandra Huang: Yeah. Um, I think a year ago I read this book called Manifesto for a Moral Revolution.

Mm-hmm. Um, by Jacqueline Novogratz, and she’s the founder and CEO of Acumen. It’s like the global organization that, you know, fights, poverty, um, works with different leaders, um, and things like that. One thing that she said in the book that really stuck [00:14:00] with me, and it’s not, not even just like for work, but like I feel like in life in general, um, is just start and let the work teach you.

Um, and I feel like coming from advertising and moving into the nonprofit sector, I literally didn’t know anything about fundraising and. In my onboarding, I remember being so, uh, scared that, you know, how are these people talking about all these different things? Like how am I going to do that for my own clients one day?

Um, but yeah, I just kind of started and let the work teach me. Like I let all of these experiences, um, trying all these different things, failing. To be the things that help me learn, um, how to be like a better fundraiser, how to be a, a better nonprofit professional. Um, and a lot of times I feel there are people who like don’t start because they wanna make sure that everything is lined up.

That, you know, [00:15:00] they know what next steps they’re going to do. They’re not, they, they get stuck in like the ideation phase or like the planning phase that. They end up, um, just being where they are and not learning anything. But yeah, I totally believe that you really have to just get out there and do it, and you learn from the mistakes that you make.

Nicole Jamrozinski: I fully agree with that. I’m not a perfectionist in any way. So that something like I just, I’m off the deep end right away. I’m like, okay, let’s do this. Um, that’s such a good reflection too, to share with. With what’s happening in the, in our nonprofit realities too right now. I think, um, just being willing to try something new and test it and be willing to make the mistakes because I think we are all actively trying to figure things out,

That’s a really good reminder. Thank you for sharing that one. I love it. So curious, where can people find you if they wanna follow along with your journey? 

Alexandra Huang: [00:16:00] Yeah. I’m on LinkedIn. So you can look for me and connect with me on LinkedIn, Alexandra Hong.

I also do communications at Urbana. So follow us on Instagram at Urbana van. Thank you. 

Nicole Jamrozinski: Thank you. It’s been so lovely chatting with you, and I really honestly can’t wait to continue following your journey and seeing what you can. 

Alexandra Huang: Thanks, Nicole. 

Nicole Jamrozinski: Cheers.