Suburban Bully Interview with Michelle Bertholf, YP Impact Board Volunteer Events Committee Chair

Michelle Bertholf, like most of us, stumbled before she took flight. Originally detouring away from her passion for volunteerism, Bertholf dabbled in marketing, sales, and modeling before truly finding her calling at Exciting Events, Inc. Now as the head of the nonprofits division within the company, Bertholf realizes that she's always held altruism dear to her heart and has high hopes that her involvement within the nonprofit community here in Milwaukee as well as organizations like YP Impact will one day launch her into a philanthropically influential position within the city.

Suburban Bully: What do you do for a living?

Michelle Bertholf: I'm the non-profit coordinator for Exciting Events, Inc. We provide audio, video, lighting, special effects, and decor for non-profit events. We have a $150,000 in-kind donation program, which I spearhead, allocating amongst the non-profits in Madison and Milwaukee. That functions as a discount on top of our services. I work with the majority of non-profit organizations locally and in the state capital on all of their annual events.
 SB: How did you come across a job like this?
MB: It kind of just fell into my lap. I have two degrees in marketing, but after school I didn't really know what it was that I wanted to do with my career. I started as an account executive at a local radio station and I hated it. Sales was too cut-throat for me. I eventually left that position and thought that I wanted to work for myself. I started my own marketing consulting agency, called Footprint Consulting, LLC. But I think I was too overly ambitious - I was only 23 and jumped in with both feet without knowing what it was that I was doing. After that experience, I considered joining the US Air Force because I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life. I couldn't seem to find something that fit my personality and goals within my career. A week away from signing up for the Air Force, I came across the ad for Exciting Events and I applied on a whim. I began the interview process and I was called back five times - each time I postponed the Air Force. And then, I got the job.
 SB: Why would you ever consider signing up for the US Air Force? MB: I come from a Navy family, but I hated the idea of being stuck on a ship for extended periods of time. I didn't want to join the Army because I thought it would be to physically strenuous. The Air Force seemed like the easiest way to travel and make money.  SB: But what would you have done in the Air Force? Did you want to learn how to fly a plane?
MB: I have no idea. I think I was just looking for a way to get out. I felt stuck in a rut - I had just broken up with the love of my life, my career needed another jumpstart, and it felt like every direction I turned I was hitting a brick wall. In my mind, the Air Force was going to let me escape. But thank God I didn't go through with it!

SB: Are you happy you now work in the non-profit sector?
 MB: It's truly amazing - really my dream job. I couldn't ask for anything better. SB: What's your favorite aspect of the position you hold?

MB: Volunteering and working within a non-profit has always been a quality instilled in me since middle school. I think my sense of altruism has always been acutely honed. In high school, I worked for an organization called ARCH - the Association of the Rights of Citizens with Handicaps. We basically preformed skits to elementary and middle school kids to demonstrate how equal we all are. That experience taught me what a difference a single person truly can make. That was definitely what I was missing when I was studying and even beginning my career. I wasn’t fulfilling the need to give back to the community and help others. This position at Exciting Events does that every day. I love waking up in the morning, I love going to work, I love helping our non-profits and I love being able to give them something that they need. 
SB: How did you first become involved with YP Impact?
 MB: I became aware of YP Impact when I started my own company and spent a lot of time networking. I met with Jon Armstrong, the board chair, because I was trying to form strong bonds with different media outlets. He introduced me to the group and mentioned that they were looking for board members. At the time I didn't really grasp what it meant to be on the board of something - but I was very open to it. I eventually became the non-profit volunteer coordinator for the group. I plan all of our volunteer events that happen every other month. I love the social aspect of the group. Meeting new people and having a good time is always fun. But the volunteer part is what really gets me off. People think I'm nuts - especially the YP Impact board members - because I'm constantly working. I serve on several other boards throughout the city as well, and I still have energy to give of my time for the volunteering events that we host. But I thrive off of that - I don't drink or party. I think that helping others what it's all about and it gives me life.
 SB: How does the modeling come into play?
 
MB: I'm a Ford model. At first it was just a job that was really helpful - especially when I was starting my business - as a means of making cash. But then I stopped fulfilling the expectations they had for me in terms of how thin and upkept I was. I knew that I needed to find myself and stop being what other people wanted me to be - and that's when I realized I needed to stop modeling for others and do it for myself. Now it's just a hobby. I do fashion shows here and there, but it mostly just for fun. 
SB: So what are your next goals?

MB: Well, I have several. I want to help young professionals realize that they do make an impact within their communities, that the time they spend volunteering doesn't go unnoticed. I also want to help the non-profits I work with to target a younger demographic. The standard fundraising approach is to hold a gala with tickets starting at $150, and then the organizations wonder why they're losing money and followers. I want to impart the wisdom that the younger generation, while they may not be able to attend a function that expensive, can give support through our time and networks.

SB: Where do you see yourself in five years?
MB: I think I'll give running my own business another chance at some point down the road. Right now I run the non-profit division of Exciting Events by myself and I definitely see that division expanding. I hope that I'll be managing several people within that division and being able to reach even more non-profits locally. I also want to maintain the board positions I have throughout the community, and strive to become recognized as a philanthropic leader here in Milwaukee. I hope that one day, young professionals and students will use me as a resource to get integrated into giving back to the community. And along with that, I'd like to be a resource to the non-profits when they are looking to find volunteers or ways to connect with different social networks.