Julie Beroukas Snyder, Chief Development Office for CLIR
As cultural preservation efforts face increasing challenges in a politically polarized and climate-impacted world, the work of nonprofit fundraising is more vital—and complicated—than ever. In this audio Q&A, Julie Beroukas Snyder, CLIR’s new Chief Development Officer, brings her 15 years of experience in higher education fundraising to offer fresh perspectives on how nonprofits are adapting to these societal shifts.
Julie shares her insights on the urgency of cultural preservation, how climate change is reshaping the field, and the impact of political divides on philanthropy. She highlights the need for innovation, resilience, and collaboration as key components in overcoming these barriers. Tune in to hear Julie’s vision for how technology, digital strategies, and a shared commitment to bettering humanity can fuel fundraising efforts and help nonprofits thrive in this complex era.
Julie’s forward-thinking approach and optimism for the future are sure to inspire fundraisers and cultural advocates alike. Listen in to discover how CLIR, under Julie’s leadership, will continue to champion the preservation of global heritage and drive impactful change.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your professional background and what attracted you to the Chief Development Officer role at CLIR?
It’s an honor and a joy to join the CLIR team as the Chief Development Officer. I’ve been a professional fundraiser full-time for 15 years, and it’s been primarily in the higher education space. The last six years, I got to enjoy being at a Big Ten academic research library. So joining CLIR, I’ve been able to continue working in the cultural heritage space, which I have grown to love. And now I get a chance to do it on a global scale, which has been so thrilling and exciting for me to think about. This really has been my dream job. I also have a master’s degree in philanthropic studies from the Indiana Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. So I’ve been a practitioner as well as someone who has really enjoyed studying the theories and the history and the economics and law of the nonprofit world. I actually caught the fundraising bug about 21 years ago, doing fundraising for a local nonprofit theater company. So I guess in a way you can say I’ve kind of come full circle coming back to kind of culture and arts and, you know, those things that really connect us to our humanity and adding joy and meaning to your life through things like libraries, special collections, you know, theater, things like that. So it really has felt full circle for me joining the CLIR team as the Chief Development Officer.
Q: What do you find most exciting about CLIR’s mission and its focus on cultural preservation, especially in the current global climate?
So, I find the work that CLIR does to be so incredibly fascinating. In particular, I think it’s so interesting that CLIR, the Council on Library and Information Resources, is not affiliated with a single institution. So, that allows CLIR to almost be agnostic in our approach to thinking about cultural preservation on a very broad, global, cross-disciplinary sort of way. And I also think that CLIR has the ability to think in the very long-term, 10- to 20-year viewpoints, and thinking about, you know, where is the field of cultural preservation now today? What are our shared pain points and problems? And CLIR operates as a convener for helping to solve these problems in a highly collaborative, community-centric, global way. So much of cultural preservation and heritage work, I think, can feel very independent, very siloed, almost isolating at times. And I think that CLIR provides that balance in our very rich communities of higher learning. We have amazing professional development opportunities, leadership programs, things that benefit all of us who are working in cultural heritage and preservation. And I think there’s so much ownership for the communities that we’ve created. And it’s just a thrill to know that the work we’re doing benefits all of us across the globe.
Q: In your experience, what are some of the most pressing challenges for fundraising in the cultural preservation sector today?
So I do think that there are a number of challenges for fundraising in the cultural preservation sector today. I think perhaps one of the most pressing is that we really have seen a shift in, you know, our donors and funders having a desire to more directly and immediately measure their return on philanthropic investments. And I understand that fully. Of course, you want to know what difference you have made, you know, with your contributions to whatever field you’re investing in. I think that can be a little easier to measure in some fields like, you know, science or medical breakthroughs. It can be a little more challenging, I think, to have that precise of definition around things that are in the arts, cultural and humanities spheres. But I do think that anyone who has had a liberal arts education or training, you know, can really look back on the value of that. I think that working in, you know, the cultural sphere allows us to better consider different perspectives, analyze histories that are unlike your own. And I think that that can make us all better humans, better community members, better global citizens. So I don’t think that it’s an insurmountable challenge, but I do think that it’s more important than ever for, you know, fundraisers in cultural preservation to be really aware of the important work that we have to do in order to better all of humanity.
Q: How do broader societal issues like climate change and political polarization impact the work of nonprofits and the ability to raise funds for cultural initiatives?
You know, fundraising and philanthropy don’t happen in vacuum. So absolutely the, you know, broader societal issues that we’re all facing together, like climate change, like increasing political polarization, of course that impacts the work of nonprofits. And I think it impacts the way that donors and funders think about, you know, their philanthropy as well. I do think many people are taking a broader approach to their philanthropic investments. I’ve been working with donors for years, decades now, who are prioritizing key things like climate change in their philanthropic portfolio. And I’m so grateful for, you know, any funder or donor who is still thinking broadly and can include, you know, cultural and arts and humanities initiatives in that work. And I do think that a fundraiser like me is having broader and broader conversations about our society. And, you know, philanthropic investments are one tool to address some of those issues. And things that CLIR does, you know, are woven within those issues as well. So I don’t think that anything is siloed. And I think we all know that on an increasingly more intimate scale these days. So just like any field, the nonprofit fundraising world has had to adapt to these ever-changing societal issues as well.
Q: Many organizations are grappling with the effects of climate change and other environmental crises on cultural heritage. How do you see fundraising adapting to meet these challenges?
I think philanthropy will start to play an even more important role in helping organizations adapt more quickly, more nimbly with the effects of climate change and other environmental issues. I do think that cultural heritage organizations are accounting for climate change disruption and some of their climate preparedness and disaster preparedness plans, but I do think that we need to do more. We need to be more proactive and on a much larger scale, particularly for areas and populations that are more at risk of climate change disruption for weather-related patterns and possible migration. So I think that philanthropists can really help us and step up in a big way so that we are able to adapt much more quickly for these crises that are continuing and increasing in many parts of the world.
Q: What role do you think technology and digital innovation play in shaping the future of fundraising for GLAMS and other cultural organizations?
You know, I think it’s such an interesting time to be thinking about anyone working in the cultural heritage space, especially with today’s technology and the various innovations that we have, you know, in an increasingly digital world. You know, I think back on, you know, the challenges that a new scholar or young scholar might have in, you know, starting their own research and, you know, what that experience is like today for a young practitioner, you know, maybe one that doesn’t have, you know, a huge travel budget, the ability to go to multiple collections in person. And I just think, wow, what a broader opportunity, you know, young scholar or any scholar have for, you know, really studying their main primary desire. You know, they don’t have to base it around what can they access in person when so much is becoming more and more available in the digital format. And some of the technology that CLIR and our affiliates are working on, you know, allows for a very rich, detailed digital experience. So I think it will be so fascinating to see how, you know, fundraising and philanthropy can bolster that to be even more precise and beautiful and able to be accessed anywhere in the world.
Q: What advice would you offer to other fundraising professionals who are navigating these complex issues in the nonprofit sector?
If I were to give advice to other fundraising professionals who are right here with me navigating just these complex issues in the nonprofit sector, I would say, remember how valuable you are and the role that you play. You know, it is our responsibility and our job to deeply understand the work of our organizations and to be the storytellers and the bridge to our external philanthropic partners. You know, it’s our job to think about what are those larger societal issues that our organizations are helping to solve because all of us who are working in this cultural heritage and arts, humanities spheres, all of these organizations are doing incredible work. And it’s a privilege for us to be able to be the bridge between our organizations and our philanthropic partners. We are in a privileged space to be able to talk to our philanthropic partners about what issues they want to help solve and what they want their legacies to be about. And it adds meaning to their lives and to their organizations. And for us to be the bridge between our philanthropic partners and our organizations coming together, all with a shared mission to advance some sort of important work that we’re all doing together, that we’ve all agreed is essential, is a job unlike any other. And I think we are all so lucky to be in this field. And I know day to day can be tough, but, you know, really stop and think daily about what a unique and important and privileged role we play for advancing some of these issues.
Q: Finally, what are you most looking forward to in your new role at CLIR, and how do you envision contributing to the organization’s future success?
So there are a lot of things that I’m excited about and looking forward to with my new role at CLIR. I will say that in just my first few months, I have so enjoyed getting to know my colleagues and better understanding the work that many of them have been doing for decades. I have never met a smarter, more kind, collaborative, just good-natured group of people. So I really want to take the responsibility very seriously for learning about their work, where their expertise is, what their hopes are for their work in the future, and to be that storyteller and that bridge to a broader audience. And I am hoping that some of that audience will also be philanthropic partners in advancing some of this work. I think cultural heritage is so important in all of us connecting to our own humanity, gaining empathy for cultures that are different than our own. And that makes all of us better human beings, more responsible citizens, kinder individuals. So I really deeply want to help to advance the work and CLIR’s future success by being that bridge between my wonderful colleagues and partners who are doing this amazing work and philanthropic funders who want this to be part of their legacy and see that there really are some important solutions to some of society’s, you know, thorniest problems that we’re all working on together. So I’m confident that the world is already a better place with CLIR’s work, and I know that we can advance that together.
Thank you.
