On a Mission:

A note from Ben,

As the COO and Co-Founder of Mission Control, I have a deep-seated passion for engaging in meaningful conversations with individuals in the nonprofit sector. It’s these dialogues that provide invaluable insights and foster a deeper understanding of the challenges and triumphs experienced by those dedicated to making a difference. Recently, I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Kelli Vigorito, the Director of Community and Corporate Partnerships at Cancer for College, marking the first in our “On a Mission” series of interviews designed to delve into the diverse roles and challenges within this vital sector.

Kelli’s journey is both inspiring and enlightening; as a cancer survivor and a beneficiary of Cancer for College’s scholarship program, she has come full circle in her current role leading efforts to forge community and corporate partnerships. Our conversation offered a rare look into the nuances of nonprofit fundraising and event coordination, revealing the dedication and innovation that drives success in this field. This interview series aims to uncover the myriad ways individuals like Kelli contribute to and shape the nonprofit landscape, shedding light on the personal stories and professional strategies that propel these organizations forward. Join us as we embark on this exploration, starting with Kelli’s compelling narrative and her valuable insights into the world of nonprofit event planning and fundraising.


Ben: Kelli, we’re thrilled to have you here, thank you so much for being willing to sit down and chat with me. To kick things off, could you share with us the mission of Cancer for College and your personal journey within the organization?

Kelli: Cancer for College is dedicated to providing support and scholarships to cancer survivors who would like to complete their higher education dreams. Cancer for College operates across a large part of the country as a small but mighty team. We just recently broke into the Chicago and Florida areas and are focused on growing the organization and its reach in 2024.

I myself am a 16 year cancer survivor and started volunteering with cancer support non profits shortly after that. I wanted to give back and get involved in a community that I felt very connected with and understood what they were going through. I came from a home growing up that always had a focus on giving back and doing good for others and so volunteering and getting involved was a no brainer.

I am also a former recipient of a Cancer for College scholarship. When I wanted to get my degree they supported me and I got to experience the good that the organization could do first hand. I immediately started volunteering with the group and have been involved in some way ever since. Cancer for College decided to put an emphasis on growth at the beginning of 2023 and decided to offer me a full time role as their Director of Community and Corporate Partnerships.

Ben: Wow, that’s an incredible story, it seems that you have really come full circle within Cancer for College. Lets Transition just a little bit into event planning. What sparked your interest in this field and how has it evolved over your career?

Kelli: Most of my volunteer work was focused around event planning so I was exposed to it fairly early on. After college I was able to join the American Cancer Society, where I was able to work on and support their events for nearly a decade. While I was there I learned many new things and had the chance to really hone my event coordination and planning skills. Events are great at bringing together a community that can relate to each other and rally around a common goal.

Ben: Having gone from large organizations to smaller ones myself, I know that can be quite a change in pace and culture. Now that you’re working in a smaller organization what aspects of this dynamic environment do you find most fulfilling?

Kelli: I enjoy being able to wear multiple hats and getting to work on almost every aspect of the organization. I love that I get to be a part of supporting the Cancer for College mission and getting to meet all of our scholars and to see the positive impact that our funds can have on their lives.

Ben: In the realm of event planning, is there a particular element or phase that you find most gratifying?

Kelli: My favorite part of event work is seeing the results of everything on the day of the event. Seeing all the months, and sometimes even years, of planning come together to create a great event and experience is very rewarding. There is an adrenaline rush and a sort of high that comes from the high pressure environment of live event planning. I really enjoy being innovative and live events require you to problem solve very quickly and handle unique problems that others may never run into.

Ben: I completely understand that feeling, the stakes are high during live events and it takes a special kind of person to really thrive in that environment. Reflecting on your career, could you tell us about an event that holds special significance for you?

Kelli: The Cancer for College 30th anniversary celebration at the Greek Theatre is one of the highlights for sure it was an amazing event that will be really hard to top.

Ben: From what I was able to see online, that looked like quite the event, Will Ferrell, the Greek Theatre, I’m sure it was awesome! So you have been working with Nonprofits now for a while, what advice would you offer to those just beginning their journey in the nonprofit sector, particularly in roles similar to yours?

Kelli: Oh that is a tough question. Working with nonprofits gives a different perspective on work life balance. Working for a nonprofit tends to run over into our personal lives, especially if you care a lot about the mission that you’re working with. My advice to my younger self and younger people getting involved with nonprofits is to find harmony between work and personal life. You are not just the mission- it’s important that you have your own life beyond just serving the nonprofit. Especially in today’s environment where we can communicate in a million different ways and work from wherever we happen to be, it can be hard to have a harmonious balance.

Ben: That is great advice, certainly applicable beyond just the nonprofit sector. So shifting gears just a little bit here. When it comes to choosing vendors and service providers, what is your approach to making choices and what factors do you prioritize?

Kelli: The CFC family is made up of our scholars, staff, board members, and vendors that have been really attached to the group. Some vendors have been working with us for many, many years. When we do need to hire someone new I consider cost, location, and if they can do what I need them to. As a highly visual person, having a quality website or at least a good information packet for me to review is very important. I don’t have a ton of time to waste on going through hoops so I like it when companies are up front and transparent with pricing and the services they provide. For the most part, Cancer for College, like most nonprofits, relies on word of mouth to find our providers right now. We regularly go to our board and our peers in the nonprofit space to ask if they know of or have worked with any providers when we are searching for a new vendor. It can sometimes be a friend of a friend that does such and such a thing.

Ben: So you have sourced vendors with multiple organizations, can you share a couple of experiences where a service provider greatly impacted your events, both positively and negatively?

Kelli: While at ACS we worked with a particular auctioneer in the Southern California area that really made our events a great success. He was great at being entertaining, engaging, and of course raising funds. Beyond his day of success, we really enjoyed the way that he structured his pricing especially compared to others in the area. Due to the sophisticated cost and spending controls at ACS, it was important that our vendors have a straightforward pricing structure.

One year out in Palm Springs we hired a company to take on more aspects of the event than we normally would have trusted just one vendor to handle. We tended to bring in highly specialized vendors for each aspect but this group promised they could do it all and do it well. In the end they weren’t able to live up to all the promises that were made, especially for how much we paid them. To be clear they did very well at some aspects that they were contracted for, but fell short in others which brought down the overall experience for both our supporters and us.

Ben: Would a platform like Mission Control be a beneficial tool in your work? Would you have liked a place to share a positive review for the auctioneer and to be able to share your experience with the other group with other nonprofits?

Kelli: Absolutely! It would be great to have a place to leave reviews so that other nonprofits could learn from our experiences. On the plus side, we would love to share a positive review beyond the typical word of mouth channel. As for the negative side, I would hope that the companies we review could learn from our experiences so that they could improve their services for their next client.

Ben: Do you think a centralized platform like Mission Control would have a positive impact on your work and the nonprofit sector as a whole?

Kelli: 150% – this type of platform would make my life much easier as I plan events and look for providers. There are a million different places to find information so having a place to go and find providers and see reviews focused on the nonprofit sector would save me a lot of time. For example, right now I’m evaluating a new solution and I am having to sit on multiple demos to try to evaluate options, some of which we don’t really know aren’t a fit until after the demo. It can take weeks and sometimes even months to be able to make a decision. At a nonprofit like Cancer for College I really don’t have the time to find, let alone do a demo with, all the providers. Having a central hub and location to be able to type in auctioneer or software and find exactly who I’m looking for right away, will be amazing. Mission Control is a great resource that I see bringing a lot of value to the space and I’m excited to be able to utilize it in the future!

Ben: That’s great to hear! We are excited to be building something that will save time and bring value to both nonprofits and service providers. As we wrap up here I have one final question for you, what trends or innovations do you foresee shaping the future of nonprofit fundraising and events?

Kelli: Events are trending more toward unique and entertaining experiences for the organization’s supporters. The challenge is when we have an amazing event that raises a lot of money, we need to replicate the result. Guests are now hoping to have a new experience and not see the same thing event after event. One of the big questions now is how do we create new experiences and keep our donors coming back every year. Covid pushed nonprofits to bring in new experiences and new ways to connect with their supporters and they were forced to change how they do events. Now, it seems that people want to experience new things and not just go to the same gala year after year. I see that trend continuing, and I think that these experiences are going to be driving donations and anchoring fundraising events going forward.

Ben: Thank you Kelli for being so open and for all the awesome work you’re doing at Cancer for College. Can’t wait to see where your journey takes you next!

A big thank you to Kelli Vigorito for taking the time to chat with us and share her incredible journey and insights. We appreciate her enthusiasm for integrating Mission Control as a resource. Kelli’s story is not just inspiring, it’s packed with real, on-the-ground advice that anyone in the nonprofit world can learn from. Her dedication and passion really shine through, and it’s been fantastic hearing about her experiences and tips, especially for those in the trenches of nonprofit work.