Greta Moncayo: Philanthropist, FIU Alumnus, and Donor Relationships Representative

This past week in my Philanthropy course of Giving with Greater Impact at The Honors College at Florida International University (FIU) we had the pleasure of watching an interview between our Professor 束放, CHE, CHIA and Greta Moncayo . Moncayo is an FIU alumnus who graduated in 2005 with a Master’s in educational leadership and has worked in nonprofits for about 15 years. Currently, she holds a position at Way FM, a national Christian radio station, a nonprofit organization, and a full-fledged ministry as a Donor Relationships Representative. The organization’s mission is to influence this generation to love and follow Jesus through culturally relevant media. One of Moncayo’s significant roles in her position is building relationships. She ensures that their current donors are acknowledged and appreciated, not just a checkbook or ATM. She also ensures she understands any future donors and their capabilities in donating, volunteering, and anyway they could get involved.?

Moncayo’s love for giving back to her community did not start when she started working for Way FM. It began as a high school student. Her school curriculum included community service; throughout the school year, she volunteered at a shelter. There she distributed food to those who did not have access to it. This was one of her first experiences where she realized how important it is to give back to her community.?

As she continues to share information and stories, the topic of perfectionism is brought up. Moncayo shared a piece of advice that she shares with others: to throw perfectionism out the door and strive to be excellent at everything you do. At a young age, Moncayo wanted to excel at everything from academics to making her family happy. Looking back, she considered herself to be a perfectionist. Now she believes that perfectionism can drive us to complacency and that we can be stuck on a goal of being perfect that we are never going to get there because no one is perfect. This piece of advice she shared stuck with me as it is something I can relate to. I often get stuck on tasks because of my quest to achieve perfection. Many times when I have a challenging time completing a task, it is because I impose an unrealistic expectation of results and performance on myself. After hearing Moncayo's advice and story, instead of looking at perfectionism, I am going to remember her words on striving to be excellent at everything I can do.?