We caught up with the brilliant and insightful April Davey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, April thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share a story that illustrates an important or relevant lesson you learned in school
The most important lesson I learned in college came from my own experience of failure and growth: the effort you put into something is what you’ll get out.
When I first entered college, I felt lost. As a first-generation college student, I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve, and I struggled with a myriad of insecurities around being “smart enough” to succeed. My lack of direction and motivation showed in my studies, and my grades suffered. By the end of my first year, I desperately needed a step back, and was unsure that I would ever be inspired to finish a degree.
During those years away, I became fascinated with grassroots, social movements, and realized I was internally driven by a connection to others and desire to leave an impact. I initially decided to go back to school for social work, but made a quick pivot to sustainability studies fueled by my curiosity around environmental issues and a love of the outdoors. I returned to college with newfound clarity and a sense of purpose. This time, I put in immense effort, and the results followed. I worked hard, stayed focused, and as a result, I secured a competitive internship in my senior year and graduated with honors.
The difference was night and day. I finally understood that success isn’t about being naturally gifted or lucky — it’s about dedication and effort. Once I embraced that mindset, everything changed for me. This lesson has stuck with me and continues to guide my professional trajectory today.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is April Davey, my pronouns are she/her, and I’m currently the Development & Outreach Coordinator at The Farm Collaborative, a nonprofit dedicated to growing a local food system where the health of people and the planet come first. My journey into this field began when I started to work for nonprofits in the Aspen, CO area, driven by both environmental and social sustainability practices and motivated — just like in school — to make an impact in my community. I’ve worked in a variety of operational and administrative nonprofit settings, and my favorite by far has been working in the philanthropy sphere.
Development, to me, is about more than just raising funds — it’s about creating lasting impact and connecting people with causes that matter. In my day-to-day, I work hard to ensure that the operational aspects of donor relations are taken care of, and I also strive to build meaningful relationships with our donors. I’m dedicated to helping others become stewards of the land and advocates for a sustainable future. Philanthropy allows us to connect people with the opportunity to make an impact, and that’s what drives me every day.
At The Farm Collaborative, the problems we solve are multifaceted. On a broad level, we’re tackling the environmental challenges posed by conventional agriculture: soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, and large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. For our local community, we’re addressing the need for accessible, sustainable food sources, providing education for young farmers and community members alike on how everyone can contribute to a healthier planet, and even facilitating Earth Keepers camps to teach children the importance of environmental stewardship and a happier, healthier food system. My role is to engage with donors, partners, and the broader Roaring Fork & North Fork Valley communities to ensure we have the support needed to tackle these issues effectively.
How’d you meet your business partner?
I tracked down Eden Vardy, our Executive Director, on LinkedIn after I saw a job posting for an open development role at The Farm Collaborative. When I found it, it seemed to have been posted for a while but I knew it was my dream job, and that Eden was a leader in our local community and the regenerative agriculture scene at large. I took a chance by messaging Eden, and after interviewing with various staff and volunteers of The Farm Collaborative for a couple months, I was fortunate enough to be offered a position. I’ve worked closely with Eden ever since on all aspects of donor relations, and couldn’t feel luckier!
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Rob Hopkins’ “From What Is to What If” fundamentally changed my worldview when I read it — first in college, but I’ve revisited it many times since. When working in the nonprofit field, and especially relating to climate change, it can be easy to get bogged down in the negative — the cold, hard facts and effects of climate change, and the scale of the many problems at hand. Hopkins encourages us to imagine a future in which things “work out” — to reclaim their imaginative capacities and use them to build a better, more sustainable world. He highlights the roles of play, creativity, hope, and possibility as a reminder that the future is not something that just happens to us, but something we can actively shape through collaboration and grassroots movement. In today’s age, I think that’s a powerful message!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.farmco.org
- Instagram: @aprildavey
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilannadavey
Image Credits
Jason Charme; Britta Gustafson.