We were lucky to catch up with Erica Klauber recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Erica, thanks for joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I discovered Children’s Craniofacial Association in my 20s, as a patient.

Even as an adult, I had never met anyone else — that I knew of — with a facial difference. As it turns out, there were people in my life who had had facial differences that I had known, but I wasn’t aware of it, and others around me never connected the dots that I shared something in common with others who have craniofacial conditions. And as odd as it seems, it wasn’t obvious to either of us that we could and should develop a relationship based on this shared journey. A lot of that uncertainty was due to my being undiagnosed and having no formal syndrome to identify with but part of it is that in general, people don’t know or understand what facial differences are. This is one reason why early medical attention is so important and seeking care with a craniofacial team makes a difference in one’s health care trajectory.

So, when I started volunteering with CCA, my world opened up. I finally saw and met and developed relationships with people with shared lived experience. After working with them for several years, I remember going to a party and that familiar, dreaded question came up, “What happened to your face?” Normally, I would clam up, turn bright red, and fumble over my words with some halfhearted apology-answer. But this time I had a business card from CCA Kids! I remember my face lighting up, breaking into a big smile, and saying, “Oh, I have a facial difference! Let me tell you about this organization that I work with and all of the cool people we represent.”

I often say I went from looking in the mirror and asking, “Why was I born this way?” to looking out into the world and saying, “I was born to do this work!” This was my turning point, not only professionally, but also in life. I had finally found self-acceptance and belonging.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

We specialize in connecting people with facial differences and providing financial assistance for medical travel for craniofacial patients. I often say, we want kids to “survive, then thrive.” Our families must get their children to surgeries and appointments with specialists, so they can access the basic functions of life: breathing, eating, seeing, hearing, speaking, Then, once those medical needs are being treated, we have to nurture their souls and social lives to help them find partners along this inevitably difficult journey. Sharing their experiences with others who intimately understand the this life, is the key to feeling secure, loved, and accepted as a whole person. This goes for the parents and siblings, too, not just the person with a facial difference.

I studied communications in college, and I knew from an early age I wanted to be a “helper.” Unfortunately, I found out in college that I really wasn’t inclined to the hard sciences and I also was a little too empathetic to other patients (haha, I was a fainter) so medicine was not going to be the field through which I could help. I tried several different occupations, from education to retail to rental real estate, but in my spare time, I was always volunteering with organizations I cared about. Digging in and becoming a volunteer helped me feel like I was making a positive difference in the world, but it also allowed me to learn how people make a living in the nonprofit industry.

I was definitely young and eager to do as much as possible in my early years with CCA Kids. We grew rapidly! Now that I’ve been with the organization for nearly a decade, I have learned that sometimes you have to really focus on your niche to avoid burnout for you and your staff, and to be able to operate a fiscally sound organization.

Nonprofits fill huge gaps in our society. We are doing work that doesn’t otherwise get done and is truly lifesaving! Therefore, we have to focus on what we do well and on the programs that donors believe in the most, and then efficiently and effectively provide those services to everyone who needs them. Part of the work is not just administering the services, but it is making sure we market the services to the people who need them and whose needs we can actually fulfill. One of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn, is that we can continue offering more services to the same people, or we can offer the service that is our niche to more people. While it seems like we may be doing less, knowing what you do the best and can deliver most efficiently is actually a nonprofit’s superpower.

In this same vein, you have to learn where you can partner with other organizations because there is a need to give the people you’re serving more services. However, instead of recreating services that others may be providing, find a way to collaborate with those nonprofits so you can once again focus on your niche. Collaboration is underrated, among nonprofits especially! I believe should be something that we all are focusing on more and it is my goal going into the next decade of my work.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

If you want to succeed as being a nonprofit leader, you have to know how to manage burnout. When you work in a nonprofit you are constantly giving empathy; you’re constantly hearing tough stories; and you are constantly bearing witness to some of life’s hardest moments.

This can really take a toll on you, especially if you’re a person that went into the nonprofit industry because you care about others.

I believe maintaining a positive (but realistic) outlook and stewarding your own emotional and mental health are critical to being a leader in the nonprofit field.

You constantly have to make decisions like, “Do I have the capacity for this? Does my team have the capacity for this?” and if we don’t, how do we say so without turning someone away?

I’m able to manage part of this, as I mentioned, by partnering with other organizations. There are just some services that we cannot fulfill but it gives me comfort to be able to tell someone, “I can’t do XYZ for you, but I can refer you to a group who I know and trust that does this specifically.”

Similarly, in my own life, I have tried to develop strong partnerships. Professionally, we are a small team, and we know that when one of us is going through a tough time personally, we all have to pick up the slack a little bit internally. Timing doesn’t always align, but as long as we are open and honest with one another, we can prioritize the things that must get done and ensure anyone who needs mission critical work doesn’t fall through the cracks.

Having the awareness of what self-care looks like (which for me is movement and sleep) is paramount. I tend to try to optimize all areas of my life but as I’ve gotten older, I have realized that your self-care is NOT closing all the rings, hitting caloric goals, or anything else that could be “failed” if not achieved. Self-care is largely about resting and resetting. Empathy and kindness and even giving your best are renewable resources, but you have to take the time to recharge, rest, and reset.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

This is a great question, because I’ve asked it myself! My life and my work seemed to align in perfect serendipity. Would I choose it again? I definitely would. However, I wish nearly weekly, that I had the time to specialize in and attain certain educational goals or certificates. I really would like more knowledge in the legal field specifically, and I would love to have an official counseling degree. I feel like having the professional knowledge, professional affiliations, and certifications in these areas would help me make even better choices for our organization. However, I fully realize one person can only do so much, so perhaps I would have attained a JD or LCSW, but still ending up where I am, serving the community I love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ccakids.org
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emossholder/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildrensCraniofacia