We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yvette Murray a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Yvette, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Following my divorce, I moved back to South Florida, finally completed school, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, landed a promotion at my new job, serving as Director of Development for nonprofit pediatric hospital in Miami, and started traveling more, something I always wanted to do but was never able to afford. The initial concept and name of my company Purpose Nomad came to be while working for the hospital. I wanted to find a way to give back to causes that were near and dear to me while traveling the world.

However, shortly after my dream of owning my own business came to light, the pandemic hit and was shifted down to part-time losing half my income. As a single parent, I had to find a way to supplement this financial loss. Fortunately, my 16 years of fundraising experience, along with key connections I made along the way both in the professional world and in my community, I found myself receiving calls and referrals from nonprofits and individuals in need of my expertise in grant writing, fundraising, event planning, etc. It was then that I decided to officially launch Purpose Nomad. It wasn’t exactly how I had envisioned my company to be, however, I felt it still aligned with my mission to give back and help others. Today, I serve various clientele with their fundraising needs across the country and now globally, from small and struggling nonprofits to for profit businesses serving in areas of arts and culture, healthcare, renewable energy, technology, faith-based, social services, and many more.

I continue to travel and for now, while visiting these countries, I volunteer my time while there to causes I am passionate about and bring their mission to light through my social media pages or blogs. I love to write about my personal experiences and anything related to health and wellness, relationships, travel and share them with my audience on the platform Medium and other social media outlets. My next goal is to finish my autographical book soon and share with the world my experiences thus far about my life and my travels.

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?

Grant writing was not a career aspiration of mine but rather fell on my lap 16 years ago. I applied to local state college for an HR position which is where I thought my career was headed at the time. However, as part of the college’s recruitment and application process, every applicant was required to write a two-page essay on their philosophy on education, As an avid writer and keeper of journals since very young, I loved this part of the process and apparently the recruiter did too. She forwarded my essay to the college’s VP of Institutional Effectiveness who oversaw the grants department. A few days later I was called back in to interview with the VP of IE and the next day was offered the job as grant writer. Initially, I was very hesitant to accept the offer since I had no clue what a grant even was back then but my VP reassured me this role was one where you learn as you go and she reassured me she would mentor and guide me in order to ensure my success.

Over the next 11 years I served as a federal writer grant writer for the college and traveled to DC serving as a liaison to the federal funding agencies that funded our programs. Six years ago, I moved over to the private side so I can establish a deeper connection with my community and organizations whose members they serve. As a public servant, I love to work with non-profits and individuals who are actively making an impact in their communities. I enjoy brainstorming and creating strategies that will enable them to further their mission.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I believe my resilience really bloomed when I lost my mother at the age of 20. I had to grow up really fast in light of the tragic and sudden loss. I went out on my own and worked in order to survive while temporarily leaving behind the goal of finishing college. Temporary turned out to be 25 years due to life experiences such as marriage, kids, and ultimately divorce. After leaving my marriage, doors of opportunities opened. Although scared of being alone and starting over, I knew I had to take advantage of what the universe had been trying to offer me for so many years. I obtained my Bachelor’s degree, received a promotion, began traveling, and started a business in the midst of a pandemic that thrived.

Those rewards came with a lot of challenges. Countless nights falling asleep at the dining room table doing homework, working late hours most days and nights during the week while having a teenage daughter at home most nights fending for herself. A lot of tears, sleepless nights, and bouts of guilt overwhelmed me at times but never broke me. Rather they were just building blocks that elevated my tenacity and resiliency. I knew I had to work hard in order to see the fruits of my labor. During the pandemic I lost my father to a sudden illness and less than a year later my brother to brain cancer. I thought I would never recover from such devastating losses so close to each other. However, it was my resiliency, my work, the support of friends, family and colleagues, and spending a short time in Europe traveling to heal that forged me to keep moving forward.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Initially my I built up my clientele through word of mouth which I still believe is key when establishing yourself in a competitive bur rather niche industry. As of late, the best source in acquiring new clients is through job boards, attending networking events, and through volunteering in the community. Many of my clients are ones that have been with me since the beginning which I am so grateful for, however my primary goal is to provide support and help my clients create a successful fundraising plan in order for them to become self sustaining for years to come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.purposenomad.com
• Instagram: @purposenomad
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purposenomad
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvettegmurray
• Twitter: @purposenomad

Image Credits

N/A