Connections
VOLUNTEER PROFILE
CHRISTINE SHIM ’93
Ambassador for Education
HAROLD HECHLER
C
lass Agent Christine Shim ’93 is not only a fundraising volunteer for Exeter, she’s a fundraising professional at Columbia University School of Law. In both roles, she says, “I love connecting with people. I see myself as an ambassador for the organizations I work and volunteer for, and I want donors to have a rewarding experience when they make contributions.” Shim selected Exeter based on the recommendation of her sister, Jean Shim Yun ’87. It worked out to be an excellent choice, both academically and personally. She recalls that when she entered Northwestern University, she was excited to continue her studies. “I felt very prepared for academic rigor,” she says. “At Exeter, I gained such an appreciation for learning and the discipline to focus.” The friends she made at the Academy remain among her closest. In fact, she became a class agent in 1999 because of the strong encouragement of her predecessor, Elizabeth Eakeley Arnall ’93. It wasn’t until recently, however, that Shim became a professional fundraiser. After graduating from Northwestern, she worked in financial services at Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley and then entered the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Her aim was to gain the skills to be an effective leader and eventually apply them in the nonprofit sector. During her second year at Darden, Shim served as class gift cochair and saw firsthand the importance of unrestricted gifts. “They make a big difference in flexible and discretionary decision making,” Shim says. Since her business school graduation, Shim has served as a class agent for Darden. Following business school and finance positions at McGraw-Hill and Citigroup, Shim decided she was ready to make the move to the nonprofit world. While still at Citigroup, she was recruited to apply and interview for a position with the Broad Residency in Urban Education, a national leadership development program that engages M.B.A. graduates in the cause of urban education reform. Upon acceptance into the residency, Shim was placed in the office of the chief financial officer for the District of Columbia public schools during the tenure of Chancellor Michelle Rhee, “an exciting but tumultuous era,” as Shim terms it. Shim left D.C. shortly before Rhee concluded her post as chancellor. Returning to her home base in New York, Shim became deeply involved with the GO Project (www. goprojectnyc.org), an organization devoted to improving the futures of low-income New York City public school children through academic, social and emotional support. She currently sits on the GO Project’s board of directors and serves as treasurer, secretary of the executive committee and chair of the finance committee. Shim calls her involvement with GO “a big-time commitment, but one of the most rewarding experiences.” Later, Shim accepted a newly created development position at Columbia Law focused on advancing annual giving from a broader base of alumni/ae. In her job, Shim enjoys the same rewards she does as a class agent. “Just as with Exeter,” she says, “it’s an opportunity to connect with really smart, accomplished and interesting people and to keep them engaged with their school and fellow alumni/ae. It’s really a people business, and I love that.” Shim is also a believer in personal outreach, participating enthusiastically in Exeter phonathons and sending handwritten notes to her most faithful donors during the holidays. “All the vehicles of personal communication matter, and the stewardship piece is critical. It’s important to recognize what donors have done and to let them know how much their efforts are appreciated. It’s never just about the money.” —Susan Geib
“I love connecting with people,” says Class Agent Christine Shim ’93 (center), who gathered with her sister, Jean Shim Yun ’87 (right), and former ’93 Class Agent Elizabeth Eakeley Arnall at the Exeter reception in New York City in January.
SPRING 2012
The Exeter Bulletin
41