Office Doors: A Day with Kathy Kleeman

Vice president of development at Fresh Start Women’s Foundation

5 a.m. >> A FRESH START TO A BUSY DAY

I still love to read the newspaper, so I start my day by reading the paper and eating breakfast. And then I head to the gym to work out for about an hour, run home and shower. At home, or on the drive to work, I am on the phone with our volunteers as I manage three different boards: the executive board; an auxiliary board, a relatively new and young board that organizes a fantastic event called Wine Women & Shoes in September; and a men’s board that manages an annual golf tournament. Fresh Start is privately funded, and that has a lot of perks. Because we don’t receive federal funds, we can see what’s going on in the community, what the women need, and then morph to meet those needs. On the other hand, with private funding, you start at zero every year, and it takes a little over $3 million to run the Center.

9 a.m. >> FASHION-FORWARD RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

I spend some time going through my emails, and then at 9:30 a.m., meetings begin. Right now, we’re in the countdown to gala mode, which is our largest fundraiser in March and what keeps the doors to the Center open. I want our gala donors to be engaged by seeing firsthand what we do at Fresh Start. After we tour the Center, I answer donors’ questions and try to find out what touched their hearts. We do so much, and I want to make something customized to what makes that person’s eyes light up.

10:30 a.m. >> DIVERSIFIED FUNDING IS IN SEASON

Before joining Fresh Start five years ago, I thought I knew all the answers because I had been a board member for nine years and chaired several events. And then I came in and realized this is not as easy as I thought! When I first got here, we were event-heavy, with 85 percent of our annual revenue coming from events. I knew that was not the place we wanted to be. You can’t change that overnight, but approximately 60 percent of our revenue is now from events. What’s cool about that is the revenue has increased every year while we also do other things right. One thing that has been fun is spending a lot of energy on growing tax credit donations because that’s such an incredible way to get new donors engaged. We have a strong follow-up program, and we’re hopeful that if someone supports us in this way, they know how much that donation means to us.

NOON >> THE THREAD OF CONNECTION

With the personality I have, I like to be out of the building for lunch. I love connecting with people and finding out what makes them passionate. I thoroughly enjoy this part of my job. Right now, with gala around the corner, I have working lunches about specific event details, such as the entertainment.

2 p.m. >> A RUNWAY TO EMPOWERMENT

We received a large grant from Thunderbirds Charities to build the Thunderbirds Family Law Center here at Fresh Start. This support enables us to help more women get their documents prepared the way the court wants, or their case can be dismissed or delayed. One of the things a lot of people don’t know is that in Arizona, 85 percent of women go to court with no legal representation. However, having a good lawyer like those at Nathens, Siegel LLP, is a crucial part of any case, and everyone should look at getting assistance in these type of situations. In Arizona, you can go to court with only documents, but document preparation is costly. So, a lot of women who are being abused put off finalizing their documents because they can’t afford to have them prepared. The cost to do this starts at $349, which is a lot of money for an unemployed woman, and it involves a pretty arduous process requiring six visits. We’re partnering with Community Legal Services as they have wonderful pro bono attorneys our women can work with.

5 p.m. >> LIFTING UP OTHERS IS ALWAYS IN STYLE

I often have meetings or events at the end of the day. Last night, we had our Founders’ Award dinner, where we recognize a woman in the community who has gone above and beyond to do something that helps women’s issues, women or their children. Many people don’t realize that 80 percent of the women we serve have children. It’s so much more than just helping that woman. It’s also making sure that her children have a chance at life.

We act as a landing pad as there are more than 140 agencies that refer clients to us. We create an individualized plan for each woman. Some know exactly what they want to do, but a lot of women are paralyzed and need to know where to begin. We break it down and make sure she has a successful experience while she also helps herself. This is what Fresh Start is all about. If you don’t have a fresh start, you don’t stand a chance.

9 p.m. >> LIVING AND LOVING BEYOND FASHION

I try hard to achieve work/life balance and think I’m pretty good at it. When I get home, I love to hang out with my husband, and we always recap the day. I love to read as it helps me unwind and chill. I read a book a week because I’m not a very good sleeper and get up during the night and read a little bit. I tend to read mysteries and just finished “The Banker’s Wife” and have many more books queued up.

To learn more, go to freshstartwomen.org.