People in Fundraising, ep. 111: Aashika Patel, Managing Director, CCS

Today’s guest Aashika Patel joins “People in Fundraising” to talk about her fundraising career, the wide range of clients and causes she engages with through CCS, and – with Diwali, the upcoming Hindu New Year – how her faith and Eastern philosophy are “the birthplace of the theory of knowledge and my contextual understanding of the world.” 

Community, kindness, and compassion are some of the consistent themes in this very insightful and fascinating conversation!

I first met Aashika at the CASE District VII and District VIII Conference in Anaheim in March 2024, where she presented a terrific case on “Campaign Readiness: Building and Aligning the Team.”

Aashika discusses:

* Her entrée into the world of philanthropy, at age 16 in Florida, where her local Hindu community raised funds to build a temple. “To see it evolve” from meeting in peoples’ houses “as you are evolving as a person, into a physical manifestation of a place to worship and a place to be together in community, you really see the power of people, and the power of uniting around an idea of what the world can look like if people contribute, and if people think about the greater good.”

* Her 13-year tenure at CCS, which was her first role in fundraising “starting out with a lot of humility and making mistakes” as any does at the beginning of their career

* How her work is best described as “fundraising solutions work” that helps clients “encountering roadblocks” between where they would like their philanthropic capacity to be, and where they are right now.”

* With her background in philosophy, Aashika rhetorically asks, “What is the journey of life if we are not encountering things we don’t know?” and how this shows up in our work. Our conversation features a lot of dialogue about fears, the high stakes in fundraising, and how if one is unable to identify their fears, this prohibits one from working around and working through them – “how are we pushing ourselves past what we think we know?”

* Aashika concludes by reflecting on this topic: “How can I as a better human being be of greater service to those I work with in my professional life and those I seek to love in my personal life.”

Thank you Aashika for a deep and thought-provoking interview! I am so pleased to share your reflections with our audience. Shubh Diwali!