Meet Bethany Chisholm, The Rosenbach’s manager of special events.
Bethany has been in fundraising her entire working career. After growing up and attending school in the Boston area, she moved to Philadelphia. She began interning at The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, coordinating special events and their young professional group. As we know at The Rosenbach, Bethany is indispensable, and therefore she was hired to be their manager of special events and individual giving.
While she has worked in human services non-profits such as Girls Inc. and the Philadelphia Parks Alliance, she said she missed being in arts and culture, and joining the Rosenbach team was “a homecoming.” Bethany joined the Rosen-staff in the spring of 2019.
“As a fundraising professional, I have found that I always want to be working somewhere that I believe in, connect to, am excited about, and appreciate. History and literature are most compelling when they tell human stories. One of the first things I realized about The Rosenbach collection is that it is a very personal collection made up of stories spanning hundreds of years. Working here, we get to share that.”
The Rosenbach hosts about 170 events or programs every year. Bethany is involved in the planning and execution of many of these events. Aside from creating and sending invitations, arranging catering, coordinating staff, playing bartender, setting up and decorating event rooms, and ensuring our visitors have a flawless Rosenbach experience, she also makes the most beautiful cheese trays you will ever see!
Bethany has experience across multiple non-profit sectors and with a multitude of fundraising skills. However, the position of manager of special events at The Rosenbach was particularly interesting to her. “Thinking about what will make people excited and joyful in their support of this organization and translating that into an event that while fun and unique remains aligned with the mission of The Rosenbach is fascinating work. I especially love how collaborative event work is!”
While we have been out of the office, Bethany has been hard at work to bring us tomorrow night’s virtual Rosenbacchanal 2020: Young Voices of The Rosenbach. Tune in at 6 pm and support Bethany’s vital work!