This week we sat down with Group Vice President of Grant Services, David Broussard. In addition to speaking fluent French, Dave has nearly 20-years of experience in the grant development field under his belt. This experience has made him an established industry expert and a leader for organizations across the globe and especially for our DickersonBakker team!
Here is what Dave had to say when we sat down with him & asked our 10 questions:
Name & Title: Dave Broussard, GPC, Group Vice President Grant Services
Hometown: Annville, Pennsylvania
Current City: Marietta, Georgia
Birthday: June 28th
Club or Association Memberships: Grant Professionals Association: National & Georgia Chapter; Pi Delta Phi (French Honor Society)
Awards Received or Nominations: Rotary Scholarship recipient for French Studies
Favorite Scripture or Quote: The parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13: 24-30 has had a significant impact on my life. There's a lot to unpack in this scripture - both culturally & spiritually. We tend to think linearly in life - cause & effect, timelines, one thing leading to another, etc. But this parable is a huge reminder that God works counterintuitively. It was this scripture that brought me back from several years of darkness in my life & gave me hope that even if the enemy sows evil & destruction, God has a plan!
- What did you do before joining DickersonBakker?
I’ve been working in development since 1997, so my entire career has been in fundraising. Before joining DickersonBakker, my full-time job was working as a Grants and Research Officer at the WellStar Foundation – a supporting organization for a 5-hospital healthcare system outside of Atlanta. At the same time, I was growing Impact France – an organization I started in 2005 – to mobilize prayer and financial resources for native French ministries (where 30% of the population are atheists, 10% are Muslim, and now just over 1% of the population are Evangelicals with practicing Catholics at 4% of the population). Before that, I worked in Washington, DC for several political and social nonprofits.
- Where did you go to college?
I went to Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where I majored in French. It was during my junior year abroad that I came to faith in Christ while living in France. I also attended the University of Toulouse – Mirail and took German classes at the Goethe Institute.
- How did you hear about DickersonBakker?
When it became obvious that my time at WellStar was over, I reached out to some colleagues and friends in the development sector. It was through conversations with two colleagues that I became aware of DickersonBakker and the work they were doing in serving Christian ministries.
- What made you decide to come work for DickersonBakker?
You know, it’s really amazing to me when I look back on it. I actually never thought I would be using my skills for the Kingdom outside of my work with French ministries. When I witnessed the caliber of talent & professionalism that DickersonBakker possessed – it was an easy decision to join the team! The opportunity to join DB perfectly aligned with the work I had been doing with Impact France and so I took it.
- What do you look forward to most when starting to work with a new client?
I love meeting new people, but what I really look forward to is exploring the diverse ways to increase their foundation funding. I’m passionate about institutional giving and I’ve found that there are always creative engagement strategies that most organizations haven’t even considered. Unfortunately, some people have the idea that grant work is just writing or “filling out forms.” However, to establish an investment partnership with a foundation or other funding group requires creative thinking – looking for unique ways to accomplish what the giver’s objectives are.
- What is one goal you hope to achieve with a client when starting a new project?
When I start a new project I always hope to enhance their understanding of how professional givers work. We are building the Kingdom together, and understanding everyone’s part in that is essential.
- What is your favorite part about being a part of DickersonBakker?
The best part of about being a part of DB is really two parts. The first is the accelerated learning cycle that I get to have as I observe, learn, and work with multiple organizations. What I've learned in my time at DickersonBakker would be impossible elsewhere. The second part is a natural outgrowth of that learning - the ability to explore new and creative strategies and methodologies for engaging funders.
- What’s the best/craziest thing that has happened to you out in the field?
The best and most crazy thing that has happened to me on the field is when I was heading back home from Orlando. On this trip I happened to finish with the client earlier than I thought, so I headed to the airport to see if I could get an earlier flight. I found one that had just finished boarding and no one was left, so I asked the gate agent if I could get on the flight. She told me that the flight was full and even though they were waiting on two people, she couldn't give me their seats in case they showed up. I was just about to turn around a leave but a guy came running out of the airplane. The agents were baffled and so I asked what happened. They went back and forth with the plane crew and told me that the guy just got up and said he had to leave the airplane and forfeited his seat. So, she booked me into his seat and I got home early. A palpable sigh of relief that could be felt in the air.
- What is one thing about you that might surprise people?
I had a radio show in college called “Psychotherapy.” One night after dinner, the radio station manager called me into a private meeting with the student leaders of the station. Despite the positive feedback from students and appreciation for my work from the station leaders, the Trustees had heard a portion of my show that day and asked the dean of the college to fire me immediately. The show’s content was too extreme and inappropriate. No examples were given.
- What is there anything else you’d like people to know?
I believe that giving is the key to fully experience God. It is the only concrete act that truly breaks the consumer/idol/Mammon power in our world. Praying won’t do it alone – you’ve got to act. Yet, we have a poverty mentality that invades every space of life – this idea that somehow there’s “not enough” or that there is a limited pie and we need to get “our slice.” In fact, that poverty mindset is probably the biggest lie that we believe today. It is this lie that drives our economy, our decisions, our fears… When we realize that God has placed the resources in our hands for the purposes that He wills in the timing that He has, and that He is able to increase those resources, we are able to fully participate in his Kingdom.
Click here to learn more about David, read his professional biography & how he leaves a lasting impact on the DB team & DB clients each day!
