Network For Good Staff Profile: Abdul Yusuff
In the two and a half years that Abdul Yusuff has been a fundraising sales consultant with Network for Good, he has consistently built relationships with prospective clients about the connection between their fundraising and their mission, the critical areas that they need help with, and whether Network for Good would be the right partner to help them get where they want to be.
“If you want to make any type of change in the world, people have to come together. No one can do anything alone. When I hear of an organization trying to pool all their resources to attack a major problem or a concern or an area of improvement—that whole concept is inspiring.”
Q&A with Abdul Yusuff, Fundraising Sales Consultant
What is your experience with nonprofits outside of Network for Good?
I have participated in numerous different nonprofits, including religious organizations (my dad’s a chairman of the board of an international religious organization), youth development, and sports and recreation. I spend most of my time focused on youth development and just joined the board of a youth development organization in Ohio. Also, I’m a donor and event speaker for Cause I Care, an organization dedicated to empowering black women in Prince George’s County, Maryland, that my best friend started last year. I just spoke at their Brown Girls and Big Hats Tea Party this past April. It’s exciting to see the people that she’s mentoring and how they’re being impacted by the mission.
They had an essay contest where the winner won a laptop. I spoke about all the entries and shared with their parents, family, friends, and mentors what they were writing about and what was important to these individuals. As a young kid, I was a recipient of a computer, so it was cool to be able to pay that forward now as a young adult.
What attracts you to nonprofits?
The impact that you’re able to make when you bring people together. Spiritually and religiously, it’s always been instilled in me that what I do with my life and my resources is what matters the most. So being able to provide impact to other people and the environment around me, those are the most valuable things that I can do while I’m on this earth. I’ve always had a passion and dedication for finding ways to continue that work. I’ve done a little work internationally and I see the power of getting people together in underdeveloped countries where a lot of things are less established. You can see what one organization can bring to a small country.
What do you enjoy most about the work you do at Network for Good?
I enjoy making a sale because that’s my five-minute reward for countless hours of work. And the impact of that sale is huge. I can touch many people with that sale—board members that I don’t know, my contact at the nonprofit who is struggling to do their job, my colleagues here in the office. I get to collaborate on a lot of moving pieces all for one single goal.
What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not at work?
My favorite thing to do is to be active. I’m really into sports and all the benefits that it brings—mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally. If you want to test your mental fortitude, find a way to compete on a physical level. I play flag football and coach wrestling at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. Those two things help me escape the day-to-day.
Who is your favorite athlete of all time?
I have to give it to Michael Jordan because of his behind-the-scenes story. This guy was never satisfied. You can trace his accomplishments back to his mindset and the respect that he put into everything that he did. The thing that was most inspiring was his baseball career. He went from being a megastar to a nobody. His commitment level and the attention to detail that he put into a sport that wasn’t going to give him the same kind of rewards that he’d gotten in his basketball career. He showed everyone how to be part of a team and not overshadow what that team was doing. That highlights what sports is all about.
Lightning Round
Dream vacation? Saudi Arabia
Most recent book read? The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
Last movie seen in movie theater? Us
Your theme song? Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack”
Favorite color? Purple
