Meet Monica Williams, Anne Durrum Robinson Creative Initiative Award Winner

Written by Maria Cammack.
@mvcammack

Monica Williams is the Founder and Director of GivingCity Austin and on May 2^nd, Women Communicators of Austin (WCA) will be honoring her with the Anne Durrum Robinson Creative Initiative Award.

When Monica is not busy at GivingCity Austin, she spends most of her time being a mother to two young children which it’s much more challenging, fun and exhausting than anything else she has ever done. She has lived in Austin for 15 years and like how fast it’s changing as it makes for a very exciting place to live. Get to know Monica a little better in this Q&A.

Q: Tell us a little more about GivingCity Austin and why you founded the organization.

A: I started GivingCity because I saw a gap in information. The regular media is great about reporting the news, uncovering social injustice, and telling stories about people in need, but those stories sometimes compel readers to want to do something about these situations. Because those stories leave readers frustrated and unfulfilled, I thought there needed to be content that could help people connect the dots between information and action.

So the idea with GivingCity is to serve the do-ers: people who want to serve, donate, volunteer or advocate for a better society. The reality is that social good and philanthropy are complicated, and there are better ways than others. We want these do-ers to be more fulfillied but also more effective. So that’s where most of our content hits; it’s service journalism.

Q: What do you find most rewarding in your role?

A: Definitely the people I get to meet — some of the bravest, most ambitious, most generous people in Austin. I also love being able to inspire readers and make them feel like they can do something about the needs in our community.

Q: What do you find most challenging in your role?

A: Running a nonprofit is a lot of work, but what’s more challenging is empowering supporters and colleagues to help with the work. There’s a lot to be done – content creation, marketing, partnerships, event planning, fundraising, media relations, accounting, running the board, etc. People want to help but I can’t figure out how to fit them in. I think about it all the time.

Q: Tell us a little more about your communications experience.

A: My career in communications grew-up alongside the Internet. At my first job, we used computers with orange type on black screens and moved the cursor with arrow keys. As things like websites, blogging, data analysis, social media, digital ad buying and the like came along, I was usually the “young one” who would “get” or care about that stuff. So I often was given permission to learn it and run with it. Because of that, I’ve always been comfortable exploring new technologies, new content delivery systems, to engagement tools and more.

Q: What does creativity mean to you?

A: Creativity means being able to look at something and address it from a different perspective. Creativity means being courageous and speaking your truth. Creativity means trusting that your voice matters.

 

Join WCA on May 2^nd at our 42^nd Annual Banner Brunch to celebrate Monica and our other award winners. Learn more and get your tickets here.

The Anne Durrum Robinson Creative Initiative Award is given to a professional communicator who has shown inventiveness, dedication and creativity. It recognizes someone who has taken a project or idea and seen it to fruition in a new or especially successful way. The winner has created a measurable impact and shown creative initiative in the development of ideas or programs that positively impact WCA, their business or other volunteer role, the, field of communications and/or women’s issues.

The award is named after Anne Durrum Robinson who was a WCA favorite and set the standard for creativity within the organization.