Alqueeah Cates

I know what it feels like to be pulled in two directions at once.

For years I wore both hats. I was the fundraiser and the event planner. I was doing work I deeply believed in. I loved the mission. I loved the people. I loved knowing that the work we were doing was changing lives.

But I was splitting myself in half.

As a fundraiser, my greatest value was in the room with donors — building relationships, having conversations, creating the kind of connection that makes someone want to write a check and come back next year. But as an event planner, I was managing vendors, chasing down committee members, and troubleshooting logistics. And while I was doing all of that — the revenue opportunities were slipping away.

I watched events come and go where thousands of dollars were left on the table. Not because anyone was doing their job wrong. But because no one had the bandwidth to do it all right.

The donors were in the room. The sponsors were at the tables. The opportunity was right there. And I was too stretched to fully capture it.

I also felt the weight of something else. As the person responsible for both the fundraising strategy and the event execution, I knew our attendees deserved more. They came to our events willing to be moved — and we were too stretched to give them the experience that would turn them into lifelong champions of the mission.

I carried these observations with me for a long time. I prayed over them. I wrestled with them. Because my faith has always been the compass that guides my work — and I kept feeling a pull toward something more.

Then one day it became clear.

God didn't call Noah to figure it out alone. He gave him a blueprint. A strategy. A structure. And the strength to build something that would carry his mission forward through the storm.

I believe that is exactly what small and midsize nonprofits need today. Not another person telling them to raise more money. But someone who can come alongside them, assess where they are, build them a roadmap, and help them step into their Kairos — their appointed time for breakthrough.

That is why I built ARK Impact Collective. So that the fundraiser can go back to doing what only they can do — building relationships, inspiring donors, and securing the gifts that fuel the mission.