Fundraising Found Me Through Generosity

My first experience of generosity came long before I knew what fundraising was.

I was a child in El Salvador during its civil war. My memories of that time are incomplete, but two things remain vivid: the fear and violence around us, and the joy of Christmas with my family, surrounded by toys.

My father worked for Texas Instruments, and the company organized a toy drive for employees and their families. I do not know who gave or whether they ever knew our names. I only remember what their generosity felt like.

In a season marked by uncertainty, someone had remembered us.

Generosity continued to appear throughout my life: in the people who welcomed our family when we immigrated to Texas, in the scholarship that helped me pursue my master’s degree, and in the communities that taught me what thoughtful giving could make possible.

Over time, generosity became more than something I received. It became my life’s work.

I learned that generosity can meet an immediate need, but it can also build livelihoods, strengthen communities, support passionate people looking to live out their vocations, and create systems that allow a mission to endure.

That belief is at the heart of Candela.

I founded Candela to partner with mission-driven organizations and the development professionals who serve them. Together, we can build stronger relationships, healthier systems, and a shared culture of generosity that does more than fund today’s work.

It creates light that lasts.