Catching up with Emma Budd, IIHA alumna, newly promoted and embracing post-COVID NYC life
December 10, 2024
Entering Le Pain Quotidien Cafe (luh paN koh-ti-dyaN) I see Fordham University Humanitarian Studies alumna, Emma Budd (HUST 2020; MSHS 2021). The crowd is bustling with chatter and wrapping up plans for the year. While walking through the crowd, one might think that Emma is an average New Yorker or solo traveler sitting waiting for a friend. One of the joys of journaling someone’s story is that on the outside, they appear to be “someone you just pass by” or “average,” but during an interview, they open up their world to you.
For Emma Budd, I learned that her post-graduation story was far from ordinary. I also learned that she lives in Harlem, “Friends” style, and her latest personal accomplishment was running the NY marathon. Emma also recently earned a promotion from Philanthropic Associate to Manager of Development Strategy at The New York Community Trust. The path to landing this role in her dream city took many unexpected turns and, eventually, reflection. These are all experiences I would have never known unless I met Emma.
In her full interview below, Emma gives us her first-account as a NYC-based humanitarian — from navigating the humanitarian career landscape as a recent graduate during COVID to finding the perfect work-life balance at the Trust. She also reflects on how this journey has shaped the way she thinks about humanitarian work, the transferable tools she took from her Fordham classes to her career, and her advice for future humanitarian and non-profit workers.
LE: Emma, can you talk about your academic background in humanitarian affairs?
EB: I did my undergraduate studies in History and Humanitarian Studies. I concentrated my history major on colonial relations between Northern Africa and Europe, which fits nicely with my areas of interest and studies. I then carried that with me to my Master’s degree in Humanitarian Studies. My concentration was on livelihoods and institutions. I love to see how NGOs function internally and externally in their relationships with each other and communities. Through this concentration I found a love for operations.
I took two classes with Professor Josh Weber, who was very hands-on in his approach to teaching. For example, Humanitarian Information Management includes information about program work and operations. Mr. Weber gave us humanitarian scenarios, whether natural disasters, war, or any man-made disaster, and put us into small groups to put our heads together and find solutions. I found my love there for that kind of work.
I thought I would join an international organization or Peace Corps and then I graduated in 2020 during my final year in the Humanitarian Studies Accelerated Program. It was all virtual, very different from what I had anticipated. At that point, I thought, “I need to find a job.” I put out feelers wherever I could, and landed an internship at Delivering Good, a small nonprofit. They collect coats and clothes from major fashion brands and donate them to places where they need clothes like natural or man-made disaster areas. I worked as a development associate intern there, providing sales support and data management.
“Mr. Weber gave us humanitarian scenarios, whether natural disasters, war, or any man-made disaster, and put us into small groups to put our heads together and find solutions. I found my love there for that kind of work.”
Eventually, my boss at that Delivering Good reached out to me about an opening at a tiny, grassroots soup kitchen in Chelsea. So, I applied for that, and I ended up getting it. That was my ticket back to New York, which was great. I’d been home in Connecticut for that strange four-month early COVID period. That was a great workplace but also difficult because I worked on a tiny team. Our development team included myself, our development director, and a communications person. I was managing data entry, donor relations, direct mail, and a lot of grant writing, which was a great skill to learn and something I was glad to have on my resume, but it was a lot for an entry-level internship position.
On top of that, we were in person every day in the depth of COVID and pre-vaccines, so it was a jump back into the reality of work life that I was not anticipating — a significant shift. I worked there for two years, reaching a point where I had advocated for myself and said, “I’m working well above my caliber, outside my job description. I deserve a promotion and a raise, and quite frankly, what I’m making is too low to afford to live here.” I fought hard for that, and they were not giving me what I had asked for, so I started applying again.
After searching and applying for jobs I ended up at Girls Inc. in about a month, and that was serendipitous. I searched on Indeed and the web for anything to get me out of that situation. I was hoping for remote work. I was looking for a better work-life balance. And I found Girls Inc., and I hadn’t heard of them before, but I looked into them. My focus was always on women’s and girls’ issues, particularly around sexual health and safety. I was interested in the advocacy programs that this organization did so I applied for the Individual Giving Associate position.
Girls Inc. is a national organization. When I was there, Girls Inc. had 78 affiliates across the country, and the job that I got was with their national NYC headquarters. I learned a lot about how to work in an affiliated organization, which was huge for me because big international NGOs, like Doctors Without Borders or CARE, all have affiliates in different countries or states. Learning how to do development or fundraising work for the national part of an affiliated organization was hard, but it was exciting. You can’t communicate direct impact because the money that you’re raising is operational money. It’s going into funding, staff time, facility improvements, or it was going into grants that we would be giving out to the affiliates. Working there included learning who our donors are, how to sell this to them properly, and explaining why this is a great cause for them to support in the community. It’s not like saying, “Your hundred dollars buys five meals for one person for some time.” Communicating impact is hard, and not many people are receptive to it. It was a great learning experience.
Toward the end, I ran into a situation again where I was working well above my job description and pay. There were some management problems that I was unhappy dealing with, and higher up, there was a lot of bureaucracy and very little transparency.
LE: It sounds like advocating for your mental health as a humanitarian worker is a part of the role. What are your thoughts on mental health for humanitarian aid workers?
EB : Mental health care was something that we talked about a lot during my classes with undergrad and graduate professors. I appreciate and often think about every professor’s emphasis on taking care of yourself when you’re doing this kind of work. It’s not easy. I also want to say that I wanted to be somebody who — and still does — works somewhere for a long time and sees changes through. Reflecting on my career so far, I’ve entered roles and made changes, and then have completely burnt out, and needed to seek a new position. So, I’m very excited that where I am now feels very different. Six months in, my boss pulled me aside and said, “You’re doing different work than what we hired you for, which is great. We love what you’re doing, but this title is not accurate, so we’re going to give you a manager role because that’s the level of work you’re doing.”
I love New York. It’s my home. I’ve been here almost nine years, including college. My parents lived in NYC before they got married, then I lived in Virginia until I was 7 and CT after that, so I grew up always coming here. Now, working somewhere (The Trust) so hyper-focused on taking care of the New York community feels incredible. I believe in the mission, and I also see the impact every day.
LE: The New York Community Trust’s Mission is, “As New York’s community foundation, we foster and engage in enduring and innovative philanthropy.” What is it like to work locally and see the results of your work first-hand?
For our readers, I want to note that just because you’re in the country (U.S.) does not mean you’re not a humanitarian aid worker. You don’t have to be international. Do you have thoughts on this common pre-consumption?
EB: On your first note, the Trust is regional: New York City, Long Island, and Westchester. We have offices on Long Island and Westchester. In the last two and a half, three years, we’ve undergone a rebranding that involved bringing them more into the fold and acting as one united organization.
And on your second note, it is very easy to sit back and separate yourself and say, “I’m doing desk work. It’s not the same. I’m not on the ground.” And that’s what I was telling myself over here. I’m disconnected from it. I felt slightly embarrassed that I wasn’t fully using my degree. In my mind, I told myself, “It’s not really what I went to school for. I’m not doing this international work. It’s not glamorous in the way that I’m getting my hands dirty.” I’ve spent a lot of time in the last five years working through what that means, and the work over time has exposed me to difficult and rewarding situations here in New York City. I have faced problems in my community every day that a lot of people don’t have to think about, and that takes a toll on your mental power, no matter what.
For example, if you’re writing appeals about a crisis, the lack of food flexibility, or safety, a lot is going on, which can cause mental and emotional stress. If your job does not support you, then you will not be able to remain there long-term without it taking a serious mental toll. I learned, especially at Girls Inc., that I needed to find balance and a company that better supported my goals in order to have the longevity and growth I was looking for in my career..
LE: What’s your favorite part of the job in your new role?
EB: I’m the Manager of Development Strategy, which means I oversee the operational functions of our development donor departments. The Trust has been around for 100 years — this is our centennial year. In 98 years, we only had three CEOs who pushed forward incredible programs. At the same time, when someone is in one position for 30 years, that allows for many things to stay the same. Our CEO, Amy Freitag, came in two years ago, and she jump-started a lot of change, modernization, and bringing things up to speed.
“I’m the Manager of Development Strategy, which means I oversee the operational functions of our development donor departments.”
LE: It seems as though humanitarian aid work is becoming more female these days.
EB: Yes, it’s becoming heavily female, which is fascinating, especially in terms of development, a job that requires relationship building. It is cool to see women in power in every aspect of the work that I’m doing. I have only ever had female bosses. I have only ever had female CEOs.
My favorite part of working at the Trust is the team. Everybody cares so much about our work, and even when things cause tension or are difficult, or people are struggling you don’t see it get worse. People talk about it and are open. Our Programs Department, which puts out grants that go out to nonprofits, are brilliant. We have program officers that focus on each issue area, so somebody focuses on the environment, youth and development, sexual problems for women, housing, etc. Learning from these experts has given me a great opportunity to more intimately understand the issues New Yorkers face every day, as well as the inner workings of the institutions that have the power to impact these issues, for better or worse.
LE: The Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs (IIHA), which houses Fordham University’s Humanitarian Studies academic programs, wrote at least two Medium articles about you during your time as a student. In 2020, you said, “I hope for greater accountability.” This was in response to a question on your hopes for the future of humanitarian aid. Do we have more accountability in the humanitarian world?
EB: Globally? No. I think it’s gotten worse and has been so disheartening to see. Everyone knows what’s going on internationally right now. Our industry is trying and, at the same time, being shot down. Something that we spoke about quite a lot in my graduate program was the United Nations (UN) becoming obsolete, our concerns over how it was functioning, and the Security Council causing stagnation and people in power doing things for their own benefit. We’re seeing this unfold in real-time in a way that I think is undeniable. It’s hard to see that so many humanitarian workers internationally are being killed on missions, things are being defunded, and governments are refusing to accept or send aid.
Globalization is such a hot topic, and there are countless white papers and research studies on it. It has been implemented, but it isn’t catching. On a local level, however, yes, we’ve increased accountability in many areas, and we’re seeing an insurgence of nonprofits taking responsibility for things the government will not fund. That’s how nonprofits were born; that’s why we stick around. It’s the only field where we hope to become obsolete and not have jobs one day. That’s what we work towards. On the other hand, accountability differs from issue to issue, from geographic area to geographic area, which is why, at a hyper-local level, accountability has increased after the most recent presidential election, especially in New York City communities.
I see that here in NYC, so many people, after seeing Trump get re-elected, have turned to community building and focusing on protecting the areas around them to ensure they’re supporting the people who live in their neighborhoods. Accountability is increasing as a way to prevent further downfall for people who are already struggling.
“Accountability is increasing as a way to prevent further downfall for people who are already struggling.”
LE: Referring again to your 2017–2020 Medium articles, can you talk briefly about your overall experience at Fordham University?
EB: My favorite thing about Fordham was the opportunities to get involved. I organized and led a lot of student activities. I was the president and founder of the Humanitarian Student Union for years. I also led the committee on sexual misconduct for two years in student government. It was great to study something and put that into action in my community and see how it could translate to the people around me.
LE : I can tell you were passionate about gender-based issues as a student. I’m sure you still are. Do you get to be involved in that in your current role? Do you have any advice for students hoping to enter this field?
EB: The best thing I have learned in the last five years is that you can carry your passions into adulthood outside of work. I struggled for a long time with this because I wanted to work in that area in an advocate role. However, those roles are usually volunteer positions. People don’t pay for them. I realized that if I wanted to work in that field, I either needed to go to law school or get a social work degree, and I did not want to do either. So, I found ways to incorporate it into my life otherwise. Currently, I volunteer with the New York City Mobilization for Reproductive Justice. I also listen to podcasts and read news, books, articles, and Substacks, which have piqued my interest on this topic. One day, I would love to go back into working on gender-based violence.
“My favorite thing about Fordham was the opportunities to get involved. It was great to study something and put that into action in my community and see how it could translate to the people around me.”
LE: Can you speak on your 2020 thesis on gender-based violence?
EB: I wrote it on the use of sexual assault as a weapon of war by France during the Algerian War of Independence, At the time I was finishing my thesis for my Fordham graduate program, the French government was under fire for that behavior. I worked closely with Laura, the Helen Hamlyn Senior Fellow at the IIHA, who encouraged me throughout the process. Brendan Cahill, the Institute’s Executive Director, encouraged me to publish. Unfortunately, I was at a point where I didn’t want to continue working on my thesis after spending two years writing it. I was exhausted from juggling graduate school and a full-time job at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen. Not to mention that my attention and focus were drawn towards supporting the unhoused population in NYC who were being heavily impacted by COVID, rather than towards more international issues. Looking back, I wish I had published it, but I know it’s never too late to dust off my thesis and look at outlets.
LE: Are there any specific skills you learned in your humanitarian studies degree that you use today?
EB: Many. The first that comes to mind is operations and general management skills. This is not something I was expecting to get out of this degree. It’s been the thing that’s been the most helpful for me in my career evolution. I learned much of this from Professor Josh Weber: how to do project management with difficult people or a small team, any unpredictable scenario, and what is the appropriate and efficient way to respond to it. The key for me was that his classes were hands-on, so we were able to put his teachings into practice.
“The key for me was that his classes were hands-on, so we were able to put his teachings into practice.”
LE: You’ve navigated so many unexpected opportunities! Even though I only met you 20 minutes ago, you should be proud of yourself.
EB: Thank you. We should encourage each other, especially as females in the industry.
On that note, Fordham taught me that what’s really valuable is how to network and build long-lasting relationships with people in your field. This is what I say about the Institute whenever somebody asks me: are the people they hire just the most brilliant people on the planet? Yes. They (the Humanitarian Studies faculty) have that hands-on experience and know what it’s like to be in your position. Your future depends on getting your name out there, handshaking, and ultimately building lasting relationships.
“Fordham taught me that what’s really valuable is how to network and build long-lasting relationships with people in your field.”
LE: I find your generation is eager to land internships. What is your take on this eagerness?
EB: While you’re a student, you need to make money, and you’re told that if you don’t do an internship, you will not get a job. Another major benefit is relationship building and learning to conduct yourself in a workplace environment. I have often been told that I seem a lot older than I am, and know how to make decisions. These are all good things that come with time and experience, and things I credit to my internships and courses as a Fordham Humanitarian student.
LE : Any tips for the future of humanitarian aid workers, especially those who might want to stay in New York City?
EB: Humanitarian aid doesn’t have to be international, and plenty is happening in our community that counts as a humanitarian issue. There are many ways to get involved, improve them, and help the people in need. I think we look at things that are happening abroad, and we say, that is the worst thing; that is the thing that needs my attention, and it’s true, a lot is going on, but I think if you take a magnifying glass to what’s going on at home, there’s plenty here, too. Now is the time to get involved. I hope we see more community foundations and organizations with funding capacity looking to fund nonprofit resilience, which would allow more nonprofits to hire people at a level where their salary sustains them and they don’t burn out. That will be the key to maintaining the humanitarian industry in the future. Looking for those roles and networking to find them is the best advice I can give to people who are graduating soon.
LE : My last question is what do you like to do for fun?
EB: I recently started knitting. It’s been an enjoyable hobby for me. Everyone tries it at one point. I also was the sourdough person over COVID. I still have my starter. I work in person four days a week now, so I no longer have as much time to bake. But I knit, read, and I’m a runner — I just ran the New York City marathon in November.
LE: Wow, congratulations. That’s amazing.
EB: Thank you! I’m running the 2025 Berlin Marathon as well — I’m excited.
Interview recorded and edited by Lily Egan, Communications Officer, Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs (IIHA) at Fordham University
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The Institute acts as a bridge between the University and humanitarian practice, hosts lectures and symposia on a regular basis, and is the US partner for NOHA, a consortium of 12 European universities offering humanitarian education. The IIHA at 2546 Belmont Ave, Bronx, New York at Fordham University also provides space for undergrad and graduate students to bond during meetings, guest speaker events, and gallery exhibitions. In addition to our Humanitarian Studies, International Diploma, Diplomatic Training, and short Humanitarian Training courses, the IIHA publishes on a wide range of humanitarian topics, such as A Skein of Thought. Our staff and faculty come to us with years of UN experience and in-the-field humanitarian aid work. Follow: IG l FB l LinkedIn l X Subscribe: Humanitarian Fault Lines Podcast Media Inquiries: Lily Egan.
