This values-driven fundraiser is eager to strengthen relationships that will support the long-term impact of our work.

By City Bureau

Portrait taken by Caroline Olsen

We’re excited to welcome Ruth to the team as City Bureau’s new Director of Development!

From North Dakota to Chicago, Ruth brings a deep commitment to building values-based community. She joins City Bureau with fundraising experience across multiple sectors, fueled by strengthening relationships with stakeholders and supporting a responsive culture of philanthropy.

We asked Ruth to share more about her experiences, her background, and what she’s bringing to the role. Here are some highlights, edited for length and clarity.

What are the places you call home? 

Chicago is where I’ve lived the longest, but my deepest sense of home is back in North Dakota, where I grew up, where my mom grew up, where my grandpa grew up. We all lived on the same farmstead, and it's still the most beautiful, peaceful place. My mom is still living there. So when I talk about going home, I'm usually talking about North Dakota. 

Can you chat through your career trajectory? 

I went to a state school with an undeclared major and eventually found my way into a program called Music Industry. It let me explore all the things I loved about music, while also exposing me to business classes—and as someone who watched a lot of ’90s workplace sitcoms, my dream was to work in an office. 

I also volunteered for a lot of campus organizing. I served as a campus representative for NARAL Minnesota, a reproductive rights organization, where I got to experience lobbying at the state level. I later worked at the only abortion clinic in North Dakota, which has since moved across the river to Minnesota. Living in a red state with blue state mentality kind of radicalized me in a way I hadn't experienced before. I knew I wanted to be working and doing good in the world. 

I went on to study arts administration, where I really started to understand how much funding shapes the success of organizations and how much influence donors can have within organizations. I've only ever worked in fundraising, but I’ve worked across academic, arts, culture, and healthcare sectors, and I'm really excited about stepping into this new sector. 

Speaking of new sectors, what drew you to City Bureau?

When I sat down and thought about what I wanted my next role to be at this moment in history, I knew I wanted to be somewhere that was doing actual work to help. I wasn't quite sure what that would look like. Does that mean it's going to be a direct service org? Does that mean I'm going to work in policy? I feel like I got really lucky. Understanding that there are these sort of beating drum organizations, like City Bureau, that have to do the long-term, consistent work is very values-based to me.

What are some of the values with which you approach your work?

Curiosity, idealism, social connection, authenticity. 

Curiosity serves me in moments of confusion, because I tend to presume that when things are irrational, it's because I don't know something that's occurring and there’s more to learn. This mindset helps me be a better colleague, a better staff member, and a better manager. Idealism can come across as overly optimistic, but I'm someone who always knows what the vision is, even if I can't get there right now. Social connection is a huge one. I could never work alone. And authenticity—when I work under a mission, I use it to guide decisions in real time.

Is there anything else you would like to share? 

I feel really honored to join City Bureau in this moment of strategic, careful change in response to the challenging external environment we have found ourselves in. It's an honor to get to do this kind of work right now.

To connect with Ruth, feel free to reach out at ruth@citybureau.org.