O’Connor Connective Vice President Michelle Dejno received the Neenah Rotary Jack Casper “Service Above Self” award for her extensive volunteer work with nonprofit organizations.
Dejno has been involved with multiple organizations throughout her career, including the Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region, the Neenah Historical Society, the Neenah-Menasha YMCA, the Fox Valley Memory Project, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Future Neenah, St. Mary Catholic Schools and Valley VNA Services.
She grew up watching her parents volunteer, learning that giving of self was a normal part of life. Dejno said some of her first volunteer memories include making posters in middle school for a dance and helping at fundraising events. Today, she works with boards of directors sharing her strategic skills, experience and expansive network to further benefit the cause.
“Volunteering for me has been an evolutionary cycle: An evolution in how I volunteer and make gifts, and a generational (or organizational) cycle of sharing the ethos of volunteering with those who follow,” Dejno said. “Doing the strategic work and cleaning the bathrooms hold the same weight for me. Both are needed, and both help move the cause forward.
“Through my journey, I’ve evolved in how I volunteer and provide support. But one thing has stayed the same: When I see a need, I fill it.”
Dejno is also passionate about instilling the importance of volunteering in the next generation. She and her husband involved their children early in volunteering, whether it was putting eggs in cartons at the local food pantry or helping to clean up after an event. Now young adults, Dejno’s children still volunteer — something that makes her proud. Beyond her family, Dejno encourages colleagues and young professionals she’s met to get involved with a local nonprofit organization.
“It’s important to make volunteering a way of life for ourselves, our families and our organizations,” she said.
Headquartered in De Pere, O’Connor Connective is a strategy and marketing communications consultancy connecting people and organizations to innovative results. Learn more at oconnorconnective.com.
