The Feature: Kim Peterson on Being Human
Meet Kim Peterson
Founder of Cedar Fundraising, and the kind of person who genuinely believes businesses can change the world, and I would agree! Kim can to me for personal branding photos, this is her story and some words of wisdom, and fun bits too!
Based in Vancouver, Kim works with small and mid-sized Canadian nonprofits that are doing meaningful work but running on stretched teams and reactive fundraising systems. She’s the person they call when grants aren’t cutting it anymore and they’re ready to build something that actually lasts.
Kim has worked with a variety of well loved Vancouver non profits, from the David Suzuki Foundation to Vancouver Foundation to seven years at Science World where she raised over $3.5 million. Fun fact, I also used to work in fund development and it’s no easy feat to raise that kind of cash, way to go Kim!
Kim took all of her experience and a leap of faith on herself to create Cedar Fundraising around one core idea: that good missions deserve good systems.
When she’s not helping nonprofits find sustainable footing She’s
Tending a pollinator garden on a rooftop, riding a cargo bike with her kids, and building community in a cohousing neighbourhood (which is where we did the photoshoot and it made me want to live in cohousing myself!) in Vancouver.
When Kim reached out to me I had to pinch myself because it’s always so wonderful to serve people who in every sense of the word show up for their clients, their community, and the causes they believes in, and Kim hit all those notes.
We took her portraits where she’s most herself, in her garden, in her community, in her element.
The gardening gloves came out, the guard came down, and the cohousing neighbours may or may not have watched the whole thing unfold.
Here’s what she had to say.
Make sure to read to the end for Kim’s Standing Ovation!
What has gotten in the way of you being fully,
unapologetically you, and what changed?
A lot of it was this weird pressure to be polished and professional (as in, “corporate”) as a consultant, but I’ve always found that approach to be stifling in terms of being a creative problem solver, and building genuine relationships with people in my work world.
I started out thinking that I had to present myself as corporate, even though I’m in the nonprofit sector, but I don’t think that serves me or my business. My clients want a real human to connect with, they want to see who you are as a person and how it’s going to be a joy to work with you, beyond just the project deliverables.
Because nonprofit work is more than just hitting targets and KPIs. The photoshoot with you was a part of that journey for me: finding a way to visually tell the story of who I am as a person and a consultant.
Not only was the photoshoot a ton of fun, but going through the whole process has helped me to “come out of my shell” even more and show up authentically in other parts of my business.
What would you say to the version of you that almost
didn’t book the photoshoot?
Michele is going to make you look amazing, don’t worry about it. You’ll spend the day laughing and come out with an album of photos that look beautiful and feel like “you”
What surprised you most about seeing yourself
through someone else’s lens?
It looked like I’d done this before… which wasn’t true!
If confidence was a texture, a colour, a sound, what would yours be?
Like sparkling water, all the bubbles rising to the surface fizzing. (Friends, can you feel it cause I sure can! heck yes to this analogy Kim!)
What do you want other entrepreneurs to stop waiting for?
For it to stop being busy. It’s always busy! (Ain’t that the truth, nailed that one Kim!)
What’s a ritual in your business that nobody sees but you couldn’t do without?
My weekly ritual of looking at my google calendar and then writing everything I need to do the next week into a paper planner. I do this with grocery lists too, for some reason my mind doesn’t believe it will get done if it’s not written down. I think it’s the xennial in me (caught between gen-x and millennial).
what song represents you and or your business?
“Hand in My Pocket” by Alanis Morissette. (Nice one Kim!)
Standing Ovation
Kim brought so many little details to her personal branding photoshoot that not only related to her business but more importantly to her has a human, and I am giving her so many gold stars for each and everyone as they were all brilliant!
The Wrap-Up
Kim came to her session with gardening gloves and zero interest in being polished for the sake of it. She left with photos that not only looked like her but that also gave her that confidence boost that she can truly shop up as herself. Not some corporate consultant version of herself. The real one. The one with the paper planner, the rooftop pollinator garden, the cargo bike, and all the bubbles rising to the surface. The one full of joy and playful energy that will show any potential client that not only will she get the job done for you, she will bring light and fun to projects.
Kim knows to her core that the type of people she wants to work with don’t just want deliverables. They want to know the human behind the work. And isn’t that true of all of us? I know it is for me and it’s absolutely why I love what I do and the amazing humans like Kim that I get to create with.
So if you’ve been waiting for it to stop being busy, for things to calm down, for the right moment to finally show up and be see, remember what Kim said above….
Stop waiting for it to not be busy!
If you’re ready to stop waiting then let’s chat about what your personal branding photoshoot could look like.
Thanks for Reading!
Hi, I’m Michele Mateus, award-winning photographer based in Vancouver, BC creating bold, evocative, portraits and personal brand photography with an editorial flair for people who want anything but ordinary.
If something here hit the right note, let’s talk!
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