Staff Spotlight: Paige Waite - Outreach Coordinator

1. What draws you to nonprofit work, and what inspired you to bring your skills in communications and marketing to an organization like CLIA?

During my time at UNL as an advertising major, I felt very driven to want to work for a corporate agency. There was always an emphasis on the success of the individual and the company, and less on benefiting the community.

However, while gaining professional experience, I realized there was a whole world of nonprofit work in the communications field where the work you did directly benefited a community group.

About midway through my degree, I felt extremely burnt out until I reached out to Civic Nebraska and became their Civic Health Intern. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career, and I learned so much while on the job. I feel as though my work is the best it can be when marketing for an organization that I would support regardless of whether I were an employee or not. You’re not just promoting a product or brand, you’re impacting real individuals and families’ livelihoods.

That’s exactly why I was so excited to join the CLIA team. I strongly believe immigrants make this country great, and I’m so happy that I can use my skills to show just how hard our clients work to contribute to our community.

2. As a storyteller, you're tasked with sharing the heart of CLIA's mission. Can you share an example of a story — from your past experience or one you've learned about at CLIA — that reminds you why this work is so important?

On June 14th, my coworkers and I attended the No Kings and ICE raid protests in downtown Lincoln to fight back against Trump’s inhumane immigration crackdown. Everyone attending was peaceful, kind, and supportive of each other and the message we were pushing.

As we marched all the way down O Street to 27th, people would honk in support, but others would shout vile, racist words and phrases about immigrants. I’m very proud of the protesters for remaining peaceful while still making everyone's voice heard.

However, this is a clear sign as to why the work CLIA does is so important. We need more empathy in our society! Many of our clients have faced unimaginable hardships and now have to navigate the overwhelmingly complex legal system to gain any sort of immigration status. All Nebraskans deserve to live a happy and comfortable life, regardless of where they previously came from.

3. From a communications and fundraising perspective, what do you see as the biggest challenge in conveying the urgency and complexity of immigration issues to the public, and how do you hope to bridge that gap?

In my opinion, the biggest challenge with understanding the urgency and complexity of immigration issues is just a basic lack of awareness.

Most people in Nebraska have never been directly affected or know someone affected by immigration, so they have no idea how difficult the process is or the mental trauma endured by a lot of clients. Many have never heard of what due process is or the fact that it can take many years to get approved for a green card.

I also think there has been a rise in misleading and even fake information being spread about immigrants, which can create a lot of dangerous and factually incorrect opinions.

My goal to bridge this gap is to latch onto the popularity of video content through Reels and TikTok to grab onto people’s short attention spans. I intend to meet clients who consent to being posted at community areas in Lincoln that are safe spaces for clients and allow them to share their stories at whatever level they feel most comfortable.

4. Building a community of supporters is all about creating genuine connections. What is your approach to engaging with donors and community partners in a way that makes them feel truly part of CLIA's mission?

By building relationships IN PERSON.

Trust me, as a Gen Z, I know how easy and normalized it is to communicate online. However, I feel that by meeting clients and donors in person, we actually get to share a genuine conversation about the work CLIA does, and it gives them an opportunity to ask any questions or clarification they might not be able to ask over email or the phone.

It’s nice to see a real human face behind the organization you’re giving to financially, and also knowing exactly where and what your donation will be used for.

5. What are you most excited to accomplish as CLIA’s new Outreach Coordinator, and what would you say to someone in the community who is looking for ways to support our work?

I’m most excited to grow their social media following and build an audience of activists who are willing to share the work that CLIA does with their followers or peers. I have a lot of ideas and I can’t wait to add a younger generation's touch to the content.

I’m joining CLIA at a time where federal funding is very limited for nonprofits. I’m not particularly excited about that but I am excited to do anything I can to help CLIA and other organizations continue to operate the best they can without having to cut any budgets.