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Faces Of NPR: Loren Pritchett

Robyn Park
/
NPR Extra

Faces Of NPR is a weekly feature that showcases the people behind NPR, from the voices you hear every day on the radio to the ones who work outside of the recording studio. You'll find out about what they do and what they're inspired by on the daily. This week, we are featuring Loren Pritchett.

The Basics:

Name: Loren Pritchett

Instagram Handle: @ello_mino_pea

Job Title: Donor Communications Manager

Where You're From: Danville, VA

An Inside Look:

You're the Donor Communications Manager. What does that mean?

In my opinion, I have one of the coolest jobs at NPR. Everything I do is to help our donors understand how their generosity makes our very important work possible. We love our donors because they love NPR, and I manage the projects that help convey that to our supporters.

The most critical function of my work is communicating the impact of supporting NPR, our Member stations and public radio as the whole. I do that in a variety of ways, including crafting stories for In Focus, our donor newsletter, composing impact reports to show donors how NPR is putting their donations to good use and managing the Donor Hub to create a repository of information for current supporters and public radio enthusiasts who want to make public media a philanthropic priority.

I also work directly with our Marketing, Branding and Communications Division to create donor-centric communications to engage our generous donors in fun, new ways.

How did you get started here? What advice do you have for someone who wants a job like yours?

I was "discovered" via LinkedIn by an NPR recruiter! That's right, ladies and gents, LinkedIn works. So keep those profiles updated! My advice to someone who wants a job like mine is: In addition to your regular 9 to 5, volunteer...like A LOT! I think that volunteering allows you to get a taste of what a job may be like, while sharpening or learning new skills. You can also meet new people, grow your network and get an edge on the competition by having a unique skillset and a variety of experiences. I also advise any writer to read EVERYTHING. I think reading makes you a better communicator and a more creative writer.

What's on your desk?

Quotes from Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou and Anne Frank; a huge container of honey (to sweeten my coffee and English breakfast tea); coconut body butter from The Body Shop; my nephews very first school picture; a variety of mugs and notebooks, plus a bacon calendar.

First thing you do when you get to the office?

I play this little game with myself every morning. The rules are simple: Come up with a new way to greet my colleagues who I share a pod with. Some of my favorites include: "Morning, little ducks!" "What up, peeps?!" "Morning, chicadees!" But the default is usually, "Hello, family!" (I really like my cube mates.) Then I make a cup of tea, jump right into email and start organizing my day.

What's your favorite #nprlife moment?

When the Powerball jackpot reached some unprecedented, ridiculously large amount, our CEO purchased a ticket for every employee. Of course, I thought I had the winning ticket. Dreaming is fun...and so was that moment.

Favorite podcast?

The Read

/ Loren Pritchett
/
Loren Pritchett

Favorite Tiny Desk?

It's a tie between Corinne Bailey Rae and Gregory Porter--at the former I got a picture with Corinne and the latter made me cry (I don't want to talk about the time I was out of town and Gucci Mane performed).

What is on your favorite pair of socks?

My favorite pair of socks are my grey and white SoulCycle socks. They're not my favorite because they're cute and have a little bike wheel on them, or because they're super thick and comfy. They're my favorite because they cost me $14! I'm super cheap but had to purchase a pair once because I forgot to bring socks. At that moment, I had to decide if cheap Loren wanted to drop two drinks worth of cash on socks or if germaphobe Loren wanted to spend 45 minutes distracted with thoughts of other people's foot sweat mixing with hers! I plan to wear the socks until they have holes where the toes should be. I'll then wear the holey socks as mittens...reuse, recycle.

What are you inspired by right now?

I'm inspired by all the regular folks in the world who do extraordinary things, like Ryan Griffin, the barber who is encouraging reading through his barbershop's literacy program in in Ypsilanti, Michigan. I'm also obsessed with Solange's new album, A Seat at the Table. If you haven't already, listen to Cranes in the Sky.

What do you love about public radio?

Public radio has the extraordinary power to bring people together. Beyond our individual characteristics, beliefs and backgrounds, most Americans will probably agree that having access to information—to help us make informed decisions for ourselves, our families and our communities—is essential. Public radio brings us together through long-form, in-depth and personal storytelling in a way that other mediums can't.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Alexandria Lee
Robyn Park