A 'nonprofit lifer:' Sandra Session-Robertson continues to give back

Getting up at 4 in the morning to feed the chickens and traipsing after her mom on weekends to sell Avon products ended up making Sandra Session-Robertson a “nonprofit lifer.”

That’s because the eggs grown on the family’s east Texas farm were mostly given away to needy families. Ditto some of the Avon products her mom marketed on weekends, such as deodorant and other necessities that low-income families couldn’t otherwise afford.

“My family has (always) been service-oriented,” Session-Robertson said. “My mom also made candy apples and popcorn balls for the kids because she discovered the adult (Avon customers) had a hard time paying attention when the kids were around.

“My sister and I would say, ‘Why are we doing this, mom? We aren’t making any money.’”

Session-Robertson, whose career has been spent in the nonprofit world, was instrumental in the recent launch of the Empower! Black Futures Community Fund. The fund will raise money to support Black culture, arts, community development and economic development, including financial literacy, throughout the state.

Session-Robertson is a vice president with the Santa Fe Community Foundation and serves as a liaison to Empower!

She calls Empower! a “giving circle” in which an advisory committee that represents members of the targeted community are in charge of grant-making decisions.

The model is based on the Santa Fe Community Foundation’s similar longtime giving circles: the Native American Advised Fund and the Envision Fund, which has granted more than $1 million for LGBTQ+ needs.

“We’re really proud of the fact that we are sort of dismantling the hierarchy as it relates to philanthropy,” she says.

What are your goals with the Empower! Fund?

“What we will fund are nonprofits … that have their tentacles into the community. We want to create an avenue and an encouragement around nonprofits that support other groups … with some focus on Black art, life and culture in a way that people will say, ‘Oh, I can go to them now,' particularly as it relates to business support in all its aspects.

It’s not that these don’t already exist, but because of systemic structures, some audiences may feel more comfortable going to a network where there are people who look like them. I liken it to my experience in the performing arts, where these big ostentatious buildings have historically made it challenging for every people to feel welcome. ‘That building looks expensive and it’s probably not for me because I can’t afford to buy a ticket.’ We’re all trying to help be more accessible.”

Who are your role models?

“Totally my grandma and my mom. My grandma was a really special person. When people had challenges with their babies, they would bring them and my grandmother would hold them. She never got flustered. She never let world issues make her feel like she was less than. They were hard-working people who believed in education big-time and really didn't let up on that at any point in time. They were strict, but you understood it was out of love and because they wanted to see you migrate into a life you could take care of yourself in.”

What have you done in the way of nonprofit work?

“I’ve got 30-plus years in nonprofit work. Mostly specific organizations, mostly public broadcasting. Always marketing and development, which I really have a passion for. I love telling people about something I believe in and how they can make a difference.”

What are you proud of in your career?

“I actually can feel good about a number of the organizations that I’ve been a part of. Most of them have had some challenge with standardizing or organizing or setting up their fundraising arm. And I’ve been able to come in and get us from maybe a deep position in the red to a real predictable position.

At the Dallas Children’s Theater … I feel good about ... setting up systems whereby there was regularity around solicitation … and giving us greater visibility at a time when the organization really needed it.”

How do you spend your free time?

“I have a dog now. We take him on walks. (My husband) Barryand I both love to hike, so that happens every morning, weekends.

I think because my mom was a teacher and there was always something to color, I have that spirit of, ‘Oh, that’s cute; I could do something with that.’” So I have a lot of stuff to do a lot of stuff with. A little mosaic kit to make a mosaic platter, a lot of painting things. I have a lot of canvases. I could be a store for kindergarten teachers.”

Do you have any quirks?

“My staff will tell you my door needs to be open or closed. So I have them trained now if my door is kind of cattywampus, the (staff member) who sits right outside my door knows to push that door open. I like square versus round. I like things organized and in their place.”

What has been a difficult time for you?

“In the relative world where I have seen challenges other people have had, I would not say I have had overwhelming struggles of any kind. I can think of a couple of times where there were less than ideal circumstances, and I tried to stay through them and then at a certain point, I decided that this is the line. I’m done. If it meant quitting without the prospect of another job, I did it. If it meant walking away from a situation that just didn’t seem like it was going to get any better, I did.”

What has made you successful?

“I think trying to apply the teachings that I grew up with. I think just the steady presence of those two women (mother and grandmother) and the things that they said just ring in my head. I have strong memories to propel me, even if they’re not with me.”

THE BASICS: Sandra Gail Session-Robertson; born in Woodville, Texas; married to Barry E. Robertson since 1992; one mixed breed dog, Sonny H. Robertson; master’s degree in education, University of Florida, 2003; bachelor’s degree in journalism, University of Texas at Austin, 1989.

POSITIONS: Vice president, development and donor relations, Santa Fe Community Foundation, since 2023; senior director, communications and philanthropy, Dallas Children’s Theater, 2011-2023; senior vice president, leadership giving and special projects, North Texas Public Broadcasting, Inc./KERA, 2009-2010; president and CEO, KSMQ Public Service Media, Inc., 2005-2008; associate vice president and general manager, WDSC-TV, 1989-2005.