Latinx development officer experiences at Hispanic Serving Institutions

The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of Latinx development officers who serve in four-year Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) within the state of Texas. The study was conducted through an interpretivist epistemology and qualitative phenomenological approach. The study was guided using two research questions. 1) How do Latinx development officers at four-year Texas HSIs describe their professional experiences with their fundraising responsibilities? 2) What challenges do Latinx development officers face as they enact their fundraising responsibilities, and how do they address those challenges? Five themes emerged at a) Student Centricity b) Ethnic Experiences c) Perseverance d) Collaboration e) Professional Development. Also it was determined that three Key Findings that reflect how Texas HSI Latinx fundraisers experience their work, which includes a commitment to student centricity as a motivation for the work, the ability to lean into their ethnic background as a means for success, Latina development officers having an instinctual approach to relationship building, and Latinas handling microaggressions and imposter syndrome. This study added to the scholarship of Hispanic Serving Institution support of Latinx frontline gift officers. The findings describe how Latinx development officers experience their role at Texas Hispanic Serving Institutions and how it will benefit the diversity and growth of their advancement teams.