Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Dimeling.
Laura, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I graduated with 3 degrees and a 4.0 during the recession in 2007, and my dreams of “success” crumbled fast in an endless sea of rejected job applications. I knew I wanted to take life by the reigns one way or another and went in the opposite direction I’d expected, moving to France to teach English. I ended up living abroad for several years and working in or traveling to almost 50 countries.
My lack of traditional employment ended up being the grandest blessing in disguise. Had I found the job I’d been seeking out of school, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to explore so broadly and deeply or to be the person I am today. I have so many mini lives under my belt now, and I value what all those years living in the present moment without being tied to a computer screen beyond belief. Thanks to them, I strengthened my silly and adventurous side, and it’s definitely not going anywhere.
I moved to San Diego 4 years ago and finally walked through the doors to an office, starting as a customer service agent at what was then a startup – GoFundMe. Startups are exciting because they sky is the limit. Everything needs to be done, and if you can see an unmet need in the sometimes overwhelming excitement and dedicate yourself to it, you can create something from nothing and grow a lot personally along the way too.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes, no highs could exist without lows! Our society’s message can be confusing and distressing. “Be yourself, but don’t color outside the lines.” If the rules don’t make sense, we shouldn’t feel defeated about not being capable of following them. I encourage young women to play with life as the beautiful game it is and create your own set of rules backed by strong values instead. Self doubt is a waste of time to be chipped away at.
I’d tell my younger self to be bold, have faith, and never stop talking to other women about your dreams. Gathering information and ideas from others is something I neglected to do for too long. I thought everyone was more experienced and more capable than I was and often shied away from talking about goals out of shame for my “waywardness” and “lack of success”. I also felt like because my dreams weren’t concrete, they weren’t worth exploring or discussing – very shortsighted! Looking back, diversity of thought is crucial and more heads are better than one. Good people could have helped me refine my thoughts and see light and possibility. Why are we here if not to learn from each other and teach each other? Our potential future creations depend on it and are worth the risk. I hope to have the chance to mentor a few young women in my time and now understand that on the flip side, you don’t need to be an expert to offer valuable help.
What should we know about GoFundMe? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m known at GoFundMe for differentiating the level of service we provide to our customers. As a customer service manager 2 years ago, I saw that we needed to offer more than our already awesome technical support if we wanted special people with massive causes to work with us. They simply needed more from GoFundMe than technical help to run their huge initiatives. I started providing that more, and I now head our VIP service team which manages our viral campaigns, our biggest partnerships, and pushes the limits of what a company is willing to do for its customers in so many directions. This ranges from pulling all-nighters to prepare an emergency GoFundMe so the world knows where it can help the morning after a late night tragedy to surprising people with personal gifts to coordinating video production to tell incredible customers’ stories.
Because of my vision, my incredibly driven and caring team’s belief in it, and years of tireless creative teamwork all around, we’re now equipped to support and amplify the ever-evolving needs of movements that can change the lives of thousands and thousands of people. This ties into what sets GoFundMe apart as an internet company in general – we are 300 people who care deeply about our customers because we’ve seen our customers change the world by turning ideas into action. How could we not go above and beyond for them?
I’m also proud to have forged an exciting, interdisciplinary career path for 2 other women I admire to no end. It’s an honor to work with them and see them shine.
Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
My father suffered from severe alcoholism and passed away in my teenage years. Seeing the good that always remained in him despite his helplessness instilled me with great compassion for and willingness to connect with those who are struggling and need a hand. Simultaneously, my mother made it her mission to become a boss in the business world. She made sure our family not only stayed afloat but also that I had opportunities to pursue various interests growing up. I’m very grateful for the love and rounded perspective my circumstance provided.
Contact Info:
Image Credit:
Joey Kennedy
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
