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While studying business at Virginia Commonwealth University, Danette Hodges began working for a mortgage company. She quickly learned that her desire was not to “climb the corporate ladder,” she says. A job recruiter advised Hodges that she would be better suited working in the nonprofit industry. Soon after, she accepted a job at Parents Anonymous (which has since merged with Stop Child Abuse Now), and she’s worked for nonprofits ever since.
After 30 years working in fundraising and community relations (including serving as executive director of the Children’s Miracle Network), in 2016, Hodges began her current position as associate director of development for the American Cancer Society-Virginia (ACS). She says she is proud to work for an organization with a mission she is deeply passionate about, especially because her father is a bladder cancer survivor.
“This is by far the most meaningful part of my career,” she says. “My father is living a full life at 82, and I know it’s possible because of the work ACS is doing.”
In her role, Hodges oversees the planning and execution of ACS’ annual Cattle Baron’s Ball, a signature fundraising event that was founded by ACS Dallas. Today, 40 balls take place across the country each year. Hodges and her team brought the event to Richmond in 2016 and transitioned it from a black-tie affair to a more casual, Western-themed gala. In its first year, 720 people attended, and more than $500,000 was raised.
“Fast-forward to the pandemic in 2020: We could not have an in-person event, so we had to shift gears,” Hodges says. “We decided to take the Cattle Baron’s Ball fully virtual. We called it a ‘Hoedown at Home’ and did an hourlong TV broadcast on NBC12. We did a mini-telethon in which we highlighted our sponsors, and we ended up raising $650,000.”
While planning the 2021 ball, Hodges and her team set an ambitious goal of raising more than $1 million. The event sold out and raised $1.2 million, establishing it as the second most successful Cattle Baron’s Ball in the country that year. The 2022 event, taking place Oct.15 at Keystone Acres, is projected to exceed $1 million again.
Outside of ASC, Hodges serves on the board of directors for the RFD Foundation and the Hanover CREW Foundation, both of which support emergency responders. “If I can make an impact on one person through the work I do, it’s all worth it,” she says.
