From Quiet Waters Park to Still Getting Things Done | How Nicki Fiocco Pursues a Social-Impact Career

I had no idea that hosting a podcast, sitting across from someone new each week to hear their service journey, would become my career. I didn't expect to watch some of those guests' kids grow from newborns into toddlers. But here I am: over 100 episodes into the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, all the while leading Development and Communications at Transform Mid-Atlantic, a nonprofit based in Maryland.

My journey to social impact started on a Monday morning at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis, Maryland, where I served as an AmeriCorps member in 2011. I didn't have a five-year plan; I had a service year, a park, and people who wanted to give their time and talent, if someone would just help them find the right way to share it.

That service year taught me skills nobody puts on a job listing, but that every nonprofit requires: genuine outreach, community ownership, and storytelling that turns a one-time volunteer into a returning one. Those are the skills that carried me through every role that came after, from the county's Department of Recreation and Parks to Volunteer Maryland, statewide AmeriCorps leadership, to the Governor's Office on Service and Volunteerism, and eventually to the podcast.

Say yes to the work in front of you

I didn't take the county job because it was a strategic career move—I took it because I loved what I was doing as an AmeriCorps member and wanted to keep doing it. That decision became the foundation for everything in my social-impact career that came after.

If you're early in your job search, or sitting in a role that feels smaller than your ambitions, resist the pressure to have it all figured out. The plan can come later. For now, find work you believe in and say yes to it.

Try this: Instead of asking "where does this job lead in five years?" ask: "will I be proud of the work itself?" That question filters out a lot of noise.

Name the skill, not just the job title

When you're building a resume for the social-impact sector, don't just list your title and duties. Name the transferable skill underneath it.

Try this: Take one line from your resume and rewrite it around the skill, not the task. Not "coordinated 40 volunteers for park cleanup days" but "built and retained a volunteer base through direct outreach and consistent follow-up." Hiring managers in this sector are reading for exactly that.

None of those skills work as a one-time move. Genuine connection means you keep showing up and keep bringing value, not just when you need something. That's what turns a name in your contacts into a real relationship.

Say yes even when it isn't a straight line

That kind of path rarely looks like a straight line on paper. It's a series of yeses, each one building on the skills and relationships from the last. You build it by staying open to what's next.

If you're pivoting into this sector, the same rule applies. Your path doesn't need to look like anyone else's to be legitimate.

Try this: Write down every role you've held, no matter how unrelated, and underline the moment in each one where you built a relationship, told a story, or organized people toward a shared goal. That's your through-line, even if the job titles don't match.

Come back and open doors for someone else

Years later, I found myself directing the same statewide AmeriCorps program I had once served in. That gave me the chance to be, for other members, what my own supervisors had been for me: someone who believed they could figure it out before they believed it themselves. I carried that same instinct into the Governor's Office, showing up for staff and program leaders as a mentor, not just a supervisor.

That's one of the quieter gifts of this sector. The people who supported you rarely stay strangers. Eventually you get the chance to open a door for someone else, the same way one was opened for you.

Try this: Think about one person who opened a door for you early in your career. Reach out and tell them, specifically, what that meant. Then look for a way to do the same for someone coming up behind you. That's how this sector actually sustains itself.

Relationships are the currency that carries you forward

Every major move in my career came from a relationship, not a job posting. Some of my closest professional relationships started as a single podcast episode, an hour-long conversation that never really ended. We've gone on to partner on projects, make introductions for each other, bounce business ideas back and forth. That's not networking. That's what happens when you treat every interaction as worth investing in, not just the ones with an obvious payoff.

Informational interviews are one of the most underused tools in this sector, and they work because most people in social impact got here the same way you're trying to: by someone taking a chance on them first. Idealist's guide to informational interviews is a good place to start if you've never asked for one.

Try this: Reach out to one person doing work you admire and ask for twenty minutes, not a job. Come with real questions, not a pitch. The relationship is the point, not the immediate outcome.

Purpose-driven work rarely rewards a rigid plan. It rewards showing up, saying yes, and paying attention to the people around you. I found mine on a Monday morning at Quiet Waters Park in 2011. You might find yours somewhere just as unplanned. The search is worth it, because it's how you decide what your work stands for.

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For more stories from AmeriCorps alumni who are still showing up for their communities, still getting things done — check out AmeriCorps Connections Podcast. 100+ conversations with alums navigating purpose-driven work and life after service. Find us wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube.  

About the Author | Nicki Fiocco is an AmeriCorps alumna, Director of Development and Communications at Transform Mid-Atlantic, and host of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast. She is a board member of the DC AmeriCorps Alums Chapter and creator of The LEAP Framework: Serve Forward. Find her wherever you get your podcasts. #StillGettingThingsDone