Conscious Capitalism with Danielle DeLisle
EP 014: Danielle DeLisle
Social Impact Manager and Founder of Waverly Deelites
In this episode, Aubrey and Danielle take a deep dive into the world of non-profits and charitable giving with a focus on Conscious Capitalism, a system that emphasizes ethical business practices while pursuing profits and partnerships with non-profit charitable organizations. This means that businesses are then better able to benefit the communities they are a part of and in return the businesses receive more support from their community members, something we know is vital to the success of new and/or small businesses.
EPISODE OUTLINE
[00:00:00] Introduction- What is Conscious Capitalism?
[00:02:38] Meeting Danielle and learning about Social Impact Management
[00:08:12] Mutually beneficial neutrality
[00:13:30] How Non-Profits get the best bang for your buck
[00:17:28] How to find reliable non-profits
[00:23:14] Different types of impact and outcomes
[00:30:18] Where to start as a small business interested in supporting your community?
[00:34:22] How to get involved as an individual in a meaningful way
[00:37:13] Closing remarks and rapid-fire questions
[00:46:13] Outro
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TRANSCRIPT
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[00:00:00] Danielle: So over time I could see there being more demand for this type of work. As businesses start to say, we need to do more than just say how much money we're giving away, because we can't tell a story around that, you know, and consumers are more and more interested in hearing about that and what is their true impact that our dollars are having in the community.
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[00:00:20] Aubrey: Welcome to the Golden Approach Podcast. If you've listened before, it means the world to have you back. And if you're new here, I have no doubt you'll find some helpful little nuggets, but first let me give you some super brief context about myself and the show. I'm Aubrey. I've spent the majority of my career as a pastry chef in elite companies with lots of stars, diamonds, James Beard nods, wins, and so forth. And while I love all things food and beverage, what really ties it together for me is the art of caring for others. On this show, I'm excited to share all I've come to learn and introduce you to other talented and insightful professionals, [00:01:00] F&B or not, who are passionate about making the world a better place. I have full confidence that together we can cultivate growth and meaningful connections as individuals, communities, and in any form of workplace. So without further ado, let's get to the good stuff
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[00:01:19] Aubrey: Have you ever heard the term conscious capitalism before? Because I hadn't, but I feel like it is something I am constantly talking about. It refers to a socially responsible economic and political philosophy, meaning businesses should operate ethically while pursuing profits. So today's episode is very exciting because we have our very first non-chef interview. And my guest is Danielle Delisle. She's a social impact manager. basically that she helps mediate conversations between large-scale corporations and nonprofits in order to help both operate in that ethical way of pursuing profits and supporting the community. [00:02:00] Not only do I go into full-out nerd mode every time I chat with her because I find this concept fascinating, but Danielle is so well-spoken and passionate about what she does that I have a feeling by the end you will too. Last thing, just as a friendly reminder as always, stay till the end for our rapid-fire segment. But, without further ado, let's get to know Danielle and her work in Conscious Capitalism.
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[00:02:25] Aubrey: Hey Danielle, welcome to the show.
[00:02:27] Danielle: Thanks so much for having me and excited to be here.
[00:02:29] Aubrey: Thank you so much. So we're going to start where we always start, which is to introduce yourself. If you don't mind, sort of painting the picture for the listener of who you are and what you do.
[00:02:38] Danielle: Sure. So my name is Danielle Delisle. I'm a Social Impact Manager by profession, which means that I have the privilege of working both with businesses and nonprofits to make our communities better and stronger. And it's something that I've been passionate about, you know, for a long, long time. And I've just been really grateful to have the opportunity to weave some of the professional skills I've learned into ways to improve the, [00:03:00] the communities that we live in, in a lot of different ways.
[00:03:03] Aubrey: Very cool. So there's a lot, I feel like to unpack there in the sense of, it's probably a profession that people have never heard of. I at least personally had never met or heard of anyone who works in this field, and from what I've gathered from talking to you is that it's a newer sort of field, but before we break that down, I'm curious, if you could paint the picture of how you sort of got into what you're doing. If you're going to go into work that is so dedicated to giving and community focuses that you sort of have to have an innate passion for that as a person. So how did that come about for you?
[00:03:40] Danielle: Sure. so I'll just give you a little bit of background on where I've come from and how I got to be where I am. So I had the opportunity to study at the University of Virginia where I did my bachelor's and my master's in public policy there. and then I took a year off right after grad school and I traveled for a year and went to New Zealand, Thailand, Australia, parts of South America [00:04:00] and really loved it but then of course had to come back home when I needed to start paying my student loans. And while I was doing that, I got a part-time job at a bakery, making granola. And I was really excited to be in a kitchen. I love to cook. I love to bake. But more importantly is I was really excited about the opportunity to support their charitable giving program where they give one percent of sales to food security non profits in the Baltimore DC area. And that's really what sort of sparked this, this energy in me to think more about this relationship between the private sector and the nonprofit sector and what that can look like in a really powerful and meaningful and effective way. so this really was my first sort of glimpse into conscious capitalism in a way where businesses can really be designed and empowered to support the communities that they operate in. And so that was an eye opening moment for me there. I did leave the bakery to pursue public policy. I did some research for about five years doing [00:05:00] qualitative data collection, analysis, and reporting for a bunch of different entities. So Maryland Department of Human Services, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture, USAID. The list goes on, but I had a really great opportunity to hone my analytical skills. Then about a year ago, I was really inspired to take the skills I'd learned in my public policy research and bring that back to the nonprofit sector in some kind of meaningful way. And I stumbled across a job posting at my current company that did just that. It was an opportunity to sort of sit in between businesses and nonprofits to help tell their stories and empower them to increase their funds, to help businesses get the information they need from an analytic side. So it was just this kind of perfect storm that all kind of led me back to some of the work that I was really passionate about doing early on, kind of straight out of the gate.
[00:05:54] Aubrey: So this is really cool. What I'm really enjoying that you're talking about is this combination of the [00:06:00] emotional and the analytical. And I feel like this is something that really is at the root of why I get so excited talking to you in general as a human, and also, especially about what you do as a career. Because I, despite working in a hospitality field, felt disconnected. Because yes, okay, we had systems. Yes, we had emotional intelligence but we weren't actually doing anything in a completely holistic way. So what I like about what you do is it's not just, we as a business help these corporations feel like they're accomplishing what they said. It's also that we, as the middle people, make sure that the company and the people we're giving money to both feel like they're on the same page. So can you speak to examples of that relationship of how you're really culminating these two perspectives into one holistic approach?
[00:06:51] Danielle: Absolutely. No, I think you're, you're spot on that this is a little bit of a [00:07:00] unique one role to be in and kind of unique just in the way society works, but I'm a firm believer in, you can have your cake and eat it too. And I think that's why sitting in this space in between businesses and nonprofits is really powerful because our model is that our businesses pay for a reporting platform for our nonprofits to use to tell their stories and amplify their voice. So there is this general understanding, and something that we do in our position all the time is we empower nonprofits to tell their stories. That is first and foremost, one of our goals because it not only is going to give the business who is donating to them and our client, the information that they need to make smart decisions, to tell their whole big picture story about all the nonprofits they support, but it really gives them, the nonprofit, a tool that they can use to get donations from other places as well. So it's not just, I'm going to give this business what they need, but we're getting everyone on the same page that no, we're going to allow this nonprofit to tell their story in a powerful way that's going to give you what you [00:08:00] need, but it's also going to give them what they need. This can be a mutually beneficial process for everyone. You know, if you are coming to the table with the right perspective.
[00:08:12] Aubrey: I feel like this theme is going to keep coming up is how you guys are this mediator, right? You're already setting the tone. There's already an understanding and expectation of what information to get, how the system's going to work, where people are going to meet. You've really neutralized the ability for them to build relationships with two groups that, especially in the world today, feel so far apart. So I think it's really interesting how you're managing that, and I'm curious, how do you actually connect these dots? Like how do nonprofits find out about you? How does that relationship start, as well as with the corporations? Because you're really going over two very different budgets, two very different mindsets, different groups. I'm curious how you bridge this gap.
[00:08:52] Danielle: How it all comes together. Sure. So we start by working predominantly with, you know, [00:09:00] we call them our clients. They are the businesses who are paying for our services. So we start with the businesses. We work with them to better understand what's your strategy here. What are your philanthropic priorities, your goals? Why? Who are your stakeholders that you're beholden to? What kind of stories do you want to tell? So we start with the businesses and then we connect with the nonprofits and say, “Hey, your funder has asked you to participate in this process”, here's a slew of resources that we can offer you to help make this as streamlined and efficient as possible for you. At the end of the day, there will be a product that goes back to your donor for them to review in the context of their whole giving portfolio. So not just that individual level report, but all of the individual level reports from however many nonprofits they support in a given year. But then the nonprofit also always retains the copy of that report as well that they can use internally. They can share it externally to try to secure additional funds. So that's sort of the way that the, the process gets started is we're working with clients who then [00:10:00] introduce us to nonprofits, and then we spend time working with clients, the businesses on their strategies, the stories they want to tell about their whole portfolio. While simultaneously working with their nonprofits to complete a single report for their programs in a meaningful way, that's also useful to them.
[00:10:19] Aubrey: Gotcha. So just to clarify, it sounds like it's more when a corporation or business already has some sort of focus, interest on that nonprofit already, and that they're the ones initiating this relationship and bringing your partnership into the mix versus small nonprofits and larger corporations being sort of connected, organically by your company. Correct?
[00:10:44] Danielle: That's right. At this stage, that is kind of our model where we're, we're working predominantly with the businesses and their existing nonprofit partners. However, going forward, we do see a space, and hopefully a time, where we can become a public platform for all nonprofits to use. [00:11:00] To have a standardized report that the field generally agrees upon; the type of information that's provided, the level of detail, and all of that kind of information. Where eventually it could be like every nonprofit has a LinkedIn profile that has this standardized information that, if you're a donor, you're a business that's looking to fund a particular topic area or a particular cause, you can sort of look through these different reports to get a sense of “who are the partners out there that are doing some really great, meaningful work”, to highlight that and sort of serve and validate the work that they're doing. Our platform is really structured to say, it's not what money did you receive and how many people did you reach, but what was the impact of that work? How did you improve lives? How did you change your community in some meaningful way? So there's hopefully a place in the future where there are more opportunities for nonprofits to come and utilize the tool without having a connection to a, a client of ours so that they do have this, this space to tell that story in a meaningful way.
[00:11:57] Aubrey: So, how prevalent is this [00:12:00] in the sense of other businesses operating with the same intentions or the same sort of business model, or you guys are the lone sharks in the field currently?
[00:12:09] Danielle: We're not quite the only players in this space, but it certainly is a fairly niche kind of market um, I don't know exactly the differentiators necessarily in between, you know, what we're offering and what else is out there, but there's more interest growing in, in tracking social impacts from philanthropic investments. So over time, I could see there being more demand for this type of work. As businesses start to say, we need to do more than just say how much money we're giving away, because we can't tell a story around that, you know, and consumers are more and more interested in hearing about that and what is their true impact that our dollars are having in the community. So there's definitely been a transition towards looking at, you know, we call them ‘inputs’ is the dollars that people are donating the ‘outputs’, which is just the number of people that they're reaching. And there's now more and more of [00:13:00] an emphasis on reporting outcomes. And those are the social impacts, the things that are: we're improving food security in our communities, we're helping kids graduate high school on time, we're empowering community leaders to do X, Y, Z. Those types of things are really what businesses want to be able to share. Both internally for employee engagement and recruiting and retention and all of that, but also sort of externally to really show their consumers what they're dedicated to doing in their communities.
[00:13:30] Aubrey: Absolutely. I think that's the more important part of the conversation in the sense of I think we've all gotten really used to hearing these companies give these big numbers. Large donors, corporate donors they're saying they're giving twelve billion dollars or something a year. That's so much money. And in our minds, we're just like, of course, you should be able to make a massive impact if you're giving 12 billion dollars but at the same time, with no real understanding of like, is anything changing. And so, is there anything [00:14:00] sort of on the individual end, when they're hearing all these corporations saying they're giving all this money? How do we feel more empowered to hold companies accountable, encourage companies to be more accountable, or to better find this information so that way we at least know what companies are actually already doing this so we can support them?
[00:14:24] Danielle: Sure. So there's, there's a couple of thoughts that come to mind. More and more companies that are doing this are going to be telling you about it. So part of it is, you know, wanting to do good and empower their communities, but there's also from a business marketing angle and that PR perspective of businesses want to be able to share this information with consumers as well. So I imagine it'll become more and more readily available in different marketing campaigns, whether it's on their websites, whether it's in social media posts, some of these kinds of things. There might be opportunities for you to identify, you know, what are the companies that I regularly buy from that are doing things that I agree with?
[00:15:00] Aubrey: Real quick a little bit to that point.
[00:15:03] Danielle: Yeah.
[00:15:04] Aubrey: I'm not trying to be pessimistic, but I think it's… for someone who, I feel like, already looks and tries to pay attention and find companies and make sure that what they say they're saying is true, even I find it very hard to sort of decipher that. So I agree to your point that yes, I have no doubt these people are spending this money, that it's going to go into marketing somehow. However, I think we've all become a little jaded to understanding what's truth in that marketing. So do you have any hints for us, novice humans on what's real and what is not? I don't even know if you can answer this question, but I'm just curious.
[00:15:38] Danielle: Yeah. I wish I had a very clean-cut answer for it but I think the, the only thing I can say is just to be a critical consumer of what you read, you know? Which kind of goes for almost everything these days of needing to kind of bring your own lens to the equation. And if it sounds like somebody is saying something that's too good to be true, it probably is. And even just thinking kind of critically about what I [00:16:00] kind of outlined before is that people are talking about inputs. They talk about dollars. They talk about the number of people they reach. If they have some kind of systematic way to tell you the next step, they're really invested in the work in a way that does take a lot of time, energy, and resources to do and to do accurately. But if they're able to sort of give you that sense and dive into that next layer, you can usually bet, I don't want to say always because there's no true accountability for the way that things get reported sometimes when it's around social impacts and charitable giving work, just in the field, but there's usually a better sense that there's something you can dive into a little bit more.
[00:16:42] Aubrey: Totally understood. And I appreciate that. And like I said, I didn't expect you to have some magic answer, but I was just curious from,
[00:16:49] Danielle: I wish there was,
[00:16:53] Aubrey: You know, I was like, maybe she's just more educated and knows what to look for, I don't know, but it sounds like we're all in the same boat. But, is there a way, do you know, on the nonprofit side, to sort of [00:17:00] better see? Cause unfortunately, even in nonprofits, I don't want to like name names, but typically a lot in like cancer, there tend to be nonprofits that bring in lots of money and say they do lots of impact and again, very hard to decipher what that is. So on the flip side of this question, I'm curious, is there any insight or tips, tricks, whatever on the nonprofit side to see if you're choosing the right partnership? Where to donate your money and/or they're actually putting that money where they say they are?
[00:17:28] Danielle: Yeah. So lots of things there. There's plenty of resources sort of online because nonprofits, they don't pay taxes. A lot of their, they’re sort of public entities. You do have access to financial information, online typically. And a lot of the times I hear what you're saying about like, what are these numbers that people are actually reporting? And this is something that we're very mindful of as well with our, with our donors too, who want to make these sort of big grandiose claims. But we are always contextualizing the data in a way, that we're communicating it in a way, that is [00:18:00] accurate and not just the lens that people want to, whatever's going to give you the biggest number to say. And so there's a marketing angle to some things and there are even some scenarios where there are marketing metrics that some nonprofits use to tell a story across their whole organization. But because they're telling you a story at this organizational-level, you're losing a lot of the nuance of what it really does take to operate different programs within that organization. So let's say, you know, they're going to say it costs us ten dollars to do something across our organization to achieve some kind of impact, whatever that might be, but then when you get into the different programs, it's actually seventy-eight dollars per outcome, or maybe for some it's two dollars per outcome. There's really just a lot of variation within nonprofits and the different types of work that they do. So sometimes if you're reading an organizational-level highlight of something, they're trying to give you a number that contextualizes [00:19:00] all of that at once, which is tricky to do. And so it's not necessarily that what they're saying is always incorrect, but you do have to bring that lens to it. That this might be the right number for this scope, but if I'm really interested in looking at something different, that might not be applicable at that scale. So that's something that, you know, you can always keep in mind too, when you're looking at different communications on things, make sure you're sort of really reading carefully to understand what they're trying to communicate. And then always ask questions if you have more.
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[00:19:32] Aubrey: Hi there! Maybe you've noticed, there's no commercials on this show. And that's because we don't currently have any sponsors. And while I do hope, someday in the future, that that will happen, currently, this is totally funded by yours truly. So, if you like the show and would like to help me make sure it continues to exist and grow, I just wanted to let you know that you can support the show directly by checking out our merch on our website, www.goldenapproachpodcast.com. [00:20:00] And in case you didn't know, every person we interview gets to choose a cause of choice. We then make them a custom episode merch piece, and we donate $8 of every shirt and $7 of every tote to that cause. It's vital we do what we ask of others, and we take action to build the world we believe in from the start. So each piece of merch sold could support up to three businesses at once. And I would say that's working smarter, not harder, am I right? So after listening, head to the show notes where we'll have the website page linked. Thank you so, so much because I literally couldn't do this without you.
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[00:20:38] Aubrey: There's just so much content and information in the world coming at us all the time. Everything is rapidly changing and so it's hard to keep up with. So I was just kind of curious, for context for people who are so disconnected from this field, have no interaction with it whatsoever, ways that they can start to feel a little bit more educated and empowered on what they're actually looking at. [00:21:00] So I appreciate you breaking all of that down. I can get really into the meaty stuff and the tangible things. But I think the more emotional, community driven part is just as important. So can you share any examples of some really cool projects that you've gotten to be a part of, that you feel like really represents the true potential of this work as it continues to, you know, grow within the corporate atmosphere?
[00:21:27] Danielle: Sure. Let's see. So I've spent a lot of time working with a couple of different pockets of different nonprofits. I've done a lot of work with Habitat for Humanity projects. I've done a lot of work with a lot of different food banks and different hunger relief programs, that kind of run the gamut and, you know, something that's just really empowering to me, I think in the, the food bank space is just how much they're trying to do on the ground with such a limited staff, [00:22:00] I think is probably something to be said in that there are these different pockets of organizations that work in different communities, but they all have multiple affiliates that are run by mostly volunteers and just the coordination effort that is required for some of that work is really empowering. That they're able to really solve immediate needs quickly, in getting food to their community. So those hunger relief efforts on the ground really are making a timely difference in a way that some longer-term nonprofits that are doing these 10-year cohort studies on the impact of STEM education leading to long-term employment outcomes. Like, some of those things are also really interesting and inspiring but they're a little bit less immediate than some of the, the shorter term outcomes, which sometimes get overlooked for some of these bigger kind of flashier ones. Which are also very valuable, I don't want to make it sound like I'm playing favorites here, I really just think that particularly being in Baltimore and knowing that food security is a real challenge and the food desert scene in the city [00:23:00] and all of the challenges that kind of come along with that, you know, those food banks, backpack programs, summer school programs, any, any kind of efforts that are going on on the ground really are tangible.
[00:23:14] Aubrey: I do think that food is one of the most empowering ways to freedom with people, right? People being able to have access to proper food and having that self-autonomy to care for their own selves in a fulfilling way. Like, that is a standard to me without question that should just exist. So I'm actually really glad you chose this example because I think they deserve a lot of credit for what they're doing. But to your point about the short-term and the long-term, we've talked about this privately, bridging this gap and fixing this problem helping decipher what is a temporary fix and then a long-term fix that actually fixes the problem. So, do you have anything you want to say or any input on how we, I don't know… how do we move this faster?
[00:24:00] Danielle: Right. Right. Two things kind of come to mind and, just sort of hearing you talk about, you know, again, the short term and the long term and how food is really kind of the root of so many different things. I was recently at a, a nonprofit convening for a client that was all of their food bank partners coming together to talk about the impacts that they track, what matters to them. And one of the big takeaways for me from that meeting was that people emphatically said, we're not just giving food, we're giving food so that people can have enough energy to go to work and make a living. We give food so that kids can go to school and focus and learn and improve their academic performance. We give food so that people can use their funds, the money that they do make, to meet other basic needs to lift them out of poverty. So it really is this kind of broader sense that there are these shorter-term things that are working on underlying. To help some of those longer-term outcomes as well. So just thinking about, even if we are making a distinction between a short [00:25:00] and a long, sometimes they're building upon one another in, in nice ways that give you both of those perspectives that here's the short term gain, but then here's that long term vision that we're hoping we can achieve in time, all in good time. So I think, you know, making sure to keep those types of small wins in mind does kind of make this feel like a better fight, to say the least, because there, there are some things that are motivating and inspiring. And also to that point, that's why I love the nonprofit community is because they fill this localized need in a way that no other part of society does. Federal government is doing great work at a federal level that has federal challenges and time-lapse and red tape and all of those kinds of things. State government, city government, all the same. Businesses are starting to get more involved in funding the entities that are locally in our communities and tangible [00:26:00] ways making an impact on our neighbors. And so that's what really excites me about this work and, and what was really an impetus for me to shift from some of the public policy research I was doing for some of these really great institutions and these great agencies doing a lot of work, but it felt slow to me. I felt like I was doing work that wasn't meaningfully operationalized in a timely way to make a difference. And so when I had this opportunity, I was like, how can we empower nonprofits? Because I do think they play such a vital role in our communities more and more now when other institutions can't meet those needs for whatever reasons. Sometimes they're reasonable. Sometimes they're logical. But I just think it's sort of a, an underrepresented and underappreciated piece of our society and our system.
[00:26:48] Aubrey: I tend to be a person that very often is always trying to remind people that two truths can be true at the same time. And I think that's what you're speaking to, like, I don't think anyone should be debating about is the federal level important [00:27:00] or is the local level important? Or should something be left to the federal and should something be left to the local? They're both true. Like you need the big picture. You need someone to set sort of the standard, which is what, in my opinion, the federal level should be doing. It should just be setting a bare minimum standard of what we deem society deserves as,
[00:27:19] Danielle: as American citizens.
[00:27:21] Aubrey: Yeah, exactly. It's just that simple. What do we believe that all people should equally have? They should have food and they should have a safe home and all those basic necessities of survival. With that being said though, where we, to your point, can actually make even more impact really is the community level, and sure, that applies in the electoral sense, but it applies in the volunteer work. So I agree at the end of the day if we're all not participating personally, whether that be donating, sharing, volunteering, being properly educated on what community options exist in our areas and whatnot, then like, we're [00:28:00] really missing such an opportunity to participate.
[00:28:03] Danielle: I think you're right. Like you're missing an opportunity to feel engaged and to feel rooted in something.
[00:28:07] Aubrey: Yeah.
[00:28:08] Danielle: And that's where people really crave connection. They crave good news. And you know, I've, I've worked at a lot of different levels and sure. There's, there's good news everywhere, but the one that is closest to home is going to hit closest to home.
[00:28:25] Aubrey: I agree. I think there's sort of an over-complication of things. Like I'm an overthinker, I'm a champion. But at the end of the day, the friendly reminder of this show every episode that, like, don't overcomplicate it. It's all about the basics of your community, and how can you participate in your community. Because it's so reciprocal. Anything you put out is what's coming, really coming back to you. I, I don't know why we don't learn that lesson. Sorry, I don't really have a question in that. I just, I'm just feeling the feelings of what you're talking about. [00:29:00] I'm just all fired up.
[00:29:01] Danielle: No, I think, I think you're right. It comes also from I'm, I'm inspired to see that businesses are recognizing that as well. And they're starting to invest in the communities where they operate, because, you know, I have seen some really great companies that have embedded charitable giving into their business model from the start. They're like, we exist as a business to serve our community. Sure, we will make a product. We'll make a profit. We will further our value as a company, but really the root here is where we are and who is buying our product or our service or who these people are that are supporting us and how can we support them. So I am a little bit inspired to see generally more of a push towards that, particularly with smaller businesses. You know, a lot of the big corporations are some of those big numbers that you're seeing that are giving large sums to different organizations and different causes. And sure. A lot of that is altruistic, but a lot of that is also PR, and [00:30:00] some marketing pieces there. There's no, you know, bones about it, but when you see your small businesses that are really rooted in the community that are also really invested in doing that, you can just see a really nice partnership that can grow and flourish and progress in a way that is mutually beneficial.
[00:30:18] Aubrey: Do you have any sort of advice to other small business owners of easy, approachable things that they might be able to incorporate into their business? Because like Jackie and I talked about this in her episode, people feel like they can't commit. And she had said, you know, okay, well, we made this commitment and then we couldn't honor it. We figured out a different way, you know, but a lot of people may not do that. So do you have any advice to small businesses on ways to start sort of setting the groundwork that they can be more impactful as a business, whether they're partnered with a nonprofit or not?
[00:30:51] Danielle: I have plenty of ideas, lots of thoughts. I love to do this kind of strategizing work. So step one, think about a strategy. Or think about a cause area that [00:31:00] makes sense and is aligned with your business, your values, and how you kind of hope to grow. So this could be… for a small business I'd recommend starting small. You know, maybe you are interested in education and hunger and, disaster relief and community organizing and advocacy and, and, and, and. There's plenty of great causes out there, but really honing in on, what's one or two that makes sense to you because you, you know, it's very easy to get lost in the broad field of all the different phenomenal organizations that are doing great work [00:32:00] across cause areas. So doing a little bit of strategy work up front to think what makes sense for my business and what do I think is going to have a meaningful impact? In my community, if you want it to be a very localized effort that might include and this is the researcher in me coming out, you know, [00:31:00] that might include some kind of community needs assessment where you're really getting your finger on the pulse of what are the needs in your community and the people that you really hope to serve, not just what can I give and what can this nonprofit do, but what's going to meet the need? So there's two kind of upfront thoughts of what makes sense for my business and what makes sense for my community.
[00:32:16] Aubrey: Absolutely.
[00:32:17] Danielle: Once you kind of get past step one of thinking about that, then maybe it's identifying one or two partnerships. One or two nonprofits that are working in those spaces that are either known to you, or reputable, or recommended to you that you could start really kind of dig digging into learning more about, and ideally sort of meeting with some of the leaders of those organizations as well. Because the best way to build a partnership is through a partnership and not a donation and really having conversations and better understanding what these organizations are doing and what their needs are. And then sort of the last thing I'll say is if you are entering into some kind of financial agreement, again, just being clear on the expectations of if you are going to be requiring reporting or some [00:33:00] kind of information back on what that organization did with your donation. Having a conversation about that upfront is always significantly easier than on the backend, where they have spent all the money and then they have to do all this extra legwork to get you the information that you're hoping to see. So again, really aligning all those expectations upfront. Certainly helps going forward.
[00:33:21] Aubrey: I think that's a good life lesson. Just have a conversation, make sure everyone's on the same page.
[00:33:25] Danielle: Absolutely, and my last sort of nugget is nonprofits are always greatly appreciative of unrestricted funds, which means that your donation doesn't have to go to a very specific pinhole project or activity or thing that they do within their organization. Which they will graciously accept, but then if every donor wants to fund the exact same thing that then leaves all of their other costs are unaccounted for, and they've got to find other ways to fill those gaps to really just have the organization together [00:34:00] to do that project that you're interested in. So there is a lot of value if you aren't feeling like you need to be very prescriptive in the way that your funds are spent. Unrestricted funding is always welcome from partners. you know, they'll never come out and say that because they're gracious for anything that you're able to provide but, as a nonprofit advocate, there's some, some great value in unrestricted funds.
[00:34:22] Aubrey: And again, it's not that I'm pessimistic, I just know the world we live in. And so I just think it needs to be said that I think people feel obligated to do that because they feel so jaded by like, if they give this money and they don't know where it's going or they are afraid that it's not going to make the impact, that if you feel that way, then in my opinion, it's probably not the right partnership. So find the nonprofit that truly feels like the right partnership for you and I don't know, maybe this is me overanalyzing it, but give less money at a time or something until you get more familiar. It's just like any relationship, right? Spend the time, don't just, like you said, make a donation and then bounce and say, okay, I did my, my duties as a human. [00:35:00] Come back every once in a while. Go to their events, if they have events.
[00:35:05] Danielle: Volunteer if they have opportunities. There's other ways to engage and learn. And you know, there's a whole concept called trust-based philanthropy, which kind of gets to your point here of, you know, there's a movement towards, we should just trust nonprofits and just give them our money because they're, they're doing good things, right? They're on the ground. And to your point, not everybody believes that there is, you know, a little bit of skepticism around certain things for sometimes good reason.
[00:35:29] Aubrey: Yeah, I will say sometimes it's true. I do understand.
[00:35:32] Danielle: Absolutely. And I think, you know, I sort of sit in a place where I believe in trust-based philanthropy, but believe that trust and accountability are two sides of the same coin. And I think that's where a lot of those expectations setting around reporting or any kind of information that you, you would like to see, without being overly burdensome to someone on nonprofit. So that's always a lens to bring to the table is what's an appropriate thing to ask [00:36:00] of your partners with the time, money, resources, data they have available. But partners, you know, are generally willing to do that as well, because they understand that there needs to be some sort of accountability to the trust. And it's a balancing act between those two. And so there, there's no harm in asking for information if you're doing it in a respectful and appropriate way, that's not burdensome.
[00:36:25] Aubrey: What an amazing opportunity, I think, for all of us these days to be able to rebuild these bridges, with our community and feel more connected. Because again, I think these are all things that everyone's feeling a lot of disconnection, a lot of, lethargic feelings and things of that nature. And so go to your nonprofits, do the research, build the relationships, go to their events. Like I said, I think this is such a great bridge to really making the progress that people are demanding to see. It's just a good timely conversation
[00:36:51] Danielle: All in one.
[00:36:55] Aubrey: Yeah,
[00:36:56] Danielle: Absolutely.
[00:36:57] Aubrey: So as we're finishing up, [00:37:00] because every time I talk to you, I just go on this ramble, excited, fired up, like, let's do good but
[00:37:05] Danielle: Yeah,
[00:37:06] Aubrey: Yeah, I don't know why it just like it takes me over I just get nerdy and weird. And yeah,
[00:37:11] Danielle: I'm on board.
[00:37:13] Aubrey: Okay, great. Thank God for you every time. So I always ask this question on the show. whether it be to like your younger self, your inner child, whoever you want to speak to over there, what advice would you have? What advice do you wish you had? Whatever it is that speaks to you.
[00:37:31] Danielle: Yeah, this is a great question. And I think I've found a lot of value in becoming an expert in something that is broadly applicable to a lot of different fields. And so I know I've, I've spoken a little bit about some of these technical skills that I honed in my graduate program and in five years in public policy research. And this has really allowed me to develop and hone that analytical skill set that I now can bring to different scenarios in different situations, different jobs, and even sort of different ways that I consume information [00:38:00] in my everyday life. So I, I would recommend that if there's something that you find that you're good at, that is broadly applicable. Explore it, you know? See if it's something that really feels meaningful to you. Of course, you know, there are plenty of things that are broadly applicable that bring you no joy, and don't do them. But if there are things that you like, you know, really honing in on certain aspects of your skill set that you then can take other places will make a big difference in, in sort of opening doors that you might not have known were there.
[00:38:31] Aubrey: Yeah, whether we want to admit it or not, it's just, it's not that kind of world where it's that linear anymore. And so the advice you're giving of stop being so black and white about picking the career, and resonating more with the passion and the skill that you have and how you can apply that passion and skill to whatever life presents to you, I think this mindset applies in a lot of variations these days.
[00:38:56] Danielle: Right. It takes patience and sometimes, yes, discomfort of [00:39:00] not knowing exactly what the path is. But in a beautiful way, it gives you other paths to wander down that might be more fulfilling.
[00:39:12] Aubrey: 100%.
[00:39:13] Danielle: Being comfortable with progress instead of finishing, I think, is always empowering to people too.
[00:39:19] Aubrey: I agree. Progress over perfection.
[00:39:21] Danielle: Incremental progress.
[00:39:22] Aubrey: Yeah. Well, is there anything, because I always get to ask the questions, before we wrap up, that you feel like hasn't gotten to be shared yet that you really want to make sure gets out there?
[00:39:34] Danielle: Yeah. I think the only thing for me that's still lingering in my mind is just talking about the importance of perspective taking and how you get to a place where you can do that. And I just know that this was so formative for me that I, I just wanted to share it; but if you ever get the chance to, travel. Even if it's, it's to another state, to another town, to another neighborhood. If you can, spend long [00:40:00] periods of time in new places because there's just no better way to expand your horizons and just see how many different ways there are to live. And there's no way that's better than another. Once you spend enough time with someone, you say, oh, they do it this way because of X, Y, Z. This is the way their, their culture is, the way their society is formed. You just get these insights into daily life that are so different than what you're used to, but make sense and are okay and are, you know, empowering in certain ways that I think is really beneficial for being able to see someone else's point of view. That allows you to have these kind of productive and meaningful conversations because you're bringing a respectful curiosity to the table instead of some kind of like rigid hostility about there is a right way. And it's my way.
[00:40:52] Aubrey: Yes. If you approach things with unyielding kindness and like really genuine curiosity, the world is our oyster. [00:41:00] We can all be living such cool, fun, fulfilling lives because the amount of ideas and opportunities that are presented. So I'm really, really glad you brought this back around, and I also think this speaks to your point earlier about the finding the passion and the overarching concept instead of honing in on the particular skill or career. I feel like it's the same thing from travel. It really helps you better pinpoint the overarching, feelings and life experiences, so that way we can all sort of maybe take a step back on how we expect to fix the problem, right? Because if we all understand that we're all feeling trapped by something, or we're all feeling overwhelmed by something, Okay, well now we've evened the playing field. It's not so defensive about like, you have to hear my point and you have to hear my perspective and we have to solve it this way. Like, no, now we're all on the same page. We've all connected emotionally and we can actually move forward in a more cohesive manner.
[00:42:00] Danielle: Right. And getting comfortable with, you're not going to like everyone else's perspective, different ways of living, different people you encounter, you're not going to like everything and that's okay. And being comfortable with that and saying that just because I'm not gonna, incorporate this into my daily life doesn't mean that there's not value in the perspective that someone else is showing you. And again, it's the going back to your concept of holding two ideas at the same time. You can do that, but it takes a little practice and a little discomfort and a lot of growth, but ultimately really gives you a lot of power going forward, to do a lot of really great things.
[00:42:38] Aubrey: I agree. And I think there's a real loss that isn't talked about in the lack of discomfort that people go through. Like maybe I'm getting a little off topic here, but I think when you're not comfortable is when it sparks the strategy and the growth, because you're like, I want to fix the problem. I want to be comfortable again. And it doesn't have to be complicated. Like a little shout out to a friend. She, she finally got to go travel internationally [00:43:00] last year for the first time in her late twenties, and she was so scared and she originally invited me to go and then I couldn't. And I think it was the best thing that ever happened to her that she actually went completely by herself.
[00:43:11] Danielle: It's the best thing in the world, solo travel.
[00:43:13] Aubrey: Exactly. There's something powerful about being uncomfortable, but there's something even more powerful about having to rely on your own self in that discomfort to solve the problem. You learn so much more about yourself and your priorities so I'm really glad you brought this full circle because I, I do think it's all these different sides of the coins, it doesn't matter about knowing how to give if you don't know what you're passionate about giving to. It doesn't matter if you're passionate about giving if you don't really know what to look for to be effective in your giving. And, it doesn't really do any good to purchase from people who are quote “giving” if you're not actually making sure that there's the accountability that they're truly doing the thing So I feel like we've covered a lot of things, but at the same time, we've covered literally the same thing
[00:44:00] Danielle: Bring it all full circle.
[00:44:01] Aubrey: No, I guess that's my stupid human trick. I will tie the knot in a nice bow. Almost always.
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[00:44:08] Aubrey: Okay, pardon one more quick selfless plug. We are now affiliate partners of bookshop.org, an organization dedicated to supporting local bookstores and a direct competitor to Amazon, who honestly just doesn't need any more of our money. So please consider checking out our bookshelf through our affiliate link in the show notes to not only support our show, but other small businesses. Trust me, we appreciate it way more than those big guys. Okay, let's dive back in.
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[00:44:39] Aubrey: So to finish up, we're just going to do our little rapid fire questions.
[00:44:44] Danielle: Oh, rapid fire questions, sign me up! Okay, I'm ready.
[00:44:48] Aubrey: I kind of got rid of them for a while and then I got a lot of sass from people so they're making a comeback.
[00:44:52] Danielle: Okay, great.
[00:44:53] Aubrey: So I picked, I just picked them before. So, all right. Number one, what is on your pump-up playlist?
[00:45:00] Danielle: I've been vibing to French Indie Pop on Spotify.
[00:45:03] Aubrey: Okay.
[00:45:04] Danielle: Gets me through a slow afternoon.
[00:45:05] Aubrey: I'll be honest, I love French music. I could not tell you a French indie artist, so I don't know. Throw, throw us a bone.
[00:45:11] Danielle: I'm not sure. I could also say an artist, but the song Encore
[00:45:15] Aubrey: Okay.
[00:45:16] Danielle: Is on the playlist and I would recommend,
[00:45:18] Aubrey: Okay. I'll have to find it. Um, so what is, if you had one, your superhero power? What do you wish your superhero power is?
[00:45:27] Danielle: Oh, I wish I could teleport. I don't know that that's a superhero power. I just really want to be able to teleport.
[00:45:33] Aubrey: If I could teleport back to the travel thing, Lord, help us,
[00:45:36] Danielle: Oh, I'd never be here.
[00:45:39] Aubrey: Same. So last one is, what do you define as success? What does that word mean to you?
[00:45:46] Danielle: Success to me is something that is mutually beneficial, something that is really rooted in reciprocity. That's a win-win.
[00:45:54] Aubrey: 100% could not agree more. Literally could not agree more. [00:46:00] So thank you for doing this. I am honored and shocked every time someone says they're willing to do this for me.
[00:46:04] Danielle: Of course
[00:46:05] Aubrey: Thank you for so much informative information and such great insight, truly, really appreciate you.
[00:46:11] Danielle: Sure. Of course, anytime.
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[00:46:13] Aubrey: Thank you so much for listening to another episode of the Golden Approach podcast. I hope you've enjoyed this episode as much as I did. I find it to be a good reminder, as Danielle said, that we can have our cake and eat it too if we just continue to lean into trust and accountability throughout the process of working together to support and build up our communities. I'll see you back here in two weeks to hear what's next. And in the meantime, as always, I encourage you to give our episodes another listen, as often there's a lot of really important, more subtle takeaways. And if you've liked today's episode or any episode prior, please show us some love by following the show and leave me a review wherever you're currently listening. And maybe even share us with a friend, please and thank you. Honestly, the hardest part is having people find the show, so your [00:47:00] efforts are super appreciated. You can also stay in the know by following us on Instagram @goldenapproachpod, or on our website, goldenapproachpodcast.com, for details like reference links, merch, Affiliate partner details, transcripts, and more, all the things will be linked in the show notes. Until next time though, buh bye!
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