Latest / We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits / 471. Launching a Nonprofit + Foundational Strategies for Lasting Change - Tiffany Allen

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471. Launching a Nonprofit + Foundational Strategies for Lasting Change - Tiffany Allen · We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Hey, I'm John.
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: And I'm Becky.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: And this is the we Are For Good podcast.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Nonprofits are faced with more challenges to accomplish their missions and the growing pressure to do more, raise more and be more for the causes that improve our world.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: We're here to learn with you from some of the best in the industry, bringing the most innovative ideas, inspirational stories, all to create an impact uprising.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: So welcome to the Good Community.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: We're nonprofit professionals, philanthropists, world changers and rabid fans who are striving to bring a little more goodness into the world.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: So let's get started.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Hey Becky, what's happening?
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: Hey John, I want to ask a question before we dive in and introduce our guests today.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: I love this.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: Who out there has wanted to launch a nonprofit responsibly and raise money with literally $0 in the bank?
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: Can I see a collective show of hands?
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: Okay, since we're an audio platform and we can't see anything.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: I'm going to guess.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: We feel the hands going up.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: Today's your day, folks, because we have a powerhouse of a CEO and founder on the podcast.
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: Today it is our great honor to introduce you to Tiffany Allen.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: She is again founder of Boss on a Budget, and thank you, cindy Wagman, for this incredible introduction, because today we're going to be talking about two things that we absolutely love teaching and community.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: And how do you build a grassroots effort to build the capacity of a local nonprofit.
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: And Tiffany has done it.
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: Y'all.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: She is here, and she is dressed in a shirt that says nonprofits got to eat too.
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: I mean, is this our people or what?
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: She is also an award-winning social worker, working in the child welfare system for over 16 years.
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: Thank you so much for that, tiffany.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: And this Boss on a Budget concept was really created out of this epiphany that Tiffany had by the lack of strong nonprofit network in her own hometown, and so she wanted to pour into this grassroots effort to build local nonprofit and really empower people on the front lines of where they are, and so I love this emphasis on bringing more visibility to black-owned, small and new nonprofits by helping them own their power, harness that personal and professional expertise.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: That work is going to change the world, one community at a time.
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: And if you don't think that Tiffany knows what's going on, just know.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: She's built an online community of over 15,000 people who are using these products and teachings to launch their own nonprofit dreams.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: So, tiffany, get in our house, walk us through how to do this.
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: We've got a lot of dreamers in this space who want to turn those dreams into profitable nonprofits.
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: Thank you so much.
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: I just feel so honored.
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: I'm like, who are you talking about?
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: You did all that you need to sit back and just embrace your bossness, because it's incredible when we see people just seize their dreams and really go after it and then to build something so organic is just really monumental.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: But we want to go back before Boss on a Budget.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: We want to know Tiffany growing up like where did you grow up?
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: What kind of formidable childhood experiences led you to want to pour into impact work and be so inclusive in the way you approach community?
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: I think it all starts with my family.
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: I think I have a family of givers.
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: I have a family of teachers and my mom and dad are just really, really lovely, giving people right.
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: So they may not be over-emotional and say I love you every day, but they give through their actions and they've always taught me the power of giving and supporting my community.
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: So and I have a strong church background as well I've done a lot of work in my small local church.
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: It's just 120 people, so it's just like those.
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: The roots that I have there have just really instilled in me the power of supporting people in my local community.
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: So I think that's really where it all started.
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: Way to go, mom and dad.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I love this.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: I mean it's always fun to go back and hear people's upbringing and the little threads that probably planted seeds and I'm like connect the dots for us, like what happened, and talk a little bit about your social work career.
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: That planted the seed of like okay, I need to put my flag on the ground around you know what you're the work you're doing now through boss on a budget.
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: It's so interesting because there's so many like pathways that got me here, but I'll talk about a couple of them.
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: So the first thing is that I actually launched my first nonprofit in grad school and I attempted to do it with my church and it was an epic fail.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: Thank you for talking about failure.
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: It's a part of the journey.
• 4:34
  Speaker 3: It would absolutely nowhere.
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: But that's kind of where I started with my interest in like running an organization and doing work within the community and then, as a part of my career, I've done a lot of consulting and reform work in child welfare and you know, I've learned, like, what makes an organization successful.
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: And I've learned also how to work with funders, because a lot of the work that I do is with national child welfare foundations and I've learned that you talk to them a certain way that doesn't involve just writing a good proposal Like you have to invest in relationships, you have to establish your expertise, you have to entice them, unfortunately, to be able to want to fund you and people don't they don't really understand that on the ground.
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: So I wanted to teach people that perspective of how to get grant funding through relationships.
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: And then, while all this was happening, I had a partner and he was launching his nonprofit and I was helping him with the administrative side.
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: So he was really good at making partnerships and doing the work.
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: But he needed me, like for the back end stuff and I made all kinds of mistakes, like if you could name everything that could go wrong with your paperwork, with the nonprofit, I made them all.
• 5:44
  Speaker 3: But it's from that experience that I can speak to when I talk to people who are starting from the ground up and are just so confused Because there's just not a lot of good information, that that streamline that helps you figure out how to start from the ground up.
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: So I have so many different ways I got here, but all of it kind of inspires me to remember what it's like to be on the ground, to remember what it's like to start literally from nothing, so that I can always keep that perspective when I'm teaching.
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: I think you just got to walk into this work with humility and it thank you for sharing about just the messiness of that journey.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: I think about to this conversation that we had with Jean Pierre Louis, who is our dear friend.
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: I sit on his board at Capricare and he says it took him eight years to get enough research to understand how to launch Capricare and give back to Haiti, which is his home country.
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: And when I think of the Jean Pierre Louise of the world, it's like where is the instruction manual?
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: And I would love for you to kind of go back and take our listeners back to Boston on a budget.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: Like give us an overview of what you're doing and how are you supporting founders?
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: Sure.
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: So, first and foremost, boston on Budget is an educational platform.
• 6:58
  Speaker 3: So I don't want anyone going into this journey without doing their research and feeling empowered to do their research, because a lot of people go into this and they feel overwhelmed already when they hear the IRS or when they hear like the state and paperwork.
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: So, first and foremost, I teach, and I teach every single week about simple terms.
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: What does this mean?
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: What do you do with the paperwork?
• 7:23
  Speaker 3: What is the paperwork?
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: Where do you go?
• 7:25
  Speaker 3: And so that's the foundation of Boston Abudget is teaching you how to start, and it's not just administrative stuff with the paperwork, but it's also strategy.
• 7:33
  Speaker 3: So how do you think about launching the right way?
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: What should you do before you even think about filling out paperwork and then fundraising, because you cannot escape fundraising, even though so many people would love to just have somebody come in and do it all for them.
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: But I also like to teach about what does it take to raise money when you are literally starting with nothing in the bank?
• 7:55
  Speaker 3: So Boston Abudget also has toolboxes, master classes that I've recorded, workbooks for those people who are just trying to find that pathway, and it can give you the blueprint that you were talking about, so you can do it along your journey.
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: And then, if you need extra help and support, I do some coaching on the side as well to help nonprofit founders navigate those startup years.
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: I'm so glad you're doing this, because as a founder too.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: There is parts of it that do not come natural, and it's be easy to just say I'm going to put this in a box over here and not know about it.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: But that's a dangerous place as a founder, because you need to understand what you're walking into.
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: And so I'm just curious what's the litmus test for launching a nonprofit?
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: Are there certain questions you should be asking yourself to determine if this journey is even right for you?
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: Yes, that's a short answer.
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: Yes, lots, we're zoning out.
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: Think twice before you do this.
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: But there are a couple of things that I would think about.
• 8:52
  Speaker 3: I would think about asking yourself are you willing to do this for no pay for a long time?
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: So a lot of times people have this dream about launching a nonprofit and then working full time and leaving their job, and that's just not realistic to do in the first one to three years.
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: It may happen for some people, but it's really not realistic for most people.
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: So are you willing to put in the work that it takes to scale and not get paid to do this work?
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: And a lot of people are, but they need to manage their expectations.
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: They may think that it can happen in a year, but may not realize it takes five or eight years, like you were saying before.
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: So that's the first thing that I would think about Manage those expectations.
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: The other thing is how comfortable do you feel talking about your mission and finding people to work with you?
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: Because I come across a lot of people who just want to do the work.
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: I just want to do good things.
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: I have this idea and I want to help someone, but they don't realize how important it is to be the ambassador for their organization to craft a compelling message and to talk about it over and over and over again.
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: And then they have to inspire other people to join with them, to do the work alongside them.
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: And they have to motivate and inspire those people too, and they're like I didn't sign up for this, I just want to do the work.
• 10:15
  Speaker 3: But they have to kind of stand in their, they have to own the leadership role, and a lot of people don't realize that going into it.
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: So that's one thing that I would think about as well.
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: And then the other thing I would say is are you willing to deal with the administrative burden?
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: And I use that word intentionally, because there's a lot.
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: I feel that so much.
• 10:35
  Speaker 3: I mean when John and I talk about taxes, like my mind just goes to another universe, yeah, and it's something that, like you were saying before, john, you can't just put in a box to the side and just say, oh, I don't want to deal with it, because it's confusing to me.
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: If you do not deal with it, you will get a letter in the mail and you'll start freaking out because your status may be revoked or the state may say you owe a penalty or a fee for something that you didn't file.
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: So you have to be willing to confront the administrative side of the work just as much as you're willing to confront the program side or the challenges that come with running the program.
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: I mean this is just some real talk up here.
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: I really appreciate it because you know the elephant in the room if you have $0 in the bank.
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: I mean that is pressure.
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: And I'm just thinking about all of the individuals we've talked to in our community who have started.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: Or I mean I'm thinking of Gretchen that we met at ADRP, who started an incredible organization.
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: That's, you know, an honoring of her son and it's like people and she's doing her full-time job on the side and I want founders to feel wrapped in community.
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: I want them to have information and resources and know where they can go to get those answers when the administrative burden is so real.
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: So talk me through that a little bit, tiffany.
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: Like when you're coaching someone through launching this nonprofit, what are some solid like next steps to take them from that $0 in the bank to successfully having like a liquid fundraising operation?
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: Sure, so I always like to start with the mission and people being clear on what their mission is and why they do the work that they do.
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: They have to be clear on who they serve and what's the problem they're trying to solve for that person, because when you begin to communicate that to your donors, they need to understand how they can help and how their dollars can help influence whatever you're trying to do in your realm or within your mission.
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: So, being very clear on your mission and your why, who you serve, and then the nitty gritty of it all really is.
• 12:45
  Speaker 3: Let's start with the budget, and people hate this.
• 12:48
  Speaker 3: They really, really hate.
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: I'm one of them, I'm sorry.
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: Confession and.
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: I say all the time do not shy away from budgets.
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: I think budgets are freeing.
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: Actually, they give you the space to dream, and that's how I like to talk about budgets, especially when you're starting from zero, because you don't start with the numbers, you start with your goals.
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: You ask yourself what is it that we want to accomplish this year and what will it take to accomplish that?
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: And so it gives you the space to think about what do we need to put in place to make sure we can have the impact that we want to make this year?
• 13:24
  Speaker 3: And then you translate that into numbers and that becomes your budget.
• 13:28
  Speaker 3: So when you begin to talk more plainly like that, people I think they understand it a little better, but they still get nervous about the budget.
• 13:36
  Speaker 3: But you need those numbers to understand how much you need to raise and what it's for, because donors are going to be asking you well, how much do you need?
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: How can I help?
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: Well, where is it going?
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: They're going to ask those questions and you need to be prepared to do that.
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: But I think another tangible thing people can do is create their case statement, which is kind of where I was going with the mission and understanding your why and the problem that you're solving.
• 13:59
  Speaker 3: But you have to be able to have a clear, compelling message, and people need to be.
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: They need to understand what you're doing and why it should matter to them, and they need to understand how is it different than what's already out there.
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: So going through the process of the case statement helps you figure that out for yourself so you can have a clear, consistent, streamlined message when you begin to communicate that to people.
• 14:25
  Speaker 3: So those are the basics.
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: They're not everything, but I like to start there, because people often get confused about how do I ask for money.
• 14:35
  Speaker 3: They just go right into it, they set up a page or they just go to go fund me.
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: And you got to think about your strategy first and where you want to go and then start putting yourself out there.
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: I love that you are taking a stone like those two tracks of budget and case for support as some of the key ingredients, because I think I had an old boss that used to always say you know, when you look at your goals it kind of feels like you're looking at this really heavy syllabus of everything that's going to come at you for the whole year.
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: But once you start to realize, okay, we have time, we have months, that this stuff's going to spread out, it starts to become more manageable as you break it down.
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: And putting it down is just cathartic too.
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: On paper that it's.
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: You can see it and it's visible and it's translatable to other people.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: So I just totally get that.
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: What pitfalls do you see?
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: You know what are potential pitfalls that founders really should avoid?
• 15:22
  Speaker 3: This first one is huge.
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: A lot of people rely too heavily on grants in the beginning and there's like this myth about this magical grant that everybody's gonna get when they get 501c3 status and then everything will be fine and they'll be able to launch and they'll be good, and I don't know where that myth came from, but everybody has it Like.
• 15:45
  Speaker 3: Everybody thinks that.
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's somewhere in our wiring.
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: We don't know who put it there, but it's there I don't know.
• 15:51
  Speaker 3: So everyone thinks that, oh, I have my status, now I can go after grants, I'll be good.
• 15:56
  Speaker 3: And I tried to tell people like think about how to diversify your income in the beginning and absolutely go after grants, but more local, community-based grants to build your momentum.
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: And then also think about building your donor base.
• 16:10
  Speaker 3: First because your donor base will help build your visibility, because you're attracting more people to your organization and more people just naturally know about your organization.
• 16:18
  Speaker 3: So I try to get people to focus on that and not go so heavily on the grant side, cause a lot of people also start paying grant writers right out the gate and they don't even understand their programming yet.
• 16:31
  Speaker 3: They don't even understand they don't have a budget.
• 16:33
  Speaker 3: So what are you putting in a grant proposal if you haven't even done the work yet?
• 16:37
  Speaker 3: So that's one of the major ones.
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: But I would say the other biggie is not focusing on their board.
• 16:44
  Speaker 3: So too many people rush to fill out the paperwork and then they put their family on the paperwork.
• 16:52
  Speaker 3: So they think they just need names, like a board just needs to be a name and they can do what they need to do as a founder.
• 16:59
  Speaker 3: But you need a team.
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: You need people who can go out there and support you.
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: You need community, like you said, and if you don't invest in the time and finding the right people with the right skill sets and the right perspectives, it's gonna take you a long time to reach your goals.
• 17:16
  Speaker 3: So I think people really need to think critically about who are the right people they needed to table with them to help launch their vision.
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah, a board is not a check the box.
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: It is actually a profound opportunity for something you mentioned before ambassadorship.
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: If you're a founder that's exhausted by going out and telling your story over and over and over again, then guess what?
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: You can build a bench within your board of people who are uniquely informed about what you're doing.
• 17:43
  Speaker 2: They give it a unique bent from their perspective about why they're on it.
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: And guys, I mean you're creating believers and rabbit fans right there that are gonna help you make your mission ripple further.
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: So I think that's a great pro tip and we don't want anyone to leave that out.
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: And I think just this focus on community is one I wanna stay on, because you were really drawn into this work because there was a lack of strong nonprofit network in your hometown and I just wanna know a little bit more about that and what you learned about the role of community and how it really plays into our sustained success.
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think one of the biggest issues for nonprofits just in general I've seen from my perspective is the lack of community, but the sense of isolation, and especially for nonprofit founders, they feel like they're the only ones experiencing what they're experiencing or they're afraid to ask questions.
• 19:09
  Speaker 3: They're afraid to seem unprofessional if they don't know what something means.
• 19:13
  Speaker 3: They're afraid that people look down on them.
• 19:16
  Speaker 3: If they don't have certain pieces in place, so if they don't have their board all the way together or if their paperwork is a mess and they don't have certain structures and policies, they're very afraid to reveal and expose that.
• 19:29
  Speaker 3: So a lot of times they may try to reach out to other nonprofit founders or people who they know have this experience.
• 19:36
  Speaker 3: And people are very territorial in this space.
• 19:39
  Speaker 3: People are, they will shun you, they will give you the run around or they just won't share information.
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: And I think for me, in this space especially, I think that if I give you a tip to help you launch your nonprofit, it's not just helping you, it's helping the person who you help.
• 20:02
  Speaker 3: So if somebody's life can be changed or a breakthrough can happen because I gave you some information and I didn't hold back, so what's the point of me holding back, because I understand the ripple effect of that.
• 20:15
  Speaker 3: It's not just about me giving you a tip so you can just make money and go off and do your thing.
• 20:20
  Speaker 3: You're literally changing somebody's life.
• 20:22
  Speaker 3: So that's why I do boss in the budget, that's why I provide a lot of free information, because I know one tip can change everything for someone who's struggling to figure out how to get up off the ground.
• 20:35
  Speaker 3: And there are so many people who have come back to me and said I watch your videos, I implemented this and this happened, this took off, and so there are people being touched and changed that I don't even realize and that's why it matters.
• 20:48
  Speaker 3: That's why community matters, like we need safe spaces to feel like we can ask questions, we can get information, we can learn about simple things that we think we should know but most of us don't really know.
• 20:59
  Speaker 3: So that's why that sense of community, to me, is so, so powerful.
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: I mean Tiffany you're awesome, by the way, and I just think I keep hearing these threads of the conversation like growth mindset is like non-negotiable.
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: You gotta have this channeling of that.
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: I can figure things out in abundance, like I mean hearing you talk and just how you show up and work and how we must show up to meet the moment, like it's just really everything.
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: So we talk about values a lot on the podcast.
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: We feel like we talk about it in our community all the time and we just loved running across yours and one of yours stated money or position does not give anyone more power over another person.
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: Drop the mic On the inside of power dynamics and fundraising.
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: Those dynamics are just so real, right.
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: So how do you overcome that perceived or even deeply felt power imbalance and embrace equity in our work?
• 21:52
  Speaker 3: So this is what I would say you cannot control what others think, but you can control what you believe about yourself and you can control how you position yourself.
• 22:03
  Speaker 3: So there are some things or some perspectives that people in perceived power or people who have money that they're not gonna get over, and I wouldn't waste time trying to convince them.
• 22:14
  Speaker 3: What I like to do is tell founders you need to believe in your own power.
• 22:19
  Speaker 3: You have a perspective, you have a sense of authority that you don't even realize that you have.
• 22:24
  Speaker 3: So focus on finding your strengths, your assets, and lift that up.
• 22:28
  Speaker 3: And part of the problem is they don't think they bring anything to the table, and I, as a person outside looking in, I'm like you're doing amazing work.
• 22:37
  Speaker 3: A lot of these people have been doing work for years.
• 22:40
  Speaker 3: They have been changing people's lives informally for years and now they wanna legitimize it I'm putting that in quotes with an organization, and then they feel less than then.
• 22:50
  Speaker 3: They feel like I'm not as good as these organizations that have been doing it for years, or I don't have a strong board or a lot of followers, so I don't belong in this space and they don't think they bring anything to the table.
• 23:02
  Speaker 3: But I believe you need to pull out that lived experience and that real professional experience to know that you are an authority in this space.
• 23:10
  Speaker 3: And I love to tell founders there are a lot of established nonprofit leaders who could never launch their own organization.
• 23:17
  Speaker 3: Yeah, most of them walk into.
• 23:19
  Speaker 3: Most of them walk into something already in place.
• 23:24
  Speaker 3: Now they may be dysfunctional and they may have issues, but it's very difficult to start from the ground up.
• 23:31
  Speaker 3: So the fact that you decided to start an organization from nothing means a lot.
• 23:35
  Speaker 3: You have a power.
• 23:37
  Speaker 3: Like you have an authority that you don't realize you have.
• 23:40
  Speaker 3: So I like to tell people to pull that out of themselves and establish your own authority by talking about an issue, sharing a perspective that other people don't have.
• 23:51
  Speaker 3: So a lot of times, people starting nonprofits are on the ground or they have their own personal experience that they can speak to that other people can't, and that's their superpower.
• 24:01
  Speaker 3: So harness that and show up in those spaces with that power, because you do have it and, whether you realize it or not, especially foundations and funders needs your perspective and a lot of them want to hear that.
• 24:14
  Speaker 3: So I like to use that angle instead of focusing on what those people with money and their perceived power think about others.
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: Okay, yell it to the people in the back.
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: I want everybody to hear that, because I'm so glad we're talking about power, because you just shifted straight out of that scarcity mindset of I've got too much to do, there's too many things going on, there's too many tactics that demand my attention and I just think, as founders, we just cannot help but have some side eye of, like, what's going on over there, what's this foundation doing over here, and you start to get I'm not doing as much of that.
• 24:52
  Speaker 2: And then that negative self-taught comes in and that doubt creeps in that takes away your ability to say wait, I'm doing something really cool here.
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: I have power, I have knowledge, I have community.
• 25:03
  Speaker 2: And it really reminds me of this conversation we just had with Brooke Richie Babbage, who was talking about who kicked off our founders theory, and she said the two things you need to do to have this strong foundation is have intentionality and have a network of support, and you're talking about that hype squad.
• 25:22
  Speaker 2: She calls it the sustainable sisterhood for her, and it's like get your hype squad together, get your founders together, get people who've been in the trenches with you.
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: I think you've created such a beautiful community 15,000 founders who are all learning and growing and uplifting each other.
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: We're gonna move so much faster in that.
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: So, as you're pulling us out of scarcity mindset, I wanna stay in this abundant thinking that we have going right now and I want you to talk about some of the keys to adopting this founders mindset that we think is absolutely critical to launching.
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: Well, because there are probably listeners out there who've never seen themselves as a founder, but they have this deep and intrinsic passion brewing inside them to address something that no one else is addressing.
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: What are those keys, tiffany, to unlock that founders mindset and just get in the game.
• 26:13
  Speaker 3: Yeah, two things come to mind.
• 26:15
  Speaker 3: For me, I think the first thing is you have to recognize that you are a leader, so you're not starting an organization just because you want to do something good, because you can do something good every day.
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: You probably are doing that already.
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: You don't have to start an organization to do that Right.
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: You don't need to start an organization to do that.
• 26:36
  Speaker 3: But once you make the decision to do that, then your role shifts and you have to understand that you are the leader.
• 26:43
  Speaker 3: You are the center of the organization, whether you realize it or not.
• 26:46
  Speaker 3: So you're not just there to perform an activity, You're there to inspire other people.
• 26:52
  Speaker 3: You're there to motivate your people.
• 26:53
  Speaker 3: You have to lift them up, you have to encourage them, you have to build partnerships with other people.
• 26:58
  Speaker 3: So it's not just about doing, it's about people looking to you as the leader to move this vision forward.
• 27:05
  Speaker 3: And, of course, as you build your sisterhood as Brooke would say right, as you build that sisterhood, they can help move along and they can advise and help push that vision forward.
• 27:16
  Speaker 3: But you have to be the one to declare it, because people are following you and I think a lot of founders are scared to step into that role because they don't believe that's them.
• 27:26
  Speaker 3: But the minute you decided to sign that paperwork, that has to become your perspective that you are the leader and that you are responsible for pushing this forward.
• 27:36
  Speaker 3: I also think that you can't be afraid to actually plan and strategize, and a lot of times people want to just go by from activity to activity, right.
• 27:50
  Speaker 3: So a lot of people do mentoring or they may do drives where they collect goods for people and they just go from activity to activity.
• 27:58
  Speaker 3: But they don't think about strategy, about where they want to be five years from now or where they want to be 20 years from now.
• 28:04
  Speaker 3: They don't do that big level planning and I again believe that's mindset.
• 28:10
  Speaker 3: They don't know if they'll even be around.
• 28:12
  Speaker 3: But I challenge those people and say, well, why else would you start the organization unless you do want to be around?
• 28:19
  Speaker 3: And I know there are some people who are like well, nonprofits are not created to be around forever.
• 28:25
  Speaker 3: I don't necessarily believe that, because I believe that there are certain pieces that nonprofits have to do.
• 28:30
  Speaker 3: That business the for-profit sector won't do, that government will not do so.
• 28:35
  Speaker 3: We have to fill the gap and we have to always exist right.
• 28:39
  Speaker 3: So if you're deciding to start an organization, you have to think long-term.
• 28:44
  Speaker 3: You have to think about where this is actually going and what you want to be.
• 28:47
  Speaker 3: How do you want to be, how many people?
• 28:49
  Speaker 3: What's your budget.
• 28:50
  Speaker 3: So those two things like planning big and then also understanding that you are the leader and you're pushing the vision forward, I think are vital.
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: I mean so many good nuggets here, and I'm just excited for our listeners to get into this conversation because I think you're attacking a lot of the things that definitely go on and swirl in my mind as a founder too, and you're talking about it so powerfully.
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: So I'm curious in your own journey, like how has it changed which you believe that you're personally capable of, tiffany, in your own journey as you've stepped into this leadership role where thousands of people are looking to you and listening to you for advice?
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: How has that evolution looked for you?
• 29:26
  Speaker 3: Well, I think I'm talking to myself when I say you have to be the leader, because I started this just saying oh, I want to share my perspective, I want to teach on things that no one ever taught me, and I never realized that people would look to me as an authority or people would look to me as like their mentor, and so I've had to realize that I have a responsibility to the people that are following me.
• 29:53
  Speaker 3: I have a responsibility to be authentic and I have a responsibility to give them the realness of what it is, and so that has helped me shape my brand honestly, helped me shape how I show up, helped me shape what I talk about and how I talk about the things that I talk about.
• 30:09
  Speaker 3: And I realized, no matter what room I'm in, I'm always gonna represent people from the grassroots level.
• 30:14
  Speaker 3: I'm always gonna represent Black Latin non-profits, because that's where I come from.
• 30:19
  Speaker 3: I'm never gonna forget that perspective.
• 30:21
  Speaker 3: So I didn't see myself as that way when I started to record myself on YouTube, but it has absolutely shifted my thinking in that I have to become an authority in this space, because there is no one speaking for the people in these positions, there's no one lifting up their perspective, saying that they deserve funding just like any other organization.
• 30:41
  Speaker 3: So I think that has been the biggest shift for me.
• 30:44
  Speaker 2: Thank you for just talking about that so honestly and rawly, because these challenges are real and those who are in proximity to power have a responsibility to help connect hands, connect hearts, like figure out how to get someone at the table.
• 31:01
  Speaker 2: If someone's not at the table and you notice, pull them up.
• 31:04
  Speaker 2: Use your power to pull them up or maybe give up your seat.
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: And so I think this is a duty for all of us, and I wanna compliment you too on understanding that.
• 31:16
  Speaker 2: That effort is your brand and you are living it so well, my friend, because all the things you're telling us to practice, you've actually lived them out.
• 31:26
  Speaker 2: You are stepping into your power, you are stepping into what you know with your expertise, and now it's starting to have a beautiful ripple effect.
• 31:33
  Speaker 2: And so we wanna know tell us a story.
• 31:36
  Speaker 2: We gotta know, we gotta get to know some boss on a budget nonprofits.
• 31:40
  Speaker 2: Walk us through maybe a case study or maybe a founder story that's really stuck with you.
• 31:46
  Speaker 2: That'll give our audience some inspiration.
• 31:48
  Speaker 3: I've had so many, but I think the one I wanna choose today is a nonprofit founder.
• 31:56
  Speaker 3: It's actually two of them.
• 31:57
  Speaker 3: They're two friends and they have an organization that serves young immigrant women in a major city and young Latina immigrants in a major city, and I've done some coaching with them.
• 32:10
  Speaker 3: They found me on YouTube.
• 32:11
  Speaker 3: They've been with me from the very beginning and I remember having a conversation with them and they were saying well, I just don't believe like we belong in these spaces.
• 32:21
  Speaker 3: I just don't believe when we go to these meetings or we talk to these funders, why would they even fund us?
• 32:28
  Speaker 3: And I had to stop our meeting one time and say please write down all the things that are holding you back.
• 32:33
  Speaker 3: I wanna hear those thoughts that come up for you that say that you shouldn't be doing what you're doing.
• 32:38
  Speaker 3: I wanna hear them.
• 32:39
  Speaker 3: And then I kind of forced them to rewrite those things into more positive affirmations.
• 32:45
  Speaker 3: So if you believe you don't belong in the room, rewrite that and say we are the perfect people to be doing this right now.
• 32:52
  Speaker 3: We have a perspective that no one else has, and so I've been working with them and they're amazing.
• 32:59
  Speaker 3: They've been contacted by at least seven foundations because there no one else is doing what they're doing.
• 33:06
  Speaker 3: And I just heard from one of them I think it was about two weeks ago and she was like I'm so excited.
• 33:11
  Speaker 3: We won three grants already, and I've been working with them in coaching just since this summer and they've already secured at least three grants that they've applied for.
• 33:23
  Speaker 3: And it's all because of their perspective.
• 33:27
  Speaker 3: It's all because they bring something that no one else brings and they're very, very new.
• 33:32
  Speaker 3: They just launched in 2019, but they're now about to hit six figures and it may not seem a lot for some people, but it's major for them, for people who believe that no one would ever give to them, for people who barely believed that they could make any money.
• 33:48
  Speaker 3: So I just I want people to be encouraged that if you have a compelling message, you have to believe in yourself first.
• 33:56
  Speaker 3: It starts there, and then watch what happens after.
• 34:00
  Speaker 2: If you feel comfortable, give this shout out to that organization.
• 34:03
  Speaker 2: We want to give them some exposure.
• 34:06
  Speaker 2: We want people to go check them out and consider giving.
• 34:09
  Speaker 3: Yes, the name of the organization is Desperita and they are in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• 34:15
  Speaker 2: Desperita go Desperita ladies.
• 34:17
  Speaker 1: And I feel like after every time you talk, I'm over here like rooting for you, Cause I think you talking about belief.
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: I mean this is so powerful in my own personal story of just like there's a moment when the belief triggers and it's like that changes everything.
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: That's when you're locked in, when you actually can connect in that way.
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: So thank you for all of this.
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: I wonder if you take us back.
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: I mean, you've seen so much philanthropy ignited.
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: Would you take us back to a moment of philanthropy that personally just moved you?
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: It could be small, it could be big, but a story that's stuck with you in your life.
• 34:47
  Speaker 3: I don't know if I have a big story.
• 34:51
  Speaker 3: I think the story of philanthropy in my life is just what I've watched in my own culture, in my own family, and I think a lot of people equate philanthropy with money, and in the black culture it's so much more than money.
• 35:07
  Speaker 3: We don't just give of our financial resources, we give of each other, we take care of each other.
• 35:12
  Speaker 3: That's just who we are and that is just reflected in what I do every day and I think that has inspired me.
• 35:20
  Speaker 3: So, as an example, we have a funeral at my church this weekend and we did an all call because we need help with parking right and people just show up.
• 35:29
  Speaker 3: We need help serving food for the repast.
• 35:31
  Speaker 3: We all just show up because we know that this is our family, like this is a loved one of ours that has died and we need to be there and show it for each other.
• 35:40
  Speaker 3: So in my culture, I don't think it's one big moment for me.
• 35:44
  Speaker 3: I think it's all those little moments that add up to just a giving spirit and I think that, like we said earlier, it was just that has inspired me to do what I do for free for Boston Abudget, because I just believe that what you put out you'll get in return.
• 36:01
  Speaker 3: And I'm not even doing it for a return, it just gives me joy to give.
• 36:05
  Speaker 3: So I think that has what inspired me just seeing the culture of giving my whole life.
• 36:12
  Speaker 2: Well, lucky us.
• 36:13
  Speaker 2: That's what I just keep thinking.
• 36:15
  Speaker 2: I mean, you were nurtured in community.
• 36:18
  Speaker 2: You are pouring back into community, you are amplifying and creating community and it's just such a beautiful thing.
• 36:25
  Speaker 2: And we end all of our podcast episodes, tiffany, asking our guests for a one good thing.
• 36:30
  Speaker 2: That could be a piece of advice words you live by.
• 36:34
  Speaker 2: What's one good thing you would leave for our guest?
• 36:37
  Speaker 3: I don't think you'd be surprised that you're my answer.
• 36:39
  Speaker 3: It starts with what you believe about yourself.
• 36:42
  Speaker 3: So always examine the messages you're telling yourself before you put anything out there and get yourself together Like, do your own personal inventory and question those negative thoughts that you are training yourself or training your mind to believe.
• 36:58
  Speaker 3: And once you shift and know that you have the power to achieve what you're trying to achieve, again, watch what happens.
• 37:05
  Speaker 3: Watch what happens.
• 37:07
  Speaker 1: Holy heck, here we are again.
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: I mean, tiffany, what an incredible conversation.
• 37:12
  Speaker 1: I just think there's so much here.
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: People are going to be looking for you on the YouTube, so connect us in all the ways Like point us to your channel, and how can people just find and follow you online?
• 37:22
  Speaker 3: Sure, so you can find me at YouTube.
• 37:24
  Speaker 3: Just put in Boston Abudget, you will see my face.
• 37:27
  Speaker 3: I go live every Sunday, so you can meet me on Sunday nights, and you can also go to my website it's just bossonabudgetcom.
• 37:35
  Speaker 3: And I'm also on Instagram and Facebook at Boss on AB, and you can find me easily there in all those places.
• 37:43
  Speaker 2: I mean you got almost 25,000 subscribers that in itself is a very large community and 340 videos.
• 37:51
  Speaker 2: There is so much rich content in here and I just thank you so much for, honestly, just a roadmap of where to start, where to go, what it's common.
• 38:02
  Speaker 2: I think this is such a natural and gentle entry point for so many people who are starting to think about taking that first very big step to chasing their dreams.
• 38:14
  Speaker 2: So go find Tiffany friends, and thanks for coming into our community and just inspiring us.
• 38:18
  Speaker 2: Keep going, rooting for you.
• 38:20
  Speaker 3: Thank you, guys so much.
• 38:21
  Speaker 3: I just want to say thank you for having me and even giving me a space and a platform to talk.
• 38:25
  Speaker 3: I really appreciate it, girl open mic.
• 38:27
  Speaker 2: Come back anytime, totally.
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for being here.
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: Friends, and you probably hear it in our voices, but we love connecting you with the most innovative people to help you achieve more for your mission than ever before.
• 38:41
  Speaker 2: We'd love for you to come join our good community.
• 38:44
  Speaker 2: It's free and you can think of it as the after party to each podcast episode.
• 38:47
  Speaker 2: Sign up today at weareforgoodcom.
• 38:50
  Speaker 2: Backslash hello.
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: And one more thing If you love what you heard today, would you mind leaving us a podcast writing interview?
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: It means the world to us and your support helps more people find this community.
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much, friends.
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: Can't wait to our next conversation.