Latest / We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits / 434. Small But Mighty: From Founder's Passion to Global Impact - Jon McCoy, CFRE, Becky Endicott, CFRE and Martice Sutton

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434. Small But Mighty: From Founder's Passion to Global Impact - Jon McCoy, CFRE, Becky Endicott, CFRE and Martice Sutton · 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: Happy Friday, Becky.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: What's happening?
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: Happy Friday.
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: I've got the biggest grin on my face.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: We're talking about one of my like my one most passionate philanthropic angle through the lens of this incredible series that we've been going into Man.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: Do we have a guest for you?
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, i know we have been like so excited to talk to Martice and I can't wait to introduce you to her, but if you're joining us this Friday, i want to give a little bit of context, because we've been pouring into this small and mighty series.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: Thank you, give Butter, for creating space for us to do this.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Floyd Jones has been on the podcast the last couple of weeks on Fridays.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: It was like pumping us up with strategy of how to fundraise, how to activate, but something that we wanted to do to really galvanize all these things we're talking about is talk to somebody that is literally on the front lines doing the work, and Martice is somebody that we have been following for a long time and she's hard to follow because just the other day we get her out of office, that she's over in Egypt or wherever she is this week, because her mission is all about, and it's called Girls Going Global.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: And let me tell you about this small but mighty mission.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: They have already touched the lives of 1,500 high school girls and more than 300 of them have traveled, getting to experience these places, like Canada and Costa Rica One of my favorites Belize, peru and Italy, and this mission is led by just this dynamo that really gets it, that sees the world differently.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Martice Sutton, she is this growing social entrepreneur committed to women, committed to girl empowerment, civic engagement and economic development, and she shares this kindred spirit that we've lifted on the podcast a lot.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: I know it's a value of our family, this idea of creating global citizens.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: It kind of awakens something when you can step out of our comfort zone and we can have these experiences and build relationships.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: It allows us to come back and to inspire and lead serve in a different way, and so I'm really excited to learn more about Girls Going Global, to talk about it in the framework of like.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: How can we each implement the frameworks that Martice has found working from just starting something to really something that's really impacting around the world?
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: And we're going to break down some of the framework that's behind Girls Going Global.
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: That's all about service and learning and adventure, and so, my friend, i cannot wait to hop into this conversation.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: We're so delighted to see you on our screen today, martice Sutton.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: Get into this house.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the We Are For Good podcast.
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: Woo, thank you for having me.
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: I'm so excited.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, it is a huge honor And you know we cannot start without hearing your story like what got you obsessed with this idea and what you know we're kind of the formative moments of your life growing up that led you to want to start Girls Going Global.
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: Wow, I feel like that's a loaded question And so forgive me if it's a little long, but follow me on the journey.
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: People Follow me, Follow me.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: We're here for you.
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: I'm originally from Philadelphia And I typically like to start with that.
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: I'm so glad, john, that you pointed out the formative moments, because there's so many moments throughout my life that then brought me here.
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: So, being from Philadelphia, there is a stereotype that Philly people stay in Philly.
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: Right, we're known to kind of like we're there, we're die-hard Eagles fans.
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: It's a thing, right.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: And so That's a football team, John.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: It's a football team.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: I literally was like is that basketball or?
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: football, and so in my high school, for example, even the colleges like the guidance counselors, they feed you to other Pennsylvania state schools or Philadelphia city schools, and so it was a really huge deal.
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: Out of my graduating class of, i want to say, about 300 or 400.
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: There were only maybe 10 of us that were going out of state, and I was going to Spelman College, which is in Atlanta, georgia, and it's a historically black college and university, and so that was a really big deal to be leaving And for many going so far away from home.
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: And so I would say, like the first thing that, looking back on my life, that really shaped and created the thought of Girls Going Global is this idea of exposure right Beyond where you come from.
• 4:33
  Speaker 3: So that doesn't always look like traveling around the world, it really does start with like how do you take a chance and try something new, even in some of those everyday decisions in life, with one of them being, for young people, your college decision right?
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: So I stepped out of my comfort zone, i went to Atlanta.
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: I was an international studies major And so I had to study abroad, and what I found in my study abroad experiences is so I studied abroad in Barcelona, spain, no one ever believed that I was American.
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: It was like you can be American and be black and be traveling.
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: It just didn't add up for people.
• 5:07
  Speaker 3: So I was consistently asked was I from Senegal?
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: Was I from Nigeria?
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: Like there was this concept that there might be people from the African continent that will travel here, but there's no way there's like a black American here that is traveling.
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: And so I realized that they were not used to seeing people that looked like me in these spaces.
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: And then I took my first job abroad and I was in India.
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: So then the part two came of my family thought I was absolutely crazy.
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: So they also felt like these are not things that we do.
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: You know, like what are you doing?
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: Like you're really just keep pushing the envelope here, like now you want to go work and live in this other place.
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: So I saw from both angles that one, when I traveled, other people in the countries weren't used to seeing people that looked like me.
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: And then I also realized that my family, where I came from, they weren't used to us doing these types of things.
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: So Girls Going Global really did start as this idea around global awareness.
• 6:06
  Speaker 3: I just wanted other girls to know who Malala was.
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: I wanted them to know that there were women presidents in different countries.
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: I never intended to travel with young people.
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: I just simply wanted to start this thing around awareness.
• 6:18
  Speaker 3: And then, once we kind of got going, none of the girls had passports, so we fundraised for passports.
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: And then, naturally, once they got the passport, they were like well, we have to go somewhere, and so 2013.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: They didn't get a stamp in their passports.
• 6:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah, which was.
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: I guess that's 10 years ago Now.
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: We took our first trip on the megabus from Philadelphia to Toronto, Canada, Love it.
• 6:41
  Speaker 3: That was our first thing.
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: It was seven girls, We had no money, And now we've traveled to probably.
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: I think now we're at seven or eight countries And we work with over 70 to 85 girls per year.
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: So that is the origin story of GGG.
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: I tried to keep it short, But that's the gist.
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: That's how this thing got going.
• 7:05
  Speaker 3: But it literally started with a PowerPoint when I was working in India And it's now turned into this thing.
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: I mean, how many of us can relate to this story?
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: I mean the gist of the GGG.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: I love this.
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: By the way, you're right Our worldview expands when we meet people who are not like us, that don't live like us, that don't look like us.
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: I so appreciate that you just kept following these breadcrumbs that are leading you to having a deeper experience and a wider impact with your community.
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: So tell us about this nonprofit, go a little bit deeper.
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: Talk about your mission, talk about what it was like starting and founding this incredible organization.
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: And where is it today?
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: What are your dreams doing?
• 7:56
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so okay.
• 7:57
  Speaker 3: So we started in Philadelphia, right.
• 7:59
  Speaker 3: We then ended up moving our headquarters to Atlanta, so we were working with girls in Philly, in Atlanta, and then I want to say it was 2016 when we opened our program to girls throughout the US, and So how it works, you know, our mission statement says we empower girls through travel and cultural exchange, right?
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: So those are the words.
• 8:18
  Speaker 3: That's what it says.
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: We're global citizenship driven Focus on empowering girls to be more culturally aware.
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: But I always go back to that exposure piece, because We're known for traveling, but there's so much more that happens with GGG, so we do have domestic programs that are in schools, that are with other girls serving organizations, that are focused on that global leadership piece, right?
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: That global awareness piece, those competencies That will help you not only in a travel situation but throughout life.
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: So things around interconnectedness, cross-cultural awareness, communication skills, leadership, making connections, problem-solving the list goes on, right?
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: so there's all of that jazz.
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: And then we also have our summer travel camps, which we are the most popular for, and those focus on service learning and adventure, and so that looks like going to another country.
• 9:09
  Speaker 3: We have a service partner in the past that typically has been a Peace Corps volunteer so that they're learning more about International fellowships.
• 9:17
  Speaker 3: They go visit an embassy to learn more about leadership and women that are in international development careers.
• 9:22
  Speaker 3: We're having opportunities for them to connect with girls their age in these countries And so, again, those are the type of like intercultural connectedness moments that You simply can't get when you just like go on a trip with your parents right So to go to Peru and be with Peruvian girls and have a soccer match, and then go to their homes and cook a meal and sit down and You know fellowship together.
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: Those are the type of special Experiences that we're trying to create when we take these girls Outside of their hometowns and expose them to something different.
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: This is John's love language.
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: For sure There is because I think getting off I kind of make fun of like all inclusive resorts, like you got to get off the resort and like go actually experience culture, you know and people and get to know communities.
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: So talk about through the lens of one of the girls that's been in your program.
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: I'm just so curious like what is this unlock For them?
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: what kind of happens?
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: as a result of these experiences.
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: Yeah, i always tell people, and I tell the girls this as well, so that there isn't any pressure on the parent, on the student or even on our team for this like Miracle transformation in 10 day, in seven to 10 days, right, because I remember when I was studying abroad, i remember I kept feeling like I was missing out because everybody promotes it as this thing That's life-changing, right, like your life is gonna change, you're gonna be so different.
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: And I remember when I studied abroad, i did not feel that, you know, i was like where is my life changing moment from traveling the world?
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: I wasn't having that.
• 10:50
  Speaker 3: And so I tell The young people and I share this with this audience as well that sometimes it happens in three days, sometimes three weeks, sometimes three years, and you're not always gonna see the, the magic or the transformation Immediately, right, and that like deeply transformative way.
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: But there are some signs that show What someone has gotten out of this experience.
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: So the first thing is definitely confidence, right, because, number one, you might be someone who was afraid of heights.
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: And the next thing, you know You're ziplining over in the rainforest, over, you know, in the jungle, and it's like wait a minute, what's happening here?
• 11:26
  Speaker 3: Who is this person?
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: So For sure, one thing I think every girl walks away with is definitely just an increased confidence of self and Self-assuredness in knowing that if they push themselves, they can in fact Go beyond what they may have, since their limits were.
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: So that's for sure something the communication and interconnectedness, especially with us being in such a virtual world.
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: You know, girls don't have an opportunity as much to connect with each other in person, right.
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: And so I like to say even the peer networking that happens.
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: You're meeting girls from across the country, so you might be a girl from Atlanta and you're meeting a girl from Los Angeles, and then there's a girl from Memphis, and then there's a girl from Philly.
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: And here we are with this melting pot of culture, even within our group.
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: That I truly believe is is really special and creates a Sisterhood that everyone walks away saying they have a lifelong friend.
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: And I think that's the one thing that's hard to sometimes quantify for donors, right, or in a pitch deck.
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: But if I had to say, the thing that all the parents and all the girls say Is that they feel like they gained a sisterhood with girls going global.
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: The other other big thing is Providing a safe space for these girls, right, and I think that's the other thing that is so, so important that I want to make sure I add here, because It's very rare that girls, right, any girl feels safe enough to really be their their full and true self And then, particularly, to share their, like, biggest dreams and their deepest fears.
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: And so another thing that I'm so, so proud of is that we have been able to provide a safe space for girls to come And talk about something, a dream that maybe they've never said to anyone, but they're finally admitting I do want more, right.
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: And then they also might share a fear Or something that's holding them back in their household or holding them back in their school, and they feel safe enough to share that and say like I'm not okay And I do need someone to check on me because I'm really struggling.
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: And that for sure, i would say, is the greatest takeaway, not only for the girls But for us as a team and as an organization, to say that if we do nothing else, we do that.
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: I'm just so proud of you because I really am I.
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: I think what you've done here is absolutely beautiful.
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: I'm so smitten with it.
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: But we want to get practical here, because we think you've done an incredible job translating That really heady vision into an actionable way that people can get involved with your mission.
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: So talk to us a little bit about how you build a fundraising strategy, what is the process of building it and how do you leave your story in with it.
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: And how do you leave your story in with it?
• 14:12
  Speaker 3: So really I always tell people Girls Going Global started with.
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: I was working at Ashoka Innovators for the Public I think this audience might be familiar with them.
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: They were a super huge social enterprise organization once upon a time, but like completely big, big time dollars, okay, but I was making like $30,000 or something And I saved $250 from four paychecks to get my first thousand dollars.
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: And I share that because I think it's so important when I'm working with other nonprofit founders and other EDs, even when I'm doing my consulting work, it's so important for people to know you have to invest in yourself.
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: No one is going to believe in you or invest in you until you can show that you have also done that.
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: And so all I had I was a 22 year old with $250.
• 15:02
  Speaker 3: And that's all I had for myself.
• 15:04
  Speaker 4: That's all I have for this year.
• 15:05
  Speaker 4: I feel a lot.
• 15:06
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and I will say this is also over 10 years ago, right?
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: So the thing there is that I also didn't have the resources or the education or the knowledge that I have now.
• 15:18
  Speaker 3: So I took $250.
• 15:19
  Speaker 3: I did that with four paychecks.
• 15:22
  Speaker 3: I created, i had a thousand dollars and I said what can I do with this?
• 15:24
  Speaker 3: I can get on the megabus, i can buy some snacks, i can ask somebody else to give me a sandwich and cut it in two, right, and I can buy some poster board for these girls to create country flags.
• 15:36
  Speaker 3: That's how this thing got going.
• 15:38
  Speaker 3: That was the first fundraising strategy.
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: There was no strategy.
• 15:42
  Speaker 3: You were winging it.
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: You were doing what small nonprofits do, which is make a dollar out of 15 cents and you make it shake.
• 15:49
  Speaker 3: I was going to say, whoop, i don't think we can cuss on here.
• 15:52
  Speaker 3: Yeah, my line to people is make-ish shake.
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: You know what I mean.
• 15:58
  Speaker 3: You got to do what you got to do.
• 15:59
  Speaker 3: And I started with that where it was just like we're just winging it, we're trying our best.
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: I started off selling.
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: We raised our first passport dollars Like we funded our passports.
• 16:09
  Speaker 3: I was selling $20 t-shirts that say Black Girls Travel.
• 16:13
  Speaker 3: That was how I fundraised to get our first 10 passports And then again, as time go on, you learn different things.
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: So then I learned about the concept of partnerships and I found someone who they had a grant from Expedia to do 100 passports across the US And then we became their Philly partner and they sponsored 10 of our passports.
• 16:34
  Speaker 3: So this is back in 2012.
• 16:37
  Speaker 3: I didn't realize it until I said that just now, but full circle moment.
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: Here we are in 2023 and Expedia is now our partner, our funding partner and funding a group of girls to travel.
• 16:47
  Speaker 3: I just really had that bomb moment.
• 16:50
  Speaker 3: Before, we were a byproduct, we were an indirect grantee, and here we are today, 10 years later, and we are a full fledged Expedia travel partner grantee, and so a lot of our work has been funded by individual donors.
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: That's what I'm getting at here is that we are an organization that we started and for a very long time, it was people.
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: That was how we were able to sustain this work.
• 17:15
  Speaker 3: We were the people that every dollar counted.
• 17:18
  Speaker 3: So when you sent us your $10, when you sent us your $20, that meant a world to us, because again, once upon a time, i would take those $20 and it was funding a passport for $135.
• 17:29
  Speaker 3: And so I would count I'm sitting there really trying to get 10 t-shirts sold, you know what I mean To get this one passport.
• 17:36
  Speaker 3: And so that's transformed as we've grown and we have a board of directors now and we have a leadership team.
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: Now we're able to make more strategic decisions, and so we do have more of a diverse portfolio, and individual donors is still for like most nonprofits.
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: It still funds probably 60 to 70% of the work that we do.
• 17:57
  Speaker 3: Again, now we have corporate sponsorships from folks like Expedia, and I would say, even over the past three or four years is when grants became our third biggest bucket and has been able to fund our work.
• 18:11
  Speaker 3: And again, i share this because I want people to understand that every organization is different.
• 18:16
  Speaker 3: Right, and it's important to know your lane.
• 18:19
  Speaker 3: My lane is not grants you know like, and for us it wasn't for a very, very long time.
• 18:25
  Speaker 3: Because, why?
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: Because, a, grants come with a lot more red tape.
• 18:29
  Speaker 3: B, grants come with a lot more impact, measurement and outcomes And, as I've said, i'm not always able to show people that sisterhood is why you should invest in this.
• 18:37
  Speaker 3: C, sometimes you're doing something that doesn't always meet these like critical needs right, and so the education of people understanding that travel is just not vacation, that it is in fact, global education, that has been very difficult to translate to funders, and so that also is a big reason why grants was not our thing.
• 18:59
  Speaker 3: The thing that took us over the map financially and I think a lot of other social impact folks need to tap into this is accelerators, pitch programs.
• 19:10
  Speaker 3: That was how we got our first $50,000.
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: I was a part of CivicX, i believe.
• 19:17
  Speaker 3: Now they're called Acumen and they have a social impact accelerator.
• 19:21
  Speaker 3: We were a part of it for I want to say it was three months.
• 19:24
  Speaker 3: The exposure to being able to talk to various companies was definitely a game changer, and out of 13 impact, it was for-profit and non-profit businesses and organizations that were a part of it and we won the $50,000.
• 19:39
  Speaker 3: So that was when that came.
• 19:41
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that was the first thing that funded a salary for me.
• 19:44
  Speaker 3: For the longest I was being part-time, freelance, full-time, so I tell people all the time I've done all the things in the nonprofit space.
• 19:53
  Speaker 3: I've been a development manager, i've been a consultant, i've been a program manager, i've been a director, but I was not an executive director, particularly of Girls Going Global until 2019.
• 20:04
  Speaker 3: So, again all that to say, we started in 2012,.
• 20:09
  Speaker 3: Folks Like, let's be clear that everybody's journey is not the same and sometimes you have to put in that time of learning before it's going to take off, maybe in the way that you wanted to.
• 20:58
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• 21:08
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• 21:24
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• 21:36
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• 21:43
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• 21:54
  Speaker 1: Can I just say you rock.
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: And secondly, i don't think you and Floyd collaborated on this, but I love that y'all are like threaded together The episodes where Floyd was really teaching of just like starting where you can start, you know and owning the thing that you can do before you try to do it all.
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: you've unpacked that.
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: You have more channels as you get to have growth and have some movement and momentum.
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: So I'm curious I mean you were such a great storyteller how you've woven that in.
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: I'm curious now with these different groups.
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: I mean you have this individual donors.
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: you've got your corporate partners that are kind of their own thing, and then you've also got grant relationships.
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: How are you using storytelling?
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: How do you share the story?
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: And maybe you know if you have some tips for how do you customize it to make it more, i guess, more value aligned for those partners?
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: How do you do that?
• 22:40
  Speaker 3: When I think about how I tell the story, because I'm consistently trying to be better at this right And making sure that I'm being mindful when I'm speaking to different audiences.
• 22:52
  Speaker 3: So, for example, i try to find something to connect with with people, because sometimes, again, the travel thing you got to make it relative to the person.
• 23:03
  Speaker 3: So in some spaces I might start with as simple as, like, how many people have a passport?
• 23:08
  Speaker 3: because 40% of Americans do not have a passport and so I might, and that's where I stick in the passport thing, you know.
• 23:14
  Speaker 3: So the focus on in that type of conversation is like right now, we're just focused on providing the tool.
• 23:20
  Speaker 3: We're not focused on them getting somewhere.
• 23:22
  Speaker 3: We just want students to have the opportunity and I always like to say stay ready, so you don't have to get ready.
• 23:28
  Speaker 3: And in those conversations I talk about my experience of being offered an opportunity to go to South Africa.
• 23:34
  Speaker 3: All expenses pay and I did not have a passport.
• 23:37
  Speaker 3: and What my life would have turned into had I not got a passport in two days before the trip.
• 23:44
  Speaker 3: There probably wouldn't be a girls going global right, because I managed to make it all happen.
• 23:49
  Speaker 3: I got it for myself, but oh, oh, what it would have been if I was just ready You know what I mean to go and would have been able to fully participate in the experience without the haze of getting there.
• 23:59
  Speaker 3: So that's definitely like one lens or one story right, that I use when I'm doing, like the passport scholarships.
• 24:05
  Speaker 3: I'd like to use that when I talk about the travel elements, similar to how I started with you all around Exposure, and it might be around your hometown, right, and just stepping out of your comfort zone.
• 24:16
  Speaker 3: Sometimes I also focus on, like your city.
• 24:18
  Speaker 3: Even cities are Segregated or isolated, right, and so sometimes, even in Georgia, you know like there's diversity where you know, if you just go to alpharetta, there's all these other types of people in restaurants, right, and a lot of cities are this way, and so that might be another Angle to bring people in around, like, have you ever went across the tracks and just try to different food?
• 24:38
  Speaker 3: Have you ever went across the tracks and connected with different types of people?
• 24:43
  Speaker 3: And then again, for some where, like, academic enrichment is the focus, then that's where we might bring in a lot of that language Immersion, right, and making sure they understand like the girls do do language lessons.
• 24:53
  Speaker 3: Hey, there are 10 core competencies of global citizenship and these are the 10 critical thinking, interconnectedness, media literacy.
• 25:01
  Speaker 3: So that's where I'm honing in on all those like academic things, right.
• 25:04
  Speaker 3: And then when you have people that may be kind of get it but their thing is travel, right.
• 25:10
  Speaker 3: That's when you want to focus on More of the language around, like they're doing these new and cool things, they're ziplining, they're going to the great pyramids, they're catching all the world wonders.
• 25:20
  Speaker 3: You know.
• 25:20
  Speaker 3: That's when you're beefing up that element of it.
• 25:23
  Speaker 3: And again, you just have to consistently think about the audience and what things to hone in on.
• 25:28
  Speaker 3: If it's a mental health grant, i'm talking about that safe space, right.
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: These are the ways that I've managed to like try to position us in different, in different areas.
• 25:39
  Speaker 3: I hope that answers.
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: It more than answers.
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: I mean what you have what I would call a marketing mindset.
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: We all know that the new evolution of philanthropy is personalization and how and making someone feel seen, and that you see them, you know them and I think your ability to just pivot just slightly, depending on who the audience is, what you're wanting to do pivot the story is really profound And you did that with us in the first two minutes because you, sharing your lived experience, allowed us to see the experience through your eyes.
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: You know And I think that that is powerful that you've already lived this, you've already Experienced it and now you're trying to provide it to others.
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: So I think that's also very powerful And I want to make sure, friends, if you have a personal connection to your nonprofit, share it.
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: Share it in your pitch.
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, talk about why this is personal.
• 26:35
  Speaker 2: I know when I would go and do my pitch.
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: You know Whether it was for the burn center or transplant when I was in healthcare philanthropy.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: I would say I'm uniquely tied to this mission.
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: You know I got IVF treatment here that allowed me to have my daughter, and people can see it's more than just a job And that creates that connectivity, that with like a strengthened bond, yeah, so connect with people.
• 26:58
  Speaker 3: And again I say know your lane.
• 27:00
  Speaker 3: And so for me, what I know about myself is I show up better Talking, then I do writing.
• 27:07
  Speaker 3: So that's why grants for me It's cool, right, i can, it can sound good on paper, but I know it comes to life, if you're watching me talk about this, and so that's why, for me, i'm gonna sign up for the pitch competition.
• 27:18
  Speaker 3: I'm gonna sign if there's an opportunity to get in front of people.
• 27:21
  Speaker 3: That's the thing I'm gonna sign up for.
• 27:24
  Speaker 3: And another thing that, like sometimes is the angle, is also like educating people again on The history as well, and like this concept that, like once upon a time, black people could not travel, it was not safe, it was dangerous.
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: You needed to know where are the sundown towns, you needed to know where you could stay.
• 27:43
  Speaker 3: So it's also important to make sure that people understand like the privilege right That has that existed, and how quickly we can all forget that these things that we see today, like this black travel movement We see today, where everybody is just going, going, going, this was not a thing.
• 27:59
  Speaker 3: First of all, it wasn't a thing 10 years ago when I studied abroad, right, so it surely wasn't a thing 40 years ago, this idea of even going outside of your city was scary.
• 28:09
  Speaker 3: You could not just go all willy-nilly.
• 28:12
  Speaker 3: There was no such thing as a solo traveler.
• 28:15
  Speaker 3: You could not be black and traveling solo in this here country of America.
• 28:18
  Speaker 3: So God forbid the thought of the world, you know, and so that's also Important.
• 28:24
  Speaker 3: Again, depending on what room I'm in, i might drill deeper into that to make sure that people really understand Why this is like so remarkable and let's not, for let us not forget why this is no small thing.
• 28:37
  Speaker 3: I.
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: I want Martice on my group project.
• 28:40
  Speaker 2: You know, in the group project there's always somebody that pulls the most weight, has the most initiative.
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: in the dead weight Girl you are like tenacious and making it happen.
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: I'm just the presenter of the group, but there's someone else that has to do the data.
• 28:54
  Speaker 3: Somebody else has to do the data.
• 28:55
  Speaker 3: Even with this.
• 28:58
  Speaker 2: I'm the yeah, I'm the e-mail.
• 28:59
  Speaker 2: I'll tell a story to her.
• 29:01
  Speaker 3: There definitely needs to be like a development manager that's doing the CRM, because I totally need to just give me the number.
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: That's right, it takes a village and I don't want to just sugarcoat this conversation and all the good stuff that happens, because we have to face the realities that tiny nonprofits are spinning all the plates, you know, with a limited staff, with a limited budget, and you know, that's why we have such a heart for the small nonprofit, because the work is mighty and there's just not enough hands frequently at the table doing the work.
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: So we would love it if you would maybe talk just a little bit about what are the challenges they face as an organization.
• 29:43
  Speaker 3: Yeah, for sure.
• 29:44
  Speaker 3: I mean, outside of making sure that people's children are safe, right, because you know, seriously, like over time, i've realized that again something that is maybe not super quantifiable to get donor dollars But I've realized, like in 10 years you've done probably like 15 different international experiences and it's been like 300 girls and you have managed to not only take girls but bring them back safely, because those are very real challenges that show up when you are working in not only the travel space but in youth development, right, there are things that happen with young people every day and it's important to acknowledge that like that is a challenge that I'm grateful we have not had to experience, right.
• 30:27
  Speaker 3: And then, in regards to operational challenges, like you said, just needing people, you know all nonprofit struggle with this, with capacity building, and so for a long time and even now you know I'm still the full-time employee, so we still operate with part-time contractors, with volunteers we're still again making it shake with this very limited amount of resources And even for myself, you know I still am on a martyr salary, you know I'm not the ED that's making six figures, and so we're still stretching ourselves And that's a huge challenge to make people understand why, again, they should invest in this work.
• 31:05
  Speaker 3: And then the next level of like, why you should invest in our team.
• 31:08
  Speaker 3: There's so much more we could do if we had people.
• 31:11
  Speaker 3: If we had, you know, a larger staff, we could host more experiences.
• 31:17
  Speaker 3: You know We get applications.
• 31:19
  Speaker 3: I remember there was a year where we had like 200 something applications and we literally only had I wanna say it was like 30 spots or like something like that where it was like we had to wait list almost half of the you know what I mean Half the applicant.
• 31:30
  Speaker 3: They were all great applicants And it was because I myself can only be at so many things.
• 31:36
  Speaker 3: Right.
• 31:36
  Speaker 3: But the cost to train people I recently was talking to an organization I wanted to get some training done.
• 31:43
  Speaker 3: That was gonna be like 10 to $15,000.
• 31:45
  Speaker 3: So for me as an ED, do I put my $10 to $15,000 in training people or do I take $10 to $15,000 and give three girls a scholarship?
• 31:54
  Speaker 3: These are the types of challenges and questions that we have to ask that other organizations just don't have to go back and forth between.
• 32:02
  Speaker 3: You know You're consistently choosing between programmatic expenses and operational expenses that you know in the long run will better serve your, the young people, right, but in the interim and in the immediate it's like where do I really need to put the dollar?
• 32:17
  Speaker 3: So our biggest challenge has definitely been building a team, and building a team with experience, with passion and that I can pay well to really honor their gifts.
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: I mean, marti, thanks for breaking that down, and I just think, looking at your journey for the years that you've poured in like, it's just so admirable how you have shown up for these girls and what you've built, this momentum that surrounds you, and I think the community you talk about is also powered by these incredible volunteers and supporters that surround this mission And I want to hear from you You get to we get to talk to Floyd about mobilizing, and I think he's so charismatic about that, you know, through his platform on GiveButter, any different way that you show up online.
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: I'm curious how have you found is the most effective way to mobilize supporters digitally for you?
• 33:02
  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, digitally definitely is that storytelling angle and, like you said, showing the girls.
• 33:08
  Speaker 3: So, as much as I'm really great at talking when I can show the girls talking, yeah, absolutely is how people online completely buy into it when they're hearing these girls Share a testimonial.
• 33:22
  Speaker 3: But even some of those like Off-guard moments where they're like seeing a girl eat something and it's their first reaction to it, right, or when they're seeing a girl stand at like Machu Picchu with a llama, it's like, oh my god, like that is so cool.
• 33:35
  Speaker 3: I think we do a really good job of capturing like the fun Right and selling that, and then also making sure we capture the learning moments as well, so that people see that there is a balance that's happening here.
• 33:49
  Speaker 3: These girls are in museums, but they're also dancing, you know they're.
• 33:52
  Speaker 3: They're learning languages, but they're also, you know, doing something else.
• 33:55
  Speaker 3: So I think that has been how people digitally have like really bought into girls going global.
• 34:02
  Speaker 2: Oh, that's just so cool and the fact that we are almost like Voyeurs or that sounds a little creepy but like cheerleaders, like watching it happen, you know, in real time, rooting for them, feeling and soaking up their joy and their sense of wonder, and I just think that the seed that is planted Here is so much more than travel, it's so much more than confidence and safety, and I mean there's lived experience, there's open-heartedness and empathy and trying new things, and I just, i just think the ripples at this age are so Profoundly important and I and I can't wait for, like the next 10 years when your girl alums become your board members and.
• 34:50
  Speaker 2: They are they are up, we're here.
• 34:52
  Speaker 3: We're here, yeah, like they're grown.
• 34:54
  Speaker 3: They're grown ladies.
• 34:55
  Speaker 3: So it's so weird because now we have girls that are like 23 and 25 and they're in their careers and they're serving on the board.
• 35:02
  Speaker 3: They're being chaperones.
• 35:03
  Speaker 3: Like this year for Egypt, we just had like three of our chaperones for our experiences, our previous global girls, right.
• 35:09
  Speaker 3: So we have junior counselors that are 18 and older, but then we have, like, your actual chaperone, who's typically gonna be 23 and older, and so we have that happening now, and so, because of that, we had to start a collegiate experience.
• 35:24
  Speaker 3: That's how we ended up in Egypt, because all the girls are now like, okay, there's limited junior counselor spots, we're all now in college.
• 35:31
  Speaker 3: They're like we need something too.
• 35:33
  Speaker 3: We still want to have a ggg experience, and so that was how we started girls going global, the collegiate experience, and they went to Egypt this past week.
• 35:42
  Speaker 3: It's on our Instagram stories now, and then we also now have chapters, so they started a chapter as spellmen.
• 35:49
  Speaker 3: They're gonna be starting a chapter at Tuskegee for a valley.
• 35:52
  Speaker 3: Like they're, you're just doing their thing, okay.
• 35:57
  Speaker 2: Amazing.
• 35:57
  Speaker 2: Well, i Hate to wrap this up because I just am so geeked out about what you have done, how beautifully You in, organically, you have built this and and imparted this gift to so many girls across the country.
• 36:10
  Speaker 2: You are familiar enough with the podcast.
• 36:13
  Speaker 2: You know we end with a one good thing.
• 36:15
  Speaker 2: So what would be your one good thing?
• 36:17
  Speaker 2: What, what would you offer up to the community today?
• 36:20
  Speaker 3: My one good thing.
• 36:21
  Speaker 3: So I'm gonna say and I say this all the time, and it's important to share every time which is be attached to the vision and not the path, and I share that everywhere I go, because when you listen to my story, it's went so many different ways, right, like I didn't start this thing to travel with girls, but I listened to what they wanted, i listened to what they needed, i paid attention to what was missing, and this journey has turned into something that I would have never imagined.
• 36:48
  Speaker 3: I never imagined to be here 10 years later.
• 36:50
  Speaker 3: I never imagined to be a full-time executive director.
• 36:53
  Speaker 3: I never imagined to be myself personally going on like five experiences this summer With young girls and so again being attached to the vision, which, for me, was just Making sure other girls knew that there was more to the world than what they saw every day.
• 37:08
  Speaker 3: That was the vision, and the path has shown up in so many different ways and I just keep rolling with it.
• 37:16
  Speaker 1: I just say that one good thing.
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: I feel like I say something like that, but you say it so much more beautifully.
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: I love the idea of like really holding on to the North Star But just like being okay with the way that it's gonna take, like, what a beautiful way.
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: The journey.
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: I feel like this whole mission is about the journey and just I want people to find you martyce.
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: I want you to get a raise in your work.
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: There's just around this mission.
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: So, yes, can act as to how people can find your mission, how they can plug in and honestly find you online to follow all of your work.
• 37:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so our website is girls going global org.
• 37:53
  Speaker 3: Our Instagram at girls going global.
• 37:56
  Speaker 3: You can find all of our adventures there.
• 37:58
  Speaker 3: We have the highlights of all the different trips that we've done Facebook girls going global and we also have a give butter.
• 38:05
  Speaker 3: So if you're interested in donating again, you'll find that on our website, but you will see our beautiful give butter page.
• 38:10
  Speaker 3: That is how we Mobilize.
• 38:12
  Speaker 3: Our fundraising has been powered through give butter, so please consider sponsoring a passport.
• 38:17
  Speaker 3: We have that campaign up, we have our international travel camps and then also any type of general donations Towards the work that we do in building our team and making sure that we're providing these girls with great experiences.
• 38:29
  Speaker 2: We welcome them all how much does it cost to support a girl getting a passport?
• 38:33
  Speaker 3: Yes, I was just thinking that it's 135 to sponsor a passport, aka $11 a month aka $5,.
• 38:43
  Speaker 2: You know twice a month.
• 38:44
  Speaker 2: So there's your lot 10 years.
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: I mean a passport last 10 years.
• 38:48
  Speaker 1: I think right in this Investment.
• 38:52
  Speaker 2: Martice, i'm so glad you were born, i'm so glad you're in this world and you brought this incredible mission to bear.
• 38:58
  Speaker 2: I we could not be rooting for you more.
• 39:01
  Speaker 2: We've made a donation from we are for good to girls going global, just because we want to fund this work and just absolutely love it.
• 39:11
  Speaker 2: So you keep going with this mighty mission.
• 39:14
  Speaker 2: We are absolutely rooting for you.
• 39:16
  Speaker 3: Oh, thank you all so much.
• 39:18
  Speaker 3: See, i'm already about to like 10 years in, and I wish it was a million dollars.
• 39:28
  Speaker 4: You're welcome.
• 39:28
  Speaker 4: It's our joy.
• 39:29
  Speaker 4: Thank you, my friend.
• 39:30
  Speaker 4: Hey friends, thanks so much for being here.
• 39:33
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• 39:38
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• 39:40
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• 39:47
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• 39:53
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• 39:55
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• 39:57
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• 39:58
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• 40:01
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• 40:05
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• 40:05
  Speaker 4: I'm our producer, julie Comfort, and our theme song is Sunray by Remy Borsbu.