Latest / We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits / 316. Tapping Hollywood's Advisor: How to Partner with Celebrities to Grow Mission Impact - Sarah Adolphson

Transcript

316. Tapping Hollywood's Advisor: How to Partner with Celebrities to Grow Mission Impact - Sarah Adolphson · We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits

• 0:01
  Jonathan McCoy: Technology alone can't solve the challenges nonprofits face. And that's why Neon One provides software that empowers you to manage constituents all while giving you the resources and support you need to connect to what matters most your people and their passions. Learn more about how Neon One is helping nonprofits create stronger connections by visiting neonone.com/weareforgood.
• 0:25
  Jonathan McCoy: Hey, I'm Jon.
• 0:26
  Becky Endicott: And I'm Becky.
• 0:27
  Jonathan McCoy: And this is the We Are For Good podcast.
• 0:29
  Becky Endicott: 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.
• 0:39
  Jonathan McCoy: 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.
• 0:47
  Becky Endicott: So welcome to the good community. We're nonprofit professionals, philanthropists, world changers and rabid fans who are striving to bring a little more goodness into the world.
• 0:58
  Jonathan McCoy: So let's get started. Becky, Sarah is finally here.
• 1:02
  Becky Endicott: Oh my gosh, I'm gonna get emotional before I even get into the intro because we are so lucky and so blessed to just have this platform that allows us to just talk and meet the world's most incredible people. And we had a dear friend Skyler Badenoch with Hope for Haiti that said, Hey, I know what your vibe is over at We Are For Good. And you have got to meet Sarah. She's doing some really extraordinary and exciting things over in LA but it's a global impact so go meet her. And so John and I sat down with this incredible human and I just felt incredible kinship to her love the way she shows up in life. She has a crazy winding story. But I want to give you some background before we dive into the role of celebrity and philanthropy because in my mind, there is nobody who knows this better than Sarah. So I want to welcome Sarah Adolphson to the community. She's the Co-CEO, love the Co-CEO by the way, of the Artemis Agency, and the Artemis Agency develops creative and sustainable strategies for people like you know, she she'll just drop these names Lady Gaga, Jon Batiste, you know, celebrities and people with high profile platforms, but also corporations, nonprofits, organizations, and just individuals who want to create a very sustainable impact in the world to tackle the issues that matter to them. Sarah, is this an expert in entertainment, strategy and engagement, and she has extensive philanthropic experience working with all of these global celebrities.
• 2:39
  Becky Endicott: Something I just think is so fascinating about her, she began her career serving in the Peace Corps as a volunteer in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. And she just developed this passion and commitment to community engagement and philanthropic service while she was there. And so she has just this incredible pedigree, with this master's degree and all these awards. And then she just drew on this broader array of multifaceted local, national and international relationships. And she pulled it all together with you know, very casual working with the White House, corporations, NGOs. And she's just working to improve the quality of America's public education system. She's worked on the passage of the Affordable Care Act, and increasing economic support and employment opportunities for veterans and people, that is like the smallest slice of what she does to help raise awareness about causes and interest and connect people to activation. And I'll just say before, I actually hand this over and let you talk, Sarah. She is one of the kindest, most generous, compassionate human beings we've met. I feel like she is our sister from another mister, we've learned so much from you in the short time that we've met, cannot wait to have just your wisdom and your heart come into our community. So welcome to the We Are For Good podcast.
• 3:57
  Becky Endicott: We're so glad you're here.
• 3:59
  Sarah Adolphson: Wow, thank you.
• 3:59
  Sarah Adolphson: I, I, That was quite an introduction. I am, I'm flattered. I'm really, really happy to be here. I love what you guys are doing. I love what you've built. And it's just it's actually just really an honor that you reached out and are giving me the time today.
• 4:18
  Becky Endicott: Well, the dopamine is all firing over here for all of us. So I love that we are starting out just with this heart for wanting to understand how you go about your work and how you do it with dignity. And you do it with ethics and with you know, I just think about our first core value that everyone matters and you have that in your heart but we want to back up and say where did that come from? Like tell us about little Sarah, tell us about where you grew up and how the experiences that you had, you know, growing up and leading into Georgia coming back to Hollywood, how they shaped where you are today.
• 4:54
  Sarah Adolphson: Oh, little Sarah. I mean, it came from both of my parents. I have incredible parents Um, but really my, my dad my entire life, he's always just said two words to me, which is Be kind. And those are so much more than words, those are actions, those are feelings, those are thoughts and, and being kind is not always easy.
• 5:13
  Sarah Adolphson: It takes some work, especially in today's society where I think that there's so much anger and unhappiness to really dig deep and find that kindness and live with it every single day is it takes it takes work, but it's so important. I mean, kindness is contagious. Kindness makes people feel better, it makes you feel better. It's great for your mental health. And it's great for community. And so I've just always lived with that value.
• 5:41
  Sarah Adolphson: And it's guided me in my in my work and in everything that I do. And I think it was that that value of kindness that led me to joining the Peace Corps, I am also going to be honest, I was really excited by the travel. I there was I you know, it was I did want to go and do good in the world. But it was also an opportunity to see a part of the world that I would never have picked on my own, I would never have known about and and the fact that I was sent to live in Eastern Europe, and that was just a time it was just a timing issue. I gotten a job out of college and called the Peace Corps and said, you know, I'd like to have at least a year of work under my belt. What does it look like if I leave and I think it was March 2003. And, and they said, well, then we will, we'll send you to The Caucasus. And my reaction was like I hung up. Oh, that's wonderful. I love The Caucasus. I hung up the phone and looked around at my colleagues. I was like, does anyone know what The Caucasus are? Clearly geography,
• 6:40
  Becky Endicott: 22-year-old Becky would have said that same thing. Totally.
• 6:43
  Sarah Adolphson: Yeah, not my not my best class in high school. But yeah, I fell madly in love with the country and also had, you know, the opportunity to see where philanthropy goes wrong. And I think there's a lot of well intentioned people who were, you know, who travel around the world look to do good. But don't do it with sustainable solutions in mind. And don't do it with the culture in mind. And so that was that was my motivating factor to make philanthropy my not just my passion, but my career.
• 7:10
  Jonathan McCoy: I mean, okay, we love your back story. And I love people that have had this international experience that go and just change them because I had a similar story part of our growing up, too. I just love that you channeled that into how Artemis Agency came about because it's one thing to just hang up a shingle and say, we're going to work with celebrities to help them with their philanthropy, that you're like, you go deeper below the surface, because you're here for sustainable strategies and pairing their creative energy and what they want to do and see in the world. So give us an overview, like bring us into the Artemis world and kind of talk about the work that you all get to do.
• 7:44
  Sarah Adolphson: I mean, I feel so fortunate that we get to do this work, I never set out to do celebrity philanthropy and I and I don't even think that I do I mean, we, we work for anyone who wants to make a difference in the world, whether that that is somebody with a high profile platform or somebody with a family with wealth and means to give back, or a small nonprofit that is looking to bring in more resources and tell their story better. So we're just fortunate that we get to sit at this intersection of entertainment, where we can have a little bit more fun and bring and shine a brighter light on these causes that need it. So So Artemis started with my business partner, Catherine over a martini as all great ideas do.
• 8:31
  Jonathan McCoy: And napkin. This is really great.
• 8:32
  Becky Endicott: It's always a napkin story.
• 8:35
  Sarah Adolphson: And just kind of taught him she was she was a consultant and I was working within a talent agency. And and you know, I I envied her because she could take on fewer clients and dig a little bit deeper on the work that they were doing.
• 8:49
  Sarah Adolphson: And you know, she was looking to have more support, have a thought partner, bring in more clients, do more exciting things in the world. She's an incredible big thinker. And I'm an I'm a very practical nuts and bolts thinker. So together we, we we come up with the big ideas that then work and yeah, that martini led to Artemis launching. And we were able to launch with some relatively big names, but have have grown our business to like I said, work with all different kinds of people and agencies and companies and nonprofits that want to want to just do good in the world and, and bring our expertise and strategy and development, programming, but then our expertise in entertainment and marketing to help these things not only succeed but also soar.
• 9:36
  Becky Endicott: You're just being so humble right now because I want I'm guess I'm usurping part of you. But um, like part of your story is you started in the mailroom of one of these agencies. And as you're working up in learning, you're listening all the time and you just feel this pull into this social impact work, and I know I'm jumping the gun, I'm trying to connect people. But it's like, if you go to the Artemus, agency's website, you will be filled with so much light and love, because the way that you show up the way that you position people that we all know, is so human. And that is what I feel like is the great disrupter of how you approach this work. Because I think there's so much interest for people around celebrity and in the way that media has positioned them, we, you know, it's like their lives and we're sitting back here going, what do they care about? You know, what is their purpose? How are they flexing this platform that they have? And many of them want to talk about it. So I want you to talk a little bit about the role of celebrity and philanthropy, talk to us just about your philosophy around it, and also talk about what opportunity is there for nonprofits maybe to hook their wagon to it?
• 11:27
  Sarah Adolphson: Oh, thank you, thank you, I feel very fortunate. And when I was working at William Morris Endeavor, at the agency, sitting at that, in that spot of philanthropy and running the foundation and being there as a service to the clients and and to the agents and and all the employees, mail room on up, for philanthropy, you get to know people's heart, which you don't always get to do in a work environment. And so it was when somebody came to my office, be it an employee, or a celebrity or whatever, or any kind of any of our clients, they were coming because they wanted to do good in the world. And what was it like an amazing opportunity for me to be able to get to know people in such a meaningful and personal way. So it takes the shine off of them a little bit, because you're getting you're getting like raw feelings, right? The biggest question that we ask when somebody comes to to the agency and wants to help with their philanthropy is what makes you angry? Because when you ask somebody, what are you passionate about? It's, it's, you know, we're all passionate about so many things, kids, animals, education, but like when you go like, what, what is keeping you up at night, what really, when you turn on the news, what's making you really angry, then you get to the heart of what they truly care about.
• 12:41
  Sarah Adolphson: So there's that. And now to answer your question, like, what is the role of celebrity and philanthropy? And I think, you know, it's, it's multiple different things, there are celebrities that want to do philanthropy, because they're good people, and they, they've been given great opportunities, and they want to give back, very rarely do you see an artist or an influencer, get into this because they feel like it's a it's a PR move. If they're doing it, they're doing it because they're ready to invest the time and the money and their resources to make a difference in the world. And a lot of them are looking to start their own thing. And then a lot of them are just like, how do I I've got these many followers on my Instagram, how can I how can I leverage that and do something good. And so you know, we we get to help them find the causes that they care about, and connect those dots. If you're a nonprofit looking to work with a celebrity, it's not, it's not easy, I'm just going to be honest, it's, it's not easy.
• 13:36
  Sarah Adolphson: There's a lot even though there are a lot of artists out there, a lot of them have their own, they either have their own nonprofits, they have their own foundations that they've started or nonprofits that they've started, or they've already attached themselves to a cause or a charity that they're passionate about, or that they learned about and fell in love with. So you know, it's it's not, it's not easy. What we found tends to work is coming up with the idea first, rather than going to the talent or their representatives and saying, I need you to be an ambassador, it's coming to them being like we're running this great campaign, right, we've got this big idea and we need your voice to be a part of it. That makes it a lot easier to at least at least get in the door and have them react to something versus, yeah. I also would would say, you know, to think outside of the box, when you're thinking of celebrities, they're not just the big names, necessarily.
• 14:34
  Sarah Adolphson: Sometimes they're have influence in other in other ways and thinking really strategically about who your audience is and who they pay attention to, because it might not be Brad Pitt, you know, it might be a social media expert on finance, that has a you know, a couple million followers but might not be you know, the who you see on mainstream television. And then I would also look into your own network and see who are the heroes that you're working with every day and figure out ways to make them celebrities. I mean, some of the most successful campaigns that we've done for our clients don't even involve famous names. It's it's just elevating the stories of people affected by whatever issue it is we've we've run an incredible campaign with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation called True (Not) Crime, which tells the story we're working on a campaign to decriminalize HIV.
• 15:28
  Sarah Adolphson: In 30 states, there are laws in the states that still put people in jail almost purely for their HIV status.
• 15:37
  Jonathan McCoy: Hold on, we're recording this in 2022. You're saying that this is still an issue?
• 15:41
  Becky Endicott: I cannot even fathom this.
• 15:43
  Sarah Adolphson: Yeah,
• 15:44
  Jonathan McCoy: Unbelievable.
• 15:44
  Sarah Adolphson: And some of these laws are so antiquated that they even can imprison you for spitting, which we all know now, I mean, that that's not how you transmit HIV. So we work with a number of really amazing people who have been imprisoned and criminalized for their HIV status and through this campaign have been able to tell their stories and, and it's been empowering for them and freeing for them, and also an incredible tool to get a word out. And we didn't I mean, we got some celebrity voiceovers, I'll be honest, there are some celebrity names, but that's not what that's not what attracts people to it. That's not the it, the it is Robert Suttle and Ken Pinkela and Diana Oliva, those, those are, and Andre Leaphart, those are the those are the stars.
• 16:33
  Jonathan McCoy: I mean, there's a lot of things that you said that I want to kind of circle back to, but I love that you saw people come in, in a raw state, you know, and that's this connection point. I think every nonprofit can relate to that.
• 16:45
  Jonathan McCoy: Because the donors like close to us like first, we just need to realize what magic we have when people come because they're angry, or because this is like such a gift to be able to give back. Like we should look around and not daydream, of working with a celebrity when you have people right in front of you that are passionate. Like I think there's something there for everybody. But then I just think of like the transition that you're speaking to of like, this is not just someone that has so many blockbusters like quick thinking so one dimensionally like, there's a lot of ways to activate people now that have communities. You know, we talk about this all the time, I'm wondering if you would lead us into, you know, how are you seeing this landscape change with digital fundraising and influencers and corporate social responsibility? Like, what is this philanthropy look like?
• 17:27
  Jonathan McCoy: Now, as you activate people kind of in all these different ways that they can be deployed?
• 17:33
  Sarah Adolphson: That's such a good question. I'm gonna be honest, there's a lot of noise right now in the philanthropic space. It makes it hard to crack through, which is, which is why I understand the desire for celebrities, even celebrity voices and celebrity ambassadors, because that does break through the noise to a certain extent, but not always, I mean, we've done things where you're like, This is gonna be huge, people are gonna lose their minds. And, and, you know, and just, it gets drowned out by all the other things, you know, we've, we've got on our team, one of the greatest publicists I've ever encountered. And even he even he sometimes hits these moments where something happens in the news. And next thing, you know, like, there goes, your campaigns not viewed in the way that you wanted it. And it's not getting the press pick up that we all expected. And so there's just there's so much going on right now in our world, that it's a challenge. And I want to shout out all of the nonprofit leaders out there, because you are, you are so committed to your work and your missions. And you continue to pound the pavement every single day. And make the noise that you can and find the dollars that you can and you are doing the hard work and you're doing the hard work and you are changing the world and I just want to give them that encouragement to keep going because this this is a challenging time, I think for philanthropy, unless you're unless you're the cause du jour, right? And usually, the cause usually lasts like a like a couple a few years. But now right now it's like we're it's like we're playing ping pong.
• 19:09
  Sarah Adolphson: It's it's now it's mental health. Now it's public, it's public safety. Now it's public health. I mean, it's, it's a lot. It's a lot to keep up with.
• 19:16
  Sarah Adolphson: So I'm not so sure I had the best answer for your question other than this is, this is a tricky time.
• 19:26
  Jonathan McCoy: Hey, friends, taking a pause from this feel good conversation to share a quick story. Hope & A Future is a nonprofit that serves children in the Arizona foster care system. Last year, they wanted to grow donations during Giving Tuesday. The only problem Giving Tuesday was only one day away.
• 19:41
  Jonathan McCoy: Determined to seize the opportunity, they reached out to our friends at Feathr with help from Feathr's services, Hope & A Future managed to launch a complete advertising campaign just in time. As a direct result, they raised more than$500 on GivingTuesday. But that was just the beginning, Hope & A Futuredecided to follow up with an additional retargeting campaigns designed to increase donations and reengage previous donors. They raised over $32,000 with just a $4,000 ad spend.
• 20:07
  Jonathan McCoy: Nonprofits of all shapes and sizes are turning to Feathr to grow their campaigns with targeted digital ad tools that reach people whenever and wherever they're online. Use Feathr to grow your year in fundraisers, learn more about their solutions for nonprofits feathr.co That's feather without the last e dot co.
• 20:27
  Becky Endicott: It is a tricky time and I think one of the biggest challenge that I think we have in media is it's It's just so divisive, and it's so negative. And what we're trying to overcome is the good, we want the story that comes out that's good. That's heartfelt, that's activating that gets people up and quirks their eyebrow and says, I don't like that either.
• 20:52
  Becky Endicott: In fact, I don't like it so much that I want to do something about it. How can I, you know, get involved in something like that. And I think it feels to me that there's there's such a moment right now where people want those good stories, because we're all tired, we are worn down. And to your point. I mean, it's a noisy landscape. And it's a heavy, noisy landscape. I mean, it feels like there are so many heavy issues right now. And it just feels like good. And I hate to be just like the ridiculous idealist here. But it feels like good is something that can cut through the noise.
• 21:29
  Becky Endicott: And I love that you create space. And I think We Are For Good is a space where we can celebrate that. And we don't have to go to traditional mediums to find good now. And nonprofit leaders, like you have so much good going on within your organization and people who want to hear your stories and want to be a part of that thing.
• 21:48
  Becky Endicott: So I just I guess I'm here to piggyback on you and just say, keep going, push that out. You don't necessarily need a celebrity to do it. We just need content creation. So I'm really curious about just like the successful campaigns that you've witnessed, and worked on throughout your career. How do you witness the partnership between maybe the nonprofit and the network of the celebrity, you know, coming together to create that deep awareness and impact? I would love to hear some examples if you have them.
• 22:18
  Sarah Adolphson: Oh, there's so there's so many. I mean, there's so many examples. And it's storytelling, right? That's, that's the way that you're going to win hearts and minds right now is is truly just telling the stories. And I think that that campaign of True Not Crime was a good example of how we use storytelling, because when you're talking about HIV criminal laws, I mean, this is very complex. And it raises a lot of questions because it you know, there still is concern, and there's still deep stigma associated with HIV. And so the only way that we can successfully get people to listen and get people to understand it, particularly lawmakers because that's our that's our audience a lot of the time is through these stories.
• 22:57
  Sarah Adolphson: So that one is something I think we're really proud of the Pass the Mic campaign that the the ONE campaign did during COVID, I thought was absolutely brilliant. And it created a new way of celebrities to give back and and if you're not familiar with it, this is when they had they started with Julia Roberts and Dr. Fauci and Julia Roberts basically did it, did an Instagram live with him and then handed her social media platforms over to him to get the facts out to people in a medium that people felt safe, and you know, and trusted. And so I think we had like 30 celebrities sign up for this and, and got, you know, world leaders to be able to use the celebrity platform to share information and get facts out to people.
• 23:47
  Jonathan McCoy: And Sarah, this was people sharing from their phones, right? I mean, this was like taking phone video, which I think is so fun. This is not like high production. It's like raw. Yeah, it was perfectly timed, you know?
• 23:59
  Sarah Adolphson: Yeah. And it was at a time that people were craving real information and weren't sure you know, what the news was telling them what was right and if the White House was telling them what was right. And so to be able to give them the people that they trust and love and admire, that those people were handing over their platforms to experts. And so I think that's kind of changed the way celebrity philanthropy is looked at now. Because celebrities are like, Oh, I don't have to be the expert.
• 24:27
  Sarah Adolphson: What I can do is give my platform to one. And we've seen ever since that there have been a lot of sort of passing of the mic and giving over their platform to the experts to share what's true and what's happening. And I just think that that's, it was really exciting.
• 24:44
  Sarah Adolphson: And it was it was really smart.
• 24:44
  Sarah Adolphson: And the artists loved it, because it took the pressure off of them. Right. So that was a great one. You know, we got to be involved last year. And you know, obviously we do a lot of work in HIV. I have a lot of examples in that. But we were able to partner with partner the Compass Initiative, Gilead COMPASS Initiative with Lil NAS X last year, both for his VMA performance and his album release. And he did a baby registry that helped raise 500, I think yeah, I think a little over 500,000 for 13 Very small, grassroots nonprofits and it gave them incredible exposure.
• 25:25
  Sarah Adolphson: And these are all nonprofits working across the south to fight LGBTQ and HIV stigma. And so it was it was just exciting to be yeah for people to react to that baby registry but like wow, like this is this is bold and it's smart and it's creative and it was all him and then and then for his VMA performance we were able to put someone from the Southern AIDS Coalition on the stage wearing a prison, it was a it was the "Industry Baby" performance, so Mardrequs Harris.
• 25:54
  Becky Endicott: Right! I remember watching the clip back about that. Oh, my gosh, Sarah.
• 25:58
  Sarah Adolphson: Yeah.
• 25:58
  Becky Endicott: That was so smart.
• 25:59
  Sarah Adolphson: And it was it was it was just it was bold, of Lil NAS X to do that, to use the stage to fight something that's that's really serious. And but to do it in such a creative way, and spread the word. And it was just it was it was it was very special. And I think it was it when you're talking about destigmatizing those are the kinds of opportunities that you need, you need to put some of these issues on very national, very public stages.
• 26:27
  Jonathan McCoy: Wow. And it's like creating a disruptive event. You know, I mean, that's what we have to do with so much noise. It's like, how can we stand out? And I want to transition and talk a little bit about what looks, what does it look like for a successful partnership if you're working with somebody like this, but something that you said I want to lift to is the nonprofit here in this equation still has so much power, because they are so close to the impact that's being made. And you know, we're trying to shift the narrative of that the nonprofits always the one that's coming, begging or asking, but it's like the narrative shifted, because you're providing this impact this story, that's only possible because of the work you do. And so by platforming that and figuring out a way to partner, it really is coming to the table with something to offer that is unique. And we should feel confident in that in our ask and the way that we prepare and, you know, make these requests. So would you I mean, counter that or talk about what a cool, exciting partnership looks like for somebody a meaningful partnership experience.
• 27:24
  Sarah Adolphson: You know, I think what makes a great partnership is, is authenticity.
• 27:25
  Sarah Adolphson: If the artist is involved, and really cares about the issue, we see this a lot with mental health, we do a lot of work in the mental health space. And there are a lot of high profile folks who struggle or know people who struggle with mental illness, and giving them the opportunity to tell their story and connect with others, it's so much more powerful, even if it's at a gala, right? Even if we're just this is a fundraising event, but we're gonna put folks on the stage who are really authentically connected to this issue, and we work with an organization Bring Change to Mind, it is very important to them, they will never work with an artist in their PSAs or any other way that isn't authentically connected to the issue. And that is the secret in their success. And so I think that that's important, I think it's it's easy to, you know, kind of think, Oh, if we just have a big name, then this then we're golden, you got to find the person or people who really truly care about the mission.
• 28:26
  Sarah Adolphson: And, and that's where you build a beautiful partnership and a lasting partnership. It takes it maybe takes longer. Yeah, but but if you can find that, that's where you create the magic.
• 28:38
  Becky Endicott: I love that so much, it is, it just harkens back to what we talk about all the time is if you can show up and be a genuine human being with your flaws, warts and all, somebody is going to see that and see themselves in that. So if I'm going to translate this, for the nonprofit, it means please check out your form letter on your letterhead that you're sending to your celebrity, puor your heart and soul in a why this matters.
• 29:04
  Becky Endicott: Share a story with that celebrity of an actual human being that is served by your mission and how you change not only their life, but how their story impacted the way that you deliver your mission, then put that into a DM, you know, into their social account or seek that out in really new and unique ways. And then I just don't think it's even just in the pitch. And I would love to hear your thoughts on this. I think we can ask people, what would enrich this experience for you because we would love for you to storytell, we would love for you to talk about what you're doing in this way. And if we can show up with this very generous spirit, you know, which is what we do we are in the generosity sector, then it just I think that that cuts through the noise so much more than the way that we kind of button up our things and say, here's who we are and here's a boiler plate and that is not human. And so human is the way to go. I'm cheering over here for you. And I just think that you have grabbed on to something really really special in the in the uniqueness of the moment to me in 2022 is that anybody can connect with anybody right now in the world. It doesn't even have to be the celebrity, find their social media team find their comms team find their publicist, pitch something. It's just it seems like anything is possible. You need to like pull into your inner courage, go for it nonprofits, step into your power.
• 30:41
  Sarah Adolphson: The worst they're gonna say is no or nothing.
• 30:45
  Becky Endicott: That is the worst thing that can happen in nonprofit when you ask someone for a gift.
• 30:49
  Jonathan McCoy: So true.
• 30:50
  Sarah Adolphson: And that's, that's all, all it is right? The people around these people are human beings also ever. They're all, we're all human. And and we all care, you know. And I think the only thing other thing I would say when you're doing this kind of outreach is is to know who you're asking, do they do they have a history with this?
• 31:07
  Sarah Adolphson: You know, do they have a have they, have they spoken out about your cause or your issue, if they put out posts, you know, and then connect it, hey I noticed that you tweeted about, you know, with refugees and Ukrainian refugees, and I've got this organization that's helping feeding them at the border? And would you be interested in learning more, or coming out and seeing our work or whatever, whatever it is, but connect those dots, because that's how you know that already, there's that that little hint of authenticity, you already know, okay, we've found something that shows that they care about this issue. And now let's see if we can dig deeper.
• 31:46
  Jonathan McCoy: You're so our people, so I want to tap your brain. I mean, we're starting to even think about what the next year is going to look like, which is crazy. The year is starting to wind down wild. But where do you feel like philanthropy is moving? Like how would you like to see nonprofits bigger, small, really challenged themselves and the next year?
• 32:03
  Sarah Adolphson: I think that I think we really are moving more into an era of of good storytelling. You know, I think nonprofits have always had to tell their story. It's the only way they sell their mission. And they have to tell the stories of the people that they, they help but I think that we're getting more creative. I mean, Tik Tok is such a powerful tool to get out a message and get it out in a creative way in a pithy quick way. And I, we were seeing nonprofits take advantage of that platform to get out a message. And we're seeing them create more really unique and interesting videos. We work with one organization, and they've got a digital platform called Million Stories Media that that creates content around financial literacy and entrepreneurship.
• 32:50
  Sarah Adolphson: And it's some of the most beautifully shot and well done pieces of content I've ever seen. So I encourage people to go check it out, because not only are you going to be entertained, but you're going to learn about you know, your own personal finances and financial journeys.
• 33:09
  Jonathan McCoy: Which means friends, invest in this type of content, you know, you hear us talk about this, because in this new world we're in, I mean, that investment could get you so much more exposure and awareness and open up doors. That is not just a video, like a video is not just a video, a video is this tool and this investment in kind of these conversations. So I love that you gave that advice.
• 33:30
  Becky Endicott: And, you are talking about story. And I feel that in the thread, like as a common thread in this, it's, it really comes back to the heart of why we do what we do. Who are the humans? What is the human impact on this world as it relates to your mission? How does that human impact connect, not just the celebrity, but to anybody, you know, who sees themselves in that lived experience? And I'm so curious to ask you this question we ask all our questions, or sorry, I'm going to say that again. We ask all our guests to share a story of philanthropy with us that really changed or moved them.
• 34:08
  Becky Endicott: And I truly cannot wait to, to know the one that lifts up for you.
• 34:12
  Sarah Adolphson: Oh, and it's I was actually talking to my business partner about this this morning. Because when you do this work, and we're so fortunate that we get to work in so many different causes with so many different organizations.
• 34:24
  Sarah Adolphson: I'm moved every day, I wish there was one thing that I could really tell you has brought me to tears, because it's all of them. What really moves me is like as kind of everyday heroes just seeing kindness, every single day, at the supermarket.
• 34:42
  Sarah Adolphson: You know, leaving a parking garage, like places where people would normally be maybe a little impatient or anxious. actually watching people smile at one another. Because I think these last several years, we've lost a little bit of that, maybe we lost a lot of it. So seeing seeing that, my husband says it all the time and he's like people are kinder to each other than we think. And when you look for it will move you it will move you because it's it's out there. And it's a beautiful thing.
• 35:09
  Becky Endicott: And it's like the great multiplier of humanity. When you see that you see a random act of kindness and it's like oh my gosh, that made me feel so good. I want to do that. I want to like be a part of giving somebody that level of joy or hope or something like that. Thanks for Sarah keeps bringing us back to like basic principles of, of being a good human. That's what I love about your work.
• 35:31
  Sarah Adolphson: And look at the Born This Way Foundation is great at that. I mean, they they're they're actually kicking off a campaign in September called called Be Kind and they have a whole 21 days, Be Kind 21. It's 21 days of kindness because it takes 21 days to change a habit. And I encourage people to just do acts of kindness every single day for the majority of the month. And it's such a simple idea. But it has such a powerful effect on the way people treat each other and lift up each other. And that's just, we just need that so much constantly. I have a friend Tom Tait, who was mayor of Anaheim, and he ran and he ran on a platform of kindness.
• 36:13
  Sarah Adolphson: And he he really encouraged a culture of kindness in the city and it, it had an effect. I mean, crime went down, and people were friendlier. And there were more neighborhood activities. I mean, there's I'm sure there's studies on on what he's done, but it it works.
• 36:30
  Becky Endicott: Okay, Tom Tait, come on to the podcast.
• 36:33
  Jonathan McCoy: Add him on the Ungettable Get List.
• 36:35
  Sarah Adolphson: Oh we should have him!
• 36:36
  Becky Endicott: And you're talking about the Born This Way Foundation, and we are the biggest Lady Gaga fans ever. And I just have to say she, she is one of those people that has always been kind. That's kind of like what I'm taking away from this, if you see good in someone speak it, you know, we want that, we not only want to reflect it, we want to like amplify and replicate it as much as possible. So I like you, Sarah, can you tell? Take my friendship bracelet and let's just be friends.
• 37:05
  Sarah Adolphson: I mean, look at what you guys built, you built a whole platform to encourage good and kindness. I mean, this is what you guys do every single day. And I like, let's just keep doing more of it, right? And get more people on this train and get out of this this current environment that we're in where we're just so not kind to ech other.
• 37:26
  Becky Endicott: Yeah, get out of the funk.
• 37:28
  Jonathan McCoy: We could obviously talk to you all day.
• 37:30
  Jonathan McCoy: But as we kind of wind down, what's a piece of advice you could leave with this? What's your one good thing, Sarah, that you could share with our community?
• 37:37
  Sarah Adolphson: God. I'm a broken record, but be kind, be good to each other.
• 37:41
  Jonathan McCoy: Yeah.
• 37:42
  Sarah Adolphson: It changes your entire perspective. It's, it's good for you, it's good for your health, you know. And if you just lead with that, then you'll lead a fulfilling life and you'll you'll help others.
• 37:55
  Becky Endicott: Well, you are definitely living that my friend and I and I think what's so impactful about that is that if you can embed that into the core, I mean, it's so clear in your company, it's so clear when we meet you personally, and I would even like probably suggest that your friends would probably say that, your community would say that. And that's and that's just an aspirational thing that I think everybody should reach towards. So, okay, Sarah, tell us how people can connect with the Artemis Agency. I cannot be effusive enough about the video quality and the story quality of what you have on your website.
• 38:34
  Becky Endicott: But tell us about your social channels and how people can connect with you.
• 38:38
  Sarah Adolphson: Well, our website is the Artemus.agency.There's no dot com.
• 38:41
  Jonathan McCoy: Fancy domain alert.
• 38:45
  Sarah Adolphson: Yeah.
• 38:46
  Jonathan McCoy: Look at that fancy domain, that's awesome.
• 38:47
  Becky Endicott: Right? Very progressive.
• 38:48
  Sarah Adolphson: We entered the age of the not coms. And info@theartemis.agency, you can find us on Instagram with just@theartemisagency. We're on Facebook and LinkedIn, as well.
• 39:03
  Sarah Adolphson: But I think we're probably most active on Instagram. So you find us there and shoot us an email.
• 39:06
  Sarah Adolphson: And you know, and we're also here for a laugh, this work is hard. This work is very hard.
• 39:14
  Sarah Adolphson: And it's emotional. And you know, the challenges that face our world are, are not small and they're not easy to take in. And so I think that that's kind of the other thing that I just want to leave folks with is like it's okay to laugh. It's okay to have fun. I mean, we have to, right?
• 39:28
  Becky Endicott: I mean, you're just such a light. I thank you for this conversation that we knew is going to be about the arc of philanthropy and celebrity but I just think you brought so much more in terms of heart filling. So keep going with your incredible work. We're rooting for you and in every possible way and people go check out Sarah and The Artemis Agency. It's just really progressive, heartfelt work.
• 39:53
  Jonathan McCoy: It's such an honor. Thank you, Sarah.
• 39:55
  Sarah Adolphson: Oh, thank you.
• 39:55
  Sarah Adolphson: No, this was great fun, and thank you for the work that you do.
• 40:00
  Julie Confer: Hey, friends, thanks so much for being here.
• 40:02
  Julie Confer: Did you know we create a landing page for each podcast episode with helpful links, freebies and even shareable graphics? Be sure to check it out at the link in this episode's description. 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. We'd love for you to join our good community. It's free and you can think of it as the after party to each podcast episode. You can sign up today at weareforgood.com/hello. One more thing If you loved what you heard today, would you mind leaving us a podcast rating and review? It means the world to us and your support helps more people find our country ready Thanks friends I'm our producer Julie Confer and our theme song is Sunray by Remy Borsboom.