find your cause

Steven Muncy was 23 years old, had never left the US, and couldn't speak a foreign language. He bought a ticket to the Philippines anyway.

Forty-six years later, he leads Community and Family Services International, a 500-person organization working with hundreds of thousands of displaced people each year across Southeast Asia.

In this conversation, Steven talks about the lessons that only come from showing up in a refugee camp, why the narrative around refugees is not just wrong but provably wrong, and the one moment with a woman named Dolores that changed how he listens.

Guest links:
Community and Family Services International: https://cfsi.ph/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CFSI.RebuildingLives

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfsi_rebuilds/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cfsi-rebuildinglives/

X: https://x.com/CFSI_rebuilds

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cfsivideo/feed

GTZP links:
Website: www.gtzp.org
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp

#FindYourCause #Refugees #HumanRights #Nonprofit #GreaterThanZeroPercent #SocialJustice

Illinois has already lost between 80% and 91% of its wetlands over the last 200 years. Most of that land is now farmland, and most people have no idea it happened.

Peter Goodspeed, Restoration Program Director at The Wetlands Initiative, has spent his career working to reverse that loss, one acre at a time. In this conversation he explains what a wetland actually is (it is more than standing water), why losing them leads to catastrophic flooding and dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico, and how a small 20-person nonprofit is quietly restoring thousands of acres across Illinois and Indiana, including a former WWII munitions plant just outside of Joliet.

He also walks through what farmers, homeowners, and regular people can do right now to be part of the restoration, even without owning land.

Chapters:

[00:00] Introduction
[00:00] What Is The Wetlands Initiative?
[00:00] Why Peter Chose This Work
[00:00] What a Wetland Actually Is
[00:00] What Wetlands Do for Us
[00:00] Why 80-91% of Illinois Wetlands Are Gone
[00:00] Balancing Agriculture and Conservation
[00:00] A World With No Wetlands vs. a World With Plenty
[00:00] The Smart Wetlands Program
[00:00] The Dixon Refuge and Midewin Prairie
[00:00] The Calumet Region Restoration
[00:00] How You Can Get Involved

Guest links:

The Wetlands Initiative: wetlands-initiative.org
Instagram: @wetlandsinitiative

GTZP links:

Website: gtzp.org
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691
Sponsor Alignment Call: calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment

#FindYourCause #WetlandsRestoration #EnvironmentalNonprofit #Conservation #GreaterThanZeroPercent #TheWetlandsInitiative #ClimateAction #Chicago

Lesley de Jonge is the founder and executive director of Let's Keep the Ball Flying, a nonprofit connecting the global volleyball community to spread access to the sport.

In this conversation he and Joseph Smalzer get into the moment in Nepal that started it all, why a jersey can be a bridge into belonging, how the organization teaches coaches in rural areas to build a volleyball from plastic bags and a net from bamboo, the school-adoption model that has clubs from Stanford to Nebraska giving back, and the lesson he keeps relearning: the people doing the giving are the ones who get changed the most.

Let's Keep the Ball Flying:
Website: lktbf.org
Email: [email protected]
Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/letskeeptheballflying/

https://www.facebook.com/letskeeptheballflying

https://www.tiktok.com/@letskeeptheballflying

https://www.linkedin.com/company/letskeeptheballflying/

GTZP.ORG:
Website: https://www.gtzp.org/
Email: [email protected]
Socials:
https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent
https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/
https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercent

#FindYourCause #Volleyball #SportForGood #Nonprofit #AccessToSport #GreaterThanZeroPercent

Bill Crouch spent two decades as a college president before founding BrightDot, a consulting firm that has worked with over 150 nonprofits to fix the one problem most of them refuse to name: they do not know how to talk to the people who have the money.

In this episode, Bill and Joseph dig into why fundraising staff turn over every 16 months, what a funeral home owner taught Bill about donor psychology, how the shift from the 80/20 rule to a 95/5 wealth concentration has changed the game for nonprofits, and why "your mission doesn't count unless you have the revenue to run it."

Connect with Bill and BrightDot:

brightdot.com

Find Your Cause:

Website: gtzp.org

Sponsor inquiry: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercent

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2

#FindYourCause #Nonprofit #Fundraising #BrightDot #Mattership #NonprofitLeadership #SocialImpact #MissionDriven #Philanthropy

Brian Wenke has spent over a decade as Executive Director of It Gets Better, one of the most recognized LGBTQ+ youth organizations in the world.

What started in 2010 as a single video response to a wave of youth suicides became a global storytelling movement reaching young queer people across 19 countries.

But Brian is not interested in staying relevant forever. His goal is to put the organization out of business.

In this episode, Brian and Joseph dig into what it actually takes to reach LGBTQ+ youth before a crisis happens, why storytelling alone is not enough anymore, how the Changemakers grant program has put $1.6 million into youth-led projects across nearly every US state, and what Brian thinks the community itself has gotten wrong in the current political moment.

Connect with Brian and It Gets Better:

itgetsbetter.org

twitch.tv/itgetsbetter

@ItGetsBetter on all major platforms

Find Your Cause:

Website: gtzp.org

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercent

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2

Sponsor inquiry: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment/

#FindYourCause #Nonprofit #LGBTQYouth #ItGetsBetter #SocialImpact #CauseLeadership #MissionDriven #Philanthropy

Sponsorship Inquiries: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment

When a crime happens, the system focuses on putting the perpetrator away. The victim testifies, helps the prosecution, and then gets forgotten.

There are no programs, no financial support, and no path forward for people whose lives have been completely upended. David Thiruselvam saw that gap and built a law firm around it.

Victim Recovery Law Center exists specifically for crime victims, from sexual assault survivors to shooting victims to families who lost someone because a business failed its duty to keep them safe.

The cases are hard, expensive, and go to trial. That is exactly why most law firms do not take them.

This episode covers how the civil justice system actually works, why most victims do not know they have legal options, what businesses are legally required to do to protect their customers, and how one lawsuit helped take a ghost gun manufacturer off the streets.

Chapters:

[02:00] Why David built a firm focused only on crime victims
[03:13] Why America is a litigious country and whether that is good or bad
[07:24] The coffee case: what most people get wrong about frivolous lawsuits
[10:53] How settlement amounts are determined and what forum shopping is
[14:07] How insurance and civil lawsuits interact
[18:29] Why most victims never know they have a legal option
[21:45] How cameras are changing accountability, not crime rates
[22:03] Why the mall was held responsible
[23:54] Gas station shootings and the duty businesses owe their customers
[29:36] How to find a law firm if you are a crime victim
[37:33] How a lawsuit shut down a bar where employees were drugging customers
[41:07] How to contact Victim Recovery Law Center

Connect with David Thiruselvam:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-thiruselvam-49560a6/

[email protected]

Connect with Find Your Cause:

• Website: gtzp.org
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercent
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2

#FindYourCause #GTZP #VictimRecoveryLaw #CrimeVictims #Justice #VictimRights #Law #CivilJustice #GhostGuns #SexualAssaultAwareness

Sponsor inquiries: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment/

In May 2020, Adam Mizel was yelling at his television. His wife turned to him and said, "You've been screaming at the TV about the Yankees for thirty years and they never hear you.

If you feel this way, what are you going to do?" He stood up, walked away from private equity, and spent the next five years building a movement to reunite America.

Last summer he drove across the country in a purple and white pickup truck with a film crew, talked to thousands of Americans, interviewed Shaq, and discovered something the media does not report: most people are not nearly as divided as they are told to be.

This is the story of Us United, the Unity Pledge, and what it actually takes to change a culture.

Chapters:
[01:08] Why Adam left private equity to do this
[03:02] Is America's division normal or something new?
[05:47] How technology and AI are magnifying the problem
[09:58] How to protect yourself from misinformation
[13:34] The legal difference between publishers and bulletin boards
[15:33] The road trip: driving across America in a purple pickup truck
[23:41] The Unity Pledge and how to change the algorithm
[29:00] Unity Seats: bringing strangers together at sporting events
[35:48] How to have a constructive conversation across the divide
[39:38] 30 For Us: the redlining story that changed four minds in 30 minutes
[42:24] Why changing your mind is not flip-flopping, it is growing
[46:12] How to get involved with Us United

Connect with Us United:

Website: us-united.org

Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn: @UsUnited

Connect with Find Your Cause:

• Website: gtzp.org
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercent
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2

#FindYourCause #GTZP #UsUnited #Unity #AmericanUnity #Nonprofit #CivicEngagement #Storytelling #Leadership #UsUnitedOrg

She was 15 years old and in the hospital for five months when she made a promise to herself. When she got better, she would pour that same love back out into the world. She kept that promise.

Now she runs the Gladys Giving Foundation, bringing inclusive holiday celebrations, essential resources, and a new youth workshop to communities that other systems have already turned away.

No ID required. No Social Security number. No documentation. Just show up.

Connect with Gladys Giving Foundation:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gladysgivingproject/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gladysgivingfoundation/
• Email: [email protected]

Sponsorship Inquiries: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment

Connect with Find Your Cause:

• Website: gtzp.org
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercent
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/
• Apple Podcasts:
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2
  

#FindYourCause #GTZP #GladysGivingFoundation #Nonprofit #CommunityImpact #PurposeDriven #GrassrootsNonprofit #HolidayGiving #GlowUpCollective #SocialImpact

He grew up in a railroad town in a single-parent household, channeled his anger into football and grades, got into Johns Hopkins, failed at stockbroking, and lived out of a conversion van.

Two years into the insurance business, making $124,000 a year, buying Corvettes and getting magazine features, a 12-year-old kid drowned and Tony Holland had to process the death claim. That moment ended his ego and started everything else.

Now he runs billion-dollar companies, has coached 13 championship football teams, and holds a minority ownership stake in the Baltimore Orioles. This is the story of how purpose and profit stopped competing.

Connect with Tony Holland:
linkedin.com/in/tony-holland-1130a8251

Sponsorship inquiries: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment

Connect with Find Your Cause:

• Website: gtzp.org
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercent
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2
  

#FindYourCause #GTZP #TonyHolland #GlobalPremierBenefits #Integrity #Purpose #Adversity #Entrepreneur #Faith #Leadership

Sponsorship Inquiries: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment

Tania Rempert has spent her career inside nonprofits that are doing real work but cannot prove it.

As founder and board president of Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation Org (P.I.E.), she helps mission-driven organizations identify what they are actually changing, measure it, and tell that story to funders with confidence.

In this episode, Joseph and Tania dig into why most nonprofits are measuring the wrong things, how a single through line transformed 40 siloed programs at Youth Guidance into a unified impact story, and what even the smallest one-person nonprofit can do right now to start owning their data.

Connect with P.I.E. Org: pieorg.org

Connect with Find Your Cause:

• Website: gtzp.org
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercent
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2