Tis the season for giving! Yet if we are to tackle the complex challenges stemming from poverty, the ways that we give must adapt and evolve. The United Way is leading that evolution by positioning itself as a "Hub For Good" to convene organizations across sectors for collective impact, catalyze conversations around structural racism and engage business leaders as well as their workforce through leadership development and philanthropic giving. Tune in to this episode with their new Chief Development Officer Barbara Pierce to hear about evolving the future of philanthropy for systemic change and collective impact!

Barbara Pierce is the Chief Development Officer at the United Way. She previously worked in marketing, public relations and communication as President of Tipping Point Communication, Strategic Communications Director at Kodak and Managing Partner of Public Relations at Dixon Schwabl Advertising.

What's the best way to engage with your online community to build your movement? How can you tell your brand story in an authentic way without green-washing or purpose-washing? Is it worth the risk for your company to take a stand on social issues? Tune in to this episode with Emily Hessney Lynch of Serve Me The Sky and I Heart ROC!

Emily is the owner and founder of Serve Me the Sky Digital, a social media consulting company. In her spare time, Emily is the Director of I Heart ROC, a local website that tells the stories of fascinating Rochesterians. She is also on the Board of Cameron Community Ministries. Emily holds a Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree from the University of Rochester. She’s a voracious reader and the proud parent of two rescue dogs.

Trusting ourselves, building emotional intelligence, leading with vulnerability and listening mindfully. They may sound like platitudes for building trust on a team, but what is common sense is far from common practice in our lives and in our leadership.

Tune in to this episode with Megan Mack to hear how the practice of improv can make you a better leader at work and in life. "Just have fun, and the funny comes!"

Megan is an improviser, sketch comedy writer, and television and radio producer. She is a graduate of the Conservatory and Writing programs at The Second City Training Centre in Toronto, and has studied with Jimmy Carrane, Armando Diaz, Susan Messing, T.J. Jagodowski, and David Pasquesi. Megan performs with the sketch comedy and improve troupe, Thank You Kiss, and teaches improvisation at the Rochester Brainery, the University of Rochester, the Focus Theatre, Writers and Books, and for a variety of companies and corporations. When she's not on stage or teaching, she's the producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" at WXXI Radio.

Cassidy Putney is the Co-Founder and Director of Sustainability and Communications at Impact Earth - where they work to create Zero Waste Communities. Cassidy is working to achieve policy change surrounding problem areas including environmental sustainability, food security, and environmental justice. Cassidy graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2016 with a Bachelors in Public Policy and a focus on Environmental Sustainability & Policy and did a senior project with the Town of Brighton, designing and conducting a municipal greenhouse gas inventory and helping recommend goals for the Town's Climate Action Plan.

Although countless studies show how diversity can positively impact the bottom line, companies will only unlock those benefits when they create an inclusive culture that both encourages diverse perspectives to speak up and provides pathways to climb the corporate ladder. Kesha Carter has dedicated herself to this work to not only give diverse voices a "seat at the table, but also a plate and a fork and a knife!" Tune in to this episode to hear actionable best practices for creating a more inclusive culture that nurtures diversity at all levels of leadership in your organization!

Kesha has broken barriers as the first ever Chief Diversity Officer for CCSI, leading CCSI through a multi phased approach resulting in growth and new experiences for individual employees and the organization. She is a board member of Literacy Rochester, the recruitment and selection committee chair for AALDP (African American Leadership Development), a current candidate for Gates Town Council, and a current Athena Young Professional finalist. Kesha was a Democrat & Chronicle “Woman to Watch” in October 2016, she has facilitated D&I workshops locally and nationally for groups of various sizes and she is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.

Kesha is a Certified Diversity Professional (CDP). She also holds a Six Sigma Green Belt from Villanova University and a Professional Human Resources certification from the Human Resource Capital Institute. She earned her Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Keuka College.

What if we stopped seeing sustainability as a sacrifice and more like a fun adventure?

While Brett Howell is focused on systemic, breakthrough solutions to sustainability, he encourages businesses and individuals not to get overwhelmed and just to get started! "Build momentum and see where it goes, you're going to learn something by starting your journey...Make it simple. Make it fun. A lot of it is about becoming aware and then wanting to challenge yourself. It has to be something fun, because if it isn't fun, you're not going to do it."

Brett is a champion of environmental entrepreneurship. His mission is to catalyze teams to achieve breakthrough solutions to the systemic issues we face on our planet. Influencing governments, non-profits, startups, and global corporations. As part of his personal mission to end plastic pollution, Brett led the 2019 beach clean-up team at Henderson Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the South Pacific considered the world’s most plastic-polluted beach.

The Urban League of Rochester was founded in 1965 in the wake of racial unrest and riots that crippled the Rochester community. It was formed to address the material needs of poor and minority citizens in areas such as housing, employment, education, health and economic parity.

Dr. Seanelle Hawkins was named the Urban League of Rochester's new President and CEO, in June of 2019. Dr. Hawkins is the first woman to ever serve as President and CEO of Urban League of Rochester.

Dr. Hawkins joins the Urban League from her position as Executive Director of Sojourner Home, a local nonprofit empowering women, children, and their families through transitional support services as they recover from traumas associated with homelessness, domestic violence, mental health, and substance use disorders. As leader of Urban League, she will continue to serve the mission of building self-sufficiency through education, skill development, employment, and homeownership in Rochester on a larger scale.

Mubarak Bashir is the divisional director of workforce development at the Urban League of Rochester. In his 11 years at the urban league, he has also served as a program counselor, coordinator, then director of multiple youth programs. He is a recent graduate of the United Way’s AALDP program and was elected as class representative to serve on the board of the United Way.

In a confusing industry where so many of us feel overwhelmed by too many choices, Benefit Link simplifies options and empowers employees to make data-driven decisions, so that they can create a "health plan, not a health guess."

But the value of a culture of caring goes even further. Clients are often pleasantly surprised at how this simplicity, transparency and empowerment can help cultivate a culture of caring that leads to happier employees, delivers value for the company and has positive ripple effects throughout the community.

Tune in to this episode to hear how "A culture of caring delivers!"

Robin's first job was a papergirl at age 11, where she learned the power of the extra effort when she would deliver the paper to the front door rather than leaving it at the end of the driveway like her predecessors. This extra effort made her customers very happy because she made their lives easier. She runs Benefit Link that same way, by giving clients an extra effort that makes their lives easier. Benefit Link leverages a proprietary solution to empower small businesses and their employees to take the guesswork out of selecting health plans and make data-driven health plan choices.

Once Again Nut Butter Collective, an employee-owned company with a passion for doing things the right way for its people, products and the planet. Founded in 1976 by a husband-and-wife team with an entrepreneurial flair, Once Again has grown from a company run out of an 800-square-foot basement into a thriving business that produces millions of pounds of organic and natural nut and seed butters. Recognized as a leader in ethical and sustainable business practices, the company founded its Honest In Trade program to define the team’s efforts and take them to the next level. In addition to their support of farmers in underdeveloped countries, initiatives to protect the environment, and unsurpassed safety and quality standards, this fun-loving family of 86 employees also actively supports its community and non-profit organizations.

Bob Gelser is the General Manager at Once Again Nut Butter. Bob earned an associate degree in mechanical engineering from the State University College of Technology at Alfred in 1985 and a Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Also joining us is Colin Wilcox, an employee-owner, QA lab technician, and internal trustee at Once Again.

"If the environment is changing, you need to change and adapt with it," says Once Again Nut Butter General Manager Bob Gelser. At Once Again, a democratically-run ESOP, that evolution includes their ownership and governance structures. "If you're still maintaining your core values and your mission, your business model can be flexible."

Tune in to learn:

-Their unique structure that blends the best of Employee Stock Ownership Plans and Worker-Owned Cooperatives

-Balancing roles as employees, owners and stockholders

-How ESOPs outperform financially and are more resilient in recessions

-The importance of "deciding how to decide"

-How their "Honest In Trade" program invests in the supply chain

-Maintaining a 4:1 ratio between the highest and lowest paid workers (compared to 278:1 across the USA)

To be an employee at the Coffee Connection, there is a "three strikes" policy: having a history of substance abuse, being a woman and being convicted of a felony. Except those three strikes won't exclude you, but are actually what make you eligible to be hired!

How does the Coffee Connection put together a "recipe for healing" for new employees? "First we listen to their story," says Joy Bergfalk, "I'm big on accountability, but if you don't understand someone's behavior, you don't know enough of their story."

Tune in to this episode of the podcast to hear more from Joy on how the Coffee Connection is brewing up recipes for recovery and healing "one cup, one woman, one day at a time."

Joy comes from a family that questions the way things are traditionally done and works to find a more creative way to address needs in our society. She started collecting traumatized animals at age 5, and began her study of racism and trauma in third grade and has not looked back. Through study and experience, Joy has worked to create a recipe for healing from addiction, trauma, and incarceration. While most programs are short-term, the Coffee Connection/Project Empower offers a long-term program for women from this population. She is a tireless advocate for finding a paradigm that works and draws out women to live in their fullest potential to their benefit, the benefit of their families and society in general.