The Give Back Model

In today’s very special episode of the Give Back Model podcast, Christine speaks with Meg Stevens, the founder of Tree of Hope Creations, a company dedicated to creating motherhood keepsake and memorial pieces. During their conversation, Meg shares some of her background, how she came to be involved in her current work, and the boundaries she has developed for herself as she creates pieces for her customers using ashes, hair, burial dirt, clothing and more. She also shares her emotional connection to each and every precious shipment she receives, and her experience going viral on TikTok for her compassion and vulnerability. Please note that this episode does contain some sensitive conversation around loss of a child and miscarriages.

Meg explains how her business began as a way to help others through their grief and motherhood journeys, and then goes on to address the importance of building a platform, particularly in the context of running a business. Her experiences with using social media to promote her work are recounted, including  dealing with negative comments and criticism and the importance of just diving in and starting to use social media, even if it is intimidating or scary. Meg also describes her experience with breastfeeding, and  highlights the incredible support she receives from her husband, including a particularly meaningful plaque he has created for her. Listen in today to learn more about Meg's remarkable story, the beautiful, meaningful pieces she creates for her customers, and the emotional weight that accompanies this important work.

For more information and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back, please visit TheGiveBackModel.com. 

Episode Highlights:

• Meg’s work with Tree of Hope Creations and how it began
• Meg’s emotional connections to each and every shipment she receives
• Her TikTok experience
• Meg’s personal and professional history
• Her experience with breastfeeding and her husband’s amazing support
• The emotional weight of handling such precious cargo 
• Creating something so personal and meaningful for her customers
• Dealing with negativity online
• Being vulnerable and showing real feelings and passion in her work

Quotes:

"Hundreds of customers trust Meg and her team to create these gifts from their loved ones’ ashes, hair, burial dirt, clothing, and so much more."

"I feel like I got lucky. I got very lucky in the growth and being able to be part of so many different people's journeys and even helping people through their grief and through motherhood"

"He wanted to make me something that would mean the world, that would say, ‘Thank you for taking care of our kids. Thank you for nursing our kids.’"

"He was amazing and supportive, and I honestly couldn't ask for better."

"I'm so afraid I'm going to screw it up. I'm so afraid that I'm going to mess up and not touch someone's loved one."

"I remember getting the package and just holding my breath because I had someone's daughter in my hands."

"I was making something that she would be able to hold of her actual child."

"I get a whole lot of crap on social media, whether it be people like making fun of us for breast milk because they don't understand, or just that emotional side of it.”

"If you're scared, just do it. It can change your life."

"Those ten people that are liking your post, that's ten people that love you."

"It's worth it, it's worth it. I would do it a million times over."

Links:

The Give Back Model website TheGiveBackModel.com

Follow The Give Back Model on Instagram @thegivebackmodel

Tree of Hope Creations

Welcome to the podcast! Today's guest is Samantha Weckesser, the founder and CEO of Mama Hen Media, a boutique agency that helps women-owned businesses achieve their marketing goals through Pinterest blogging and Plan Ahead content distribution. Samantha also runs a giveback program through the sponsorship of Girls on the Run, a nonprofit organization that helps girls strengthen their confidence, minds, and bodies through a positive youth development program centered around running. 

In this episode, Christine and Samantha discuss the story behind Mama Hen Media, the importance of mental health and self-care, and how Mama Hen Media's giveback program helps inspire and empower women and girls.

For more information and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back, please visit TheGiveBackModel.com.

Episode Highlights:

-The story behind Mama Hen Media

-Importance of mental health and self-care

-Mama Hen Media's giveback program

-Inspiring and empowering women and girls

-Girls on the Run program

-Importance of positive role models and mentors

-The power of running and exercise for mental health

-Combining personal and professional passions

-The value of community involvement and giving back

-The future of Mama Hen Media and its mission

Quotes:

"I started as a virtual assistant and was working under the business name Just Ask For Sam. Kind of fell into it organically through people that I met online and started working, helping business owners and just sort of grew and grew and grew."

"I loved it because I could work the hours that I wanted to and be home with my family. I have four children, ten and under, so being available for them was really important to me."

"As my business grew and my client base grew, I needed to bring on more team members and decided that the name Just Ask For Sam makes it sound like it's just me, when in fact I have now a team to support me."

"I really believe in the power of mental health and self-care and the importance of it. And so I really wanted to make sure that we were incorporating that into our business model."

"I really believe in the power of running and exercise for mental health and just the overall well-being of a person."

"So I wanted to combine my personal passion with my professional passion and be able to give back to a cause that I really believe in."

"I think it's really important for businesses to be involved in their community and give back in some way."

"I just love the fact that we are able to inspire and empower women and girls through our giveback program and through the work that we do."

"I'm really excited about the future of Mama Hen Media and just continuing to grow and make an impact in the world and help as many women-owned businesses as possible achieve their goals."

Links:

The Give Back Model website TheGiveBackModel.com

Follow The Give Back Model on Instagram @thegivebackmodel

Mama Hen Media

Girls On The Run

Filling the Gratitude Gap with Group Greeting Founder Anthony Doctolero

Today’s guest on The Give Back Model is Anthony Doctolero, founder of GroupGreeting, an online digital card provider used by over ten thousand workplaces, including 80% of the Fortune 500 list. Anthony wanted his company to stand for making a difference, so a portion of each GroupGreeting card sent is put toward planting trees in areas hit hard by deforestation and wildfires. Anthony opens the episode by sharing the inspiration for GroupGreeting—a photo album sent all over the country and filled by many friends before being presented as a birthday gift. While it was an awesome idea, Anthony wondered if there was a more efficient way to do it digitally, which led to the creation of GroupGreeting. However, between starting a family and needing a steady income, it took nine years for Anthony to start running the site full-time, growing it month over month until the COVID pandemic hit, at which point the business really took off

GroupGreeting’s year-over-year percentage growth in 2020 was 4,000%, which Anthony credits to the desire for remote workers to maintain their work relationships and still celebrate events together. He discusses the importance of expressing gratitude and appreciation in corporate environments and the challenge of maintaining that as remote working became the norm, with his company helping huge corporations fill the gratitude gap and maintain social connections within their teams. Anthony then talks about GroupGreeting’s give-back partnership with One Tree Planted, why he wanted to give back to the environment, and the success of the model so far, with over 125,000 trees planted and counting. And he finishes the episode by sharing his biggest challenges and most fulfilling achievements over the thirteen years he’s been cultivating GroupGreeting, including the satisfaction of facilitating one-on-one moments of appreciation and gratitude between people.

For more information and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back, please visit TheGiveBackModel.com. That’s where you can also let Christine know about companies you’ve found that give back, and check out The Give Back Model merchandise, where $5 for every sale goes to non-profit organizations. Thanks for listening!

Episode Highlights:

• Anthony’s journey to going all-in on GroupGreeting
• The impact of remote working on work relationships
• GroupGreeting’s give-back partnership with One Tree Planted
• Anthony’s plans for growth and his biggest challenge
• Anthony’s most fulfilling achievements

Quotes:

“I was one of those kids that would buy candy at a discount at Costco and sell it on the playground, or in high school, we would do fundraisers and car washes, but I kind of treated it like a business. And there was always this thing in me that, like, had this business entrepreneurial aspect.”

“All those people were at home, not connected to the people they’re seeing every day. And at the same time, there’s birthdays, there’s things that were going on, and work anniversaries, so they still wanted to celebrate. So they searched out on the search engines and found us, and we were only one of only maybe three or four people who are offering it. And it just kind of took off from there.”

“We thought, as business owners, this really is our chance to make a company whatever we want. And we wanted to stand for making a difference, not only in the lives of the companies and the customers we work with but also the environment. So we were like, let’s just do it, who cares whether we succeed or we don’t succeed, at least we tried, and we tried to help the environment.”

“It’s kind of like planting a tree, you know, you put the seed in the ground, you give it water, and you give it the right sun and soil and etc. But it doesn’t grow the next day, right? But what it’s doing, if you’re consistent, and you’re watering and whatnot, it’s growing its root system, and that’s going to propel it to grow one day. And I think that’s what, if I had to talk to someone who’s starting out, I would just say patience and focus.”

“Each card has anywhere from one message to, I think the most is we’ve had 2,500 people sign one card. So we’ve sent over 65 million messages through these cards. And I think having that impact—and you know that 99.9% of those were all positive, encouraging, well-wishes—feeling that is very gratifying.”

Links:

The Give Back Model website TheGiveBackModel.com

Follow The Give Back Model on Instagram @thegivebackmodel

Use Code: THEGIVEBACKMODEL (for 50% off your first card)

www.groupgreeting.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonydoctolero/

Challenging Norms and Finding Your Own Path with Miriam Haart

Joining Christine on today’s episode is entrepreneur, engineer, and designer Miriam Haart. Miriam’s a content creator who continues to empower women to be their true selves while learning new skills and using their voices. She’s also one of the stars of the Netflix series My Unorthodox Life, and she opens the episode by discussing becoming a public figure, the positive feedback that motivates her, and the impact of having an audience. She also shares her journey from a childhood spent in a fundamentalist Orthodox Jewish community to the transformative moment of questioning her religion to leaving the community, studying at Stanford, and getting into the tech world.

Next, Christine asks Miriam for advice on how to get into crypto as a woman, for whom the industry can often be intimidating. Miriam speaks to the inequality in the tech space and the importance of encouraging women and other minorities to get involved, so they’re not excluded from the technology that shapes the world. She also has some advice on how to get started with crypto and points out that the technology isn’t just good for making money but also has the potential to do real good in the world. For example, Miriam points out her own NFT, which donates 100% of its profits—almost a million dollars—to reproductive rights organizations. She also shares how learning to code when she was a teenager empowered her and can do the same for women by giving them a way to build the world they want to be part of. And Miriam closes the show by discussing some of her next projects, including her new podcast, and sharing her message to the world—to throw off societal pressures and find your own path to happiness.

For more information and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back, please visit TheGiveBackModel.com. That’s where you can also let Christine know about companies you’ve found that give back, and check out The Give Back Model merchandise, where $5 for every sale goes to charity. Thanks for listening!

Episode Highlights:

• Becoming a public figure with 'My Unorthodox Life' on Netflix
• Miriam’s journey through religion and toward Stanford
• The importance of creating equitable tech
• How women can be empowered by the tech industry
• Miriam’s next projects, including new podcast 'Faking It'

Quotes:

“Getting to Stanford from that background and that lack of knowledge of Math, Science, English, critical reading, critical writing, was really hard. It was really, really hard. I studied three hours every day for two years to get to Stanford, to build my score because I needed at least a thirty-one on the ACT’s because that was their minimum.”

“I think it’s so important for women to get involved in the space because if we’re not involved, we will be excluded from these very deep, underlying technologies that will change the way of how we interact with each other over the next hundred years.”

“A lot of the time, we think that tech just grows, and it’s like the innovation just happens. But really, there’s people who are creating these innovations. And there’s a lot of systems in which the thought happens that excludes a lot of people or promotes others. And so we have to find a way to create equitable technology.”

“For women, who oftentimes don’t feel like they can just be loud and be outspoken, technology’s a way to do that and to create products and things that you wish existed for yourself. And so also, that’s one thing that I think is so beautiful about women getting into technology, it’s kind of that they get to create things that they wish existed, they get to feel empowered by being able to actually build the world they want to be a part of.”

“I just encourage people to try to find a way to follow their own path, be brave, take those steps. Because at the end of the day, they won’t just make themselves feel better, be happier, but they’ll inspire people around them to do the same. And then it’ll just become the norm to do you.”

Links:

The Give Back Model website TheGiveBackModel.com

Follow The Give Back Model on Instagram @thegivebackmodel

Miriam’s website

Miriam on Instagram @miriamhaart

Faking It on Instagram @thisisfakingit

On this episode of Give Back Model, Christine Petrella welcomes Filly Bellette to the podcast.  As a cofounder of Chris and Filly Functional Medicine, a mother, and giver, she begins this week’s episode by talking about the farm she was raised on in Tasmania.  She notes that her family heavily valued giving back, and this led her to volunteer to teach English alone in Kenya.  While she was there, she quickly came to the realization that she was vastly ignorant of her privilege, and likewise, how she could use that privilege for good.  

She decided to get her PhD in Human Rights and was granted her degree the day she gave birth to her first child, an experience that would transform the rest of her life.  After going through a rather traumatic birth, Filly suffered months of poor gut and mental health.  It was this journey that led her to start Chris and Filly Functional Medicine, an organization that helps parents improve their own and their children’s health. Her company partners with Free to Shine, an organization based in Cambodia that educates and prevents young Cambodian girls from entering the sex trafficking ring.  Through her work with Free to Shine, Filly has not only learned that you don’t need a lot of money to give back, but she also learned the importance of self worth.  She draws this episode to a rather fitting close by coming to proper terms with her self worth - no longer does she believe that her worth is dependent upon her work.  Filly knows now that she is enough.  

For more information and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back, please visit TheGiveBackModel.com. That’s where you can also let Christine know about companies you’ve found that give back, and check out The Give Back Model merchandise, where $5 for every sale goes to charity. Thanks for listening!

The Finer Details of This Episode:

• Filly grew up on a farm in Tasmania with a family who valued giving back.
• 
  
• She volunteered in Kenya alone and came face to face with her own ignorance.
• 
  
• Filly got her PhD in Human Rights after realizing that she didn’t have the right tools to help others.
• 
  
• Her experience on antibiotics after giving birth introduced her to common problems with gut health.
• 
  
• When Filly started functional medicine, she felt like she’d finally found her calling helping high strung parents find their footing again.  
• 
  
• She and her family participate in a child protection organization, Free To Shine, that supports Cambodian girls to educate and save them from human sex trafficking.
• 
  
• Through her work with Free To Shine, Filly learned that you don’t need a lot of money to give back. 
• 
  
• Filly recalls feeling like her self worth depended on her productivity before realizing that she was enough.

Quotes:

“Their goal is to help high achieving parents with energy, mood and gut issues to end their body burnout for good.”

“Our family culture was very much about giving back to others, and service and showing compassion for other people without really expecting anything in return. So I kind of feel like that was built into our family values.”

“So for the next four months after I had Poppy, I had no sensation to pee. So I was using a catheter to urinate. Because I was prone to getting UTI infections, because I had this internal catheter in 2007, I was on loads of antibiotics, in and out of hospital, catching all the infections still and then going on more antibiotics. So my gut health was kind of ripped raw.”

“I called myself the ‘dragon mom’, I was just screaming all the time, like, the anxiety for me showed up in screaming and losing the plot.”

“Our big mission is to work with high achieving parents to end their body burnout.”

“I thought they wanted something straightforward for us to provide like university tuition fees, but they didn't want anything for themselves. Instead, they wanted for no other girl to go through the horrors that they had been through.”

“I don't have a lot of extra to give; you don't have to give a lot to be able to make a difference.”

‘I was overdoing and overachieving because I felt like my worth [depended upon] what I put out…”

“The Free to Shine organization has enrolled over 750 Girls, they've built 21 houses, they've had over 4000 social work intervention wins, and over 32,000 safety visits conducted, which is a mind blowing number.”

Links:

The Give Back Model website TheGiveBackModel.com

Follow The Give Back Model on Instagram @thegivebackmodel

Chris and Filly Homepage

Free to Shine Homepage

Nina Rauch is Social Impact Lead at insurance company Lemonade, a certified B Corporation available in the US, Germany, the Netherlands, and France. Lemonade aims to change the way people think about insurance by focusing on strong values and charitable contributions instead of profit. Nina joins Christine today to talk about Lemonade’s groundbreaking business model, her journey to becoming Social Impact Lead, and the impressive amount of money the company has donated since 2017.

Nina explains the Lemonade Giveback, the charitable core of the company, which means Lemonade annually donates its leftover dollars to a range of nonprofit partners. She discusses how this process was built into Lemonade from the beginning and describes the huge impact the program has had on organizations working with such causes as climate issues, racial justice, support for veterans, and LGBTQ+ issues. Nina goes on to describe her journey from fundraising in high school to working for Lemonade and discusses a few of the organizations that have stuck with her over the years, as well as the challenges and inspirations she’s experienced along the way. To finish up, Nina shares what’s coming up for Lemonade, including their new venture into car insurance and how to balance its environmental impact, and her plans to increase the strength of Lemonade’s voice in the climate space and ensure the company stays transparent and authentic as it continues to grow.

For more information and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back, please visit TheGiveBackModel.com. That’s where you can also let Christine know about companies you’ve found that give back, and check out The Give Back Model merchandise, where $5 for every sale goes to charity. Thanks for listening!

Episode Highlights:

·   Nina Rauch is Social Impact Lead at Lemonade.

·   Lemonade is an insurance company that tries to connect its policyholders with nonprofits as a means of making charitable contributions rather than profit.

·   Nina was featured in Forbes magazine this year, something that’s always been a goal of hers.

·   Lemonade is trying to reshape how people think about insurance, primarily through an element of their product called the Lemonade GiveBack.

·   Traditional insurance works through pooling small amounts of money by taking premiums from a large number of people to pay for those who need to make claims. This generally leaves money left over at the end of the year (because the amount needed can’t be predicted, so people are asked to pay higher premiums than what winds up being needed), which the insurer keeps as profit.

·   Lemonade wanted to differentiate itself from this model, so it created the Lemonade Giveback, which means that, once a year, the company donates its leftover dollars to its nonprofit partners.

·   The first Giveback in 2017 donated $53,000 to 14 different charities; in 2021, over $2.3 million went to 65 different organizations.

·   The best way to use Lemonade is through their app (though you can use their website as well!).

·   From the beginning, you choose the cause you want to Giveback to, and that cause will stay with you unless you want to make a change (which is really easy to facilitate).

·   The Giveback was built into Lemonade’s product from the very beginning—without it, the product couldn’t exist. It was a B Corp before its first policy was sold.

·   Lemonade wants to make the process of claiming insurance as simple and supportive as possible, from minimizing paperwork to making sure you can talk to a real person or get on their Slack channel when you need help.

·   Lemonade works with a wide range of nonprofit organizations, and Nina ensures that their values align with those of Lemonade by considering what their employees and policyholders hold dear, from climate issues, to LGBTQ+ support, to standing up for racial justice.

·   Only 3% of overall funding in the US goes to environmental concerns, whereas Lemonade donates 12%; similarly, only 3.4% of overall funding in the US goes to LGBTQ+ causes, while Lemonade donates 10%.

·   Nina’s also in charge of regulatory matters, ensuring that all Lemonade’s nonprofits are transparent with their finances so their policyholders can trust their money is going to organizations that will genuinely use it for good causes.

·   Many of Lemonade’s policyholders reach out to Nina to suggest causes they might want to support, which, for example, led to them adding Objective Zero (an organization that supports veterans with PTSD) to their partners.

·   Nina had the opportunity to see first-hand what a difference Lemonade can make when she attended a dinner held by MEET (Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow), a Lemonade partner since 2017, supporting young Palestinian and Israeli entrepreneurs.

·   When she was 16, Nina founded a breast cancer awareness organization called Pink Week in memory of her activist mother, who passed away from the disease. Pink Week started with Nina and her friends raising small amounts of money before she spent time at university spreading the cause to other campuses before it was adopted by a much larger breast cancer charity.

·   This sparked Nina’s passion for giving back and the nonprofit world, so the first thing she did when she graduated was to go and work for a nonprofit before moving to Tel Aviv and finding Lemonade.

·   Some of the organizations that have stuck with Nina include: 350.org, a grassroots movement aimed at solving the climate crisis, which has received over $100,000 in donations since partnering with Lemonade; and the ACLU Criminal Justice Project, which has received around $200,000 over the past two years.

·   Nina also highlights New Story, a charity that supports families outside the US who don’t have sufficient funding. During the COVID-19 pandemic, New Story decided to shift their focus closer to home to sponsor rent for those who lost their jobs because of COVID. Lemonade donated around $300,000 to sponsor three months of rent for 100-plus families.

·   Nina’s biggest challenge at Lemonade has been working against the downward trends nonprofits have suffered through 2021. Over 40% experienced a double-digit drop in fundraising revenue, and overall giving sank by around 1.7%. So Lemonade increased its scope, with donations 104% higher than 2020 and around 4,000% higher than 2017.

·   Nina is inspired by the people surrounding her, from her fellow employees at Lemonade to the people working at their nonprofit partners.

·   Recently Lemonade introduced a platform called Deed, a fundraising platform for employees, to unite their employees who are working from home.

·   Lemonade recently introduced car insurance, which presented a dilemma—how do you cover something that’s bad for the environment when your values are pro-environment? Lemonade’s answer was to try to build the most environmentally friendly car insurance around by partnering with nonprofit One Tree Planted and offsetting their drive as a mission.

·   Nina’s focus right now is on establishing Lemonade as a voice in the climate space by pushing forward its climate-positive message. She’s also looking into creating a climate-positive workforce by offsetting the emissions of Lemonade’s employees.

·   What keeps Nina up at night is thinking about how Lemonade can stay transparent and authentic as the company grows.

Quotes:

“When you hear insurance, you think, ‘Hey, what is lemonade doing differently?’ But more likely, you’re thinking, ‘Insurance, I hate my insurance company.’”

“We want it to be transparent. We want it to be likable. We want you to not dread opening your Lemonade app.”

“We’ve really created a new relationship. We have our policyholder, we have us as the insurance company, and we have the nonprofit, and we’re managing to connect them through this really exciting and kind of new relationship that doesn’t exist in any other insurance company.”

“I think too often we see companies saying, ‘Okay, now I’ve grown, and I’m substantial. Here’s the time to give back.’ But what we try to do is really build it in from the very start.”

“I like to think of the Giveback as if you could look at Lemonade and see our inner value system, that’s what the Giveback would be. It’s our spine, so it’s everything we stand for.”

“I think the Giveback really represented for me something that was missing, which was that perfect fusion of the for-profit world and the nonprofit world in a way that wasn’t fake and was actually really authentic.”

“Anyone who comes to work for the product is aware of the Giveback and has an impact-focused mind.”

“We support Women in Need, which is a homelessness charity based out of New York City and supports women who have recently lost their jobs. And this year, I sent them an email announcing their Giveback amount. And I said, ‘You’ve received $112,000’, and the CEO replied, ‘Do you mean $112?’ For me, that was just one of the best emails to receive.”

“We’re building something new. How can we make sure that impact remains at the core? How can we make sure that Giveback is not something that just happens once a year?”

“In the climate space, we were the first insurance company to divest from fossil fuels, which is a little-known fact about us. We’re very cool.”

“Check us out, check out our Giveback, and stay posted for Giveback 2022. I’m already thinking about it. We’re already carving out how it should look and the nonprofits that we hope to support.”

Links:

The Give Back Model website TheGiveBackModel.com

Follow The Give Back Model on Instagram @thegivebackmodel 

Lemonade

Molly Trerotola is the Head of Social Impact at ShoppingGives, a certified B Corporation and an award-winning technology startup focused on building an economy of giving by creating a positive impact through everyday purchases. Today, Molly joins Christine to discuss giving back involving small businesses, shoppers, and nonprofits highlighting the potential roadblocks that may arise and how ShoppingGives can help overcome them.

Molly begins by discussing her passion for philanthropy work and fundraising, and the journey she has taken that has ignited this passion. She goes on to offer extensive details about the work that ShoppingGives does, how they do it, and the hugely beneficial impact is has, as well as her experiences working with Give Lively, a free fundraising platform for nonprofits. Molly concludes by sharing her wish to see more brand values front and center and actions taken by the companies to fulfill their commitments to nonprofits that their customers care about.

For more information and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back, please visit TheGiveBackModel.com. That's where you can also let Christine know about companies you've found that give back, and check out The Give Back Model merchandise, where $5 for every sale goes to charity. Thanks for listening!

Episode Highlights:

·   Molly Trerotola is the Head of Social Impact at ShoppingGives. 

·   ShoppingGives is an e-commerce platform that powers brands to give donations to nonprofits.

·   She has always been passionate about philanthropy work, fundraising, and giving.

·   She started at a global public health nonprofit in Peru, where she worked in the communications department helping to develop digital stories around their initiatives to generate more fundraising support.

·   Molly has committed wholeheartedly to social impact work, and when she moved to New York, she had the opportunity to dive headfirst into corporate social responsibility.

·   ShoppingGives helps a small business accomplish corporate social responsibility of giving philanthropy fundraising by basically providing a tech solution for brands to scale their philanthropy efforts and embed social impact within their e-commerce journey

·   It allows companies to give back to causes they're passionate about and lets customers choose a cause they're passionate about as part of their purchase.

·   A critical core component of the platform is compliance and regulation. ShoppingGives covers brands from a compliance standpoint, and gives them access to a database of 1.8 million nonprofits.

·   Brands donate to the ShoppingGives Foundation, a US-registered nonprofit, under section 501(c)(3), and then the foundation grants those funds to the organizations that the brands pledged the funds to.

·   Nonprofit organizations have challenges where they get requests, and they want to be able to support them, but they need to focus on their programmatic work. Technology like ShoppingGives, or any other innovative third-party fundraising platforms that can alleviate some of those challenges, and streamline fundraising efforts for nonprofits, is necessary.

·   ShoppingGives also plays a matchmaker role between brands and nonprofits.

·   This is Molly's third social impact tech organization that provides technology to nonprofits at no cost.

·   ShoppingGives is a certified B Corporation. These companies go through a rigorous assessment process to prove their positive impact in their external and external communities.

·   ShoppingGives contributes to or answers recurring fundraising, subscription-based giving.

·   Give Lively is an organization Molly worked with in the past where she helped launch the platform into the nonprofit space and worked for nonprofits to build out more technology that they could disperse to benefit from the rest of the nonprofit community.

·   She has also worked with the Malala Fund, an organization whose mission is to empower girls worldwide with education and elevate the voices of young women around the world. 

·   Molly's most fulfilling part has been one-on-one conversations with nonprofits, hearing about their fundraising activities and initiatives, and providing a solution that will make their lives a little easier. 

·   Molly hopes for more brand values and companies’ actions to fulfill their commitments to nonprofits that their customers care about.

Quotes 

"I love the intersection of technology and cross-sector partnerships, and leveraging resources innovatively to help nonprofits power their mission-critical work and coming up with unique and creative ways to do that either through online fundraising, partnerships, in-kind donations."

"Brands can integrate this innovative tech directly onto their websites and into their e-commerce journey to bring their values front and center and involve their customers in their giving back process."

"Social impact is a necessary part of a business's bottom line now."

"It's a beautiful thing to see companies stepping up and engaging with new initiatives and technology to power these efforts."

"We're democratizing philanthropy, giving small brands and nonprofits access to corporate dollars that they might not have otherwise had, and allowing brands to fundraise on a dime in a very turnkey fashion for nonprofits of all size regardless of their capacity."

 "There are so many tech disparities within the nonprofit and profit sector, but then also within the nonprofit sector.”

"In terms of the technology solutions, nonprofits are looking for more features and products to help power the corporate partnerships and the individual fundraising."

"It's more evident that diversification of fundraising is super important to nonprofit success… they can't just fundraise with event tickets because events disappeared last year."

"Social impact tech is super fulfilling because every day I know that the hard work and the grinding we're doing is, in the end, raising more money for nonprofits of all shapes and sizes."

"My favorite part about this line of work is just being able to talk to nonprofits and provide a solution that will make their lives a little easier."

"I'd love for nonprofits to have access to the high tech in innovative and burgeoning fields of technology because there's always a delay in the nonprofit sector."

"The whole experience of giving needs to be quick and easy. We want to have in this day and age everything at our fingertips, we want to be able to click a button, and everything works in the background."

"Philanthropy is as natural as rising in the morning."

“There is no good time or no perfect time to integrate social impact and address corporate social responsibility. The best time is now, and brands of all sizes can do it."

Links:

The Give Back Model website TheGiveBackModel.com

Follow The Give Back Model on Instagram @thegivebackmodel

ShoppingGives

Give Lively

JD Dilks is a writer, podcaster, and founder of a non-profit mental health meeting center in Bloomsburg, PA. Today he joins Christine to discuss his experience with mental health and addiction issues, and they begin their conversation with a trigger warning for anyone who may not be prepared to hear stories of suicide, child abuse, and addiction. JD talks about experimenting with drugs and alcohol at the age of 11, then spiralling into alcoholism after a traumatic life event at age 12. He opens up about the shame that often comes with addiction, finding closure after the death of his fiancée, and supporting others who are on the path to sobriety.

JD tells Christine about creating a community of support for LGBTQ+ youth in particular and leaving toxic masculinity behind as a culture, then shares a powerful story about sex trafficking that was featured on his podcast. You’ll also hear why the 12-Step program is so crucial to recovery, which step was the most challenging for JD, why people need to realize they want help on their own, and what you can do if you know someone who’s facing addiction. Today’s conversation highlights the importance of educating ourselves about mental illness and addiction, recognizing the warning signs, and spreading more love through the world as we hold a supportive and welcoming space for those who may be struggling. You can learn more about MJs Progress Not Perfection here.

For more information, and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back, please visit TheGiveBackModel.com. That’s where you can also let Christine know about companies you’ve found that give back, and check out The Give Back Model merchandise, where $5 for every sale goes to charity. Thanks for listening!

Episode Highlights:

• JD Dilks is a writer, podcaster and founder of a non-profit mental health meeting center
• He shares his experience with mental health and addiction issues, as well as his recovery
• Stigma around mental illness and addiction
• JD and his wife opened their mental health facility in May 2021
• They host AA meetings, NA meetings, trauma meetings, LGBTQ+, medical marijuana meetings, tarot meetings and much more
• Importance of meeting in person when going through recovery
• JD began experimenting with drugs and alcohol at age 11 and spiralled into alcoholism after a traumatic event at age 12
• Pressure on men and boys to push down their feelings and not show their emotions
• How his center is building a community of support, especially for young people
• Being open about the shame that often comes with addiction 
• JD’s important dates along his journey to sobriety
• Finding closure after losing his fiancée
• Supporting others through sobriety and accepting that he cannot save everyone
• Time management
• Nicole’s story of sex trafficking as shared on JD’s podcast
• Socially acceptable stereotype of moms drinking wine after a hard day needs to change
• Everyone’s speed bumps are different, but rock bottom is always getting to the point where you know you need to change
• Why the 12-Step program is so crucial to recovery and how it can apply to any issue that makes your life unmanageable
• Step 3 (turning over to a higher power) was the most challenging for JD
• JD’s comedy career 
• According to drugabusestatistics.org, 19.4% of people have used illicit drugs at least once  
• You can check out JD’s podcasts and support MJs Progress Not Perfection here
• If someone you know and love is struggling with addiction, Al-Anon or NAR-Anon meetings are incredibly helpful
• People are not ready to get help until they truly want it for themselves - you usually cannot force it
• JD compares addiction to being in an abusive relationship

·    

Quotes:

“I'm like a walking stigma when it comes to my addiction and my recovery and with mental health.”

“[At 12] somebody my age was hit by a car. He died. I didn't know how to take it. I didn't know how to deal with it. And at the time, this was ‘96-’97, so you're told to just push it down, be a man. You can't have feelings as a man. So I pushed things down. And I was like, You know what? I know what will fix this. I'll drink.”

“By the time I was a senior in high school, we were drinking almost every single night.”

“Now it's my turn to make sure that my seven-year-old knows it's okay to show his emotions.”

“The biggest successes that we've been seeing are the youth group that have been coming in.”

“For the first time in a decade, I was willing to go to rehab.”

“In addiction, I was open to an extent. I would tell certain people everything, and then certain people nothing.”

“When someone actually does reach out to me like, Hey, I don't want to use (relapse), I know I have a 90% chance of talking them out of a relapse because they've already done the biggest thing and that was reaching out.”

“This is what happens in recovery, is we can't save everybody. And the minute we think we can is the minute your own sobriety is at risk.”

“There's such a stigma with moms and how it's acceptable to drink wine as long as it’s after 5 o’clock. As long as you had a hard day.”

“Doing anything in excess is not okay most of the time.” 

“The first step is, I had a problem with alcohol and my life was unmanageable. But you can take that word alcohol, and put food, you can put an ex's name in there - whatever makes your life unmanageable.”

“Most importantly, you have to figure out all the resentments you have against yourself, and all the things you don't like about yourself.”

“I'm kind of waiting for recreational cannabis to be passed. Because I am not going to have alcohol served in the comedy club, but I'm going to allow consumption.”

“You have to remember when you're talking to that person that is an addict, they love that drug like you would love somebody in a bad relationship, where you're afraid to leave that relationship and start a new one with somebody else because that's the safe relationship for you.” 

Links:

The Give Back Model website TheGiveBackModel.com

Follow The Give Back Model on Instagram @thegivebackmodel

Support MJs Progress Not Perfection here

Follow MJs Progress Not Perfection on Instagram @mjsprogressnotperfectionmca

On today’s episode, Christine welcomes Robin Peters, the Executive Director of Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. In 2005, the Firehouse Sub founders established a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. The charity provides lifesaving equipment, prevention, education, scholarships, and continued education and disaster relief for first responders and public safety organizations, as well as support for members of the military. Since its inception, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has awarded more than $62.5 million dollars to Hometown Heroes in 49 states, Puerto Rico, and now in Canada.

Today, Robin discusses her personal journey into the giving space, and about how the two brothers, Chris and Robin Sorensen, came together in 1994 to start Firehouse Subs and subsequently Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.  She also talks about the foundation’s locations and its expansion, and shares ways you can support the nonprofit and save lives, which includes buying from the food chain and providing equipment to fire departments through the Book of Giving program. She goes on to discuss the expensive cost of equipment, the impact of COVID, and the challenges she faces in her position. Robin concludes with the stories that have been brought to her from first responders and the most fulfilling aspect of being a part of this foundation.

For more information, and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back, please visit TheGiveBackModel.com. That’s where you can also let Christine know about companies you’ve found that give back, and check out The Give Back Model merchandise, where $5 for every sale goes to charity. Thanks for listening!

Episode Highlights:

·   Robin Peters is the executive director of Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.

·   She started out in the nonprofit sector when she started in advertising.

·   When she moved to Jacksonville, she started working for social service agencies, and that led her to Firehouse Subs because they were one of the companies that was so philanthropic and so supportive of anything any Jacksonville nonprofit was doing.

·   Firehouse Subs was started as a restaurant company in 1994 by two brothers, Chris and Robin Sorenson, who were former firefighters.

·   The inspiration to start Firehouse Subs Public Safety was born from the two founders being former firefighters, who had already given back to the community and were supporting whatever local activities that were going on.

·   The founders became involved in service during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 through providing food and other volunteer services to survivors and first responders, which focused them on how they could impact communities across the country, especially as the restaurant brand was growing, therefore establishing Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation as a nonprofit.

·   Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation is a separate 501 (c)(3) which provides the ability to do a lot of giving back with Firehouse Subs as a corporate donor.

·   Firehouse Subs and Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation are located in 49 states and its expansion to Canada.

·   They deal with different governments and rules in Canada, as well as great opportunities, raising funds, and impacting first responders on both sides of the border.

·   Peopke can support the Foundation through purchasing from the food chain, donations, and the Book of Giving program.

·   Rounding up your purchase to the nearest dollar to donate to Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation is another wayt o wupport it.

·   Fundraising campaigns are valuable to the foundation.

·   The Book of Giving program provides fire departments the equipment that they need in emergencies such as vehicle extrication tools, automated external defibrillators (AED), Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), etc.

·   There are arising needs, such as the protocol after COVID to have second sets of gear because you have to clean that first set of gear.

·   The cost of equipment today is high making every little donation valuable.

·   COVID has had an impact on Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, such as restaurants shutting down.

·   More than 70% of the foundation’s donations come through the restaurant with just guests donating, so when restaurant dining rooms were closed, that ability to have engagement with the guests to be able to donate had an impact on funds that were coming in.

·   Online fundraisers and the donations from the website during COVID have been beneficial.

·   The most challenging part is the quarterly grant award process where many really good grant requests are not approved due to a lack of funds.

·   There are many great lifesaving stories, for example one where a father used an AED donated by the Book of Giving program to save his son going through a cardiac arrest in basketball practice.

·   Robin’s most fulfilling part of being a part of this foundation is giving back and providing solutions in an ever changing environment.

Quotes:

“What we want to see is that guests get that information, they understand where their money's going, and learn about the foundation.”

“Many fire departments don't always have the equipment that they need in emergencies.”

“Time in an emergency can mean the difference between a positive or very unfortunate outcome.”

“If you're in that vehicle and you're trapped, you don't want to be waiting around for the right tools to show up. That just shouldn't happen in any community.”

“Firehouse Subs, it makes it so much easier for just the average Joe to go and get a sandwich and round up or open their pockets and get that pickle bucket, or really just pay attention to the Book of Giving in all of the fundraising events that you are having.”

“Even though a lot of departments might have funding from the municipality, it's not necessarily enough. Everyone's got budgets, and there are still tough decisions. And even more important, there are many, many amazing volunteer departments that don't have access to that money.”

“It's a calling to be a first responder, going into the emergency instead of running away from them.”

“But any one of us at any time might be in need of that lifesaving equipment.” 

“What's really fulfilling is to be able to provide lifesaving equipment and know that the right tools are going to be in the right hands, but also to be able to look at what's happening and move with the times, adapt with the times and really help these departments that have to make these changes.”

“It doesn't have to be a big donation. I think sometimes very caring donors maybe can only donate $1.50.  That's fine.  Everything adds up.”

“I'm also actually really excited to see the younger generation because it's a passionate generation, really trying to make change, looking at everything. And here is something that can have a great impact on so many lives. And I really believe the younger generation ask all the right questions, and we can give them all the right answers.’ 

“It's all about donating. Because the more money we have available in our funds, the more money is able to go right back out into communities.”

 “Giving comes from the heart.”

“I think, at the end of the day, we all really do care about one another and want to help in any way we can.” 

Links:

 The Give Back Model website TheGiveBackModel.com

 Follow The Give Back Model on Instagram @thegivebackmodel

 Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation

On today’s episode, host Christine Petrella welcomes Masami Sato, the founder of B1G1: Business for Good. B1G1 is a global giving initiative that’s quickly grown into a global movement. B1G1 helps businesses embed giving right into the heart of their everyday activities. B1G1 makes business giving easy, effective and meaningful. It focuses on connecting small-to-medium-size businesses with more than 500 carefully selected, high-impact giving projects. Since 2007, B1G1 has come together with more than 3,000 businesses from all industries around the world, creating over 250 million giving impacts, just by doing what they normally do.

Today Masami joins the show from Singapore to discuss the goal and mission behind B1G1, her story of founding the company 14 years ago, and how her team decides which worthy causes to work with. Masami explains how even the tiniest donation can make an impact with B1G1. She also expands on the spirit of giving that drives the B1G1 initiative, describes their annual “study tours” to projects they support, and shares her inspiring thoughts on seeing people come together to transform the world, one small step at a time. To learn more about B1G1 and their focus on creating a world that’s full of giving, visit B1G1.com.

For more information, and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back,

please visit TheGiveBackModel.com. That’s where you can also let Christine know about

companies you’ve found that give back, and check out The Give Back Model merchandise, where

$5 for every sale goes to charity. Thanks for listening!

Episode Highlights:

• ●  Masami Sato is the founder and CEO of B1G1: Business for Good

• ●  She is a 2-time TedX speaker, an AMAZON best-selling author, and winner of the Sustainable Business Award
• ●  The goal of B1G1 is simply to create a world that’s full of giving by turning everyday activities, like getting a cup of coffee or reading an inspiring book, into something that can create a positive impact

●  They have worked with thousands of businesses who have embedded giving in what they do, and together created just over 250 million giving impacts around the world

●  B1G1 began in 2007

• ●  The idea behind B1G1 started while Masami was running a previous business that focused on access to healthy eating and nutrition for families in her community
• ●  She began by giving a small percentage for every frozen meal sold to help a child in need
• ●  B1G1 was borne out of a desire to help other small businesses do the same
• ●  How her team fully vets which “worthy causes” to work with
• ●  Part of their criteria is finding companies that can break down their activities into small units of impact

●  Their goal is to make it easy for even small businesses to give back

• ●  With B1G1, the tiniest of donations still make an impact
• ●  For each guest booked and each podcast episode released, Christine is donating toward
• access to a safe house for children saved from sexual abuse in Nepal, and shelter
• provided for a night for homeless children through B1G1
• ●  There are many unique ways that business owners can give back, and a variety of
• different causes they can give toward, depending on what they are most passionate about
• ●  How Global Goals has impacted the B1G1 model
• ●  If we all give just a little bit, together we can make a massive difference
• ●  Having common goals helps bring us together as well
• ●  Before the pandemic, B1G1 held annual “study” group tours so that people could actually visit the projects they were supporting
• ●  Encouraging this compassion and “giving spirit” is one important step to transforming the world
• ●  Impact milestones that the B1G1 team celebrates
• ●  Numbers are a good indicator of their impact, but the stories are what illustrate the true spirit of giving
• ●  If we can come together united, we can transform the world in a much more powerful way
• ●  B1G1 has a goal to reach 1 million businesses by 2030 so they can create an even bigger impact

• Quotes:
• “So the goal of B1G1 is to simply create a world that's full of giving.”
• “Imagine a world where, for example, every time you have a cup of coffee, a child receives access
• to life-saving water, or every time you read an inspiring book, a tree gets planted. Or every time
• you go to see your physician, then somebody else receives access to health care.”
• “We find businesses that want to make an impact in the world, and help them embed effective
• giving in what they do.”
• “Our aim is not to just bring as many charities as we could. But to make this model work, we
• need to be able to find organizations that are also able to identify and break down their activities into small, micro units of impact.”
• “The aim is to make it really easy for businesses, even small businesses, to think about what they could be doing today, rather than trying to do something huge and set up a foundation.”
• “If many businesses are getting together, even though [one business] cannot fund the entire thing, together we could actually come up with a more significant amount of funds to enable these organizations to do more of this work.”
• “I just love, again, how you make it so easy and how we can see the impact, and we can share that impact with our audience.”

“If we did a little bit of help, we all gave a little bit of help to a global community through

effective giving, by supporting your causes that are actually doing important work, then we can

make a massive difference.”

“Encouraging this giving spirit, and this feeling of sharing and compassion, but also in a mutual

way, rather than in a one-sided way, is very central to how we want to drive this initiative... It's

the real giving spirit that businesses can embrace and embody that's really going to transform

the world, because then they will start making different decisions every day.”

“We believe that the numbers are a good indication, but at the same time, stories are key to the

actual spirit of giving.”

“I love seeing people coming together, and feeling connected, the feeling of giving and being

generous and caring for each other. So this matters to me a lot. And I think we have the ability to

do this. When we can remove the judgement, that’s when we can realize that our differences are

not the dividing factors. Our differences are unique elements that make us special together.”

“If the world can start to move in that direction of unity, and diversity, that will be something

that I would love to see.”

Links:

The Give Back Model website TheGiveBackModel.com

Follow The Give Back Model on Instagram @thegivebackmodel

B1G1: Business for Good website B1G1.com