We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits

619. Hold Fast: The Heart of Generosity: Trust, Belonging, and Community - Hali Lee

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How do you fund what matters when everything feels urgent—and uncertain? In this episode of our Hold Fast series, we sit down with Hali Lee—philanthropy innovator, author of The Big We, and founding partner of Radiant Strategies—for a candid conversation on funding with heart, courage, and community at the center. 

Hali shares hard-earned wisdom from building collective giving movements like the Asian Women Giving Circle and Donors of Color Network, reminding us that generosity flows through relationships, not just resources. Together, we explore how nonprofits can build trust-based funding relationships, embrace smart shifts toward diversification, and create spaces of belonging that inspire action. ❤️

If you’ve been craving practical strategies and soulful encouragement for navigating power imbalances, donor shifts, and fundraising burnout—this episode is your invitation to pause, reflect, and root deeper. 

You'll hear:

  • Why now is the moment for individuals—and for belonging
  • Building trust without losing yourself
  • Small teams, smart shifts: diversifying without burning out
  • Collective giving models for grassroots growth

Episode Highlights: 

  • The Importance of Relationships in Philanthropy (02:55)
  • Navigating Urgency and Trust in Nonprofits (05:59)
  • The Future of Philanthropy: Inclusivity and Collaboration (09:01)
  • Collective Generosity vs Big Philanthropy (12:11)
  • Connecting Through Shared Experiences (22:39)
  • The Power of Community and Belonging (24:06)
  • Grassroots Movement for Collective Action (26:03)
  • Finding Joy in Connection (30:43)
  • Empowering Individuals to Create Change (32:37)

Episode Shownotes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/619

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Speaker 1:

Hey, I'm John. And I'm Becky, and this is the we Are For Good podcast.

Speaker 2:

Nonprofits are faced with more challenges to accomplish their missions and the growing pressure to do more, raise more and be more for the causes that improve our world.

Speaker 1:

We're here to learn with you from some of the best in the industry, bringing the most innovative ideas, inspirational stories, all to create an impact uprising.

Speaker 2:

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.

Speaker 1:

So let's get started. Becky, is your heart not just so happy right now?

Speaker 2:

I'm just thinking like the alliteration is real, like the happiness I feel that Holly is here. There's so many ages.

Speaker 1:

I mean, it just feels like we can do this thing that we're talking about, which is hold fast. We got so inspired by the community around impact up that we were leaning in together to say, when everything is changing so fast, how do we, like, dig deep, stay rooted to our mission when so much feels uncertain? And so, you know, we had to put a series around this and bring back some of the most popular guests from our gathering to go deeper and to not only just gain their wisdom, but to ask the questions. We didn't have time to do at Impact Up, and so we had to bring back one of our most favorite humans, and I'm going to let you introduce her Bea.

Speaker 2:

I mean, if this is your first time meeting Holly Lee, just settle back in, because Holly is one of the great disruptors of our time and she is a philanthropy innovator, community builder.

Speaker 2:

She if you missed her episode, please go back and check it out, because we talked about her new book called the Big we. She is also one of the founder of the Asian Women Giving Circles and a founding partner of Radiant Strategies. So she was back on the podcast here to talk to us about what it means to hold fast in the face of philanthropic power imbalances, maybe shifting donor priorities and burnout just a couple of small little topics that we'll be tackling today. So Holly is really here and she's going to bring those bold insights on collective giving, on community-centered philanthropy and what your missions can do right now to cultivate trust and resilience in your funding relationships without losing yourself in the process. So if that theme is really speaking to you, know that the whisper is coming in here. Holly is just going to make you feel so protected and safe and ready to meet this moment. So, holly, welcome back to the podcast. It's, I mean, not been that long since you were back on, so we're back in the hot seat.

Speaker 3:

I can't quit you two. I love hanging out with you guys. Thanks for having me again and it's a pleasure to meet your community. And, oh my God, that impact update Congratulations. Amazing the vibes. Thank you. Well learning the community.

Speaker 2:

You. You just added so much to that. Our, our speakers were off the chain and you only have such a finite amount of time that you can go down into these topics and we really wanted to go a little bit deeper with you on some of these. You know bigger challenges, like you know shifting donor priorities and how we can work through power imbalances, but you know you help build movements like the Donors of Color Network, the Asian Women's Giving Circle. I'm just curious from your purview, like what have these communities taught you about how generosity actually works?

Speaker 3:

It's such an important question for right now and I think the heart of it is relationships. If you and I are friends, if you and I have days, weeks, months, four events that we've put together like working together, we've done stuff together, then you and I have started to build relationships. I know I can count on you, becky, I can count on you to help me do this thing. I know that John is great at this thing and kind of not at this other thing. You're like the things that we learn from being in working actual hard work, relationships with each other, trusting one another, and the flip side of that, which is being trustworthy. These things come with time and these things come with spending time with one another, building things. One of the it's a little bit crude, but it's one of the things that kind of runs through my book is being constipated and one of the things in our sector.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, you know like sometimes we can we can get a little constipated.

Speaker 3:

I mean, you know our bodies, but also philanthropy and generosity and giving and some of that. Sometimes I think we can overthink this. Sometimes I think we can make it harder than it needs to be. We can overcomplicate generosity. Um, especially when we professionalize fundraising and philanthropy, it can sometimes constipate the gears. So one of the things in my book is just like come on, let's get it flowing. And the thing that gets it flowing is loving one another, trusting one another, being in relationships with one another and trying to accomplish things together with one another. So I think that's how generosity works. It's fueled by relationships and love.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean I love your lens that you bring to every conversation you enter, because it feels like the reminder that we're in this together, that it's not like us versus them, like we're. We're trying to solve these problems together. We bring our own gifts, we bring our own talents to the table and it just feels more doable, you know, in every sort of way. And so I want to kind of ask a follow up, because every day we talk to folks inside nonprofits that are feeling the urgency, especially at the rate at which things are changing, and the urgency that I've got to find funding for this year. We don't even have a budget yet. All these kind of things are happening while at the same time holding the balance of trying to build long-term trust, which is the long game. You know it's slow deposits over time. You know what would you advise of? Like how are you, for these nonprofits, trying to do both, that you have a budget to meet, but you also don't want to sacrifice that to build these long-term trust-based relationships with donors?

Speaker 3:

It's so hard and I've been there. You know we talked about this a little bit on the first, our first conversation. I've been an executive director, I've been a fundraising person at a nonprofit. I've been a development and strategy person. It's so hard, but that's the name of the game, like we really do have to do both.

Speaker 3:

I don't know if this helps, but in the moment that we're in right now sociopolitically in America, I personally feel like individuals are incredibly important right now. You know, big foundations, big institutional philanthropy foundation organizations have kind of a target on their back and it's really terrible and we're seeing it happen and we're going to get more news today or this week, I think, around Earth Day it's coming and it's not going to be good and it's terrible for our sector, you know. But and a lot of organizations, including the National Center on Nonprofits and people, you know organizations are fighting what's coming down the pike for sure, but what that means, I think, for individuals with a little bit of extra money to give or a lot of extra money to give, the role that individuals can play right now is incredibly important because we can be more nimble, we don't have targets on our back in the same way that the Ford Foundation or certain foundation have. We have money that we can spend to hire people. We have votes that we can spend to elect people. We have every dollar we spend, whether it's at a restaurant or to give something charitably, as an expression of our values.

Speaker 3:

And for those of us who work in the impact sector, we get to work with these individuals and partner with them to move their dollars and time and talent and treasure and resources along with their values. So I think the role of individuals right now, when so many institutions are under attack, is incredibly important. So those of us who work with those individuals have this kind of precious opportunity right now to partner and build community and build trust and build the relationships over the long haul. And you guys know from doing this work that individuals give for the long haul much more than foundations can. We can put organizations into our will. I mean, how many organizations have you two been giving to for more than five years in a row? Or more than 10 years in a row or maybe, for me, more than 20 years in a row? No foundation is going to do that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I feel like this is the moment for grassroots. I mean, we are truly watching what happens when one person connects with another person and locks arms and lifts their voices, and I think, particularly for people who are looking to invest like that, trust is the pinnacle of everything right now, and I've heard you say that the future of philanthropy is more inclusive, it is more collective, it is more trusting, and actually some of these words are the words that are going to be kicked out of certain grants. They'll preclude nonprofits from coming in, yet it is the very answer by which our collective growth can be unleashed. So I want you to talk about that dichotomy a bit, because I want to know, from your perspective, what do you think that inclusive, collective, trusting world. What does that practically? You know that inclusive, collective, trusting world. What does that practically look like for fundraisers today, right now, in this moment?

Speaker 3:

I think the future of our sector is collaborative. The future of our sector is collective. We have seen, I mean the first third of my book. You know I nicknamed him Big Phil. You know we have seen what you know Big Phil.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for your service. Phil has constipated all of our words all of our gunk.

Speaker 3:

So and I've been there I mean big Phil. So for people who haven't read my book, like big Phil, you know, thank you for your service. But it's big philanthropy, billionaire, rich guy knows best heroic, individualistic philanthropy and it's usually a guy, so I nickname him Big Phil. It's sometimes a dead guy, which is unfortunate, but kind of ruling the roost, and Big Phil's done a lot of good, like malaria, polio, a lot of vaccinations, and Big Phil continues to do a lot of good. But we cannot depend on Big Phil to save us, because Big Phil has other priorities that don't really include the rest of us. And Big Phil is also not great for our democracy, because relying on Big Phil inspires a sort of passivity among the rest of us.

Speaker 3:

And I really believe that our democratic system in America works only when its citizens that would be you and me and everyone listening on this call cares enough to get educated and cares enough to invite and be invited to link arms with these heroic, individualistic people.

Speaker 3:

When, in fact, if we look at generosity as practiced by our people forever, whether you come from Korea, like my people, or Lithuania, like some other people, or Italians oh my gosh, look at the Italians Always so loud, always have so much to say. But, yes, collective generosity, since our people have been our people, and I think that's what we kind of need to get back to in order to I don't know reclaim our sector for us and not sort of cede our power and authority to Big Phil. And the question I think for us is like do we want to put our five Ts our time, talent, treasure, testimony and ties as individuals? Do we want to put those five Ts in service to Big Phil or do we want to put them into service for all of us? And the answer, I think, is pretty clear how to put that into practice? I met this guy, I interviewed this guy for an op-ed. That never got picked up, but I loved writing it. Oh my gosh, send it over.

Speaker 2:

We'll read it.

Speaker 3:

I'll send it to you, but he's a pastor in Eau Claire, wisconsin, and he's a person of faith and he has a congregation and there's a group of people called Unlikely Allies and they were getting involved in the Supreme Court race in Wisconsin that was concluded on April 1st, I think, and the person who I wanted to win won it.

Speaker 3:

But this group of Unlikely Allies is comprised of people of faith, people who have badges, so firefighters and police officers and the like veterans yeah, those three veterans people of faith and people police officers and firefighters and they're coming together to activate around issues that they care about in common.

Speaker 3:

That happen to be issues having to do with housing and access to health care and education, things that most of the rest of us not necessarily Big Phil really care about. And I think part of the answer in how do we practically build a more collective, inclusive, trusting future is one by finding unlikely allies and working together in our communities to do the things that like housing and education and healthcare that help all of our families, finding partners that might not always be the same ones that we've worked with in the past and always. And then the last piece I would add to that is sort of like listening more pew, less pulpit, you know, like less preaching and more listening, and I think that kind of mindset can help us build the kind of partnerships and collaborative future that we need for our communities and also that our sector needs for our communities and also that our sector needs Gosh more of this.

Speaker 1:

I mean, love your lens there, I just think. To me it keeps bringing hope to the table, because I think it's easy to feel like man, we're running out of options. But the way you describe this, that we're inviting, we're having conversations with people that you're not typically this is not going back to the same old well. It's saying ask a bigger, better question, find commonality, find what you're for, find new people also to be part of this, and it leads to all the things that we're looking for, specifically diversification around fundraising. I feel like it's a really big topic and it's one that you can. It's also very polarizing online right now because obviously this is not something you can flip a switch and all have all this diversified fundraising overnight. But what are your ideas as a past fundraiser and an ED? What are some smart shifts that we could make today to start moving toward more diversification without overwhelming our team? Do you have thoughts on that?

Speaker 3:

That's a great question and you know I led this body of work that was so much fun that donors of color research and network build and I got to interview 150 wealthy people of color across this country. Um, and that's all available for free to read um, and the interview instrument is appendix a in the um um full report, so that's available for people to use too. Amazing, thank you the you.

Speaker 2:

We'll link that up.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, well, I can share it with you afterwards. The first thing is kind of hard actually, that I think teams have to do, which is really to ask why. There's really no point, I think and this could be controversial to diversify a fundraising base unless we know why. And it's a little bit like a lot of people I've gained some weight in my middle age post-COVID. If I want to lose some weight, I have to get on a scale, you know. So that's part two. Like if I want to change something, I need to know. What I'm starting with, you know, is like why.

Speaker 3:

Why is it important to you as a leader or as a staff member or for an organization to diversify your fundraising base and really talk about it and be honest. Is it just because someone told you to, or what are the reasons? And part two is what are we dealing with here? So, get on a scale. How diverse is your donor base right now? What is it? I remember being part of an organization that was literally going through names because they'd never asked Like Lee, the last name, lee, my name that could be Irish, it could be Chinese, it could be Vietnamese or Korean, but no one knew with this organization because they had never bothered to ask what the ethnicity, gender, race, culture of the donors was. So they didn't have the baseline. So you got to get on the scale and figure out what you're dealing with and have these real conversations with your team like why is it important? What is the demographic of the area you're in? You know I was at the Omaha Community Foundation and they had this you know this is years ago they had this desire to diversify their funding base. But how diverse is Omaha? It turns out that parts of Omaha are really diverse because of recent immigrant communities that have flown, that have flowed into the area and and there are some people there who are, who are aren't recent immigrants, who are from diverse communities, especially if we consider gender and queerness and socioeconomic. So like really break down in what categories kind of do we want to diversify our fundraising, our donor base and why? And include all of the categories that are important to the organization that you work with and that's part of like that's part of sort of building the baseline.

Speaker 3:

And then I think then, once you do that sort of homework, then you're ready to start. So all of this pre-work and the reason it's important to do this pre-work having been a person who was recruited to join a board or a person who was recruited to join a donor. I don't know community because I'm Asian American. People can tell when they're being kind of asked to join something because of their phenotype, you know. So that homework, level of work is important, so that it gives your voice and ask and intention some integrity and realness to the thing that you're asking people to join. So that's, I think, what you have to start with, and I'm sorry I didn't make it less overwhelming because it's almost like more work. But once you do that homework level stuff, then getting into the work of building a more diverse community is actually it flows a lot better because you have some real ground to stand on.

Speaker 2:

I feel like you're saying this in a way that is almost like you're giving me a recipe and I'm like, oh my gosh, this is the thing I want to tell people, because I've also seen so much of this like, oh, we need to diversify the funding, and it's like whoa, whoa. That's like to me, step like 10. Step one is getting curious about who's around you. Who are your believers? Who are those rabid fans that are around you? Why are they there? What are they bringing to the table? And if you have only ever asked them for a gift, then you're leaving so much on the table that could be brought into the mission, from story, from network, to influence, to lived experience.

Speaker 2:

And I just think what you're saying has deep resonance for this moment that if you are listening and bravo to you, by the way, for sitting down and listening to 150 leaders of color and just hearing their stories, I can imagine that absolutely reshaped something inside your head that you thought you knew.

Speaker 2:

And I think when you sit at the feet of a stranger and hear their story, something is going to shift.

Speaker 2:

And if you are a incredibly progressive, smart nonprofit, you're allowing that community to come in and share that story and latch on to the story of you now, because their story is going to help make this mission more collective, more inclusive, more trusting, because we're allowing more voices to come to the table. And I got to say, friends, it is a relief to me as a former marketer in this work that I don't have to message who we are, that I don't have to bring all of the answers about where we're going and who we're made up of and how you can show up in this work. So, yes, listen to Holly. I think she is speaking such deep truth here and we always want to think about the tiny nonprofit which is the bulk of nonprofits and missions that are in this work. How would you suggest, Holly, that a smaller or more like grassroots organization could tap into these collective giving models to grow their base, to unlock their power? I know you've seen this play out so many times. Spill that tea.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I have so many ideas there, but I want to go back. I have a short story about what you just said, Becky.

Speaker 1:

We love your stories.

Speaker 3:

One of the great privileges of getting to hear all these stories from people not only people of color, but also a lot of people of color are the connections that happen, and I love it when these connections happen.

Speaker 3:

So I interviewed this man and both of these men were pushing 70 at the time that I interviewed them, separate from each other, and one of them is black and one of them is white. The person I interviewed who is African American, he called himself African American. I always try to use the words that they use to describe themselves. He grew up pretty poor rural Texas, went on to be like C-suite, one of the big company that everyone's heard of, big company that everyone's heard of. And just getting to know this person and his wife, I learned from him that his happy place is on a tractor because he grew up on a family farm in rural Texas. And now you would never know it because you know nice suit, nice tie, like you know, awesome guy. A few months later I met a man who's white Microsoft made a ton of money, runs a family foundation, now grew up in rural Nebraska and his happy place is on a tractor.

Speaker 2:

I could totally relate with this, with a lot of men in my family Right Happy place on a tractor.

Speaker 3:

So these two guys from very different places and backgrounds have this really core nugget in common. So it was my great pleasure to get to introduce them to each other at this other random place that we were at, and the look on their face, and to watch them go off into a corner and eat their lunch on their lap on a paper plate and talk about their happy place on a tractor, and then go on, of course, later to do more like work and professional and philanthropic things together. It's like such a joy, you know, and and what, once you really lean into the listening part of our jobs uh, as fundraisers, nonprofit people, impact professionals, however you identify yourself on, you know, listening to this call the more you can lean into listening and and and hearing those stories, then more than more of those connections can get made. And that's how you could be one of those people that knits together people to be in groups that can do good things together. And then, becky, now I'm going to answer your question.

Speaker 2:

I'm so glad you didn't go right into the question. That was worth the wait.

Speaker 3:

But thinking about the tractor in my head, thinking of these two guys in a tractor as a 14-year-old kid, just makes me happy. So how can smaller, grassroots organizations, that Individuals organized into groups are powerful? Also, people are looking for community. Right now, there is an epidemic of loneliness in this country that is literally killing us. Dr Vivek Murthy wrote a very moving paper about this and a final goodbye letter that People Magazine published as he was leaving his post as surgeon general. Um, loneliness is literally killing Americans. It's it's day. It's as bad for our health as smoking. I don't remember like lots of cigarettes a day and drinking lots of glasses of wine a day. Um, it's. People are dying deaths of loneliness and despair. We're committing. You know there's like a lot of bad statistics about loneliness, and the cure for loneliness is not necessarily expensive. It's belonging, it's building belonging and that's the magic superpower that each of us who works within a community, organization, organization, has is a set of values that guides the work that we do with within our organization and a bunch of people who believe in those values and the good that your organization is doing in your community. So my question to you remembering these three things, or two things, right. One, individuals organized into groups are powerful and two people are looking for community and belonging. So is your organization positioned to help people do that? Is your organization positioned, or able, to invite people in and get them talking about issues that are important in your community? Is your organization able to give them some structured homework to do to take action together? It's that simple. Is your organization in a community connected to more than five people who can be brought in to talk about important things in your community? Can you provide them a table around which to sit and talk about the thing? You don't have to ask them for money at that moment. You don't have to be an expert at all except just like you're the convener, you're the holder, and then give them some light homework to do to take action together.

Speaker 3:

One woman I interviewed for my book, I think she hosted a movie screening. She was a volunteer for a community organization in her town. She lives in Arizona. She hosted a movie screening around the issue that the organization does. She provided snacks and some light conversation and at the end she asked people to put in you know the cost of a movie ticket for the organization's thing, for their whatever they were raising money for. So it was a light fundraising ask that was built into a movie screening in her backyard Another person you know. We've all heard of people who do birthday parties and, in lieu of gifts, make a gift. So it's a way of bringing people together around your networks for a thing that you believe in, and I think most of our volunteers, board members, staffers can do that for the organizations they're part of.

Speaker 1:

Okay, you know why we're kindred spirits, because everything you said is what we're fighting for in this world that the money raised through the movie ticket is probably the least impactful part of what just happened in that right, but the belonging, the connection, the advocacy, the service that came from that is everything and you can build on that. And I love that you quoted Vivek Murthy's his parting prescription, I think, is what he called it, because we noticed it was these three pieces relationships, purpose and service that he talked about, and I'm like we're uniquely set up to deliver that as nonprofits, so I love that you lifted it. What a powerful thing and it's a must read. So we'll try to add that into the show notes as well, if you haven't read that.

Speaker 1:

Okay, you teed up homework, so I feel like I can officially ask you for some homework, holly, is that we love these conversations that would lead to what we say. What starts here ripples, what are some good questions or what is an exercise you would encourage someone listening today that can really challenge them to think about this as an application for their organization, or maybe they're volunteering with service. What is a way that we can kind of go next step for everyone listening to move toward implementing these ideas.

Speaker 3:

Well, I think you mentioned one. Read Dr Vivek Murthy's letter in People Magazine.

Speaker 2:

It's so good, seriously so good, just Google it up, chat GPT, and I promise it will serve your while oh my gosh.

Speaker 3:

Um, he's the college friend of the cousin of my friend, so through that thing I just sent him a book father's brother's, sister's former roommate, y'all both come back to the podcast.

Speaker 2:

We'll talk about this oh my gosh, dr murthy, please come on the weird. Oh my gosh, we want to talk to you and he just seems like such a kind, generous, smart person.

Speaker 3:

I'm dying to meet him, um. Anyways, I'll let you know if I can meet him. So read that, um. And then also the first question, and I think I mentioned this last I'm sorry to repeat myself, but when I was doing these donors of color um interviews. The first question in the interview protocol is what brings you joy, Becky, john. And then stop talking and it's a little bit awkward, but you just can't believe what comes out.

Speaker 3:

The first third of our interview and these were 90 minute in-person conversations. I know not everyone has time to do that with 150 people in over a year or a half, but I bet you have time to do that with five people over the course of this year, five people in your organization. If you work in a nonprofit, I bet you have time to spend an hour with five people. You know, and don't make it just the richest person who gives to your organization. Talk to the volunteer who's been volunteering every month for 20 years. Talk to a board member. Talk to a variety of different people who are supporters and super fans of your organization. What brings you joy?

Speaker 3:

The first third of our interview protocol is all about family and you know, literally like on whose shoulders do you stand to do this work? It's not until the last third that we start talking about money and start asking about money. So you can tell from the way we're prioritizing the conversation that the priority is the person, the why, the values, the people, the culture, what brings you to this work. And I promise you that if you do this a few times, you will find connections to yourself and your why and you'll start to build that relationship with these foundational people to your organization. And you'll start to find the tractor people. You'll start to find the connections between people, Literally Right, whether it's having a parent who struggled with alcoholism, or my happy place is on a tractor, or I have a sibling with a disability, like the things that you learn from, from listening and asking, and listening are really profound and it is those kinds of knitting blocks that I think will help you build what we need to build.

Speaker 1:

Can I say something on that too, because it's kind of selfish, but it's Becky and my favorite part-time hobby is to build to. Can I say something on that too, because it's kind of selfish, but it's Becky, and my favorite part-time hobby is to connect two people that probably wouldn't have accidentally run into each other.

Speaker 2:

It's so joyful. The threading is so fun.

Speaker 1:

To see those connections and get to say, hey, y'all just need to know each other in this world. And so what a gift that keeps on giving literally. Yeah, totally, and giving literally.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, totally. And PS, those two guys sitting on their tractors, I can assure you this is my father-in-law. I want to be really clear. Like spent his entire career in the oil industry and took all of that savings and wanted to be a farmer at the very end and he went back to farming. And I think there's something prophetic about getting back to your roots and the thing that grounded you and rooted you in who you are.

Speaker 2:

And I just love these kindergarten principles that literally serve us so well today, where it's like be nice, grab each other's hands, share, you know, share your graham cracker, share whatever you can share with someone, put your arm around somebody who's hurting. And I just think there are lessons for this moment and what it means to be human, because we have seemed to lost some of our humanity and the way we walk through this earth. Let's be that humanity. And so, holly, you've been on the podcast. You know we're going to wrap it up with a strong one good thing. Can you drop a one good thing, as it relates to this topic today, that you could leave with our audience?

Speaker 3:

I have a hard time with just one, as you guys know, becky and John, I mean, if you need to have a couple.

Speaker 2:

We love you, so go and do what you want.

Speaker 3:

God, it's just hard, it's so hard to pick one. I got to say the two guys on the tractor. They're in my head now. They also are important to remember like they're connected, like they've now they've lived in big cities but they have that rural heart, you know, and they, they now are doing both and in terms of like connecting and now you know like we need to remember that large parts of our country are in rural part, you know, are rural and not so connected to the Internet and not so connected to some of the wealth and bounty that the coasts have kind of had. So I feel like people like that, who have lived in both of those places, are really important now to kind of harness, as they have lived experience in both and as we're trying to build that connective tissue across this huge diverse of tissue, across this huge diverse, amazing country. They have a lot of intelligence and wisdom to offer us. It's just striking me, and they're actually both really involved in knitting those connections and trying to drive more resources from coast to more rural and inland kind of areas. So I'm just kudos to both of these guys who I'm thinking of inland kind of area. So I'm just kudos to both of these guys who I'm thinking of.

Speaker 3:

Okay, but one good thing. So tonight sorry, now I'm switching I had to, like I had to go there for a second, but tonight I'm going to a States Project party. So the States Project is a network of giving circles around the country and a lot of them are run by women and this is a group of moms and we all have group of moms and my kids went to preschool with the kids of these moms. So I've been friends or peripherally friends or friends with these women for like 25 years, you know, and I helped them start a giving circle and when they started, you guys, they were so afraid of raising money. You know they were so afraid of raising money. You know they were so deeply uncomfortable raising money.

Speaker 3:

And these are like super capable, smart, uber volunteer moms that you know they were the ones who kept me in line for, like, show up with a baked good. You know, don't forget your kid's supposed to dress as some. You know, like they always they really helped me out, they bailed me out so many times. They're like super capable, um, friends and parents, um, but they were so uncomfortable raising money so I sort of gave them this pep talk. You guys can do it.

Speaker 3:

And this group of uncomfortable women have gone on to raise one over a million dollars to send towards state legislative races around the country, not in new york. They've, you know, sent money to different states over the past several election cycles and it's amazing. And so this group of moms there's dozens, if not a hundred, of these giving circles around the country that are pulling their letter writing and phone calling and money raising skills in order to affect some political change in communities that that they want to support. So that's my one good thing it's the power of individuals who come together in groups to do amazing things.

Speaker 3:

You guys heard my mother-in-law story Last time we talked my 96 year old mother-in-law, you know she's my table amazing kitchen tea around her kitchen table materially impacted a state legislative race in her um rural part of the country. And now this group of moms who's party I'm going tonight um also pulling the individuals coming together in groups organized around a set of values. Adding some money can make powerful change. So that's my one good thing for this morning.

Speaker 1:

Don't you just feel so buoyed hanging around our friend? Here I mean every time, I know so my friend. Point us to where we can find the big. We point us to where people can find you online. Look at that beautiful book.

Speaker 3:

Oh my gosh, I'm trying to sell my book, you guys it's hard, it's so fantastic.

Speaker 2:

I really want to put a book you guys. It's hard, it's so fantastic. I really want to put a strong endorsement on it, because I do think the future is we. It is for sure, because we cannot go at it alone anymore and I don't want to any longer.

Speaker 3:

Me neither, becky, yeah, me neither yeah, so you can get it wherever you want honestly, wherever you want, of course, you can get it wherever you want honestly, wherever you want Buy one.

Speaker 1:

Of course Audio. I read the audio book. Of course it's an inclusive answer yes. You do? Yeah, it's my voice.

Speaker 3:

Oh my gosh, I can lull you, bore you to sleep if you want to read the audio book, so check it out.

Speaker 2:

I mean, I'm a fan of Libby, so I will check it out from my local library. But get in community with your people, find your people. If you don't see a table, set one up, start one. It doesn't have to be anything formal. You don't even have to bring snacks, though I would encourage it as someone who likes to eat and is an Italian. But, friends, let's just get started. Let's start sharing power, sharing story, finding common ground. Holly, I think you have dropped a lot of wise nuggets today, and it's why we love hanging out.

Speaker 3:

Draw invite me to your book group, read it in a book group and LinkedIn me. You know, chat me on LinkedIn and I'll zoom into your book group.

Speaker 2:

Pull it in. Let's get a group discussion going around this. Everybody owns their part. Thank you, my friend, for all of this. Hopefully we'll see you in another couple of weeks. We can't go every couple of weeks without hanging out. It's a deal.