This 100-Year Nonprofit Hires the People They Serve (Megan Lepore's Bold Strategy)

[0:16]  Welcome back to another episode here on the Heart and Hustle podcast. Today's guest, she started by knocking on doors, Chasing Grant, and now she's helping rebuild futures across generations in Camden. Um, Megan, let's get straight into it. Was there a moment maybe on a sidewalk staffing meeting when you realized this work was actually personal and not so much professional anymore?

[0:39]  Good question. Um, I think it happened way before I ever stepped into an office or a boardroom or a building where, you know, important people did important things. At least it's what you think that happens inside a building. Um, it really happened when I was young. Um I was kind of raised on the idea that whatever you have um you'll make it enough and you give it whatever you have to someone else. Um there are people who are worse off than you even when you think on your worst day it couldn't get um any more terrible or any much more of a struggle. Um so very steeped in community service since I was young. Um how I met some of the the most important people in my life through that. Um, and it just kind of grew to know that, um, you know, social justice is something that was important to me. Um, it's kind of in my bones. So, um, here we are 20 some odd, uh, years later, um, still doing the work. Um, doing it in some of the toughest places that no one would ever step foot in, um, but are some of the brightest spots, um, in the world once you get to know them. I always ask this question, Megan. Anybody anytime someone tells me they've done something for such a long time, is it out of comfortability or out of happiness?

[1:56]  Both. Um I think you know sometimes comfortability does breed happiness because you know that you're where you're supposed to be. Um sometimes there is uncomfortability to it. Um the certain uh current landscape can make things uncomfortable um in the work that that our team does. Um, but I think when you know your home and when work becomes your home as well, um, because you're just so comfortable in it, the people that you're surrounded with, um, and by are are really, you know, your spirit animals, um, you know, they kind of feed your soul as well in the life, um, and the work. So, and being able to bring that home and kind of reed recede that in my kids um and kind of bring them up in a way um that I was um although they're they got a different life than I did um for sure um in many aspects. But I think, you know, making sure that they know um to look out for their neighbor, look out for their friends, look out for them, you know, put themselves, you know, last when you need to um and and first when you can. But um I really think that it's important um for them to have that sense of um you know others than self is really important.

[3:12]  I love it. The reason I asked that question is because a lot of people from the for-profit space will always tell me comfortability, right? But uh you're both. So that is good comfortable and happy because I I actually just spoke to someone recently and ask that same question. Are you comfortable or happy? And he just kind of laughs and he says, man, I'm actually comfortable, right? Didn't realize I'm not so much happy, but I'm comfortable. But I'm happy that you're you're both. There is a little bit of comfortability. As you mentioned, it could get really uncomfortable in the line of work that we actually do as as nonprofit leaders. Um, one thing you've also mentioned that I I'm totally agreeing on and I I say it to my board all the time is um you don't just sell stories to raise dollars. You actually tell them to raise dignity. Where did that storytelling philosophy actually come from?

[3:55]  Well, um I have always loved writing. Um I've loved um the idea and the methodology of communicating. Um, I've kind of learned how to communicate not only to different audiences. Um, but also authentically is something that I've learned along the way. Um, you know, there's telling a story and then there's telling the truth. Um, and sometimes those things are not um, sympatico, let's say. Um, but I think um, throughout, you know, college and and going to Temple University, shout out to the Owls. um for you know journalism, public relations, advertising then communication management um you know you manage a message um but you need to communicate authentically and I think telling a story um is is a way to make an issue that can be really tough for people to understand relatable um to see themselves or somebody that they know in that situation to engender support or help or understanding. Um, you know, leaving with a check as a major gifts officer once upon a time in my career um was a win for the organization, but I wanted to make sure that anyone who I was trying to communicate about what I do, what my team does, um, what it means to be on the front lines of social and human services, um, pre- pandemic, post pandemic, and, you know, in a completely different world, um, was was really important because that's what they're going to remember when they talk to their friends about what they support, when they talk to their friends about, I had this really good lunch because I learned something about an organization that I've been given to for years or I hadn't thought about giving to or I wanted to give them more after I really understood what it is they do and how far, you know, my investment in their work will go. Um, so that really is the word of mouth, I think, um, that happens more than, you know, the the the tax deductions, you know, once a year or so. Um, and though tax deductions are important, I get it. Um, but really feeling good about what was what was behind that and the purpose behind that is is important. So I also had, you know, colleagues come to me and say, you know, people aren't success stories, right? Like just because you help them, it doesn't mean that down the road they're, you know, they might hit another challenge or another bump in their journey. Um, so let's not let's make sure we're not exploitative when we're talking about how we're helping people. Um, let them tell that story. And our role is to say what we've done is understand the tools that we can become experts at in service delivery so that that person has the tools. It's it's a little, you know, um, teaching people to fish, right? you know, um, let them let them tell their own story, but let them have the tools that we were able to provide them so that they have that sustainable strength and stability.

[7:03]  I love it. I I do think um I'm actually in a space now where we just handed out some scholarships so um high school through the foundation and um I was obviously there's a lot of work that needs to be done in this foundation unfortunately but one of the biggest things I said is um we're writing letters like some of the students were getting letters and with those letters we're sending back out to the donors but I think we're in a place now I said next year we should actually challenge those young because they do it already uh challenge them to make videos how cool would it be you know, say, "Hey, Megan, thank you so much for the for the scholarship. I am now going." Like, it makes you feel so good, like, "Oh my god, like look at the student. They're so excited that, you know, they got whatever it was, $500, $1,000 and and they're off to school, right?" Because it allows people to see where their their money's going. It kind of return investment in a sense. Um, but one thing that you kind of mentioned is like, you know, the lunches on talking to people on what you do as an organization. Are these are you putting these on? Like are you going to network in events? Like what? because that's really what we need to do, right? We got to get the word out. We got to stay in people's minds. What are you doing to stay in people's minds nowadays?

[8:09]  Sure. So, my role um has has, you know, evolved from from that a little bit, but I think um you know, it's it's the telling at at any level you can, right? So, there's, you know, you have social media, you have um you know, your annual appeal letters. So, it depends on, you know, what kind of um what kind of funding you're going for, what kind of relationships you're trying to make. But I think that's the piece of it, right? You have to have trust. You have to have some level of relationship. You have to have some level of understanding of what's um of interest, right? what's going to to make that person um empathetic to to an issue or to a concern or to um an opportunity to invest in making a community better, making an individual better. Um I think one of one of the ideas I had a couple years ago um unfortunately during COVID was supposed to be our our organization's 100th anniversary. So we were in the midst in the throws of planning a gala as as agencies tend to do um to celebrate those sorts of milestones. Um so within that you know I was chatting with our PR and development team about you know a a campaign motto or a tagline and and it just came it starts with one it starts with one person. It starts with one phone call. It starts with one crisis. Um it starts with one question. Um why do I feel sad? Um it starts with uh one you know potential outburst in a classroom by a child who might be suffering from food insecurity or housing insecurity or any level of insecurity. Um and you know it's really those um those pieces and those times where we're called upon to help them. So we are all human. what really trying to keep the humanity and in what we're talking about um and you know humanto human peer-to-peer you know people give to people don't give to causes or organizations so I really think bringing that down to something so simple um you know the KISS method does apply when you're trying to to get funding right um but really what you want to do is make a relationship you make one relationship like I said to educate someone who wants to give you money or wants to invest I like to say invest um rather than you throw money at a problem, which you know a lot of people tend to think that is is an answer. Um, but I think there's a lot a lot to be said for the education of of donors, of funders, of investors. I mean, everybody spends so much time, you know, on the for-profit side of, you know, venture capitalists. It's like I would love to have a group of VCs and angel investors and donors in an organization like ours, right? Um, and I think every donor is is somewhat of an angel to us. Um, especially in really tough times like these. Um, but I I think really making that that single human connection with somebody and being able to tell them the story of your agency and what you're really doing um and the impact of your work

[11:11]  is is really where it's at. And I think that human connection has gotten lost the more that we've been able to to kind of distance ourselves from those one-on ones. Um, so I think bringing them back, bring back those lunches, bring back those donor friend raisers, um, could be important. I I as you mentioned I think there's almost like lowhanging fruit that people forget about right you're we're so busy trying to do fundraisers you mentioned gala which is so funny because we're celebrating 30 years so I said what a perfect time to do a gala like a gala hasn't been done either for this foundation but I also looked at it as a relaunch for us because we are going through a whole rebranding stage for us so 30 years rebranding gala because we working with alumni right I'm it's the foundation for the school what a perfect time to get alumni to get together get dressed we all love to get dressed we all love to have a little cocktail uh you know less separation from the kids at times. So, I thought it was a perfect time to to do something because it hasn't been done, but allows us to be really connecting with people, right? It's not just so much a gala, but allows us to have fun, to share the message, share what we've been doing, um launch some of these campaigns that we've been talking about. But I I do believe there's a lot of lowhanging fruit, as you mentioned, is get into these rooms and start talking to people, create the rooms if needed, right? um maybe partner up with other foundations that could, you know, are kind of doing similar things in the community because I think that's another thing that we're missing is people think collaboration in the nonprofit space doesn't exist.

[12:35]  But why why is it not existing? You know, especially when there's two different organizations doing similar things or things that could really help one another. Are are you in agreeance that we should be partnering up as nonprofits? not so much coming together as acquiring one another but just at least helping each other ideas events.

[12:52]  Yeah. really um really fortunate in in my work. Um I do a lot of a lot of our grant writing, a lot of our um you know, our our funding proposals and it is, you know, more of a time to have letters of support, right? Um you know, yourUUS with with other organizations and we h I mean I I have been there for almost eight years, but you know, there were 92 93 years that that preceded me. Um so our organization has been based in Camden, New Jersey for over a hundred years and a lot of those um a lot of those relationships and partnerships um continue to be cultivated still today. Um we're growing, we're responding to the the inquiries of funders, you know, how can we make this dollar go farther? Um but really even more than that is how are we learning from each other? We have a lot of programs. We have a lot of, you know, clusters of of areas of services that we work in. Um, but we're not the end- all beall. We're not everything to everyone. So, in in seeing, you know, where we could really add capacity in terms of what we're doing. We're inviting other partners to the table. You have to, you know, you have you don't and you don't have funders at one table and partners at another table. Everybody should be there together because when you can show that you know you are not in a silo and that you want to bring up and and foster other organizations too whether they're smaller whether they're of similar size um we can all learn from each other. We are also so blessed to be surrounded by meds and eds. Um we have a great Carter, Ruckers University, Rowan University, um Cooper Virtual, really big hospitals um here in the South Jersey area and you know learning from them and also being able to say hey you want to get into this community we have really great community relationships if you want folks to get screened right for for cancer screenings for you know any sort of thing um diabetes screening things that we know are also occurring challenges for um youth and adults in Camden um you know, come with us. We'll we'll make some introductions to to some really great community leaders for you and and on the flip side, tell us what you what we can do for you, what you can do for us. So, really leveraging our expertise, you know, expanding the toolbox that we have um is really something that is is a great part of my job. Being able to highlight that to funders um and then there's another introduction. So, somebody who gave to one organization is like, "Oh, I I've heard of them, but I didn't." Tell me what they do. Tell me how you're working with them. tell tell me how they're helping your work get better and and and more um you know pushed out into the community. So I think we do that pretty well. Um sometimes it's it's hidden in a you know federal proposal or you know a community foundation proposal. Um but I think you know we could all do a better job of of tooting our own horn and and kind of you know highlighting those those partnerships for sure. Um but I think I think we're doing a really great job of that. I think we could do a better job promoting it. Um, but I don't know that we've had we would have had as much success securing some of our funding without the help of our partners.

[15:59]  If the Heart and Hustle podcast has ever sparked any idea or made you think differently, do us a favor. Make sure to guys share this, post it on LinkedIn, or even text that nonprofit friend that you just have. Whatever works. This is what keeps the conversation going and allows us to just grow this community together. Seriously, we appreciate you. You mentioned expanding your toolbox. It all it automatically leads me because I say this all the time, automatically leads me to AI because that is my new tool that expanded my toolbox. Allows me to be I think so much more creative. Um gives me a lot of time to focus on the things that matter. Um where are you guys at with AI? I mean 100 years there's there's has to be something that allowed you guys to grow and it probably is staying ahead of the curve. Is AI also something that you guys are kind of staying ahead of the curve with? Um, I would say that AI can be a challenge. Um, when you're talking about human social services, when you're talking about, you know, clinical work, when you're talking about counseling, things like that. So, um, we are looking at AI from a very cautious lens, I think. Um, I think there are some organizations and and some sectors who can dive right in and and take it and, you know, take take the extra 10 minutes to have another cup of coffee because AI is helping you do your job today. I love that for for everyone who can do that successfully. Um, but I think, you know, we have a lot of regulations and a lot of um privacy concerns and considerations when it comes to that. So, I think we are taking um, you know, some cautious steps in in determining how that will work in our sector. I think we're taking a lot of, you know, guidance from from some of the other um associations and, you know, folks that we look to for some of that guidance when we're just not too sure of of where to step. Um, so I think treading lightly, I think treading lightly with AI generally is probably also a good idea. I think, you know, there are some early adopters um of that who know what to do with it and even if they don't, they can at least share the best practices and lessons learned, but it doesn't work out so well. Um but I think that um you know it's it's a TBD. It's an impromptu.

[18:12]  Yeah. Yeah. No, for sure. I think AI I I hear it in different spaces, right? How do we communicate? How do we help internally? How do we help externally? There's so many ways that AI can help, but what is that model that really helps us I I think communicate really with the with our community uh communicate with our donors. I think those are the important parts as well is how do we stay relevant because out of sight out of mind. So, how are we getting people's on their phones, right? Like I think there's a lot of opportunity there. Um, but one of the things that that was really fascinating is that you love to add humor. You like to lead with humor. Why do you think laughter belongs in the middle of a trauma-informed care and fundraising meetings?

[18:52]  So, um, maybe not so much in trauma-informed care, but I think I think for me, uh, I find humor disarming. I find it can be level setting. I find that um for me it's also something making a friend laugh um you know bringing some humor to you know well we you know we didn't get this and we didn't you know it didn't go so well something didn't go in our favor or you know well we're we're growing too fast we need to find more space and you know you cracking a joke about you know something you know the old woman who lived in shoe didn't know what to you know too much stuff um going on I just find it um you know whether it's corny or cringey or whatever my kids would say um or whatever my you know 1990s self would say you know I just find that it's it rooms shouldn't be so stuffy and shouldn't be so serious because when we start taking ourselves too seriously um the work gets heavier so I think finding a little levity in things um I actually growing up I used to my grandma had readers dig EST in our house and the back of it was laughter was the best medicine. I used to read it and literally laugh my head off because I thought it was like old senior citizen humor maybe at the time. Who knows? Um but I just I giggled and I've always um I've always had laughter around me. Um I think my kids are some of the funniest people and probably just because I'm biased and I love them. Um but I love pe I love to laugh. I love people who can make me laugh and then in turn I just feel like um I think you burn calories. At least I tell myself. Um but I I think I think you know smiling can burn calories but it also um it just lightens the room and if you can't laugh at yourself, you really shouldn't be laughing at anybody else.

[20:49]  I do agree. I'm I'm a total clown. Like and my daughter is is definitely following in my footsteps and I tell her all the time, please don't lose your humor. However, she does it in the wrong times at you know, you know how it is, right? The kids sometimes just take it overboard a little bit. But no, it is true. I I I was a facilitator and I was always I depending on what facilitators I work with, it just made life so much easier. It made work so much easier because we're laughing together. It never felt like work. We're having a good time. You know, even for those that were taking those classes, like they'll love it because we're laughing. I'll tell stories, right? We talk about stories. Sometimes there's those stories that really took it to heart, but there's also those funny stories. And I'm I'm a I'm a type person. And they're like, I'll act it out, right? That's like my background is theater. So, I'm acting it out. Um, so I hear you. It you got to, right? And times of work when it comes to nonprofit sometimes it's so hard, but how do you continue to just get people laughing, excited to come back to continue to do it over and over? Um, because I sat in board meetings and I'm pretty sure you have that it's like, oh my god, why am I here? Right? So you you bring the energy and it it is hard because people think that it's I guess it's hard and easy at the same time because for me I feel like when people say you your job is easy. You just talk to people. You I'm like I got to turn that on. You think I want to do this all day every day. Sometimes I also want to be quiet and just sit there. But you realize that you are the energy in the room at times. You are what keeps it moving and and your se you are what keeps it moving, right? So you got to u make sure you balance both of them which I love. I love that. a leader like yourself is saying, "Listen, it's okay to have fun. When we get down to business, we get down to business, but we're just having a little bit of humor." I love it. I love it. I also love that you guys have um been hiring residents to do the work.

[22:31]  Bold move. Um what kind of magic happens when you get people to people in the story to actually help write that next chapter? But really, that's what it is. Like whose idea was it? You know, like was this always a thing? that something that you um implemented or I think it's fascinating.

[22:49]  So yes. Yes. And um it is fascinating is going back to that authentic storytelling um because you can't get it wrong when you've got a resident behind, you know, behind you, beside you um when you're following them um through the streets knocking on doors as you mentioned. Um I think um there are a lot of organizations like ours in Camden who do lean on the lived experience of Camden residents. There are Camden residents I was with last night who have lived there for 40 45 years who have been there since the jump with their families who you know are multiple generations of families from Camden. And you're never going to get a more authentic story than from a Camden president when you want to do something and start a new initiative and you try to do a focus group or you you know oh we're going to try this and you know you get pumpkin that's great and you're like what am I doing wrong? You're like no no no doing anything. We can't wait to see it happen. It's like well is it because it hasn't happened? It hasn't happened well enough. It has you know tell me more. And they're like we'll tell you more. you just keep coming back to us with some updates. You just keep coming back to us for you don't forget about us. And when you have Camden residents on your team, they hear it. You know, they have to go, you know, back home every day wearing the t-shirt or doing, you know, and they will hear it and they will bring it back and they're like, they're really excited about our event. We're going to need more, you know, more ice cream the second Mr. Softy Ch, you know, whatever it is. Um, or, you know, this isn't reading well out there. We need, you know, we need to do more outreach. we need to to be out in front a little bit more. We need to change the message. We need we've even had feedback of changing the title of a workshop because no one was coming. And as soon as we did, we had 30 people at the door. Like very simple feedback. Very simp. And so it's it's you know, and it's not that it's a low bar or a low requirement. It's a requirement that meets people where they are to work with us. And we've had so many Camden residents. I I have a woman on my team who has been with us for nine years. She was with us before she joined my team. As a neighborhood, we have neighborhood allies. Um some organizations have community health workers. So you're sharing healthcare information and resources as a member who goes back home and you're using them yourself, right? No better proof in the pudding than someone who's, you know, also using the product, right?

[25:20]  Yeah.

[25:21]  You know that that old guy who used to say, I'm not only the president, but I'm also a member, right? So that's the thing for our Camden residents and they are at every table um with us when we're making decisions when we're designing programs. um you know that feedback is invaluable that asset that we have you know when we're asset mapping the first thing we put down is Camden residence that's the biggest truest you know most authentic asset that we have and when we abandon that we're sunk um because it's it's with them and by them um you know and then it's for them. So, when we're doing it in collaboration, going back to your other point, um who are we collaborating with? First and foremost, it has to be the residents because when we're long gone, they're the ones who, you know, we're accountable to make getting the funding and doing the thing. But if we're not um sharing that experience and sharing that toolbox and building up their repertoire of what they have in their pocket to make you know these initiatives continue and sustain um in a way that makes sense for them that makes them feel safe and comfortable and secure then you know that trust building is is is proof that we're doing it right um because they're keeping us honest and that's one of the best things I

[26:38]  experiences that I've had in my um is by working side by side at camping residents. It's awesome.

[26:44]  Yeah. And make complete sense, right? Like those are the those are the ones that um you said going to use it. Those are the ones that uh experience it. Um and it's like really it's not about us, it's about them. So why not get them involved, right? And I think sometimes organizations may get that wrong as well. It's trying to do things as that you just want to do, but is it really helpful? As you mentioned, is someone going to use it? is a title uh that we grab them with the title because sometimes we got to dumb it down a little bit, right? Um to just make sense and not so much because people are are not smart, but sometimes we just need it to make sense. I'm a big believer every time, even with uh with my partner Kenan, I always say whenever whenever we're saying something, it just has to make sense. When I was a facilitator, like they'll give me a script like this is what you you know teach, but I'm like it doesn't make sense. We got to speak your language, right? So how do we speak their language? We get to know what they do. we get to know who they are and once you understand that now you can speak their language like I spoke to these people they're here they're speaking up so I love that you guys get so involved in that it shows why there's a hundredyear-old uh you know nonprofit standing because of those reasons um we think about burnout though right I can imagine it happens often you're working so hard you burn yourself out how are you leading others when maybe sometimes your own tank is actually running low like is there someone else that you you you go to to kind of refill that up. Is it husband? Is it kids? Is it, you know, God? What is it?

[28:11]  Um I think that um turning a certain age can also kind of change that. Um I I used to hear legendary tales that once you hit um I mean let's say 40 um for example you know things that you not waste invested too much time in that maybe didn't deserve a lot of your time. Um you start to realize that maybe you want to readjust where you spend your time and who you spend your time with. So I think being able to say no, being able to say no thank you. Um, you know, being able to decide, you know, again, comfortable and happy, how do I stay comfortable and happy? Right? If I were was uncomfortable today, how do I get back to my comfortable space? If I was, you know, less than satisfied with the day, how do I get back to happy? And now both of those things aren't always simultaneous, right? But how do I get back to one? How do I get back to baseline?

[29:20]  Um, so for me that could be um, you know, going to a youth sports game to be with people who I don't have to talk about the day today, right? They we don't even actually always ask how your day was, right? Because here we are, we're doing this thing now. Like, let's be present here. Um, so I think that's the other thing is is people who help me be present where I am. um or who see my face which I am very very bad poker face. So um people will be like you know mostly my husband um thank him for his um his truth but uh you know I think that there there your people that you go to um I wish I had more time to exercise but I watch other people exercise my kids all the time. Um, so I think it's it's being back with the people who um who know you best, who can who can keep you grounded.

[30:19]  Yeah. I love that you say sports game. I'm a wrestling fan, so I tell people people's like, "Should I go by myself?" I'm like, "Yeah." Like it doesn't matter if you go by yourself because everybody in there is loving the same damn thing. Like I remember going to um Wrestlemania one time, you know, 40 50,000 people in this place. I never felt out of place. I was there by myself. It was a last minute thing. But everyone loves wrestling here. So guess what? I'm yelling to this person like, "Oh my god, let me see that." Like it's a shared

[30:46]  not even worrying about what's happening on the outside world cuz I'm so happy. Like to me, I always say it wrestling is like the escape of reality for me, you know, at times because life be lifing, you know, and sometimes you need to find that thing. I love how you mentioned 40 years old. I'm halfway there. Okay. I'm 35. But I also feel that I'm taking that in um scaling, you know, my personal brand and what I've been doing. I realize that some of the friends that I were talking to maybe once a week, I'm talking to them once every 3 months,

[31:15]  you know, because some things sometimes the things they say, right? We just don't have time for it. As you mentioned, I don't have time. I'm I'm a parent now. I'm a leader. Like, not that we change, but we have to realize what we're intaking. Kind of what you mentioned, right? What are you intaking? Um, and to me that was the music I was listening to, the way I was talking to myself, the way I allowed others to talk to me, right? Or or just kind of speak on my life. Um, so I hear you. You those all does make they do make a difference when you just think in that way. Um, so I love that you mentioned that and it kind of scares me when you said, you know, 40. I'm like, wait, wait, I'm almost there. You know, life changes again. It's already changing. My knees are, you know, cracking and oh, this is this is crazy. I was doing the floors.

[31:58]  You'll be great.

[31:59]  I was doing the floors the other day, right, Megan? And uh I felt it completely the next for like two days. The knees, the back, all this. I'm like, "Oh, this is what they say when you get a little older." So, luckily I still work out. Wasn't it wasn't too long of a uh you know, hurt. Um but I hear everything that you're saying. I'm resonating over here making me feel old. Thank you, Megan. I appreciate it.

[32:22]  I love it. Um you don't believe in best practices, right? you you you believe in belonging. What does that actually look like in a system though that's built on on metrics?

[32:33]  Um so we have a lot of metrics. Um we have a lot of you know funding metric metrics levels of service. Um so there there are the real measures and the real outcomes um to what we do for sure every day. um a lot of people to report to, a lot of people to show that we're doing the thing that they entrusted us to do and that we are helping the people they entrusted us to help. Um but I think from from my role um you know it's it's the the people, places and things. Um so the people are the ones doing it. They are frontline staff. They are the leaders in their field. They are the experts of their work. Um they are supervisors to field staff. Um they are going into homes and they are counseling families and children in schools. Um they are trying to interrupt, you know, violence and unsafe communities. Um they are trying to educate the youngest, brightest faces in our Head Start classrooms. Um, a lot of the work that we do is again, you know, it's it's numbers, it's case notes, it's uh client assistance, it's helping people, meeting them where they are. Um, but it's not headcounting. Again, it goes back to every single individual has a unique story, has a unique situation that brought them to our door, brought them to our access line um to get in touch with us for some reason because they need help. Do they know that it's us who's going to be able to help them? That's the trust that we build, right? That's the authentepic service delivery that we offer. But um it's it's everyone's role to um to believe and to deliver the mi on the mission um of our agency um which is to make people and communities stronger. And that's up to people to decide what that means. and we are there to support them in whatever that definition looks like um for however long we can and however long that works in collaboration with each other. Um, I want my team to know that they are supported, that they are, you know, smart and capable and have mostly every day taught me something about how to do my job better or how to even live as a human better. Um, how to make relationships stronger. Um, and and definitely less transactional. Um and and just really caring and having compassion, empathy for people is something that um the you know 1,700 folks that work for our agency do every day. Um certainly lucky to be in their presence and tell the stories of the work that we do. um and really make sure that any investment that any one organization person um company wants to provide to our agency is used with um the stewardship in mind of their intention um but with the efficiency and effectiveness um that that we have to to utilize those those dollars and that funding.

[35:42]  You mentioned 1,700 people. That's a lot of people.

[35:45]  It's a lot of people. We are a statewide organization um at this point. um we we stretch from one end of New Jersey to the other. Um you know, not certainly in in every county, but um it's it's a lot of a lot of um well-intentioned um you know, people who do very very hard work. I mean, we're not we're not er doctors or not trauma doctors. Um but we do a lot of the work that that people wouldn't wouldn't really step foot in. Um, and it's it's meaningful and it's tough. Um, but it's it's really great.

[36:22]  Oh, it it is. And I think that's why I like to share this because people don't realize what's really going on right inside some of these nonprofits until they join in. But for someone that's who's actually listening, who's never volunteered, never donated, never advocated. What's that first small act that they can actually take that that would matter?

[36:41]  Sure. Um well, the the political landscape in our in our country has really brought a lot of issues to light. Um issues that might have, you know, impacted smaller communities or on a smaller scale because they're not as promoted or talked about or highlighted um either in the news or just in common discourse. Um so a lot of the issues that are being raised um or defunded or you know issues that are are kind of coming up um around the continuation of just basic needs and support for those um those are things that you can get up and advocate for just by saying you know I care about this because it either has affected me it's affected my neighbor one day it could affect any of us you know any of us are one horrible, you know, accident or challenge away from losing a job. Um, right? We've seen, you know, federal workers and government workers lose their jobs. Um, it's it's a really tough time. And I think it's really just finding out what's important to yourself, um, to your family, and seeking out opportunities to just learn about organizations or ways that those, um, burdens are trying to or barriers are trying to be lifted for pe for folks um, in your own town and then you can work your way up from there. There's always an organization that's um, distributing food near you. There's always an organization um that is offering tutoring help to kids. There's always an organization that needs mentors for youth. It's huge. You show up for somebody because guess what? In your life, somebody had to have shown up for you to get you where you are.

[38:24]  So, if you can show up and give an hour of your time, um then from that maybe you want to give $100 with an hour of your time. Um or increase to two hours or bring a friend. Do it as a buddy system. If you know you're not going to go to the gym with your friend, they're going to be like, "Are we going today? Are we going today?" Why don't you reallocate your time and invest it in helping someone else? If you know that you're not going to get on that rowing machine or you're not going to get on that elliptical, go help somebody else. If you're good, if you're set, if you're not worried about something today, go help somebody else who might be worried about something today.

[38:59]  Yeah. I love that you say that because it is true. There's an organization for everybody. What do you love? I can imagine if you Google that nonprofit that it would actually show up.

[39:10]  Um, and as you mentioned, it's gives you the time to sometimes realize pouring into others. It's what you need, right? Brings happiness. Maybe we're not in a happy place. What brings us happiness? Sometime is seeing someone else happy,

[39:23]  right? So, it giving someone that happiness because you can. Um because at one point as you mentioned I always look at it and I think that's why I've I've been so into wanting to give back. I'm adopted. So to me that was a second chance at life and from early on in my life I just wanted to help somebody else. Even though I was going through all this, you know, things in my life, sexual abuse and adoption, feeling unloved, I still had this, man, I just want to give back cuz someone I looked at it as someone gave me, you know, and I think there was opportunities when we were in high school, middle school, elementary, out in the world where someone gave to you, you know. So, let's continue to pass it on and make this world a better place because ideally those small little things that we do truly do make a difference. I was actually just talking to my neighbor yesterday and um unfortunately he likes to uh pay for everyone, but unfortunately this lady was behind him, she almost felt like he was flirting in a sense, right? And he's like he cuz he's a veteran, he was getting his stuff free, so he just decided to pay for the next one, you know, behind. So whatever it was a whole kind of show. Um the lady says, "Hey, the per the actual cashier is like, man, I never seen that done." Like don't lose yourself because of one person, right? So the next day he did it again. The lady behind him was in tears

[40:34]  and gave him a hug and says, "No one's ever done something nice for me."

[40:38]  Like it's something like that, right? That little token of appreciation makes a huge difference. And and and maybe now she felt seen. You know, now she will continue to pass on realizing, "Oh my god, this whole time I thought there wasn't good people in this world." But look at that. It truly does make a difference when we just show up and volunteer our time. So, I'm happy that you kind of went down that that lane of there's plenty of things that could be done. It's not always just donating, right? Just finding the time to give back.

[41:03]  Um, we're kind of at the end of it. I told you I was going to just run by so fast and now I'm going to put you in the hot seat. It's a blind question time. So, Megan, I ask you, what truth about leadership did you once whisper to yourself, but now you're like shouting it to everybody?

[41:21]  Leadership is learning. Leadership is not having to be the smartest person in the room when you spend a lot of time going through school and trying to get straight A's or trying to, you know, be the achiever. Um whether it's you know the tremendous amount of pressure you put on yourself asking for a friend um or it's you know what you feel like you need to become um or external pressures whatever it is you know pressure to get out of wherever you are or pressure to you know to change the way that people think about you um you know whatever that pressure you know of that came with learning before to get to wherever it is you are or are striving to um you know that that learning can feel um can feel heavy and I think some of us think that you can stop learning because now you're leading so you learned enough to lead um and the thing is is that you've never learned enough that you need to still learn along with the people that are working with you or walking with you or doing the work with you. um you know that's why there's conferences and continuing education credits right like you've got to continue learning um and I think fostering that um you know you you can be an expert today but something's going to challenge you tomorrow that you might not know the answer to and maybe AI can give it to you quicker than I can you know I I was a fan of encyclopedia bratannica you know so book I love the feel of a book still um they took the newspaper away from me but one day um you know I I think I think it's that you can't short change yourself um as a leader and I always you know I always thought well I don't know enough to be a leader and I was like that's exactly how you get into that seat sometimes right and you have to be able to foster that in other people and learn along with them and sure you can still teach you know people things about you know your lessons learned and your best practices through life but I think being able to um to keep a fire of of knowing that you don't know everything is is something to be said for leaders.

[43:39]  Yeah, I I 100% agree with that. Every leader is not the smartest person in the room. A good leader is probably not the smartest person in the room. No,

[43:45]  right. They found good people around them that make them look good, but in reality, it's those that, you know, they're pouring into and also kind of pouring up. Um, just because you mentioned Encyclopedia took me to a story, a video that I was watching yesterday and she was talking about a pager and he's like 25 years old. He's like, "I mean, I've seen it in movies, but what exactly is that?" Right? And so, she's describing a pager for me. I'm like, "You really don't know what a pager is, right?" But he did not know. He's like, "Oh, I learned something new today." So, look at that. People are still learning something new about a pager. Something that's been Well, it's not around anymore, but it was around. You know, it's crazy to think that people don't know what a pager is, though, isn't it, Megan?

[44:23]  It's now Now that things I grew up with are now vintage, it feels I feel a certain type of way about it, but it's okay.

[44:29]  Yeah. You know, I always I think this is so funny, but I still have a floppy disc. Like, it was a project that I did years ago, and I would love to know what's on this floppy disc, but right, those don't exist. Who the hell is carrying around a floppy disc?

[44:42]  It's frozen in time. You're never going to know. It's like

[44:45]  we barely grab we we barely uh even use USB drives. Remember that was a thing? You had all these USB drives for what? Everything is just on the computer technology.

[44:56]  Um, so that's why we got to continue to learn as well, right? things are ever changing in front of us. Social media, the website, AI now is that new thing that everyone's still learning, but not everyone has ever used it. I was actually surprised. I was talking to my mechanic and um he was going through some issues. So, you know, I put everything in chat GPT. So, I I took it. I prompted it and it made me feel good because he was very dead on on what he was saying, right? Chat DPT told me he was dead on. But he's like, "I never used it. Is it free?" And I'm like, "You don't use chat dbt?" But that's because it's still kind of new to us. One day everyone's using ChadBt. Forget a Google search. Um, so yeah. Anyway, wait. Let's not make us feel too old here, Megan. Let's not make us feel too old. What is your blind question to our next leader?

[45:41]  Well, my blind question is, what is the gift or talent you have that you wish you could highlight more often or or be able to to demonstrate more often, either at work or at home? just something that you you know you know you can do but just never have the right platform for it.

[46:02]  Love it. Love it. That's always intriguing.

[46:04]  Yeah, that's intriguing. That's intriguing to figure out from a leader because we just play these roles of leaders and forget who we are sometime on the outside. So, make people think I love I love what you're thinking. Get into the mindset right there.

[46:14]  Well, Megan, I truly appreciate your time. It's always been an honor to speak to another leader like yourself that is a 100year-old organization, right? There's a lot to really learn from this organization has been around for so long. We thank you so much for giving us your time. Guys, if you guys still watching, make sure that you guys do like, comment, and share. That's the way that we continue to share the stories, right? We we are storytellers. We want people to understand the nonprofit world is a beautiful place to be in. Um, yes, of course, there's always the challenges, but the happiness, the comfortability, right? Megan is telling us she's happy and she's comfortable. Um, and and realizing that when you go home, it's not about the money, it's about the purpose, it's about the passion, the mission that you truly live. So, if you guys are interested in nonprofits, Camden is one of those. Um, not Camden because you're not in Camden, but there's so many nonprofits like this one in Camden. So, if you guys in Jersey, make sure you guys check them out, guys. We thank you. Matter of fact, before I let go, what social media? Are you guys on social media? What is the website before we actually

[47:07]  Yeah, so our agency is Center for Family Services. We are centerfs.org. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram. Um, that's our website. And, um, we love the feedback. We just got an award for the accessibility of our website. So, that's something that we got ahead of, right? Um, but it is user friendly. It is um easy to navigate and it's easy to find help.

[47:31]  I love it. Glad you guys heard it here first. My name is Ephrain. This has been Megan. You guys take care. See you guys in a