1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,800 Hello everyone and welcome to the within range coaching podcast. 2 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:13,540 I'm Ranger, certified holistic success coach, and in this podcast, I'm breaking down the 3 00:00:13,540 --> 00:00:17,960 journey that entrepreneurs face as they start their organization, find solutions to the 4 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:21,780 problems in their way, and create an impact that lasts. 5 00:00:21,780 --> 00:00:26,400 So if you're an entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, or purpose driven community member that wants 6 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:31,160 to learn how to grow your impact and develop yourself as the person behind the mission, 7 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:33,600 then this is the podcast for you. 8 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:40,200 I know you're just as eager as I am to get started, so let's jump right in. 9 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:45,160 Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening everyone, and welcome to today's episode. 10 00:00:45,160 --> 00:00:51,040 Today we get to really dive in to see how we as individuals, communities, and organizations 11 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:54,520 can truly turn our passion into purpose. 12 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:58,680 This is a part of my Walk Across America series where I'm hanging out with and highlighting 13 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:02,160 the people that are helping me make the walk happen. 14 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:06,360 As I've been saying, I'm walking alone, but I couldn't do this without the support of 15 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:07,360 my community. 16 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:11,160 And I think that really ties in with what today's speaker and organization bring to 17 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,080 the table. 18 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,240 Today I'm joined by Courtney from the Wander Project. 19 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:20,860 Again, I could ramble on and on about the Wander Project myself and list all the cool 20 00:01:20,860 --> 00:01:24,500 things about Courtney, but today that's her job. 21 00:01:24,500 --> 00:01:27,960 So Courtney, thank you for hanging out with us today. 22 00:01:27,960 --> 00:01:29,520 Thanks for inviting me, Ranger. 23 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:31,160 I'm super pumped to be here. 24 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:36,660 They get to talk about Wander Project, and hopefully maybe later hear a little bit more 25 00:01:36,660 --> 00:01:37,660 about your walk. 26 00:01:37,660 --> 00:01:42,100 I know we've chatted about it, but it's just such a perfect tie-in to talk about Wander 27 00:01:42,100 --> 00:01:50,800 Project and how one person, even on a walk alone, supports and is impacted by a community. 28 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:55,560 So yes, I am the Director of Community Engagement at Wander Project. 29 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,840 My background is in startups and nonprofits. 30 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:06,120 So Wander Project was sort of the perfect fit for me in that we've only been around 31 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:08,120 for just five years now. 32 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:14,120 So sort of both that cross between nonprofit and startup when I joined two years ago. 33 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:20,280 And what initially drew me in was the ability to inspire folks to do something that they 34 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:24,920 love as a means to impact a cause that they care about. 35 00:02:24,920 --> 00:02:30,000 So primarily, right, we're talking about charity bids, and I'm sure you'll have some questions 36 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:31,000 about that. 37 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:32,760 You've done that program. 38 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:38,600 But yeah, I love the fact that every day my job is to wake up and talk to folks and help 39 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,440 them figure out how to do some good in the world one step at a time. 40 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:43,440 Yeah, no, I love that. 41 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:47,600 I think it's, and that's really the message that for me, at least, I'm trying to get across 42 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:55,600 in the podcast is one person can make a difference, not necessarily completely by themselves, 43 00:02:55,600 --> 00:03:00,680 but it's about them being able to inspire action to communicate their message and bring 44 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:04,940 people kind of into that fold of this is what we're trying to do. 45 00:03:04,940 --> 00:03:06,380 This is the mission. 46 00:03:06,380 --> 00:03:08,800 People like us can do things like this. 47 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:11,640 And I think that's really great. 48 00:03:11,640 --> 00:03:15,520 And just to kind of be able to highlight you and bring it back to this, what would you 49 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:19,440 say is your intention for today's episode? 50 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:20,760 An excellent question. 51 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:24,480 I love intention setting. 52 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:32,960 For me today, I will feel good at the end of this podcast if we together, Ranger, have 53 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:35,440 inspired someone to go out and take a step. 54 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:39,100 And it doesn't even have to be a step with Wander Project. 55 00:03:39,100 --> 00:03:44,280 But just to dive into something that they're passionate about to be inspired to take that 56 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:49,000 first step to doing something meaningful, something that they care about. 57 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:50,520 That's a sound bite right there. 58 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:55,200 I will feel good if we've inspired someone to take a step. 59 00:03:55,200 --> 00:04:01,620 And when you say that, what comes up for me is it can be as small as that. 60 00:04:01,620 --> 00:04:04,680 It's just about moving in a direction of impact. 61 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,880 Because I feel like a lot of times people when they think of making an impact or making 62 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:15,520 a difference, it's these life changing, world changing years and years. 63 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:18,740 But it sounds like what you're really trying to get across is you can take action today 64 00:04:18,740 --> 00:04:21,240 to make an impact tomorrow. 65 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:22,240 Absolutely. 66 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:26,600 You know, it doesn't have to be some big grandiose thing. 67 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,680 It can be if that's your jam, if that's where you're ready to dive in. 68 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:30,680 Absolutely. 69 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:36,400 But it could just be volunteering one afternoon once a month at your local food pantry. 70 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:41,040 It could just be taking a trash bag with you on your next hike and packing out some trash 71 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:42,400 that you see. 72 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:47,280 It's collectively right when we all do these small steps that we're making those bigger 73 00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:50,040 shifts towards the world that we want to see. 74 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:51,040 Yeah. 75 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:55,600 And in the spirit of that, in terms of taking that step towards being the change you want 76 00:04:55,600 --> 00:05:00,960 to see and making that impact, I do kind of want to go back a little bit to your story. 77 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:05,000 You said that you worked in Starbucks and what else? 78 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:06,720 Oh, sorry, startups. 79 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:07,720 Startups. 80 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:08,720 OK. 81 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:09,720 I was like, OK, OK. 82 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:10,720 Non-profits. 83 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:11,720 Yeah. 84 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:12,720 Startups and non-profits. 85 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:13,720 I'm a little congested. 86 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:18,320 The weather has been bananas here and I'm just a little stuffed up myself. 87 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:20,120 Yeah, don't worry. 88 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:21,120 Startups, non-profits. 89 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:22,960 OK, there we go. 90 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:25,320 I was going to say, like, how did that kind of happen? 91 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:27,560 But what was that experience like? 92 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:31,240 Because I know a lot of people that are going to be listening to the podcast are going to 93 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:38,640 be either entrepreneurs, early entrepreneurs, just starting in their business game journey. 94 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:43,200 So what was that experience like, working for so many startups and non-profits? 95 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:44,200 Yeah. 96 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:50,360 So I had worked for non-profits for about a decade, both local ones. 97 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:56,760 I'm in northern Michigan, so environmentally focused, as well as some regional and even 98 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:58,400 national non-profits. 99 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:02,760 I was on a board for a mountain bike organization. 100 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:06,720 And this woman said, you know, I'm at this software testing company. 101 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:13,440 And I know you know nothing about that, but you seem to know a lot about people and organizations 102 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:16,120 and doing a lot with a little, right? 103 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:18,120 Kind of the hallmark of a non-profit. 104 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:22,160 And she said, I think you would just be wonderful at this startup. 105 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:24,240 Like, let me know if you're interested. 106 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:29,660 And I was at that point in time looking for my next opportunity for personal growth and 107 00:06:29,660 --> 00:06:32,280 using my skills for good. 108 00:06:32,280 --> 00:06:34,280 So I took a dive. 109 00:06:34,280 --> 00:06:35,880 It wasn't even a tiptoe. 110 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,640 It was just a dive into the software testing startup. 111 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:42,840 I was employee number five. 112 00:06:42,840 --> 00:06:46,680 And over two years, grew it to a team of 20. 113 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:53,640 You know, I wore every hat, marketing, finance, I wore everything in between there as I helped 114 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:54,640 them grow. 115 00:06:54,640 --> 00:07:00,520 I felt really proud of the time that I was there in the people side of things, which 116 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:05,200 was an area that I really loved in non-profits, of course, all the good work. 117 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:07,760 But it's not a lot of crossover, right? 118 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:11,440 Non-profits and startups are at the heart, kind of the same, right? 119 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:15,040 In the beginning, you're trying to do a lot of good important work that you believe in 120 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:20,080 with maybe not as many resources as you would like to have. 121 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:24,800 Yeah, hey, I got to call H.R. real quick and you just kind of turn around and look in the 122 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:25,800 mirror. 123 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:26,800 Yeah, exactly. 124 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:27,800 Yeah. 125 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:31,720 And that's interesting because one of the guests that I interviewed yesterday for the 126 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:37,440 podcast, Rachel Arnold from the Hospice Promise Foundation and Grace Hospice, she did the 127 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:40,120 same thing when she jumped into the medical field. 128 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:41,360 She didn't have experience there. 129 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:44,680 It wasn't her deal, but she was great with people. 130 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:46,800 She had great management experience. 131 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:52,640 And it sounds like what I'm hearing from you is just because you're going into a field 132 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:56,920 doesn't mean you need to have experience in that specific field. 133 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,200 There's a lot of other skills that kind of transfer over. 134 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:04,200 So my question for you there is what was that experience like for you of having so many 135 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:05,400 different hats? 136 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:11,200 How did you manage the hat rack of working in a startup? 137 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:13,040 You know, I think I just wore them all at the same time. 138 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,800 I don't know if there was a rack and like I was constantly like changing them out. 139 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:19,360 I think they were just maybe stacked. 140 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:24,640 I am a person who appreciates a challenge or at least have grown into appreciating that 141 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:30,960 challenge of kind of having a few different things on the on the stovetop, so to speak, 142 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:32,460 at one point in time. 143 00:08:32,460 --> 00:08:37,400 My younger self definitely appreciated, you know, more structure and would not have thrived 144 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:38,400 in a startup. 145 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:44,760 But as I have grown, I've come to really appreciate kind of the excitement of like, okay, this 146 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:49,160 morning, you know, we're going to figure out how to balance the budget and this afternoon, 147 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:54,860 yep, we're going to lean into figuring out our employee handbook 2.0 revision. 148 00:08:54,860 --> 00:08:58,880 And then later on this evening, we're going to figure out, you know, our new process for 149 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:01,280 what onboarding clients looks like. 150 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:08,480 I really enjoyed kind of doing multiple puzzles maybe at one time is a better comparison, 151 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:09,480 right? 152 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:10,480 It wasn't even just working on one puzzle. 153 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:13,880 It was kind of managing like three or four all at one time. 154 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:18,880 Yeah, kind of the puzzle master wearing all the hats, the balancing act. 155 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:23,040 That's interesting that it's it's really about how you're envisioning all of those different 156 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:24,040 roles. 157 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:26,440 And it sounds like you can just took them in all at once. 158 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,960 So and I'm sure other people might be thinking this too. 159 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:35,380 Like when you're starting a business, I mean, I'm in that same spectrum right now of I'm 160 00:09:35,380 --> 00:09:41,400 doing everything, trying to figure out taxes and marketing and you know, all these different 161 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:44,040 rules that I have to follow. 162 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:48,880 What would be your suggestion to someone that's getting into the game and they're seeing that 163 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:52,680 they have to wear all these hats and they're just so overwhelmed with all the different 164 00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:55,200 fashions and and outfits? 165 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:56,560 What would you recommend to them? 166 00:09:56,560 --> 00:09:58,960 Yeah, I've actually given this advice before. 167 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:07,080 I still consult for nonprofits on the side and when folks are starting out when you can 168 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:11,920 hire, I always encourage like hire for the things that you don't want to do or don't 169 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:12,920 know how to do. 170 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:14,720 You know, you can wear a lot of hats. 171 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:15,880 You can't wear all of them, right? 172 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:19,600 Eventually, you're going to have to hire someone or outsource something. 173 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:24,040 And that was one of the reasons that I did choose to jump into that startup. 174 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:29,800 The CEO and the COO both knew what they were really well or really good at doing rather 175 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:35,040 and knew kind of the areas that like they have no interest in or no experience in. 176 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:39,120 And so, you know, they brought me in because that was my background and my interest. 177 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:44,000 And so I was really able to thrive because I was just doing the pieces that I was interested 178 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:48,400 and excited to do and had some business acumen in. 179 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:51,280 It would have been a different situation, I think, if they're like, oh, yeah, come in 180 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:54,080 and do this thing that you don't really enjoy doing. 181 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:55,080 Right. 182 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:57,480 Or if they had been like, we know exactly how we want it. 183 00:10:57,480 --> 00:10:58,480 Just come in and do it. 184 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:01,440 That's a different feeling or situation. 185 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:06,440 And for me, coming in and supporting that team in the areas that were strengths for 186 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:11,480 me allowed us all to run fast together really fast. 187 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:12,480 Yeah. 188 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:19,000 And it sounds like a lot of that kind of ties into knowing yourself and being honest with 189 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:24,080 your capabilities, what you're good at, what you enjoy doing. 190 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:27,440 And it to kind of stick with this multiple hat mentality. 191 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:32,200 When that hat with one of those hats starts getting a little bit too heavy or too big 192 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:37,880 to the words just unreasonable, find a Courtney, find someone that can take it, look great 193 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:40,480 in it and keep going forward. 194 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:43,040 And you guys can go further faster together. 195 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:48,680 I think the natural next question for that is, when do you think this is very tactical, 196 00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:55,040 of course, but when do you think someone will know they're ready to hire someone to help 197 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:57,320 out with the business or the nonprofit or startup? 198 00:11:57,320 --> 00:11:59,040 Yeah, that's a good question. 199 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:04,880 Putting on my CFO hat, which I haven't worn in a while, but was one of the hats that I 200 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:09,080 had on at that startup, you know, it has to make financial sense for you. 201 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:10,800 It might be a little bit of a risk, right? 202 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:16,960 You might be dipping into your safety net for a half a month or a month, you know, to 203 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,440 get to that next level. 204 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:23,000 That's something, you know, as a business owner, you're always going to have to be comfortable 205 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:24,000 with. 206 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,880 There's a certain amount of risk in owning a business. 207 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:31,320 And I'm not certainly saying, you know, go out and risk it all the higher the next person. 208 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:36,080 But you'll know, you know, you can set some financial markers for yourself, like, okay, 209 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:40,880 it'll feel less uncomfortable, less risky, still a little bit of risk. 210 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:45,960 But at this point, you know, I can hire someone part time, I can hop on fiber and get an hourly 211 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:49,040 person to just help with this one thing. 212 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:53,520 Or you could even I know, when I was at the software testing company, sometimes we are 213 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:56,320 ready for a position, but not ready for it full time. 214 00:12:56,320 --> 00:13:01,520 So we would hire part time, you know, someone maybe who's still in college and just getting 215 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:02,760 into whatever it was. 216 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:06,360 And I think it was like marketing, with the intent that it could grow into a full time 217 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:07,360 role. 218 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:10,480 And that seems to be a great fit because they also, you know, yeah, I'll be looking for 219 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:12,960 full time when I graduate, but not right now. 220 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:19,280 So I think we got creative with our hiring to be just in time, just the right fit for 221 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:21,720 both us and the person we were hiring. 222 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:29,200 A big part of the software testing company that I really valued was that it was human 223 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,280 centered leadership. 224 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:33,800 Certainly we cared about profits and our clients and those things. 225 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:39,760 But at the end of the day, one of our values was doing right by the people in our company. 226 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,760 And we had a checkbox on almost every decision we made. 227 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:46,520 And if it wasn't going to be good for our team, it didn't matter that it was good for 228 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:48,320 the client and going to make us a bunch of money. 229 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:52,440 If it wasn't good for our team, it didn't pass the test. 230 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:55,720 And you know, that was one of the reasons I ended up at Wander Project too, throughout 231 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:59,200 the interview process and looking at the company. 232 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:03,160 They don't just care about doing good in the world and budgets and things like that. 233 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:06,080 They care about the team behind the scenes making it all happen. 234 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:07,080 Yeah. 235 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:08,080 And I think that's another good point. 236 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:12,120 Now, that was a great segue into talking more about Wander Project. 237 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:17,040 But to just kind of highlight what you just said there, when that hat gets too heavy, 238 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:20,280 you don't need someone necessarily to take it full time. 239 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:22,360 You can do a part time person. 240 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:24,920 You can do an independent contractor. 241 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:29,060 It's just being open to the possibilities and being resourceful because there's so many 242 00:14:29,060 --> 00:14:31,160 resources out there now. 243 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:34,640 It's just about finding what works best for you and your organization. 244 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:40,680 So I think that's a really great point to highlight and kind of moving into Wander Project 245 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:42,640 and where you're at now. 246 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:46,280 Could you go ahead and just kind of describe what it is that Wander Project does, the impact 247 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:49,920 that you guys make and what that looks like? 248 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:50,920 Yeah. 249 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:56,600 So you and I have both said it at this point about turning passion into purpose. 250 00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:01,880 Wander Project originally started as an initiative in-house by a running company that we're still 251 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:03,600 partnered with today. 252 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:09,400 And the CEO basically wanted to find a way to give back, especially to the areas that 253 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:16,120 these running events were being held in, sort of to offset the fact that a couple of thousand 254 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:19,420 people were going to be there for a few days. 255 00:15:19,420 --> 00:15:25,040 And after two years of that, realized it shouldn't just be limited to this one company. 256 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:31,400 It should be an opportunity for anyone who's doing sort of an outdoor endeavor. 257 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:36,720 And so at that point in time, Wander Project became its own 501c3 charity and has grown 258 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:40,800 and added more event partners, primarily running events. 259 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:44,640 So someone can sign up for a run that they were probably already planning on doing as 260 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:46,240 a charity bib. 261 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:51,280 In exchange for committing to a charity bib, we waive their registration fees. 262 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:54,400 Essentially we cover the cost of their entry. 263 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:58,760 And then they say, this is the charity I want to raise money for. 264 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:04,280 And we support them from registration to what we call fundraising finish line and making 265 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:09,400 sure that come race day, they're getting to raise and donate out money to a cause that's 266 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:10,560 close to their heart. 267 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:12,360 Yeah, no, that's great. 268 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:20,840 The way that I describe Wander Project is you're a nonprofit that empowers other nonprofits. 269 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:25,480 And kind of what I'm hearing you say there is that it was born out of that passion for 270 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:31,840 running, but also being, again, honest and acknowledging this is great. 271 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:32,840 We're all out here. 272 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:33,840 We're all healthy. 273 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:34,840 We're all fit. 274 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:35,840 Great. 275 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:37,040 But there's a ton of people out here. 276 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:42,040 There's an impact that happens that might not be the greatest. 277 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:48,160 And that reminds me again of another episode we recorded with Cold-Blooded Caffeine Company. 278 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:50,560 And that's what their purpose is. 279 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:55,520 They're a coffee company that gives back to coffee producing countries for conservation 280 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:56,520 purposes. 281 00:16:56,520 --> 00:17:01,060 And I think that's a really good lesson is that when you're passionate about something, 282 00:17:01,060 --> 00:17:07,040 you can be honest about the problems that arise from that activity and you can do something 283 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:08,040 about it. 284 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:09,040 Yeah. 285 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:13,000 I mean, Ranger, I used to work for Leave No Trace, the Center for Outdoor Ethics. 286 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:18,360 So I completely understand essentially when we go out in the outdoors, right? 287 00:17:18,360 --> 00:17:21,800 We always used to, when I worked there, we always talked about loving the outdoors to 288 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:23,340 death, right? 289 00:17:23,340 --> 00:17:27,200 The outdoors is such a place of healing and I want everybody to go outside, whether it's 290 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:31,860 a run, a hike, a backpack, a very long walk, whatever it is, right? 291 00:17:31,860 --> 00:17:37,000 But there's always some impact, whether you're walking, whether you're riding an ATV, whatever 292 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:39,800 it is, there's always a give and a take. 293 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:44,560 And so again, that was one of the reasons that drew me to Wander Project was the fact 294 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:49,160 that the, so when someone runs a charity, but they have two options, they can choose 295 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:51,160 from one of our official partners. 296 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:55,680 And those charity partners again, are the ones kind of in and around the areas that 297 00:17:55,680 --> 00:18:01,200 we're running so that we can directly support and help offset some of that impact. 298 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:05,360 But starting last year, based on feedback we were hearing, some folks said, you know, 299 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:06,360 that's great. 300 00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:07,360 I love the environment. 301 00:18:07,360 --> 00:18:08,360 Of course they do. 302 00:18:08,360 --> 00:18:13,080 I'm out running, but you know, maybe they just lost someone to breast cancer or they're 303 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:18,960 really passionate about getting kids out and running, or a music program or arts. 304 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:24,600 You know, there are so many causes that other folks were asking us to support that we created 305 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:27,040 the Your Choice option. 306 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:29,760 So folks could tell us who they care about, right? 307 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:33,880 There's that Jack Cousteau quote that's, oh, paraphrasing, right? 308 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:35,800 Like, people protect what they love. 309 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:39,480 So who are we to tell people like, yeah, you have to love one of these organizations and 310 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:41,000 go out and raise money for them. 311 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:45,680 At the end of the day, we want people to run for the cause that they care about or hike 312 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,120 fast or walk or however they're getting to that finish line. 313 00:18:49,120 --> 00:18:50,120 Yeah. 314 00:18:50,120 --> 00:18:54,320 And it sounds like just, again, that's being open to the possibility of bringing more people 315 00:18:54,320 --> 00:19:03,040 into the fold by letting them kind of have that customization, being open to them, connecting 316 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:06,560 that run and that fundraising to what's important to them. 317 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:07,560 Yeah. 318 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:10,840 So I think about the ripple effect that creates, right? 319 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:17,000 Kind of going back to our mission of like inspiring people to take that first step. 320 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:22,840 You know, and last year, because of the Your Choice program, rather than supporting projects 321 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:30,640 at I think like a dozen nonprofits, we supported projects at 93 nonprofits across the United 322 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:31,640 States. 323 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:36,880 And I think we had folks run from 39 different states. 324 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:42,320 And you think about that ripple effect and how that ripples outward, a person doing one 325 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:49,240 run in Joshua Tree, who's maybe, you know, from Michigan raised for an organization they 326 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:54,640 care about in Tennessee that, you know, put school supplies and backpacks in the hands 327 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:55,880 of 300 kids. 328 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:57,720 You know, it's just it's awesome. 329 00:19:57,720 --> 00:19:58,720 Yeah. 330 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:00,360 And I think that's the thing that's so unique about. 331 00:20:00,360 --> 00:20:05,120 And I think this kind of does also go back to what we were talking about earlier with 332 00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:11,720 your experience in the startup world with the tech industry, that it's not just about 333 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:18,560 being directly involved with that specific organization or having that experience prior. 334 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:23,680 You can make an impact with your skills, which in this case would be running, walking, hiking, 335 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:26,480 whatever physical activity. 336 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:32,000 But you're still making an impact across state lines, across all these different boundaries. 337 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:38,360 So it's really about just being open to your passion, your experiences and your skills 338 00:20:38,360 --> 00:20:43,600 and how that can transfer to helping someone else. 339 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:44,600 Absolutely. 340 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:45,600 Yeah. 341 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:47,240 And you never know. 342 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:48,400 It's almost hard to plan, right? 343 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:49,400 Sure. 344 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:51,760 If you raise money, it's going to support a project and you know that that's going to 345 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:52,760 have an impact. 346 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:57,640 But, you know, and we're talking about those small steps, just go out and do something 347 00:20:57,640 --> 00:20:59,200 in your community this week. 348 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:02,440 You truly like you never know the impact that it's actually going to have. 349 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:06,120 And it's hard to plan for. 350 00:21:06,120 --> 00:21:10,520 And sometimes you only see the results truly much later on. 351 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:15,820 And I think that can be a hard thing for some people maybe who are result oriented to wrap 352 00:21:15,820 --> 00:21:17,720 their mind around. 353 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:18,720 But it happens. 354 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:21,640 And just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's still not a good thing. 355 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:24,320 And I always remind folks of that. 356 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:30,040 You know, I at a running event last year, we took some folks on sort of a field trip 357 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:33,280 to a nonprofit that someone else was running a charity before. 358 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:37,360 So someone was like, I'm going to raise money for this awesome animal sanctuary. 359 00:21:37,360 --> 00:21:40,120 And I thought, oh, what a cool thing by this race. 360 00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:44,000 Let's take people there and just, you know, go on a tour of this event. 361 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:48,320 I found out like a week later after running that event, which was a cool thing. 362 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:52,000 A family emailed and said, hey, we went on that field trip with you. 363 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:55,040 And I just want to let you know, our family adopted our very first pet. 364 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:59,720 We went back the next day and adopted, you know, that three legged kitten, you know, 365 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:01,200 that everybody got to see. 366 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:03,040 And our family just fell in love with it. 367 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:05,520 And, you know, she's on her own with us right now. 368 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:11,160 So you really never know what will come out of just doing that one good thing. 369 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:14,720 And that's such an interesting externality of that race. 370 00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:20,120 You know, it's this race, physical, mental health, all that great stuff for the individual 371 00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:25,080 Wander Project comes in, brings all these purpose driven individuals, connects them 372 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:27,760 to the shelter or this animal sanctuary. 373 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:29,880 And now a critter has a forever home. 374 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:33,600 It's I think that's such an interesting thing because you would never like you were saying, 375 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:35,840 you would never be able to plan for that. 376 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:39,000 Nobody's going to write that in the business plan or the goals for 2024. 377 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:44,400 But like these great things happen when you create that possibility. 378 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:45,400 Absolutely. 379 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:46,400 Yeah. 380 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:47,920 And I'm a numbers guy. 381 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:52,200 I love the little numbers and there's a few posts that you guys made on social media at 382 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:54,000 the end of last year. 383 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,800 You said that Wander Project has been around for about five years. 384 00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:01,720 I think we officially I think since 2018, but I don't think that was when we had our 385 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:03,920 official 501 C3 status. 386 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:07,920 I don't know the timeline entirely by heart. 387 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:09,360 Like we started doing that work then. 388 00:23:09,360 --> 00:23:14,480 But I think it was 2019 that we officially got our 501 C3 status. 389 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:18,080 OK, so four or five, six, whatever years. 390 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,800 OK, they're a handful of years. 391 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:22,800 Yeah. 392 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:26,720 And I mean, just reading straight off of the social the Instagram post, it looks like after 393 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:33,100 just four or five, six, whatever years of being an organization, just in 2023 alone, 394 00:23:33,100 --> 00:23:36,280 you guys helped raise four hundred thousand dollars. 395 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:38,080 Yeah. 396 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:42,600 And I mean, yes, we were helping people figure out how to peer to peer fundraise. 397 00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:47,120 It's my job is helping folks figure out how to craft and make their first ask and tell 398 00:23:47,120 --> 00:23:48,120 their story. 399 00:23:48,120 --> 00:23:49,120 Right. 400 00:23:49,120 --> 00:23:54,620 But at the end of the day, it was all of those folks going out and making the ask and raising 401 00:23:54,620 --> 00:23:56,680 awareness for the cause they care about. 402 00:23:56,680 --> 00:24:02,360 It was all of those charity participants who raised that four hundred thousand dollars. 403 00:24:02,360 --> 00:24:09,920 I was going to say I was a charity bid runner last year at the Yosemite race, the half marathon, 404 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:15,240 and I raised, I think, just shy of twelve hundred fourteen hundred, which feels like 405 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:18,840 a drop in the bucket compared to that four hundred thousand. 406 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:25,440 But if it wasn't for people like me that are out there doing the work fundraising, it really 407 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:30,120 adds that drop in the bucket that fills it up by the end of the year. 408 00:24:30,120 --> 00:24:32,440 Yeah, absolutely. 409 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:37,040 We had a couple of outliers, our top overall fundraiser. 410 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:42,160 She raised, I think, something like she individually raised over forty thousand dollars. 411 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:43,720 She had two other people with her. 412 00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:47,840 I think between the three of them, they raised something like forty eight thousand dollars 413 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:49,400 for their charity. 414 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:53,840 And certainly we have a handful of individuals like that every year. 415 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:59,280 But it's much more often, I would say, you know, probably well over a hundred of the 416 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:04,000 folks out of all the charity bids are raising in that thousand dollar range and range. 417 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:05,420 I'm going to push back a little. 418 00:25:05,420 --> 00:25:06,920 That is not just a drop in the bucket. 419 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:08,520 A thousand dollars is a lot of money. 420 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:12,400 OK, maybe some of your listeners out there have much bigger bank accounts than I do. 421 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:13,400 Right. 422 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:16,320 But at the end of the day, a thousand dollars is a lot of money. 423 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:17,320 Yes. 424 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:19,240 Thank you for the check on that. 425 00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:22,120 I think it's so easy to compare. 426 00:25:22,120 --> 00:25:26,800 And you know, one versus four hundred, you know, it's just such an easy thing to compare. 427 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:30,160 But you know, you're right that it's not it's not a small feat. 428 00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:33,400 It's it's a part of that bigger whole. 429 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:38,160 And that is still a significant amount. 430 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:42,900 And I know that you do a lot of work with the peer to peer fundraising aspect for folks 431 00:25:42,900 --> 00:25:47,220 that are in the nonprofit world that are listening right now. 432 00:25:47,220 --> 00:25:51,960 What would you say are like a couple of tips that you lean on the most when it comes to 433 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:57,920 peer to peer fundraising or sponsors or what kind of value do you think you can kind of 434 00:25:57,920 --> 00:25:58,920 provide for fundraising? 435 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:03,120 Yeah, I'm going to answer that question maybe in two ways. 436 00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:08,160 As you pointed out, you know, what advice would I give to a nonprofit, which is maybe 437 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:14,120 different than the advice that I would give to an individual who's fundraising as a nonprofit. 438 00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:19,200 A lot of nonprofits are sort of in a traditional fundraising model where they have donors and 439 00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:24,000 a couple of times a year they make an ask, support the good work that we're doing. 440 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:25,440 And they might write a few grants. 441 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,880 And that's typically their revenue stream. 442 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:33,240 Donors themselves can engage in having folks peer to peer fundraise for them. 443 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:35,920 That's what we do with the nonprofits we engage with. 444 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:40,560 They can join at a certain level and we'll help them figure out how to recruit folks 445 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:41,560 to run for them. 446 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:42,560 Right. 447 00:26:42,560 --> 00:26:47,440 So then instead of just directly asking people for money, they're asking people essentially 448 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:49,520 then for time and energy. 449 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:52,400 Could you run, walk or hike for us? 450 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:56,860 And then that person, right, then turns and goes out to their community to share the awareness 451 00:26:56,860 --> 00:27:02,280 of that organization and fundraise for them rather than the organization having to do 452 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:04,320 the fundraising themselves. 453 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:09,080 So it's a nice way if you've got some folks who are really passionate about your organization, 454 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:12,880 it's a good way to engage them, especially if they're not in a position currently to 455 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:16,000 write you a check for a thousand dollars or five thousand dollars. 456 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:20,360 Maybe they can't do that, but they're already planning on going for a run. 457 00:27:20,360 --> 00:27:25,360 They could encourage and engage with their community to raise that money on your behalf. 458 00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:28,960 The other side of that, right, is if someone is thinking about fundraising for a cause 459 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:33,960 that they care about, figure out your audience or just like just like you're making a business 460 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:38,160 pitch, know your audience and engage with them in the way that feels meaningful. 461 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:43,400 The way I ask my grandma for support for a fundraiser is way different than how I ask 462 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:48,760 my running club or people at the gym or my coworkers to figure out your audience and 463 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:52,480 segment your asks based on those pools. 464 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:57,140 Yeah, and I think that's interesting because again, it's about it goes back to resourcefulness 465 00:27:57,140 --> 00:28:05,720 and from all the business content that I see and TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, 466 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:10,800 affiliates are something that a lot of businesses use to sell their products. 467 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:16,280 Kind of like, hey, we'll sponsor you if you promote us and you get a cut, whatever, whatever. 468 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:21,160 And it sounds like this is kind of that taking that mentality and applying it to nonprofits 469 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:25,840 rather than your team or your members going out there making the asks. 470 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:29,080 It's hey, can you come and support us? 471 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:30,560 Can you help us raise these funds? 472 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:36,680 You probably won't get a cut of whatever you raise, but it's you get something else valuable 473 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:43,160 in return in terms of helping us achieve our mission that you also care about. 474 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:45,560 So it's again, leaning on that community. 475 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:48,080 Hey, do what you're passionate about. 476 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:49,480 You can help us at the same time. 477 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:54,560 It's like a multiplier of scratching the brain centers of that person. 478 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:55,560 Exactly. 479 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:57,080 I mean, that's exactly it. 480 00:28:57,080 --> 00:29:02,460 Yeah, that's such a great comparison because at the end of the day, that's what it is. 481 00:29:02,460 --> 00:29:09,040 And while that person, while that fundraiser might not get a cut in the way that an affiliate 482 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:13,120 would, it's maybe a little bit more altruistic. 483 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:18,400 They're in it because they believe in the cause, not that necessarily an affiliate wouldn't 484 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:19,600 believe in the business. 485 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:25,920 But, you know, I think about some of our folks last year, you know, we had a father son duo 486 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:27,960 who fundraised together. 487 00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:34,320 The father had just recently beat, I think it was either a double or triple cancer diagnosis. 488 00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:39,960 And he was fundraising for a organization that helped support him as the breadwinner 489 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:44,480 of his family with their bills while he was going through treatment. 490 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:48,420 Because then he turned around once he was healthy and fundraised for them to be able 491 00:29:48,420 --> 00:29:54,400 to provide support for three families who were going through what he just recently went 492 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:55,400 through. 493 00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:59,960 So, you know, he's not getting a cut of that, but he's certainly, you know, paying the Karma 494 00:29:59,960 --> 00:30:03,320 Bank back in triplicate. 495 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:04,320 That's amazing. 496 00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:10,800 What I feel like a lot of people have a lot more of an intrinsic value towards money and 497 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:11,800 the dollar sign. 498 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:12,800 Right. 499 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:16,480 But it's really about finding value in impact. 500 00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:19,680 And kind of like during this conversation, it's like you don't get a cut of the profits, 501 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:21,720 but you get a cut of that impact. 502 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:25,120 He gets a look and say, look at what I helped make happen. 503 00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:26,520 I was a part of that. 504 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:29,880 They wouldn't have, sure, they may be somebody else could have stepped in. 505 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:33,480 But now somebody else stepping in, it's just going to help more people. 506 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:35,560 Yeah, absolutely. 507 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:40,160 And you know, that's, yeah, again, another reason why we ultimately expanded to the your 508 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:43,360 choice model. 509 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:45,160 You know, it's ranger. 510 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:47,840 There are so many things in the world that need our attention is overwhelming when we 511 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:49,040 try to do them all. 512 00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:50,040 Right. 513 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:54,320 But if you just focus on one area that you really care about or you're really passionate 514 00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:59,600 about and you just take that one step, right, it's then everybody in tandem is all just 515 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:04,360 focused on their one thing that they care about and taking a step that we really start 516 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:06,700 to see that forward momentum. 517 00:31:06,700 --> 00:31:10,360 You know, those three families that now are having their bills paid while they're going 518 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:15,240 through this terrible situation, you know, when they get to the other side of that, they're 519 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:19,280 going to remember the support and the help that they had along the way. 520 00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:24,400 You know, if environment is your jam and you help support trail building, you know, and 521 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:30,240 then you see the photo of kids going for their first hike on that trail that you helped build, 522 00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:34,840 right, that that motivates you to continue to do the work. 523 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:38,760 And also all the people who get to hike that trail and hear the story of how it came to 524 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:39,760 be. 525 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:42,660 I think the storytelling is a big piece of it. 526 00:31:42,660 --> 00:31:47,360 And that is something that I want to project we're leaning into. 527 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:49,200 Folks don't like to toot their own horn. 528 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:52,200 But when you're doing good work, it's important. 529 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:57,440 That inspiration is a good catalyst to keep others, especially when you don't see those 530 00:31:57,440 --> 00:31:58,840 immediate results. 531 00:31:58,840 --> 00:31:59,840 Yeah. 532 00:31:59,840 --> 00:32:04,120 And I think that's we could talk all day. 533 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:09,220 There's so many routes I can kind of see this going on or trails in our case. 534 00:32:09,220 --> 00:32:16,440 But it sounds like on the nonprofit side, it's recruit ambassadors, get people that 535 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:20,400 are passionate about something else, see how they kind of find that cross intersection 536 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:23,080 and get a cut on that impact. 537 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:27,800 And on the individual side, if you're raising money for an organization, it really does 538 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:31,080 sound like a crash course in marketing. 539 00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:32,380 How do you tell a story? 540 00:32:32,380 --> 00:32:36,560 How do you get people involved in that impact and mission? 541 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:44,140 And if people want to get involved with in this specific case, running and making impact, 542 00:32:44,140 --> 00:32:48,760 what tools do you provide to those runners and how can people get in contact with you 543 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:50,240 if that's something they want to do? 544 00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:53,280 Yeah, that's a great question. 545 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:55,760 We provide a whole toolkit of resources. 546 00:32:55,760 --> 00:33:01,480 It starts with a six step checklist that's kind of staged out like you're running a race, 547 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:07,080 a start line to finish line, and sort of the aid stations along the way. 548 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:11,560 And each one of those sections has some video tutorials, some templates, some additional 549 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:12,560 resources. 550 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:17,840 So really from like setting up your fundraiser, figuring out how to make your first ask all 551 00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:25,420 the way through thanking your donors, we kind of cover all of the bases in addition to providing 552 00:33:25,420 --> 00:33:27,160 virtual office hours. 553 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:31,800 So at any point along the journey, if someone's like, oh, I need to practice saying this out 554 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:36,160 loud or I need a copywriter, someone to proofread this. 555 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:37,160 That's me. 556 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:41,240 I'm there to help to brainstorm ideas, whatever it takes to get to that fundraising finish 557 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:42,240 line. 558 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:50,200 Folks can always reach me at info at wanderproject.org and they can certainly learn more on wanderproject.org. 559 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:53,440 By clicking charity, they'll see I think we still have 29 events. 560 00:33:53,440 --> 00:33:58,640 Well, we have two this weekend, 29 events after that this year that they could sign 561 00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:02,480 up for to get involved in Race for a Cause they care about. 562 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:03,480 Yeah. 563 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:04,480 I think that's so interesting. 564 00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:09,320 I love the imagery that's just constant throughout everything, the starting line, the aid stations, 565 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:11,240 the finish line. 566 00:34:11,240 --> 00:34:18,360 And just to throw my own little tip, if you are a nonprofit leader or you're fundraising, 567 00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:20,700 send thank you letters. 568 00:34:20,700 --> 00:34:23,840 When I get them, it's just so nice, nobody sends letters anymore. 569 00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:26,000 It's always junk mail or bills. 570 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:31,080 So having a handwritten note is just so neat and people appreciate it. 571 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:34,280 And that's my little tip I'm throwing in there at the very end. 572 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:38,920 And I'm going to add to that, especially if you're a nonprofit, the receipt, right? 573 00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:42,520 That tax deductible, that thing that says you made a donation. 574 00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:44,800 That's great, but that's not a thank you letter. 575 00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:45,800 Make sure they get that right. 576 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:50,220 That's the receipt, their proof that they gave you money, but they should still get 577 00:34:50,220 --> 00:34:51,220 a letter from you. 578 00:34:51,220 --> 00:34:52,220 That's like, wow. 579 00:34:52,220 --> 00:34:57,000 Like, thank you for this gift, for believing in us, for choosing to support the work that 580 00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:58,000 we're doing. 581 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:02,840 And if you can personalize it, it's obviously not feasible for every donation, but set that 582 00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:03,840 threshold. 583 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:09,680 You get a donation over $200 or $500 or whatever it is, make sure that you are thanking those 584 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:11,720 folks in a really personal way. 585 00:35:11,720 --> 00:35:14,040 They're our peer to peer fundraisers. 586 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:17,360 I tell folks, thank them in the way that you connected with them. 587 00:35:17,360 --> 00:35:21,460 If you called them to ask them for money, call them to thank them for their donation 588 00:35:21,460 --> 00:35:23,020 and tell them how your race went. 589 00:35:23,020 --> 00:35:24,840 If you sent them an email, great. 590 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:25,840 Send them an email. 591 00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:30,160 If you walked over to your neighbor, walk over after that race or hobble over, depending 592 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:35,160 on where you are in the recovery process, tell them how it went and thank them for their 593 00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:36,160 support. 594 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:37,160 Yes. 595 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:38,160 Thank you. 596 00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:39,160 Thank you. 597 00:35:39,160 --> 00:35:40,160 Thank you. 598 00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:41,160 Always say thank you. 599 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:45,120 And in the spirit of saying thank you, Courtney, thank you so much for your time today, for 600 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:49,520 sending some of your what Friday morning with us. 601 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:50,520 Happy March 1st. 602 00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:55,600 I'm not sure when this is going to go out, but if you are interested in signing up for 603 00:35:55,600 --> 00:36:00,820 a race with Wander Project, it sounds like there's what 29, 27 ish by the time this comes 604 00:36:00,820 --> 00:36:02,880 out races that are available. 605 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:06,480 So if somebody wants to learn more about Wander Project, what would be the best route for 606 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:07,480 them to go to? 607 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:08,480 Yeah. 608 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:12,040 So having on our website, wanderproject.org is where you're going to of course find all 609 00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:13,040 the information. 610 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:17,600 We always encourage folks to take a look at our FAQ page as a great chart, a little more 611 00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:21,560 information about a charity bib or you can click directly on charity bib and see all 612 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:24,960 of our upcoming events and register right there. 613 00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:28,160 Certainly if folks have questions or want to know more before they commit, we totally 614 00:36:28,160 --> 00:36:29,160 get it. 615 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:31,240 They can reach out to me at info at wanderproject.org. 616 00:36:31,240 --> 00:36:32,240 Perfect. 617 00:36:32,240 --> 00:36:33,240 Awesome, Courtney. 618 00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:37,840 I'll go and throw all that in the show notes and on on my Instagram and my social media, 619 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:41,460 I'm going to be posting about you guys a whole heck of a lot during the walk and beyond. 620 00:36:41,460 --> 00:36:44,040 So thank you again for your time. 621 00:36:44,040 --> 00:36:48,440 There's a lot of value there in terms of if you're a nonprofit leader, if you're a community 622 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:52,240 member that wants to get involved, there's there's so much that you can do and it's really 623 00:36:52,240 --> 00:36:53,720 about finding those possibilities. 624 00:36:53,720 --> 00:36:58,120 So thank you for sharing what those have looked like for you and what you've seen in the industry. 625 00:36:58,120 --> 00:36:59,120 Awesome. 626 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:00,120 Thanks so much for having me, Ranger. 627 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:04,880 I really appreciated it and I hope everyone gets out there and does some good this week. 628 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:07,400 Thank you everyone for investing your time with us today. 629 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:10,880 If you'd like to continue on your journey of building an impact driven life, there's 630 00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:14,120 a couple freebies down in the description and the show notes that are going to help 631 00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:15,120 you in that mission. 632 00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:19,120 If you'd like to learn more about Wander Project, go ahead and check them out on Instagram. 633 00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:25,800 All that information will be in the show notes and until next week, remember to have fun, 634 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:27,280 stay safe and be yourself. 635 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:41,280 Bye.