Business philanthropy is something that I know many women who get into business want to get involved in.
I’m the same. I’ve been dreaming about ways for my business to give back, and I had many ideas along the way. There are so many causes that I want to support, but it can be hard to choose and also difficult to maneuver when you’re just getting started.
Business Philanthropy Rocks!
How I Added Business Philanthropy Into My Business Model
Rewind to Off The Charts Live, my 2 day live event where we talked business models, traffic, sales, and strategy…
I’m about to tell everyone that I’m a tree-hugger, and that I’m raising money for a tree planting foundation called Plant With Purpose.
Through the generous donations of those in attendance and by matching contributions, we were able to raise over $2,500 to help plant trees and restore this planet to its original beauty, and support the humans who live on it.
Being able to contribute to a cause that is near and dear to my heart through my business is like a dream come true.
It’s also really motivating, because I know that as my business grows I can continue to support more causes and make an impact in the world.
One friend of mine who really inspired me to start changing the world through business philanthropy is Kristen Kalp.
I’m excited because I got to interview Kristen about her latest project called Change the World, Dammit.
It’s for those of us who know we want to give, but we don’t know how or where to start… and it helps us build business philanthropy into our business models, product launches, and yes live events.
Change The World Dammit: Interview With Kristen Kalp
Enjoy my interview with Kristen below, and if you’re curious about the charities and causes that we support here at Nathalie Lussier Media headquarters, you’ll also find those details below.
Tell us a little about what you do.
I’m a writer, teacher, and orphan hugger. I help peeps build businesses that light them up.
What made you want to become an orphan hugger?
I was on Twitter and saw Blake Mycoskie’s job description at TOMS: Chief Shoe Giver. Not CEO, not founder of TOMS, but Chief Shoe Giver. That struck me as the best job in the world. No, wait, the best job in the world would be Orphan Hugger! And thus it was born.
How did you go about choosing the organization you would partner with?
I picked an organization in India completely blind, because I had always told people I would go to India when I was 30. That didn’t work out well on a number of levels (not the least of which being that heat saps my energy and it’s 87 with 100% humidity there in the winter), so I looked elsewhere.
Flying Kites, the orphanage I now partner with, was literally found via an ad in the back of Afar magazine. It looked too good to be true, but I grilled the founders and the staff. I asked tough questions via the phone and e-mail, then completed a trial run trip for three weeks last November. When I found that the organization did every single thing it promised (and far more) during my trip to their home in Kenya, I decided to do a three-month stay. I’m orphan hugging for June, July, and August of this year as a result of creating and launching Change the World, Dammit!
Were there any fears or self-doubt around your efforts to change the world, dammit?
Of course! It’s easy to fall into those fear traps that keep you absolutely terrified to move forward. I was afraid of traveling by myself to Kenya, afraid of how I would feel when I met the kids (would I just feel sorry for them? Would I want to adopt them? How could I adopt 29 kids?) — but those fears melted away when I got to Flying Kites’ home.
I’m still not sure I’m changing the world, but I’m changing MY world day by day. It’s all any of us can do — find a problem that speaks to us and then do our best to improve it. Doesn’t have to be grand or major, just has to be important to our hearts.
Why did you write this book and who is it for?
I wrote this book for those people who want to change the world but simply don’t know where to begin. In an endless sea of choices and causes, it can be hard to identify what’s most pressing or prominent. Change the World, Dammit! helps entrepreneurs with big, giant hearts pinpoint and plan a world-changing adventure. And because I don’t believe being broke should have to be a part of changing the world, the book provides tons of strategies for building your business because of your world-changing efforts.
Anything else you want to add?
The stories of people who have read Change the World, Dammit! and gone from literally NO idea of how they want to change the world to creating and completing projects — photographing a dying culture in Germany before it’s gone, doing charity work in Kenya, founding nonprofits, and adding giving components to their businesses — keep me going. I’m deeply grateful to be connected to each one of them and to have had a small part in their amazing stories.
Thanks for this opportunity to chat with you!
Over To You!
Here’s to making money with our gifts, and redirecting some of it to causes that we believe will make this world a better place.
We’ve proudly partnered with Plant With Purpose for Off The Charts Live, and we’ve also worked with Kiva and Charity Water.
