Nonprofits are faced with more challenges to accomplish their missions and the growing pressure to do more, raise more and be more for the causes that improve our world. We're
here to learn with you from some of the best in the industry, bringing the most innovative ideas, inspirational stories, all to create an Impact Uprising.
So welcome to the good community, where Nonprofit Professionals, philanthropist, world changers and rabid fans who are striving to bring a little more goodness into the world.
So let's get started. Becky, it's community week. It's
community week, the time to spotlight our favorite people and their missions. And whoa, do we have a favorite human in the house today?
I mean, truly, so Nelvin Johnson entered into our world in possibly our most favorite way, isn't this true? Artists? When I think I had noticed Nelvin attended one of our live events, and I kind of reached out just like, what we typically do is like, Hey, thanks for being in the community. You're thanks for joining us. And now that writes back, appreciate the message. Could it make this public, but just as an FYI, your podcast will either help me be a trailblazer, or get me fired? Time will tell. And I remember reply, I'm like, Man, I hope it's the trailblazing one brother. We're in it with you either way. So it is just a huge honor to have Nelvin Johnson in the house. He is the development officer at The Bowery Mission, which is an incredible organization serving New Yorkers who are experiencing homelessness are facing hunger. And they provide these incredible wraparound services. And so now that story, though, is is a little unique. He, you know, grew up in the financial sector, and he moved during the pandemic kind of phase. So we're going to have him kind of fill in the gaps. But I have to read a little bit of his LinkedIn bio to set the tone for the kind of human that's sitting across from us today. He says, I'm a storyteller with a passion for serving the vulnerable, and idealist who knows that anything is possible, a hopeless optimist with an unshakable belief that things will get better. And my one thing is helping build more compassionate communities of care of generosity, trust and innovation. Nelvin you are so our people. So with a decade of experience in financial services, he went all in on the idea of doing the most good by using innovation, passionate storytelling and creative partnerships to change the world, one life and one story at a time. Now, Ben Johnson, we're so excited to have you on the podcast, stay get into this house, my friend,
I am so happy to be here. What you guys are doing is so, so crucial. Your reach is so impressive. And I hope you get to hear it a lot. But I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, because I feel like for everyone like myself, who gets this opportunity to share their voice, there are 1000s of others listening and being encouraged, being inspired, that you might not even get to see you get to talk to you believe so deeply in what you do in the sector and in others, and love your values, which highlights how often you guys have truly been a catalyst and Northstar for me as I start my journey in the social impact sector. So thank you.
Oh, my goodness sakes. I knew we were like kindred spirits. But I mean, everything that you share. I just am so grateful that you're here. Can't wait to hear your story. And you know how we start this. We want to hear your story. Take us back to growing up. Take us back to meeting little Nelvin and what brought you to this work today?
Yeah, I would love to. I am like, like you shared an optimist and dreamer. Hi, I'm Annie Grimm, eight. And I have the working genius of galvanizing and enablement. I know. It's fantastic. I was born in Qatar. I came to New York when I was one year old. And I have been in New York, ever since I had a brief stint in Philly, but New York between the city and the suburbs, I grew up in a very traditional mono ethnic church and I witnessed very little being done to impact the community and the world around me and the actions didn't seem to be lining up to the words that were shared. And it always kind of confused me a little bit because I loved the principles of loving your neighbor taking care of the poor or the orphan, the widow but I wanted to see that lived out and I wasn't experiencing that, you know, so there was a deep longing in my soul to be part of something bigger. But it wasn't until I got to college where I discovered this rich and vibrant community of, of do gooders and people trying to change the status quo. What What kind of lit the fire for me was during a church service, they were actually talking about a recent partnership and trip with its organization loved 146 and their own global organization focused on ending child sex trafficking. Let me tell you that broke my mind. Like, I did not know what to do with that I did not understand I literally just did not understand it because I was just asking this, the most simple question like, how could this exists in the world, you know, it wasn't making sense to me. And I was reading this book by Donald Miller at Blue Like Jazz. And in it, he says, We are called to hold our hands against the wounds of the broken world to stop the bleeding. And that resonated with me so much. And I've quoted it to others. And I see people connect to it at a very visceral level. And it's showing me that there's so much potential in the world and so much good in the world. Something Dan Plata said recently was, you can't be held accountable if you didn't know, you know, and I now knew all these things. And I knew that there was space for me to be a part of it. So like I said, that really lit the fire for me. And over the next few years in college, and little after college, I did what I could and to what I thought I could do is put together awareness events and small fundraising events for organizations like love 146, and Invisible Children saved are for To Write Love on Her Arms
Some of our favorites.
Totally.
Yeah. And it was really impactful. And I feel like I was outside of those things, I feel like I was doing enough to just kind of go with the flow. You know, I was in sales, because I love people. And I was I was good at it. I got into banking for something a little bit more stable after I got married in 2013. And I wanted something more stable that could provide for the family, you know, but at the same time, my soul was, I wasn't paying attention to this fully, but my soul was being crushed, and the fire was almost out. And then in 2017, my, my daughter, Olivia was born. And this is a whole other story. But she had a really rough start to life, she actually spent the first nine months of her life in the NICU seven and a half months, actually in Philly at a job. And it was it was hard. There was a lot to get through. But we kept fighting, you know. And when we were at the tail end of it, we actually got home. She was born in Russia, and we got home to New York on December 31, 2017. So just just in time for the new year. But as we kind of came to that end, I started thinking about what I wanted for her life, you know, and I started thinking about the idea of success and how it's so much different than what I imagined it to be. I wanted to lead by example, and I wanted to show her that it's important to follow your heart. So it really helped awaken my purpose. So as soon as I got back, I I tried joining some associate boards and getting getting involved in like a tangential way, at least they got really involved with my firm's Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. And that was it was it was fun, and that was definitely hooked. I was looking for looking for a more permanent way in but I couldn't really find one. So then COVID hit, we had our second kid, our son, Eli, and the COVID was terrible, right. But the silver lining for me was that it finally gave me time to, to pause, to think to reflect and right when it was about time to go back into the office and 2021 I knew I couldn't go back. My wife she'd been out we've been married for 10 years. And she's always known that that's not where my heart was. And she was so supportive of my decision to make the leap into the into the social impact sector. And a month after casually looking at the beginning and like July, I made the decision to leave I started looking and my supervisor by then supervisors set up a meeting with me. And I knew something was up. But basically he told me that I had 30 days to ramp up my productivity or we could kind of start talking about off boarding.
Oh my gosh, Becky took it took actual
no listen. I know not sorry.
That's awful, but it honestly took everything in me to pretend that I was surprised and hurt by this. It was such an incredible sign that this is exactly where I was meant to be. You know, like I called my wife right then, I told her the she started, like I got promoted because of the way I was acting or something. But I was like, No, I think I'm finally out. So I started talking to a few nonprofit friends, because I didn't know where I fit, right. So I started talking to a few nonprofit friends about what I would be good at and what I might be able to, to do where I should be pretty sure every single one of them said development. And then two or three of them had mentioned The Bowery Mission. And so it's kind of aligned because I hadn't even thought about The Bowery Mission. But six years prior to that, through the investment bank that I was working with the corporate social responsibility program, we had done a volunteer event with The Bowery Mission, and just remember such good things and positive things. And that was, yeah, I was just, I fell in love during the interview process again, and haven't looked back since.
That story.
Here's the thing we mentioned at the top that like, your your LinkedIn comment was, I'm either gonna be a trailblazer, I'm gonna get fired. And I'm like, Nelvin, you are a trailblazer long before you found We Are For Good. Like, Pete, we talk so often about people who listen to their nudges, thank you for bringing up that damp, a lot of quote, because you can ask Jon and Julie, I've probably brought it back up at least six times since he was on the podcast on September, that when you're awake, and when you're conscious, you have a choice. And I think never has there been more pivotal moment in our history of those of us that are living that we're standing at that intersection of, are we going to go back and double our sales? Or are we going to take this other path and say, no, like, I've got to do something different. So you literally are one of the trailblazers of the great resignation, you are one of the people that inspires us every single frickin day. Because you remind us that there are good humans out there in the world. People who reject hate, that reject grind, that reject when values don't line up with principles. And I just think that you are the type of person that gives us so much joy. And that is what we celebrate on community week. But we got to get into The Bowery Mission. Because one I'm obsessed with the marketing and your storytelling, but we got to talk about what it is because when I look at your incredible images and the stories that you tell, like I get a feeling about The Bowery Mission, but take all of our listeners through it. Talk to us about your mission, what you're doing to serve. And whoa, Nelly, are you in the right spot?
Thanks so much Becky, The Bowery Mission. I can't talk about The Bowery Mission without mentioning some of the history behind it. Because as it stands, we are one of New York's oldest nonprofits founded in the 1870s. Yeah, it's taken us back over 150 years now. It was founded in response to a rapid rise in the number of immigrants living in poverty here in New York City. Our earliest founders, Jerry and Maria Macaulay were actually Irish immigrants themselves who grew up in extreme poverty. Their stories began with with a lot of personal suffering. They both drank heavily at an early age. By the time Jerry was a teenager, he had joined a gang of river thieves basically like kind of like a pirate at a at only, and only 19. He was accused of robbery and sentenced to more than 15 years in prison. But it's in that moment that something else happened, Jerry experienced God's unconditional love in prison. Because of that, and the persistent generosity of others. In the midst of brokenness, there was transformation. So that we call his vision for a place of welcome and healing was, was born out of their own story of redemption out of being served when they had nothing to get back out of being loved when there was little reason for anyone to care. And now 150 years later, New York City's shelter system is struggling. There are 10s of 1000s of new migrants, I'm sure that you've seen the stories and read the headline and seen some pictures. In this moment of crisis in our city. I'm so proud of The Bowery Mission and how we have responded to that. Our response was not, you don't, but you don't belong here. It was and continues to be, you're human. Like me, you have a story. You have a life that's worthy of love, and worthy of care. And this year, we're increasing the capacity at our iconic Thanksgiving celebration next week. And we're inviting new migrants and asylum seekers to join us for a hearty, traditional American Thanksgiving meal. And I'm so glad that we that we get to do that. This impactful quote that our president and CEO James has said before, was even before the famous words, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, were engraved on the Statue of Liberty. The Bowery Mission stores were already open to new yorkers seeking refuge. And, and 15 years later, sorry, 15, 15 years 15 Decades later, they remain open to provide meals, shelter, clothing and showers to anyone in immediate need. Our residential programs provide a caring and safe place for adults in crisis, to achieve personal goals for work, heal from past trauma, and overcome barriers to independent living. We're such big believers in the fact that healing takes place in the context of community. One of my favorite programs is our children's program. We offer city camp and summer camp for kids coming from families living at or below the poverty line. And, you know, to to play your values out, I believe that this is playing the long game. I believe that this is investing in the future. I believe that this generation of kids that we are serving in our camps can be the ones that break that cycle of generational poverty and crisis, the kids are all cared for in a loving environment. And given the opportunity to learn new skills from volunteer partners like like cooking and coding and photography and music. They get help everyday with the homework, and so many of them work with tutors and mentors, giving them a chance to thrive.
Okay, now, when you're quoting our values back to us, you know, that's one of our love languages. But I was thinking about values when you were talking because you know, your origin story of how you even got into this work. You talked about those draws, those things that kind of hurt your heart that just stuck with you. This is why we talk when we talk about storytelling, it always starts with values, it's like if we're not using that as the hook. So we get so annoyed as cheesy themes. It's like we've got the most human of stories, the most important of missions, and we settle for like a cheesy theme, when it's like we could go deeper, because that's what this is about. And so I just love that that drew you to the work like it was a magnet to you. And now you get to build it from the inside out. Like it's just a beautiful transformation. So
these values are freaking cool. I mean, like, I want to read a couple of them. It's like love actively make it better, like respond to God's calling with commitment. Like I just, I just think whether you're religious or not like you can feel those values. And I just commend you for how outstanding and subversive they are.
Absolutely. And I mean, the threat of community is here. And you know, we have since Julie moved to New York, which has been like one of the greatest gifts to our company and watch Julie just come alive in so many ways with her life, too. But she got to connect with you IRL, at one of your young professional events. And she's like texting us like this is incredible. Like we have to tell this story. You've built this and engaged these young professionals in your mission. Would you talk about it? You know, what's the role of young professionals? And what's the impact that they're having in your organization and really in the community?
Yeah, absolutely. Right. Our associate board is such a vital part of our mission. And this is one of my favorite topics. So you might have to cut me off at some point. But it's a community of 50 passionate young professionals, mobilizing the resources to engage deeply and make lasting change for a cause that they really care about. And they're doing all this while working full time jobs, you know, they have a variety of backgrounds and skills. And let me tell you about some of their impact. Just this past year, we've had more than 10 corporate sponsors from within the associate board, rallying their, their companies to come volunteer, to sponsor an event and to just be a part of what we're doing. We've had a variety of fundraising and advocacy event. We've had almost 500 volunteer hours served, and they've created and it's part it's wild to me, but they've created a net impact this year that is closing in on half a million dollars.
Oh, man, Julie, you are part of that. I'm so proud of everybody.
You've been adding that up to tell part of the story that's so smart.
I just look at what you're doing and even give you a little shout out here from Julie. It's fun. She was like, it's fun. And it's cool, and it's feels good. And it's like it totally takes the best of what Gen Z wants to do. And millennials and P.S. like I want to be adopted. Do you all know that by like Gen Z and Millennials because I just think they're the coolest, most amazing Yes. Like just the way they chase impact is amazing to me. But I think you My point is is you've made giving serving something that people want to do on their social time and it gives them purpose, and I'm wondering like, what opportunity? Do you feel like exists for nonprofits today? To kind of engage this next generation into their mission? Why should they build an associate board?
That's a great question that Becky and I really do feel like it's a missing piece in so many organizations and that it can bring so much impact and do so much good. Beautiful thing you mentioned millennials and Gen Z. Yeah, they embrace it, let's, let's face it, they embrace the fact that they can change the world.
It's so amazing, right?
It's and I don't think we need to convince the next generation of donors that coming back is important, because Millennials and Gen Z, they grew up in a culture where caring and social good was woven into the fabric of everyday life, I think they're already searching for ways to leave an impact on their city and in the world. Our job is to activate and harness the power of collective community, and watch the magic happen. You know, they bring our passion and expertise, they leverage their unique skills, networks and experiences, our group is so diverse, and we see this lift out so well. They bring in fresh perspectives. And you know, it's easy to as you guys well know, it's easy to get trapped in a pattern of doing things thinking it's working, but, and maybe it is, but not to the best that it can work, right. With fresh perspectives from AB members, it's it's a great chance for us to try new things and thrive. One of the most tangible benefits of having an associate board is their ability to raise funds and secure resources, their fundraising efforts complement our strategies, providing financial support for various programs and initiatives, they get a lot of leadership experience too, you know, they gain a valuable leadership experience, and it's unique chance for them to contribute to a cause that they're passionate about. And they advocate for change. They advocate for change by advancing our mission by engaging with their community, whether it's their friends, or their colleagues or the family. We've seen it all and it's beautiful.
I mean, it's just so cool, and so heartfelt, and the power of community, it's kind of random, you're explaining the situation. And I'm thinking yesterday I was our family was volunteering with this Mobile Food Pantry here in the city. And I was talking to a lady who is showing up and on the way back to her car and carrying this like heavy box of like random food assortment, right? And on the way back to her car. She's like, Yeah, my daughter didn't want to get out of the car, because she feels embarrassed. And I'm like, This is why like, These things are so important. I feel like it's just like, how can we bring community together, and why the hero narrative is so important to like, break down, that's the collective, that we're all in this together, that it's not us and them, it's like we're working at these problems together. You know, I just think this is the way that you're engaging, and the heart at which you're gathering people. And I just think that is a beautiful representation of the values that we're talking about, you know, so would you kind of talk about what specifically like for those that are looking to engage to cultivate and activate their rabid fans, you know, what are the ways that have been the most successful for you that you really feel it gets people engaged and motivated in their roles?
Yeah, well, it was helpful for me coming from a place where I've been on various associate boards before this role. And one thing I can tell you not to do is treat people like dollar signs, say we have let's let's onboard 20 people so we can make a gift get of $1,000 each and raise 20,000. Now, that's not the right way to look at it, because that's not what it's all about. The right way to keep people in cash and motivated is to care about them. As people it's to bring them inside, in order to share our impact often share their impact often. I'd say it's so important for organizations to be vulnerable, you know, share your strengths, share your weaknesses, share your needs. I love connecting the dots and connecting people to other people and people to things. And the associate board members are so willing and eager to help with way beyond what is right in front of them. You know, in the sector, we're always stretched so thin, right? And places like marketing, fundraising, gifting kind, what is the right answer here? I mean, for me like it's, it's a secret weapon, hidden in plain sight, you know, the associate board. It's a secret weapon hidden in plain sight. It's all about activating and mobilizing that group and inviting them into the process.
It's so brilliant. And it is takes such a page from this playbook that we're talking about, which is like marketing is mission to me because when you look at your rabid fans as something other than dollar signs to your point, and you look at the level of assets they can bring in terms of you guys are tired of hearing me say it. But, you know, grab your coffee and take another drink, because I'm saying it again, is they're bringing more to the table than just the funding and their passion, that unmatched passion, that storytelling, like, let's be honest, if you're in Gen Z, you probably got 1000s of followers on some of your social channels, because you've been on social media since you were probably 11, or 12. And so you cannot underestimate how impactful that sphere of influence can be how far they can cast a ripple. And I think your point about just making your needs known, and just saying, this is where I need some help. That is what we call unlocking. You know, the Impact Uprising, do it for yourself, do it for your mission, like in any way. And I think if we can just do what you're what you're really casting here, which is expand our thinking about how do we use our people? How do we use them as an amplifier, to the messages that are that are happening right now in the world that we need to get out? Is there something that we need? Is there something we need trending? Is there something that we need to get some movement on my gosh, unleash this rabid fan potential, because all of a sudden, it's not just you, the nonprofit with the the mic and the mouthpiece saying you're saying what you want the world to hear? It's your believers saying what they believe about your mission and asking people to come along that is far, far more powerful. So I love this associate board concept. I hope everybody's taking notes. And I really encourage you to reach out and look at The Bowery Mission because they're really setting the tone I think on this in a real modern era. But I but I gotta go back to this whole like, you left your job Becky and Jon style pandemic, in went all in like you over a decade, you know, in the financial services area, and you wanted to like just do the most good, you're talking about these innovative ideas, passionate storytelling. What is this journey been like for you? Like I think people are interested, like what has happened to the people who are chasing their passion in the great resignation? Like what is the journey been like transitioning to nonprofit? And, and what mindsets are you bringing to your work now that are helping just propel you in this work?
Yeah. Wow, it's a loaded question. So let's let's start with
Start unpacking
what it was like to transition to the, to the sector, you know, it was it was a mix of things. You know, it was, it was beautiful, and it was hard. And there were things that were working, but I was plagued with questions of why things worked the way they did. And not just that my nonprofit, but every single one I looked like it just seemed like, everyone accepted the way things were. But I felt like there was something missing. I felt like we could be more and just do more, you know, and very early in my nonprofit career of two years. I learned about dem coladas YouTube, sorry, TED Talk. And it just gave so much life and breath to all my feelings and the things that I was thinking. And I said to myself, yes, if we can embrace this, we can change the world together. You know, I know you guys have quoted this before, but it's one of my favorites. Plato says our generation does not want our epitaph to read, we kept our charity overhead low. And I think it's worth amplifying this again, because I don't want that conversation to die. You know, that movie was incredible and life changing. I don't want this conversation to die. So let's talk about it as much as we can, right? We kept majority overhead low, we wanted to read that we changed the world, you know, and we want others to ask us not about our rate of overhead, we want them to ask us about the scale of our dreams. I've always said like if people aren't laughing at our dreams are just kind of rolling their eyes and we might not be dreaming big enough, you know? So the two things that really set me on course, for and kind of affirmed me being in the sector for the rest of my life was that TED Talk and then the We Are For Good podcast. So
Oh geez.
Thank you guys for that.
That sucker punch at the end.
One thing that was really different about being in the sector was that I was able to bring my full self to work. And I loved that so much and it took some getting used to but within like, two or three months I had friends that werecloser than any relationship that I had developed at any of my past jobs, you know, and I think it's because we share the same heart, right, we share the same vision and same passion for change. And we're, there really is a sense of, we're all in this together and accepting that and acknowledging that has been really life giving, for me, accepting that there's a mission greater than, than myself. So the mindsets that I'm bringing to work right now I love. This is a new new passion and interest of mine, it's focusing on culture, focusing on culture, focusing on self care, you know, human capital is magic, right? Like, focusing on self care and mental health has been so important. Because I started therapy for the first time in my life, just a couple months ago, and it's been life changing.
I'm so proud of you.
It's so good. It's so good, more people should do it. I think it's just been very life giving and very freeing, I feel like it's decluttered my mind a lot and helped me see more clearly. And another mindset I bring to work gets this is considered a mindset, but the dreamer mindset, you know, it's asking about dreams, approaching things with a sense of optimism, and not this, you know, toxic optimism but a clear optimism that acknowledges the hard things, and recognizes the good things that cease where we are, and where we can be, you know, and really just trying to define and live out more of an abundance mindset, knowing that change is possible, believing in the mission and pressing forward.
Nelvin Johnson, we really liked you, when we really
just like you before this podcast did like, you
know, now, just getting to hear your story more and understand more of your heart in this like, this is what it's about. So if we needed to commercial for the we're for good community. Nelvin is the type of person that hangs out in the We Are For Good Community, and is available to lock arms for impact. You know, that's the power of this community. When you have that abundant mindset, you have this no ego. This is how we will change the world one relationship when connecting arms locking arms for good. Like, I just feel so I don't know honored to have this time with you. And I want to give you space to celebrate philanthropy with us, like, you know we do on this podcast, what's the moment that you've seen philanthropy in your life that's gonna stay with you.
One moment that really sticks out to me actually happened earlier this year, when I was volunteering and serving meals during lunch. So as you may know, we serve hundreds of meals a day, anywhere from 600, 600 to 800 meals a day across all campuses, and that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, we are open 365 days a year, we do not close. So in January, I was serving and I was just stopped. It's a meaningful experience every time but I was just stopped in my tracks because for the first time I saw children on our food line. And that doesn't happen. We serve men and women. And I was very confused. And so I asked about it, and I learned the story. That's what I wanted to share. I learned that about two weeks before that, without warning, a bus of migrants was dropped off to a hotel that was pretty close to our flagship location, the iconic red doors, a number of them showed up at our doors towards the end of our dinner service. Our Food Services Manager Susan inquired and then confirmed that there should be enough food to feed them. And so even though we were like wrapping up, we welcomed them in for a meal. And they were surprised to see children among them as young as five years old to teenagers. So from the initial estimate, initial estimate of how many people we were going to serve was wrong. It was actually two times that amount. But by the grace of God, there was enough food for them all. And Susan said, I don't know how we have leftovers. But we do. And I was so moved by the story because there's so much more to it than meets the eye. You know, there was no backup plan. There was no script. There was no fear. Yes, all our staff stepped up but they always step up. Our staff always steps up. They always do the right thing. But our volunteers to they stayed later and they served and they didn't have to the migrant parents continued to stand in line with their kids with their head race. is high and a forced smile on their face, just for their kids. I was moved because I was reminded that the power of collective good, and it's truly a force to be reckoned with.
I mean, I think what I want to say about this, and you know, we don't get political on this podcast, because we just don't have any space for it, because it muddies the water. And we want to rise above that, but I want to, I want to put a little pin on this, as we're coming up on Thanksgiving, y'all, you're gonna get a lot of opportunities to be angry about a lot of stuff in life, you're going to be asked to pick a side or another. And I am asking you, because this story is such a clear. Just picture of what I'm about to say, Please choose the side of humanity. Please choose the side of people who are suffering and help. It doesn't matter who what someone looks like, what their religion is, what their political affiliation is, when you see people who are hurting, if you can be a light, please be light. And we don't want to have kids forcing smiles, to come and earn a meal anywhere. We want kids to feel safe, and to feel joy and to be able to be sitting in the chair where Nelvin is dreaming their biggest dream, because they feel safe because they feel loved. And so, you know, we're gonna get into a holiday season here we are in a difficult time in the United States around the world. And the one thing that we can control right now is our kindness. And I want everyone to just take the Nelvin Johnson nudge. And please lean into that. Because I think these stories are incredibly important to humanize us, I think gives us cognitive diversity, which all of us benefit from, and awakens our humanity. And I just want to say as we're getting into the one good thing, thank you for awakening humanity in this conversation, Nelvin. I mean, we feel so seen and valued. The Bowery Mission seems so humanized, your daughter, Olivia is someone that we've been rooting for since the first five minutes of this conversation. So let's celebrate that. And let's tie it up with a really pretty bow and give us your one good thing today. What are you going to leave with our audience?
I really wanted to say sincerely something that I wish I heard years ago, and that still impacts me today. I just wanted to say to anyone listening, don't be afraid anymore. If you're listening to this, I know you have big dreams. So start the conversations that you wish were happening. Don't be afraid to lean in to listen and to be vulnerable. Ask the questions you wish other people were asking you. Talk about your dreams, learn about other people's dreams, ask so you can start making things better and help push your mission forward. Because you are capable enough, strong enough and smart enough. What you're doing is good. So keep showing up and keep doing the hard things. You're exactly where you're supposed to be for such a time as this.
Nelvin's like your personal hype squad.
I need this on repeat. But there's a lot of times in my life that I've needed to hear that I appreciate you sharing that I know what's going to be awakened from this conversation. I'm excited for people to reach out to you now then. And I know you're gonna have some new rabid fans chasing you down after this interview. So point is to help folks can connect with you directly. And then where do you show up online.
The only place that show up online is LinkedIn. I'm terrible social media. I don't have any other social media so are proud of me on LinkedIn. Come along for the ride cuz I love meeting new people and talking and connecting. And figuring out how we can do better together.
I gotta manifest something. I want to come volunteer at The Bowery Mission. At some point, I would love to be in your world,
Some We Are For Gooders.
Yeah, do-gooders. Maybe we get an event going in New York City because I would love to just be a part of that. But thank you for coming into our house. Thank you for being the most beautiful expression of why community matters. That is why we have community week on this podcast because we meet a lot of cool people doing a lot of cool stuff. But in my opinion, the coolest people doing the coolest stuff are the people in this community. So thank you for illuminating that and keep going. Nelvin you are truly making Olivia and Eli so dang proud.
So grateful to know you my friend. Thanks for coming.
Thank you guys for the opportunity to share.
Thanks so much for being here friends, and you probably hear it in our voices but we love connecting you with the most innovative people to help you achieve more for your mission than ever before.
We'd love for you to come join our good community. It's free You can think of it as the after party to each podcast episode. Sign up today. We're for good.com backslash Hello.
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