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Amy Freitag | Otter.ai

Amy Freitag

Julie Confer40min

Jonathan McCoy

00:01

Hey, I'm John.

Becky Endicott

00:02

And I'm Becky.

Jonathan McCoy

00:03

And this is the We Are For Good podcast.

Becky Endicott

00:06

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.

Jonathan McCoy

00:15

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.

Becky Endicott

00:23

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.

Jonathan McCoy

00:34

So let's get started. Becky, oh my gosh, our hearts are full. We haven't even started. We haven't

Becky Endicott

00:40

even started and there's something magical that happens when you meet someone for the first time and in the first 30 seconds you've imprinted on them and you're like, how have we never met? Because their energy, their heart, their passion and the desire to just work differently? Just overcomes you. And that is just what happened with us with Amy Freitag, who was on the podcast today. She's the president of the New York Community Trust. And y'all we have been talking about the funders mindset. And I just have to tell you, since we started that Friday series of how do we reimagine the the funder grantee relationship, we've had all these little hands pop up, and people are saying, Oh, we're doing that in our community. Let's talk about it. And Amy is one of those and and I gotta be real with you, John, because we got a pitch from Amy's team. And the intro was last summer, Amy became only the fourth leader in the nearly 100 year history of the New York Community Trust, which is one of America's oldest and most venerable community foundations. And the Trust has a rich history, and had has had a reputation as a decidedly Old School New York institution, that Amy who has a background in topics like environmental advocacy, the arts, LGBTQ issues and historic preservation, she showed up and she is working to shake things up. And she is just sort of ushering in this amazing advent of the new generation of Community Foundation leaders. So we are demystifying Community Foundation's today with Amy, who prior to this position was the executive director of the JM Kaplan Fund, which is a 75 year old Family Foundation in New York City. She has served as the IDI of the New York Restoration Project, you know, which led a private effort to plant 1 million new trees in New York City. And I just think your your warmth, your passion, your energy, Amy is something that we want to soak up. And we want to know how your reimagining your work because Amy's mantra is really about showcasing the joy and giving. And she's working to do it by making this traditional organization much more accessible and transparent. And by changing the way it interacts with the community buckle up community we're about to figure out how to reimagine these relationships. Welcome, Amy to the We Are For Good podcast. We are so delighted that you are here.

Amy Freitag

03:06

Oh my god, while I'm having such a starstruck moment, I have to say, because I am such a big fan of the podcast and you too. And so the opportunity to be in this room with you is to like beyond joyful. So thank you, thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about something I am so passionate about, which is Community Foundation. So thank you, thank you, thank you.

Becky Endicott

03:27

Well, you had our hearts the moment you said you're ready to like shake things up a little bit and to think differently and to bring people in to the opportunity in new ways. But before we dive into that, we need to know about little Amy, where she grew up how she fell into this work. How do you get from Akron, Ohio, to New York City to give us the background?

Amy Freitag

03:48

Oh, well, like I grew up with a family that love community. And you know, even as kids, we were rolling up our sleeves and volunteering I was at the Akron Children's Zoo, walking around, like teaching people about boa constrictors and stuff and my summer fair time. So we grew up volunteering and being into community. And I will say, you know, like many people, probably most Americans, I grew up in a town that had a fabulous Community Foundation, the Akron commune foundation, this silent but steadfast partner that was doing stuff in education and artists are that part of the tapestry of that town where I grew up. And then as I sort of progressed through my career in nonprofits and in government, you know, I came to understand the Community Foundation's could play a myriad different roles, and especially when I was at the Kaplan fund, because we were lifting up something we called the JMK innovation prize, and it was an idea of reaching across the country and finding early stage innovators close to the ground. People are trying to solve problems, maybe in places that don't have a lot of philanthropy. And how does a little New York foundation do that? Or Well, turns out there are 900 Community Foundation's across the country. And each one of those are experts. It's in their community. So if you could tap into that network, we found unbelievable talent at the grassroots thanks to Kimmy foundations. And then sort of fast forward now to today where this kind of crazy quilt of my past work in the arts and environment turned out to be really tailor made to a community foundation, because we work across every bit of subject matter. We're working from the southern part of the Hudson Valley, all the way out to the east end of Long Island, eight counties, 12 million people, and we are, we are looking across that whole landscape and trying to do the most good. So it's like such a journey, I am so excited about it. And I feel so honored to be here, I still pinch myself that I get to do this.

Jonathan McCoy

05:42

I mean, Amy, your enthusiasm. And we always say our enthusiasm is real. And we're feeling that getting to talk to you today. But I feel it in the way you talk about your work. And I'll be honest, like I don't have a good grasp of a community foundation that's really just like on fire, like, what does that look like? And I want you to help us demystify and talk about the powerful role that it can play. Because you know, you've you listen to podcasts very much at all, you hear us say, community is everything. So the thought is building a foundation that really is going to support community, I see the power of that. So I want you to help us flip the perspective, what can be unleashed.

Amy Freitag

06:16

So, you know, I think that in many ways, philanthropy and that's what I love about your show is that you're kind of demystifying philanthropy as a whole. But even people in philanthropy and nonprofits are kind of scratching their heads about what is that community foundation? And, you know, why is that? Right? Why are public charities different? Well, it's, you know, we have these two parts of our mission, right? On the one hand, we're taking in and we're stewarding funds. And then on the other hand, we're making grants. And so unlike, you know, private foundations that generally have one big source of wealth, whether it's from a corporation, like the Ford Motor Company, or the wealth of Andrew Mellon, it's all sort of one big pot. And so we often I think it measured by this huge pile of assets we have and like, why don't you just give them all that money away, Amy, like what's going on with that? I don't think people necessarily realize that our foundation is built by New Yorkers, for New Yorkers. And it's literally hundreds 1000s of individual gifts and funds that are set aside for the betterment of our area. And every one of those funds have the passion of the donor and in them, and some of them are, hey, you can do whatever you want for New York. But some are literally we do have a fund for aging ballerinas that are injured. I like to think of it as like a crazy quilt of generosity, it's all of these individual funds. And the magic of the Community Foundation is weaving together those legacies of gifts to meet the needs of the city right now or region. And that's, that's this kind of special way the Community Foundation's work, but it's very intricate, and it's an it I think, is a highly more complex task than most people realize. But when they hear that it's all these individual stories, like you guys are such champions of stories, think of Community Foundation's as reservoirs of stories of generosity, generations and generations. And I think part of the idea is to make that bring a window to the public to see what Comey foundations are holding, because it's just a lot of love is what we're holding, actually, for 100 years. So

Becky Endicott

08:26

Community Foundation execs, I mean, any human running an organization, please take a cue from Amy and just, I love the way that you are so democratic in the way that you want to honor these legacy givers in whatever capacity they have stepped forward and said, This is important to me. But I also honor and love how you honor the grantees and where they're going. Because when that alignment happens, I mean, we've been on the forefront of philanthropy, and I've worked with community foundations and my days as a recovering major gift officer. And I remember when that alignment would happen. And what it does, for the whole is a magical thing, because I do think something that we get to enjoy as fundraisers is watching what happens when someone makes a gift and when they see what happens to it when they see their dreams come to pass in this impactful way. But Community Foundation's have this double impact, because they're it's impacting the foundation. It's impacting the family or the human that was at the end of it. And so, to me, I just think it's an it's a beautiful expression of philanthropy because it's bigger. It's more collective. We're all invested in it. And we're just really curious about like the moment now, Amy, like talk to us about how nonprofits can partner with community foundations. I'm sure there's people listening right now that have said are thinking I've never even approached my community foundation for a gift. What opportunity is there today? Like, where would you advise someone to start?

Amy Freitag

10:03

Well, you know, I just think the most important thing is since we are this sort of matchmakers, between generous local donors and high impact nonprofits on the ground, we got to get to know each other, right? We have to do that. And there is, you know, what I love about our foundation. And first of all, if you we work really hard on our website to make a lot of material visible to our to our grant making partners so that they don't wait, like what we don't love is someone wasting a lot of time, and making a lot of effort and then finding out oh, you know, what, we weren't ever going to be eligible. So we tried to knock down all of those mysteries, right? So come to us look at the and one of the things we love about our foundation, is we like to think that the first grant and we love being the first grant, right, we love lifting up in early stage organization. But that's lowering the barriers to other funders, we may not be the biggest funder in the history of an organization. And we're often the first and by doing making that grant. And really, our program officers aren't just grant makers, they are like partners with our early stage organizations like, hey, let's look at your financial statement, hey, let's talk about your board, we need a few more people on there that aren't like your mom and dad, like we need to, you have to really help them grow that organization so that we lower the barriers to other funders coming in. And then we try to really celebrate those folks and make sure that our because you know, we give out a certain amount of grants. Last year, we gave out about $50 million in grants from our own competitive program. But we work with, we did $150 million of grants with our donor advised community. So when you come into our grant making program, we can then sort of showcase you to the whole, the whole metropolitan area and say this is a this is an important early stage organization jump in. So my first and most important guidance is, is reach out to your local committee Foundation, get to know them, let them understand the impact that you're having so that they can attach the donors and the resources that can help lift up your enterprise,

Jonathan McCoy

12:06

can we just say thank you for believing in the little guy that

Becky Endicott

12:10

100% I think I just wanted to tattle on myself, and have a confessional so that everyone out there will feel seen because we worked in Oklahoma City, you know, we worked we have an incredible community foundation here. And I in even with, you know, nearly 20 years of experience. I believed in my scarcity mindset as I was watching all my other peers that the way to interact with the Community Foundation, was to not bother them, was to email them, because that's what every other gift officer was doing is we email them we get on their website, we maximize everything that we say we try not to bother them too much. And I promise you, it wasn't until do Laurie Gandhi came onto our podcast from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and said, No, like, call me we want to meet, we want to have multiple conversations, because I'm your ally in this, I want to fight for this. And if I have limited information, then I can't fight for you. And it blew my whole mindset wide open. And so I want to give everyone who may be sitting in that, oh, it's us in them? No, no, like we're on the same team. And Amy, and many people from foundations who have been on this podcast are saying, please call us, please have a rich conversation with us about where the alignment would be let us be your champions. And so if you're the one feeling like this is new to you, I just want to tell you, you're not alone. I was there as well.

Amy Freitag

13:36

And you know, what I think is extraordinary about this moment, if you look at that universe of 900 Comey foundations, right, that's the whole spectrum that's like the one person in an office and northern wherever. And then there's the New York Community Trust and, and and, you know, we are we are diverse in our nature as well. But in that landscape of let's say, the top 40 Community Foundations, would you believe I'm just one of like 50% or more that have turned over in this role in the last 36 months. So there is like the great resignation happened a lot of places in America and grant makers who work so hard through COVID, were clearly spent. And I think it just caused a natural sort of generational shift. But I think you're gonna see a whole bunch of folks coming into these roles that have been on the other side of the table for a long time, I was a grant seeker way longer than I've been a grant maker. Yeah. So So I think it changes the sense of sort of empathy and appreciation. In fact, we actually, as our grant making team at the trust, actually have a little bias for people that spent most of their time out working in the fields rather than just being it's spending a whole career in philanthropy. And I think that that makes us more empathetic and better as as partners in many ways.

Jonathan McCoy

14:52

Well, Amy, I mean, I saw your face during the bio whenever Becky said, you know, you're the fourth leader in this 100 year history and I think there's a Wait to that, you know, it said and you've called it a quilt. I'm almost picturing like someone giving you this like heirloom quilt that is entrusted to you to take to the next to the next kind of era, I mean, talk about the evolution. And what's it like stepping in this foundation that has such a beautiful history? But you know, you're taking it to the next 100 years and beyond? What's it look like?

Amy Freitag

15:21

Well, look, I think it's an honor to I love my predecessors, this extraordinary woman who was in the role for 32 years. And can you imagine what it was like to be a woman stepping in to the New York Community Trust in the late 80s, early 90s. Like that was just tough, right? And, and she took an organization that was actually hemorrhaging money and actually quadrupled the assets over her tenure. So talk about a tough act to follow, right? That's incredible. And what she set out to do, we did very well, which is I think we have one of the largest I think Cleveland and New York have the largest competitive grant making program, meaning outside of the donor advised fund where the donors really do get to call the shots. We have these very big and deep endowments that somebody like David Warfield, do you have any idea who David Warfield is, well, 100 years ago, he was the Leonardo DiCaprio. He was the wealthiest performer in the world. He was a famous actor, and he was killing it. He was on the stage, he was New York, he was everywhere. And then at the end of his life, he went blind, really sad, to horrible story, right. And he loved art and collecting. So it was a real tragedy. But he left his legacy with the New York Community Trust in the 1950s. And that legacy means that which is restricted for people with vision loss. And so do you know what this this last month we make grants to health clinics in the South Bronx, and very rarely see parts of the city that don't have rich resources around eye care and vision loss. And we make grants and have made grants every year in his name. And we will be making those in perpetuity. So here David Warfield is reaching into the South Bronx and 2023, and changing people's lives. That's the that's this massive ship. And it's, and there are 1000, David Warfield, right debit different funds that do magnificent things like that. It's made the New York Community Trust when we weave together those funds, the largest funder of disability issues in the region. And so you just, you are shepherding this legacy. So John, there's like a sense of honor and duty and maintaining that, but then wanting to kind of infuse it with the energy of a startup within 100 year old frame, right. So thinking new about systems, thinking new about how we tell stories, thinking new about how we make ourselves transparent and accessible. We now do digital town halls, we now do all kinds of things to try to lessen those knock down those barriers and make our make us more accessible. So we're leaning into our vision, our mission, our values, we're going to play that out through rebranding a new website, we've got a lot going on. My colleagues, they haven't thrown me off the ship yet, but they're real busy back there. And I don't know Third Avenue. But we are just working very hard to seize the moment where I think the next generation of donors love seeing the impact, love being close to the work, love being sort of very hands on and see the impact of their work. And we have to make a Comey foundation for the next century that meets that that opportunity. And if we don't you guys, were in some deep water, because honestly, you will not be surprised to hear that the people like David Warfield are the people that gave us money even 20 years ago, when they weren't like losing sleep over climate change yet. Yeah, it was very early days. So if we're going to tackle these issues, decarceration or a high need for immigrant populations, we have got to engage a next generation of donors, and they have to look just as beautiful and diverse as our beautiful and diverse community does. So we have to engage a lot more people, we have to build out this ecosystem of philanthropy, and we have to come to this with a mindset of abundance. There is an opportunity to engage so many more people in philanthropy. That's what Community Foundation's can do. It's

Becky Endicott

19:19

been nice having you on the We Are For Good podcast, like how can we come out of that? That feels like the biggest mic drop moment. And if if I can just reflect and respond to that. First of all, you are very obviously to us, continuing to carry the torch of badass women who are evolving this vision and making it a still a modern change making mission. And in the beauty of it David Warfield who's 70 years later, you know, after posthumously can have an impact like that in the South Bronx or wherever it is, is just, you know, indicative of, of how powerful Community Foundation's can be when they have these these mindsets. And, and I want to live some of what you said, because I think we've had so many conversations around the funders mindset, and how do we evolve as a sector and, and it feels like we're standing in that moment where philanthropy in our sector is going to evolve more quickly and more radically than any other time in our history right now. And you are choosing to lean into it full tilt, and I heard mindsets. I heard infrastructure, I heard marketing, I heard accessibility, I heard story, I heard, basically, everything I think we talked about on this podcast, are our values. And you are boldly and unapologetically saying, We've got to meet the growing needs of a beautiful, diverse population and a world that is changing all the time. To me, that is visionary leadership. And the other thing that you have that's underpinning all of this is how joyful and how positive and how hopeful you are. And you talk about this joy of giving a man I want you to like double click on it for us, because we talk about that a lot, because this should feel good. Talk about how you're infusing that joy into what you're doing to make what is historically been a very traditional organization into this modern, accessible and transparent foundation that is truly meeting the needs of your community right now.

Amy Freitag

21:35

So So we've talked a little bit about we're about to have this 100th birthday. And that's just like the best time to sort of reintroduce yourself to a community. Right. And it's, it's if I if I do nothing else during my tenure, I never want to hear the phrase, the best kept secret, right? Yeah,

Jonathan McCoy

21:54

you I feel like this is one of my soapbox is in life.

Amy Freitag

21:58

It can't be the best kept secret. And so you know, refreshing our brand in a way that we look less like a bank, and more like a trusted friend, like making us feel like just not a place for wealthy, super uber wealthy people, right? Like, I had the best conversation with a donor a couple of weeks ago. And she said, and she's been a donor of ours for 20 years. And she said, you know, Amy, when I started, my gifts didn't have commas. That I was I was just giving you a couple $100 I didn't have commas. Now her gifts have commas. But she said, But you respected me. And you listened to me and you supported me as a donor. And I will be forever grateful for that. Right? I had questions about how you're investing money, I quit. And someone like our CIO, got on the phone with her and answered those questions like we should be your friendly resource. It shouldn't be like, oh, yeah, if I don't have a billion dollars, I don't really have a place. Right. That's not us. Yeah. You know, it's a tragic story sometimes, right, the family whose son was tragically killed, and they left a scholarship for his school, and we have steward that that young man's name for generations in his family's memory. So they're there, it's just a, it's a to me, if we are not looking at the full spectrum of people that love the love the joy that can feel the joy of giving, than we are not living to our to our mission at the Trust for sure.

Jonathan McCoy

23:25

I mean, Amy, you are everything that we talk about, which is what I think why you're getting our huge smiles because you're rebuilding the bike while you're writing it, you're honoring the legacy while you're evolving at the same time, and you're doing it with joy and centering inclusion. And it's just, I mean, it's such a heart wired conversation today, like, this is how we can do this, how we do better. And so what are you paying attention to? What are you listening to? What are you thinking through as you try to evolve? Because, you know, we're trying to break down these walls. And I think in the old days, I don't know, because I've never worked at the Community Foundation structure. But typically, those type of foundations talk just other foundations. They're not looking outside of the walls. Who are you modeling from these days? Who are you drawing this from?

Amy Freitag

24:08

Okay, so I'm going to tell you, I have like an institution crush on Cleveland Foundation. That's all right. I'm gonna honor you. I'm gonna say that. Yes. They too, have just gone through a really interesting transition of leadership. But the fellow that has been there for the last 18 years amazing guy named Ron Richard. So I'm home in Ohio, and I'm like, I'm gonna go up and see the Cleveland Foundation. I wanted to go meet those guys. Right. And I go up there and he said, Well, you're gonna meet me at a construction site. I'm like, Well, okay, that's good. Well, 40 years ago, the Cleveland Foundation, just little advertisement, they sort of resurrected downtown Cleveland by bringing back playhousesquare and investing heavy into the arts and a fabulous job. Ron comes in 20 years later and says, Okay, what's the next thing and he looked across the landscape of Cleveland and found the Huff neighborhood which is, I don't know, tragically, sometimes it's related to the Huff riots of Cleveland, classically redlined neighborhood classically, sort of broken down by systemic racism, empty lots, a couple buildings, just no vibrancy, but a history of importance in our country and in our city, in that city. So they bought up patiently over a decade, something like 250 acres of vacant land and put it in a community land trust, they build a grocery store, they're moving their headquarters with a beautiful LEED certified building, designed by an architect of color with a jazz club in it, they found the only black brewery in Ohio and Toledo and brought it to Cleveland, and they're setting up shop and their home headquarters. And you can just pull your car into the parking lot walking off the street and you're at the Cleveland Foundation, it is so open and accessible. And it's putting a flag in the ground in a place that needs them. That to me, I'm going to tell you, that's what I'm paying attention to, I feel like there is a beauty in the sort of representation of all the power of what a committee foundation can do. They're also building an accelerator for local nonprofits across the street. And, and to me, they have been transformative. And I feel like we can have that power. In the eight counties that we serve. I'm so so inspired

Jonathan McCoy

26:21

just the eight tiny counties. But I love that. What a beautiful example, and we had a cool episode, we'll link up in the show notes about that happening in our community at a smaller scale with John Dodson, and that Eastpointe development. And it's just, it's so beautiful when you send her community and your work, and it just looks differently when that leads the way. And so you're doing that at all scale. So

Becky Endicott

26:42

just when you share your your what you know, and you can check your ego at the door and say, I don't know how to do this, I need to talk to somebody who's closer to the problem, or closer to the community. And I think that's honestly, if I if I'm doing a 10,000 foot view, we're for good. One of the biggest takeaways I'll take from this journey is that we know that the people closest to the problem or the ones closest to the solution. And so I actually really am kind of geeking out about this accelerator piece with the nonprofit because that's really smart for Cleveland to do because you're really just equipping and empowering a lot of nonprofits who already know the problems in their community, and they can get in there with their connectivity and their expertise to solve them. So we're going to be keeping our eye on the Cleveland Foundation as well, Community Foundation. You know, as a marketer, Amy, I got to double click on this 100 year anniversary, because I think this is such a smart play, for trying to get your message out, just hitching your wagon to something that's already a big event in leveraging it to really tell your story in a unique way. So talk to our listeners a little bit about how milestones like your 100 year anniversary can be used to build relationships with partners and donors, and to kind of set the stage for the future. But also how do they bring the community in as well to be a part of this movement? What are you learning as you're preparing for this 100th year anniversary?

Amy Freitag

28:13

Well, you know, it's funny, Cleveland's 109 years old, we're all we're all clones off of the Cleveland Foundation, interestingly enough, so there have been many Community Foundation have gone through this. And we really, my colleagues are so smart. I work with the most wonderful people in the world at the New York Community Trust, and they put a lot of thought and a lot of care into thinking about how our peers have celebrated that. But we also wanted to be classically New York, right? We're we of course, you know, New York is Love New York. So. So first thing, I gotta say, we're not the only ones turning 100. We're like in Super good company. So many of our favorite grantees over the years get this like the 92nd Street Y New York Public Radio is turning 100, the Macy's Day for re 100. So we reach out to those guys to figure out how we can be mutually reinforcing about this, or what does it say about New York then and now? And what's the opportunity to work collaboratively? And then to your point about building new partnerships, yeah, we have this opportunity to sort of give reintroduce ourselves to New York and to meet folks maybe we had not known as well as we wish we had. And let me lift up my new favorite partners over at the Amsterdam News, which is the oldest black owned newspaper in the US. And this amazing institution still run by a family, the daughter of the founders of the of the long history of the Amsterdam News, like and we hadn't, I'm going to be embarrassed. I'm going to be vulnerable with you. All right, I went out to a meeting of Community Foundation's in Texas earlier this year. And here was this woman Eleanor Tatum from the Amsterdam News sitting on the stage talking about being this incredible black owned, long standing New York City newspaper and I'm texting They're going do we know these guys? And they're like we don't I'm like, How can we not know them. And now we do. And they're coming into our office next week and doing sort of a lunch and learn about the history of the Amsterdam News. And they're going to be a partner with us as we tell our story about the, the 100th anniversary. So it's just such a beautiful opportunity to just sort of like reconnect with the city and find new ways to talk to a broader and more diverse New York, which I just think is, is is is the best way that we can celebrate this anniversary. So I'm excited about that.

Becky Endicott

30:35

You are, you're so joyful about it. And I'm so happy for the Amsterdam News like that. And then that should be evidenced to you out there nonprofit, like Amy's joy and getting to know about a mission she didn't know about that could be you, your community foundation could be waiting for your story, we just need to be bold enough to step up and share it and cast that vision.

Amy Freitag

30:59

So let me just say one other thing. I feel like the anniversary also reminds us that you know, with new technology and new ways of digital sharing, that that network of 900 is maybe an under tapped resource of Community Foundation's, if that whole group got together, right. So we are working in partnership with our friends at Marin County Community Foundation, Pittsburgh, Denver, Cleveland, Miami, a whole group are coming together to say what if? What if we could do something about climate as a community of community foundations. And over the last 30 days, we're standing up a collaborative among community foundations to be a better partner, to federal government, to bring all of those federal infrastructure dollars, all the way down to the grassroots to the ground, where people are feeling the floods, we're smelling the smoke, we're feeling the heat of of climate change, how do we get that money to the ground to the people that actually really needed. And so we think we have a special role to play not just with the federal government, but with private philanthropy to be their partners to quickly act because we don't have a lot of time.

Jonathan McCoy

32:10

Amy, I mean, the what I keep hearing and how you say it, and what you just beautifully said is a value that we lifted, that we wanted every nonprofit to pour into this year, which is locking arms for impact. And it's just for you to answer returning 100. But let me talk about the other organizations turning 100 shows you everything about the power of abundance of how much further we can go in lockstep together. And now you're doing this with other community foundations. It's just beautiful. And what a what a great model. So anyone listening, call me if you're a community foundation, like I want to be part of this. Like, I'm gonna put one that CTA out there, because what you're going to do is going to shift the sector in a in such a meaningful way. So thank you for that, you know, we got to transition to story and you have teased us with some of these moments already of philanthropy, just stopping you in your tracks. I'm gonna think of that comma, you know, clip for a long time. But I want you to take us back to a moment in philanthropy that's really stuck with you over the years, what's a moment you would take us back to you in your journey?

Amy Freitag

33:05

This is a hard one, right? Because I feel like there have been moments where you see it almost like clouds parting you're like, that's it. That's it. That's what we're here for. Right? And, and I just have to tell you a story about an amazing person that I feel like, makes me so proud to be in philanthropy and makes me want to be so much in this community of philanthropy. So, when we were working on this innovation prize that I mentioned, back in my former foundation, I met this incredible woman named Dominic Morgan. Have you ever heard of Dominique Morgan? No, I want to know, Monique has been on a journey from incarcerated man in solitary confinement, to having led an organization called black and pink, which was based in Omaha, right. Lifting up trans folks that are trying to get into back to life and, and recover from a trauma in a way that I don't think many of us could even imagine. And not only has Dominique gone on this journey, but now Dominique is a member of the Philippine philanthropic community, Dominique has has is now doing this incredible work with Borealis foundation working on transgenerational grantmaking and has so much to teach us about philanthropy. Dominique gives a talk that talks about when she was in her early stages of lifting up some of her filan her work before she joined philanthropy. And she used to say, You know what, I don't come recommended. I don't come recommend it. I'm just starting out. I'm just doing the best I can and I'm lifting up a community that I'm so passionate about. And and I feel like everyone in philanthropy could learn from Dominique Morgan so follow her on Instagram because she's also a performer and kills it. was a grand marshal of our gay pride parade last year in New York. And she's just, she's just, she's just life. And she's just hope. And she's, and she's unapologetic, and strong and, and, and instructive and also a learner. So I just, I, that's somebody I feel like through the journey of philanthropy has really has really sort of galvanized everything that we hope and believe in what we do.

Becky Endicott

35:28

I mean, we're puddles on the floor, clearly. And now I'm having FOMO. Because I want to know, Dominique Morgan, I want to be your friend. And I wish everyone could see your face. As you are talking about her, you are lit up from every way, and you are not the executive director who stands up there and says, I have all the answers, I know exactly what I'm doing. You're, you're saying, I am still being shaped in lots of ways. And I am still open minded and open handed to know, I don't know everything. That is the mindset. And that helps me understand why your Community Foundation is thriving, why people keep coming back and wanting to grant with you why missions are coming because there is there's got to be an unbelievable amount of trust, and that level of love, and reciprocity and listening. And so thank you, Amy, I want to you've given a shout out to your team. And I want to make sure we don't miss them in this because we know there's an army behind you that is powering these movements. So thank you for that Dominique, you keep shining and being your amazing self. And Amy, and you've listened to podcast enough to know when we start to wind down, we got to pitch you that one good thing. And so we're on pins and needles, I cannot wait to hear what you say. What would be the one good thing that you would leave with our community today?

Amy Freitag

36:58

Oh, as a fan of the podcasts, there have been so many of these. I'm like, Amy, you gotta come up with something good, but

Becky Endicott

37:03

isn't the worst, essentially,

Amy Freitag

37:04

you guys, it's gonna be simple. It's just, I feel like in a moment of remoteness, it's about honestly seeing and connecting with people. And you guys do that through this podcast in a way that I think is really beautiful. But I do think that we've gone into this coming out of COVID. We are just needing to connect with people and hear and feel them in real ways. And that's why you're instructing us to be good storytellers. Because it's the most human way that we connect. But it is what builds trust. And that is what the New York Community Trust has. And in such depth, it's just decades of trust, and belief, and commitment, and a better New York and, and I feel like if we do nothing else than connect one by one by one and fill up that trust piggy bank, that that's really what's going to help all of us do our work better. So I wish it was something sort of more poetic, but it's really the trust than building it one person at a time.

Jonathan McCoy

38:06

I mean, thanks for bringing us home with such censoring words that we can all apply in this moment, just being present and soaking up, you know, the interactions that we get to have with each other. So me people I know because I want to drive to New York right now with my whole family in the car and come hang with you. People are gonna want to connect with you. And with the incredible team that you've created. What's the best way to connect with you online? How can you find and follow your work, and just connected saw all the things.

Amy Freitag

38:28

So follow us on social media, follow us on our website, email me, I love to talk to people. And I'm happy to talk to all kinds of folks that are interested in the work that we're doing. And, and we want to, we want to feel like we are part of this. We're for good, goodness uprising that you guys are always trying to sit lifting up every every day. And so please reach out. We want to be a part of the conversation for

Becky Endicott

38:55

sure. I feel people just locking arms, the movements getting bigger than Impact Uprising is mounting. And I just look at someone like you, Amy. And I'm just like, I'm so glad we're all here. I'm so glad that each of our gifts that we're bringing into this mosaic, this quilt that John talks about, is helping cover everyone. You know, that's the goal is how do we cover everyone? So we just want to thank you so wholeheartedly for sharing. And I even just want to say stay, come back and let us know what's happening with this climate cohort. You know, in a couple years. We want to watch that as a pilot, and we want to see what you discover because it could be really groundbreaking. So Amy Frey tag, here's our friendship bracelet. Thank you for being our friend forever, and for powering your part of the world in such a powerful way.

Amy Freitag

39:46

Thank you guys for having me. It's been such a joy to be with you.

Jonathan McCoy

39:50

Such an honor. Thank you.

Julie Confer

39:51

Thank you. Hey, friends, thanks so much for being here. Did you know we create a landing page for each podcast episode with helpful links freebies. uneven shareable graphics, be sure to check it out at the link in this episode's description. 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 join our good community. It's free. And you can think of it as the after party to each podcast episode. You can sign up today at we are for good.com backslash Hello. One more thing If you loved what you heard today, would you mind leaving us a podcast rating and review? It means the world to us and your support helps more people find our community. Thanks friends. I'm our producer Julie confer and our theme song is Sunray by Remy Borsboom

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