My Journey Jumping In To Philanthropy - "Love of Human Kind"

I began helping Studio Two Three in Spring 2017.  

Our English Major LLC accountant and artist, Alyssa Salomon, introduced me to Ashley Hawkins. Ashley, one of the three original founders and current Executive Director, had me come in to the studio in Scott's Addition to meet with her and the S23 staff.  She wanted to talk about where their organization was, where they wanted to go and how I might help them get there.

These women were amazing.  Ashley and her team were focused, driven, artists ready to create the magic and doing the good in the world.  (My type of people!!)

They had recently moved into a new location on West Clay Street and would soon be acquiring the old car shop next door for extended artist studio space, as well as event space. 

Well, volunteer strategic marketing consulting turned into a request to join the nonprofit organization's Board of Directors. And most recently that turned into me being asked to be the Chair of the BOD. 

WOWZA!  I was honored and had no clue what I was getting into.  While I did know what the brand was all about, understood the marketing initiatives the organization was doing to support their mission and program work, plus had interacted consistently with staff and studio members and attended the rocking annual auction fundraiser in 2017, The Factory, I didn't really understand the Board of Directors role in governance of a Nonprofit Organization.  

For anyone who has been in a Chair position of a nonprofit board, you are probably covering your eyes and weeping a little inside for my cluelessness.  Luckily, between the other Board of Director members who were open to filling me in on the history of the organization from the  Board's perspective, Ashley's knowledge from her Masters of Nonprofit Org Management degree, and my hunger for knowledge (**thank you world wide web for endless articles on Board Governance, amazing people like Joan Garry who hit my podcast obsession sharing her multi-decade learnings from both organizational staff side, as well as Board side, and websites like Board Source and The Council of Nonprofit Orgs), I am catching up QUICKLY. And LOVING it. 

Since 2011 when I left Martin Agency to refocus my life and dig into being a mom and wife (aka: getting my head on straight after loosing my mother to Early Onset Alzheimer's), I have been helping friends and acquaintances make their businesses stronger in what little spare time I could find.  Keeping that little side hustle going reminded me that my brain was highly functioning and could contribute to society by using my 10+ years in marketing and advertising, while raising tiny humans to save the world in the decades to come.

Now I am finding that digging into the world of nonprofits, especially in this arts and culture segment, is lighting a new fire in me.  I'd been asked to join our local Alzheimer's Association Board shortly after my mom passed, but I couldn't - for many reasons. BUT "art as advocacy" and "hands-on creativity as a guide to one's true self," PLUS creating a program to help artists know that their passion can be a "legitimate business to support their livelihood"... now that I CAN DO!!

On one of Joan's podcasts, I learned that the original Greek definition of Philanthropy is "Love of Human Kind."  It clicked as to why I need to be doing this work = I truly love humanity and take none of this earthy experience for granted. I believe helping others heals the wounds on our soul,  those we came into this physical experience with, and those we acquire trying to find our way.

Thank you Ashley and Studio Two Three for opening your organization to me and bringing me along for this glorious learning ride in the nonprofit world.  The tagline we created for S23 makes sense from every angle of the brand, "Find that thing you love and make it!" and I love applying it to my personal life, too!

Lotsa Love,

Leah