496. Thriving in Turbulent Times + Building a Future-Ready Organization -Erin Davison
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Overview
Meet Erin. She’s the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana, the region’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network. Despite facing four federally named natural disasters in less than a year, Erin and her team remained resilient and unwavering in their commitment to the community. In a surprising turn of events, a mysterious email led to a $1.1 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott🎁 Erin used this gift to launch the Big Defender Fund, securing the future of youth mentoring programs in her community, no matter the challenges Mother Nature throws their way🌩️ Erin shares valuable lessons for nonprofit leaders on thriving in turbulent times, seeking help amidst chaos, and rebuilding organizations to be stronger and more resilient than ever💪 Prepare for some touching stories – you won't want to miss this one!
💡Learn
Case Study: BBBS Southwest Louisiana
How nonprofits can thrive during turbulent times During Turbulent Times
Ways to build a future-ready organization
Today’s Guest
Erin Davison, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana
Episode Transcript
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Episode Highlights
Erin’s story and journey to where she is today (2:30)
Leading an organization during four catastrophic events (7:00)
An unexpected $1.1 million donation (11:40)
The impact of a transformative gift (16:40)
Erin’s lessons learned about creating a future-ready organization (25:15)
A powerful moment of philanthropy in Erin’s life (29:55)
Erin’s One Good Thing: Grace. (35:20)
How to connect with Erin and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana (38:15)
Impactful Quotes
"I don't expect things, I just do what I do, because I love what I do." -Erin
"I firmly believe in stacking your team, which means everybody in my organization I feel is smarter than me." -Erin
"Any organization small, big, mid, emerging, needs to diversify their financial portfolio." -Erin
"Grace is a word that we don't use often. It's hard to give yourself grace or to give others grace. And giving grace is not anything other than sympathizing and empathizing." - Erin
"I'm tired of the labels of bad kids. They are a product of their bad environment and they make bad choices." -Erin
"So as long as I'm in this role, we're going to give those kids who haven't been seen yet an opportunity to thrive in a world that has totally beat them down already." -Erin
"I learned that I have to give myself grace, and have to allow rest. That is key to at least try to ingrain that into your leadership role." -Erin
“It's little moments that make a big impact and that's what we do.” -Erin
Connect with Erin + Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana
LinkedIn / Instagram / X / BBBS of Southwest Louisiana Website
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