← We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits
We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits
685. Begin Again: Reclaiming the Nonprofit Sector as Essential, Not Supplemental - Analía Weber, La Familia
00:33:44
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- [00:02]
A
It has to start somewhere, and I think it has to start with us. It has to start with how we speak about us. So this paradigm shift, our hope is to really not just be seen as supplemental, but as essential to the community. Not just to do more with less, but to really be trusted as the experts in certain issues in the community and just really bring us to the table.
- [00:28]
B
Hey, I'm John.
- [00:28]
C
And I'm Becky.
- [00:30]
B
And this is the We Are for Good podcast.
- [00:32]
C
Let's get started.
- [00:35]
B
Hi, B. Friend in the house.
- [00:37]
C
So excited we have come to my new backyard. But before I introduce our guest and their mission, I want to take everybody back a little bit because I got a DM in summer of 2022 from our guest.
- [00:53]
A
And.
- [00:54]
C
And it says, hi, you don't know me, but I've been listening to your podcast. I'm getting so much out of it. Thank you for what you're doing. But also, can you talk to me about the CF and getting my certification? And that was my intro to meeting Analia Weber. And since then, I would get sort of these dms, like, what do you think about this? I heard this episode. What do you think about this? And she was a new development director at this beautiful mission that we're going to talk about today. And I just wanted say that this story is as much about the power of community as it is about generosity and friendship, because Analia has become one of my dear friends. I adore her. I adore her work. And it is a joy to be able to talk about the Family Center La Familia today.
- [01:43]
B
I mean, you moved across the US to be next to her.
- [01:45]
C
Can we talk about how weird that was? Like, when I met her, she was living in the city that I was going to move to across the country. What are the chances?
- [01:54]
A
We're very excited to have you here.
- [01:56]
C
I'm so excited to be here. And I'm excited to introduce Analia to the community. She is a fundraiser, a strategist, and a lifelong artist. She is the development director at the Family Center, La Familia. And I'll tell you, I have been to this incredible nonprofit. I have toured. I have thoughts and deep feelings about it all positive. But Analia is really leading donor engagement, sponsorship, and grant writing to ensure children and families have the resources they need to thrive in our community. And I think what makes Analia's perspective so powerful is that she's bringing both strategy and creativity into everything that she does. She is a lifelong dancer. This is not in your bio, but I'm Going to talk about it. She like grew up in Puerto Rico. I'm telling part of your story. And found this love of the arts and dance and she has worked that into her development. And so I love that outside your work you are co directing the FOCO Fringe Festival where you're championing inclusion, community storytelling and the belief that creativity can build connection and belonging. And personally, she's mama to two amazing kids with her husband and what she says is an adventure that keeps her grounded and inspired and deeply connected to the kind of community centered support her org provides every day. Analia, we are so grateful you're here today. It's all about you. Welcome to the podcast.
- [03:21]
A
Thank you, Becky. Thank you, John. I've been you guys, I'm such a fan girl, you know, I'm going to take that moment and I'm just so excited and like you were really there for me at my, you know, my origin story as a development director. I had shifted careers at like 39 and I thought that was impossible. Like, who would hire somebody with a bachelor's and a master's in dance that only knew how to teach people how to kick higher, turn more, jump higher. I was like, what else do I know what to do?
- [03:52]
C
Yeah, totally.
- [03:54]
A
And your podcast was there to really. I went to the university of Becky and John for my development degree because that's how I learned everything that I know now is just by listening to you two talk interview these amazing people that are doing amazing things. And I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks this way. But thank you for doing what you do.
- [04:16]
C
You are one of those amazing people. I just think this is yours is just a beautiful example of what happens when you just come into community, learn what you can, take it out and go apply it to the world. But I gave a little bit of your background and story. But I want you to have agency to tell your own story. So take us back to little Analia and tell us about how you got into this work.
- [04:40]
A
Well, I mean, I really thought I was just going to continue in my career path of 24, seven, dance, everything. And then the universe was like, no, you're too comfortable here. We're just gonna chuck you out. And kind of did. I'm, I'm a loyalist, so I, I could stay somewhere till the day I die. So the universe was like, no, it's time for you to grow in other areas. And that year of 2021, I had just had my second one, Henry, and I was still school director for Kenyan Concert ballet. I was. I had 22 teachers, almost 400 students and their families massaging hurt feelings if you didn't get Clara the Nutcracker and things like that. So a lot of taking care of people and just ensuring that they all felt like they had a place to dance, whether they want to be professional dancers or not. And at that year of 2021, I was doing leadership for Collins. So it's a nine month program where you meet once a month with about 40 other community people, whether it's for profit or nonprofit community members. And you learn, you get to learn all about, you know, northern Colorado education, government, nonprofits and stuff like that. So I was starting to get introduced to a lot of nonprofits in town. And my heart was calling me to connect with the Spanish speaking community again, because I've since moving away from Puerto Rico, I've always been the only Spanish speaker in the room or the only brown person in the room. And dance can be like that sometimes. And then higher education dance can be like that sometimes. So, you know, I just really wanted to feel connected to the community I was living in here in Fort Collins. And I got to learn about La familia. I needed to leave the position. I was just. Because it wasn't fitting my schedule as a mom anymore. And I applied for this development director position that I saw at the time. I was like, I don't know what I'm doing applying for this job. And the president at the chamber sat with me and she's like, look, my sister went through the same thing, kind of like a career change. She hired a writer to write her resume, to reorganize her resume. And off she went. And those are the best $300 I spent, was getting a resume writer to look at my resume and then look at these positions that I was interested in and kind of making it known that I did have. Yeah. That I. That I did have those skills, that I did know how to run a budget and I didn't know how to run people and make connections. And so shout out to Gloria, the Ed at the center, because she trusted me and just being able to ask and get a lot of no's and just keep going. I think the reason I got hired is they were like, why should we hire you? I was like, well, I can think quick on my feet. Yeah, they trusted me and they had faith in me that, that I could carry out the job. And I think that's. That's something that maybe other leaders can think about. It's like, maybe somebody doesn't have the exact resume. But if they have that kind of like human touch and that knowing, I think they can, they can take a position and take it far.
- [07:48]
B
I mean, what a gift to the sector that you stepped in in this way. We love the melting pot of perspectives when people find kind of this pivot into social impact work in their careers. Like, I just think you bring a different lens and the way you walk into the room is just different as a result of that. So it's been so great to have you pouring into this community. And I love that we can dive in today and kind of hear what's happened since then. I feel like we need some context about La Familia, meaning you tell us more about your family, but also center specifically tell us about the mission, maybe some of the history, the work that you're pouring into now.
- [08:24]
A
Yeah. So at the foundation of La Familia, our mission is that we work alongside families to provide high quality childcare and family support services. And we do that with a really clear intention of connecting culturally to the Latinx community as well that lives here in Fort Collins, so that the families feel safe, supported and thriving. Sometimes a misconception is that we only serve Spanish speaking families, but we don't, you know, we serve anybody that walks through our doors, whether they have a little one that goes to our early childhood education center, or it's a family that needs support services, or it's a community member that lives in a mobile home park that needs guidance into some issues. Within the mobile home park. We really take that holistic approach of serving the human at whatever level they're coming to us, whatever stage of life, and walking alongside of them.
- [09:19]
C
It's just such a magical mission. And to hear about it from Analia for, you know, quite some time, and then to physically walk in, there's just something different. We all know this when you can walk in and you can touch something and you can see it and you can hear the theory of change, which I think is just so beautiful. And I want to lift that you support your families in this very holistic way. And I think this is, this is part of the secret sauce in nonprofit, because we all may be working in one issue, but there are so many issues that encircle poverty and city and economics and in all of these issues that we're up against that are multi level. And so I think the holistic approach is so strong because it allows every member of the family to feel seen, whether that's someone in the child care, whether that's someone who's going through one of your parenting classes. I know. When I was there. Can I tell you a funny story? They were talking about, you know, one of these parenting classes where they're literally trying to teach these parents how to raise a teenager in America. Like, with all of our culture and all of, you know, all of just what we grew up as normal here that is so different from the Latin culture. And I really appreciate that philosophy, and I wonder if you could just share a little bit more about how you really approach and fund the whole family.
- [10:50]
A
Yeah. I think something that I have really got to know about the organization is I'm working with the colleagues that, you know, shout out to the program managers and the teachers and the case managers. And my colleagues are so passionate about making sure that everybody has what they need to thrive and feel safe. I think we, you know, we've been here for 30 years. We got funded in 1995. And I think one of the big reasons we're still here is because how we fund the whole family is because we don't tell them what they need. We really listen not just to the family, to the community member, but we really listen to the community as a whole because they take care of each other. They can sometimes see barriers and gaps that maybe we have not been aware of. And when we start walking those steps with them to guide them, we find those roadblocks, and we're like, oh, this is new. You know, we've made progress in certain things. And then we find another roadblock that we have to kind of, you know, work around and educate a partner or the city or something like that. We're like, hey, this is becoming, like, an issue. Can we work around it and find a different way? So really looking at the systems that are supposed to provide support and kind of making them better, I think, really has helped create a holistic approach of not just giving the family or the community member what they need, but also kind of ensuring that the systems that are supposed to also provide that support are working.
- [12:19]
B
Yeah. I mean, this is why we are kindred spirits, my friend. I mean, the way that you go about this work is very much what we try to amplify in this community, is putting community at the very core of mission delivery, you know, and being so responsive and listening, obviously sets a tone for how y' all show up. I'm curious how that plays out on the fundraising side of things. Like, how are you fundraising in a way that really continues to build that trust and centering the dignity that Obviously, just comes through in the language of how you care and uphold this community you're working with.
- [12:55]
A
Really thinking about, you know, I think the language we're using when we're talking about our impact. This has come into conversation a little bit recently of, like, how are we talking about the work that we do and about ourselves as a nonprofit? Even the word nonprofit has some connotations that maybe we want to move away from. Should we even call ourselves nonprofit anymore? Because it has this heaviness of saviorism and things like that that are really not serving the relationships we're trying to build with our partners and our donors and our community members, really ensuring that my connection to those people are very genuine. And at first, I had, you know, I had to really sit with myself about how am I going to connect with people that have the financial wealth to just give sometimes without thinking twice about it. And also the other spectrum of, like, those that really want to support and, you know, give their $5 and they, you know, that's also very meaningful because it's. It means something to you. So ensuring that those relationships are built with a lot of heart behind it. As a fundraiser, I feel like I'm in relationship with hundreds of people trying to remember people's birthdays and their vacation and generally care about how they're doing and then connecting them to something that speaks to them into our mission, whether it's the childcare, whether it's the family support, or whether there's the leadership and advocacy with mobile home park residents. You know, there's a place for anybody and everybody to care about something. And sometimes even the relationships that I've built that maybe are not called to our mission, I definitely refer them to something that speaks to them. There's so many missions around that could be calling to somebody. Maybe it's not us, but really building that relationship for community into organization is, I think, key.
- [14:55]
C
I think this is a really interesting conversation to talk about how you bring someone, like, in a bridge from what they perceive as your organization to come in and experience it. Come in. And I think this is the 2.0 of donor engagement for me. You can put somebody on blast on email, on social media, but when you take their hand and you get to look them in the eye, it just creates a different tenor. So I want to talk about that. Just, like, how do you shift the perception, the culture, the identity, and the value not just of your mission on Aaliyah, but, like, how do we do that for the sector? We had a really interesting conversation with Amy Herman, do you remember this? John? Like, talk about a flashback. It was like episode 338 and she is like the queen, a best selling author on perception. And so I want to know from your role, Aliyah, like, you're stepping into this leadership role in this noco, by the way, we call Northern Colorado, NOCO Nonprofit Sector, FOCO and NoCo Fort Collins, NoCo Northern Colorado. But you're really stepping in this role. You've got this super bold vision and a paradigm shift in this perception, culture, identity and value of the nonprofit impact sector. Like, tell us about your work in shifting this perception and leading people into culture and like how this vision is kind of creating a different dynamic with your donors and with your just your nonprofit as a whole.
- [16:36]
A
Well, funny enough, I, this morning before coming here to sit with you, I was at the sector partnership meeting as my, my first meeting as chair for the county, for Larimer County. So I was already a little nervous about presenting to like 60 people, but also presenting to them this vision of the 10 year of the paradigm shift. I was like, how is this going to land? Like, are people going to believe that this is possible? Are they going to stand up and leave? Because they're going to think, oh, this is just a waste of time. I don't, I'm not here to dream. Things are never going to happen. But I think it can happen, this paradigm shift. And I think it has to start somewhere. And I think it has to start with us. It has to start with how we speak about us. We have a couple of nonprofits really share that. They're not using the word donation anymore. They're using the word contribution and gift. Thinking about another word than donor. It doesn't sit well with me. It gives a power dynamic of you have and I don't and you're providing for me instead of making it like equal partnership of getting the impact out there into your community. So this paradigm shift, you know, it's our hope is to really not just be seen as supplemental but as essential to the community. To not just to do more with less, but to really be trusted as the experts in the, in the, in certain issues in the community and just really bring us to the table. Like if in your city there's issues with housing, don't just go out to the big developing company for the construction plans and what do you want to put in here? It's like bring the organizations that give shelter, bring the organizations that provide housing. Those are the experts in this field. Those are the experts that can tell you how much is needed where. So we hope to slowly change that into us being the experts and not just the other way around sometimes, and how we're treated as a nonprofit sector. And already yesterday, I got an email that Wyoming is opening two sector partnerships for nonprofits. So hopefully, you know, this can just spread. I think it can happen. And we're giving ourselves 10 years so we can take it slow.
- [18:55]
C
You're less than four years from getting into this role and asking that question, like, how do I do this work? And you are building across state lines and grabbing your agency and your expertise back. I'm so dang proud of you. It's amazing.
- [19:12]
A
Thank you. Sometimes it's like, okay, I still don't feel like I know what I'm doing, but here we go.
- [19:17]
C
We don't know what we're doing.
- [19:18]
A
Does that make you feel better, doing that? We're all trying to figure it out, really, is what we're all trying to do, Trying to figure it out as we go.
- [19:27]
B
I was literally thinking similarly to you, Bea, that. I mean, my gosh, coming into the sector over the last four years, how rapidly things have changed, how much uncertainty has kind of loomed over much of that, whether through the pandemic or through a lot of the social and lots of dynamics that are happening right now in our country. And so I just wonder, like, if you could point to a tangible thing, a concrete thing that fundraisers and nonprofit leaders could do to help drive a paradigm shift, what would that be?
- [20:00]
A
I live my life through a lot of movement principles, like dance movement principles as life mapping. And there's this exercise you do from going to one side of the room to the other, improvising movement. But your only direction is begin again. And you cross. You make choices as you cross the room, then you flip around, and all you have to do is begin again, and you go back and, like, create something different or something based out of something you just created. So I think as, you know, fundraisers or leaders is, you know, every day we get to begin again. We tried something, it didn't work. We get to wake up tomorrow and just tweak it, try it again, do that stretch goal or really go for, not be scared of. I will have another chance. One way or another, we can start again. And we can. I mean, we've had to start again sometimes, some of us in the nonprofit world. So that's all we got. It's like, we have to begin again. There's no other way around it.
- [21:06]
B
I have straight chills from that answer. I mean, you know, this is why bringing in your lived experience into the sector is so powerful. Like that reframe, I feel. And I. It comes through like, it connects so deeply. Thank you for them.
- [21:20]
C
It reminds me of that Seth Godin quote when he came in and said, you're the nonprofit sector. You're not supposed to have figured it out. You are testing. You are piloting every time. If you are failing, then you are doing it correctly because you have eliminated a way that we are not going to solve this problem. And some days we win and someday we lose, but we just have to keep beginning again, you know, because that is the nature of the work. And so I want to just mama bear hug everyone out there and say, like, if you're feeling like a failure in your programs and something that you've tried, something with your team or, well, then that's okay. That is the very nature of this work. And I love that reminder from you, Analia.
- [22:10]
A
And you can tag along, I think, to that begin again. To, like, begin again. And then I think the reason why we landed on that big vision for the nonprofit sector is because we allowed ourselves to ask, what if? So begin again. And then what if? Because the worst thing you can tell me is, like, we've always done it like this. Like, that is like, it makes me cringe. I would say, like, that makes me run for the door, but actually I'm too stubborn, so I would stay and, like, change everybody's minds. No, we can try something different. So, like, what if? So that's how we landed in the vision. It's like, what if we allow ourselves to push it to areas where we have been told that it's not possible? I like to prove people wrong, so it's a great place for me to be. So, yeah, like, what if? So you can sit with your staff. You can even sit with yourself. It's like, what if we speak about ourselves this way? What if we shift this program just slightly? Because you know what? Attendance is not great anymore. Like, the community might be needing something different, but maybe your funders are like, no, we love this program. It's like, well, the community doesn't need it anymore. So what if we just shift begin again?
- [23:24]
C
Yeah, I just think this. This is a mindset. This is habits. I think shifting cultures and mindsets and hearts is a really hard thing to do. But it can be very powerful work if you do it together. Because if we're asking what if? Which, by the way, that's what a major gift donor wants to hear. They want to see the really big vision. They want to get on board for something that they're not only going to fund, but something that collectively people can come in and rally around, which is why your community is so needed. So love this conversation, love this mission so dearly. I'm so proud to be a donor to it. You know how this works. Amalia, you've listened to the podcast a bazillion times. We want to hear your story of philanthropy that really changed you as a human being. And it doesn't even have to be. We philanthropy, we broaden that to mean kindness. Joy, what was the time you saw generosity show up in your life?
- [24:25]
A
I've been thinking about this question since we decided to sit down at some point, like a couple months ago, and there's so many stories I could tell about kindness that I've seen lives that have been changed. But I think where I landed is what's been most meaningful to me is now I'm a parent to a six year old and a four year old. And the responsibility that comes for me about raising caring, kind future philanthropists is really important to me. So being able to see my daughter and my son in their own six and four year old way start to become philanthropists of like, I just piled this bunch of toys together that I'm just too old for it now. I want to give them to a kid that doesn't have toys or they're doing a food drive at my school and I want to, can you take me to the store to get cans for food without being prompted? So I'm glad that they're seeing that in me and my husband and just like their peers at school, like, my four year old goes to the family center, La Familia, as a preschooler, and Nora, now in first grade, went there as well. So they, they would always ask, like, what, what do you do, mommy? I was like, well, you know, I help your school and the families like half what they need. And now they understand a little bit more about what I do. But being able to see their little philanthropic minds and hearts grow, and they're going to hopefully continue to grow into caring and kind human beings that can share their love and kindness to the world.
- [26:07]
B
I mean, that's it, you know, like, we could look at, like, what you've accomplished over the last few years, and you're bringing all these people together, you're working across borders to, like, create change. And I'm reminded of a interview we did just this morning with our new friend, Leona Christie. Who talked about she came back into full circle social impact work because her dad made her sign a contract when she was 10. But I'm like, why I share that is because she's gone on to create so much change and good in the world and it's like the things we do with our kids really do matter. And it does. You know, we've talked a lot about culture shifting today and starts in our homes. Like, how can we create the conditions that our kids want to pour into this and understand and have a bigger worldview that we need each other and you're doing it. So thank you for that recentering. I feel really connected to the answer you just shared. I've got to ask for your one good thing. You know our drill. We've got to have a piece of practical advice, a mantra, a hack. What have you got for us? Analia?
- [27:10]
A
My one good thing is also a dance principle. Sorry to say, but it's, you know, my life was 247 dance and now it's like maybe sprinkles of dance. Now it's 50, 50, 50. But there's, there's this practice called compositional improvisation and it was taught to me by a mentor in my masters. She teaches it as a life practice because it really teaches that your choices have a rippling effect whether you acknowledge them. And notice or not there's five principles in this. Compositional improvisation is showing up. Pay attention, notice what you notice, tell the truth and don't get attached to the results.
- [27:58]
C
You also thought dance was just a movement. It is so much deeper.
- [28:04]
A
So you're making choices. Like every day you're making choices and those choices have a rippling effect. Even if you're walking down a busy street, just shifting a little bit is going to make that whole crowd move differently. So really. And I think in those moments where I feel a little lost or like I don't know what my next move should be or how am I going to approach this next gala or, you know, donor conversation. I just follow those things. I show up, I pay attention, I notice what I notice. I tell the truth. And I don't get attached to the results because tomorrow I get to begin again. So I just kind of circle that whole thing in my life over and over again.
- [28:49]
B
Wow. How you walk down the street is going to impact these genius. The visual of like, we actually do have the ability to create change.
- [29:00]
C
And if you're feeling small, you just illustrated how your footprint on earth can make significant shifts in the world by just having a presence. So Imagine if you had an intentional presence and an intentional voice. I'm obsessed with this. Keep going.
- [29:19]
B
So obsessed.
- [29:20]
A
I mean, you can go to the park and just sit in different chairs and your perspective of that space is going to change and of the people that are composing in that area. So, like, you know, I invite you to just change seats. Look it from the back, look at it from the top, look at it from the bottom. You know, if you have a chance to hire a artist, hire an artist, please.
- [29:44]
B
With no executive chance, there's a second one good thing.
- [29:47]
C
Well, John is an artist.
- [29:49]
A
He's beautiful.
- [29:49]
B
Thanks for hiring me,
- [29:53]
C
Analia. I just think you're such a kind human. We have the conversation like this, and I sit in gratitude that this sector is so lucky to get to call you one of our own. And thank you for coming in and finding a space with us. And not only finding a space, but you have created a space that is so much brighter and more beautiful than it was when you arrived. And so tell people how they can connect with La Familia, how they can connect with you. And then I also want you to tell people what your mission needs right now and how they can show up for you. Is that a donation? Is that volunteerism? Is that amplifying something on social media? Whatever it is, the floor is yours.
- [30:38]
A
Great. Well, you know, people can reach me on LinkedIn. I definitely hang out there for La Familia. You know, our website, the FamilyCenter FC.org and you can learn all about our programs and ways to get involved and whatever capacity really calls you. And then on Instagram, we have an Instagram page as well, and it goes directly to me. So the answers you get, it's me. So, you know, things that we need right now, even. We talked a little bit before starting to record, but, you know, funding is being frozen for childcare, and it's mainly being frozen in California, Colorado and New York. What that means for Colorado is 27,000 kids will lose child care. That's 18,000 families. Those are people that are not going to be able to go to work because they don't have child care. Which means, you know, the economy in that town or area is really going to suffer as well. So childcare is not just important for people that have children. Child care is really also important for the health and the economy of a place. So if you're an employer and you have employees with children or you just care about children having high quality care and education, because those first five years are so important, you know, we would Love for you to, you know, call your senators, write letters, donate to those family resource centers that have childcare, donate to those sliding scholarships so that parents that cannot access Early Head Start or access any other In Clara, we have CCAP as well. Any other help for child care tuition, donate to those places because we are needing it. We thought we were in the clear after end of year being so great and then we get thrown this curveball the first week of the year. So we continue to begin again and navigate as things go. So donations are always helpful. We're looking for sponsorships. Right now is my big focus so that the money raised in our gala and our spring event really goes towards those kids, those families that need that support.
- [32:53]
C
So relatable for anyone in development to feel and be riding the high of a successful year end and then right through the gate get a whammy such as that. So I could tell you I'm going to make a donation online to La Familia. I hope you join me. If not, please go follow them on social media. Go connect with Analia on LinkedIn. You have no idea when she might pop into your DM with a question and then you might become lifelong friends. So, yeah, just think this has been a beautiful conversation. The rhythm of it has been just so wonderful and enjoyable and I love your mission. Thank you for the way you're showing up for our community. Thanks for giving us a reason to think differently about how we're going to start again.
- [33:38]
B
I'm so grateful. Thank you, friend.
- [33:40]
A
Yeah, well, thank you. For what? Everything that you do. Thank you ramping our voices.