Episode 81
Building Success Ladders: Matching NotForProfits with Empowering Staff | LAYC81
Lifting and Climbing isn’t just one to one, individual to individual.
It is also business to individual, and sometimes it is business to business, entity to entity.
At it’s most impactful, this philosophy is part of the DNA of organizations that serve many.
Charity Search Group is a prime example of building success ladders, and contributing to major positive impact and sustainability of organizations, profit and not-for-profit. Equipped with the right team, these organizations are empowered to deliver on their missions across diverse societal needs.
Simply stated - Having the right people, in the right seats is necessary for every successful endeavor.
Success happens when the right organization, mission, values, and people are matched, aligned, and supported.
That is why my guest today, Husani Bastien, and his partner, Maria Yurukova, founded Charity Search Group and are dedicated to building success ladders for clients, candidates, and communities.
"Finding the right team members for your nonprofit is often a complex process. Not only you seeking individuals who possess the necessary professional skills and qualifications, but you’re also on the lookout for candidates who are genuinely passionate about your cause. Striking the perfect balance between passion and profession in the nonprofit sector can sometimes feel like searching for a needle in a haystack” . . . Read more on Charity Search Group website.
https://charitysearchgroup.com/balancing-passion-and-profession-tips-for-hiring-in-the-nonprofit-sector/
About the Host:
Isabel Alexander
Your Next Business Strategist and Transformation Catalyst
Isabel Alexander's journey from modest beginnings to global recognition epitomizes entrepreneurial resilience and innovation. With over five decades of experience spanning diverse industries, she has become a driving force in shaping economic landscapes worldwide. Noteworthy accomplishments include founding a multimillion-dollar global chemical wholesale business and earning accolades such as Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women.
As a mentor and advocate, Isabel empowers women entrepreneurs through initiatives like the Lift As You Climb Movement and podcasts, guiding them from startup to maturity. Serving as Chief Encore Officer of The Encore Catalyst, she dedicates herself to coaching and educating emerging entrepreneurs. Her involvement in organizations like RenegadesReinventing.com and Femme on Fire underscores her commitment to leadership and business development.
Additionally, Isabel's advisory roles with government bodies and trade associations, such as Chair of the Canadian Association of Importers & Exporters, highlight her influence in shaping trade policies and fostering international relations.
Driven by her mantra, "Lift As You Climb," Isabel embodies the ethos of mutual growth and empowerment. With dual citizenship in Canada and the United States, she values her extensive family and embraces global connections through travel and professional engagements. Isabel Alexander's narrative serves as a beacon of inspiration, illustrating how visionary leadership and strategic advising can drive global entrepreneurship and economic independence forward.
Founder:
The Encore Catalyst Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/TheEncoreCatalyst )
and
Chief Encore Officer, The Encore Catalyst (www.theencorecatalyst.com) – an accelerator for feminine wisdom, influence, and impact.
also
Author & Speaker ‘Who Am I Now? – Feminine Wisdom Unmasked Uncensored’ https://whoaminowbook.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabelannalexander/
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Transcript
Welcome back everyone and I am delighted today to bring somebody
Isabel:new and different and ideas possibly new and different to our show.
Isabel:Now we're all about in this family lifting, climbing, becoming
Isabel:the best version of ourselves.
Isabel:So that we, can enjoy our future lives, but also live our legacies while we're
Isabel:alive to influence the men, impact them, and having opportunities as we
Isabel:do today to be aware of the variety of causes and interests sometimes
Isabel:can be a little overwhelming.
Isabel:So it's been my pleasure in the last While to spend some time with you
Isabel:introducing people who have started foundations, movements, supported
Isabel:charities, building charities, and also talking with some of the experts in the
Isabel:area of philanthropy and giving circles.
Isabel:Today, We're going to look at maybe behind the curtain, behind the scenes
Isabel:of businesses that exist, organizations, I guess some, it's appropriate to say
Isabel:our businesses, but organizations, institutions that give us the
Isabel:opportunity to channel our giving.
Isabel:to specific causes.
Isabel:And I'm going to introduce to you today the founder of a company, co founder,
Isabel:in fact, called Charity, let me say that again, Charity Search Group.
Isabel:And with me today is Husani Bastien.
Isabel:He is co founder with his partner, Maria Yurukova and they started
Isabel:Charity Search Group to support those organizations to staff with the best
Isabel:people and ensure their sustainability and their excellent management.
Isabel:So welcome.
Isabel:Welcome today, Husani.
Isabel:Thank you so much for coming here and letting us ask you all the questions
Isabel:that are burning in our minds.
Husani:Thank you, Isabel.
Husani:It's a pleasure and an honor to be here.
Isabel:Let's start with you telling us a little bit about how this
Isabel:concept of Charity Search Group came about, when and where that's taken
Isabel:you over that period of time so far.
Husani:My partner and co founder Maria and I wanted to combine
Husani:our skills and our passions.
Husani:We both had a commitment to helping others.
Husani:I've volunteered at non profits for many years, until I co founded one in Toronto,
Husani:called the Center for Human Success.
Husani:The bulk of my experience has been in the technology sector.
Husani:With the Masters in Information Systems, I've always tried to leverage
Husani:tech in any venture I'm a part of.
Husani:My partner, Maria, has an extensive background in fundraising and non
Husani:profit recruitment, we decided that we could combine our skills to create
Husani:Charity Search Group, a business that could help utilize the efficiencies
Husani:of technology and to help nonprofit organizations find talent in an
Husani:extremely competitive environment.
Isabel:I did wonder about that.
Isabel:How do you today, generally in the environment, there's a conversation
Isabel:about it's difficult to find good people.
Isabel:It's difficult to find any bodies to fill positions, but in
Isabel:organizations such that you serve.
Isabel:Having really high quality people, not only high values and high standards, but
Isabel:high capabilities and have that custodial responsibility for the funds that are
Isabel:being raised is even more critical.
Isabel:So that's yay for you.
Isabel:I appreciate that.
Isabel:And I think that you also hinted a little bit about one of the other questions I
Isabel:was going to ask you about, like, How did your Lift As You Climb journey begin?
Husani:It began with my parents who believed in education and hard work.
Husani:My stepfather and mother raised me.
Husani:They were business owners who were very busy but still found time to
Husani:check my homework every night as I was growing up, much to my chagrin.
Husani:At the time, and then there were countless other times where friends of my parents
Husani:would look out for me, help me with my first job applications or preparation
Husani:for the entrance exam to private schools.
Husani:One time that really stands out to me was my first summer internship.
Husani:A friend of my stepfather helped me to prepare for work at a local college.
Husani:My job was to work on their information systems to organize their database.
Husani:I had only limited experience, but after an intense few weeks of training with
Husani:this family friend, I was ready to work.
Husani:And then subsequently I went on to that internship and think that
Husani:I had a pretty helpful impact.
Isabel:I love that you have, you were open to learning new skill sets and you
Isabel:applied what you had already learned to contribute to an organization.
Isabel:So that's fantastic.
Isabel:And effect, and this is it's very important to me that your parents had
Isabel:not only encouraged you, maybe they gave you a little push really is just the
Isabel:other side of giving a hand up, right?
Isabel:Encouraging you firmly in the right directions.
Isabel:So that's great.
Isabel:And I guess too, I think that it's, I don't personally think
Isabel:often about the technical side of running a charitable organization.
Isabel:So that's very interesting that you're bringing that skill set to this.
Isabel:Why, how has that made a difference for the people that you've served?
Husani:We do a lot of recruiting for these organizations.
Husani:And as I mentioned earlier, the.
Husani:Job environment is really one that favors the job seeker at the moment,
Husani:especially in the nonprofit sector.
Husani:So there is what some people like to call a war for talent.
Husani:So what we do is a lot of proactive outreach to help
Husani:find the individuals that are.
Husani:Best suited for these organizations.
Husani:We don't just try to find someone who is good at the job.
Husani:We try to find someone that is a cultural fit, because especially
Husani:in the world of nonprofits.
Husani:It's very important that the person who's working at the nonprofit
Husani:believes in the mission and feels passionately about that mission.
Husani:And we found that leads to a happier candidate and a happier
Husani:organization in the long run.
Isabel:As a lifelong serial entrepreneur, I know the absolute critical importance
Isabel:of finding the right people and making sure that they're in the right
Isabel:seats on the bus to ensure that an organization can grow and be successful.
Isabel:So that's fabulous.
Isabel:Do you have specific processes for screening the candidates once you've
Isabel:found them to make sure that they're going to go into the right environments?
Husani:Yes in fact, we find out as much as we can about the organization first.
Husani:We interview the stakeholders and the people that will be interviewing
Husani:each candidate to just get a sense of what their priorities are.
Husani:Get a sense of what the work environment will be like.
Husani:And then when we are reaching out to candidates, we also ask them
Husani:extensive questions and conduct interviews with them to find out
Husani:what it is they're looking for.
Husani:So we're almost acting as recruiters and.
Husani:I would say not exactly job consultants, but we do try to ask some psychologically
Husani:based questions to find out where they will be more happy, where they
Husani:will be more productive, what kinds of environments they thrive in.
Husani:And then we pass that information along to our clients so that they can look
Husani:at this and decide for themselves.
Husani:Who they think might be the best fit.
Husani:And then there's a collaboration between all three of us to make sure that
Husani:every stakeholder satisfied and finds the right fit for their lifestyle.
Isabel:Do you have to get involved with the boards of directors
Isabel:of these organizations as well?
Husani:Definitely boards of directors are often very busy.
Husani:So we have to collaborate to schedule those times and get
Husani:everyone on the same call.
Husani:And then once we do that, we talk to them and there's many rounds
Husani:of phone calls and Zoom chats and discussions until we finally narrow
Husani:down exactly what they're looking for.
Isabel:I know you've been doing this for quite a number of years because
Isabel:you shared your early origin story of your volunteer work yourself, but
Isabel:how many years has Charity Search Group been providing this service?
Husani:We've been around for about three years now.
Husani:We started really working hard on this idea during the pandemic, actually,
Husani:as a way to bring a positive spin to such a difficult time for everyone.
Husani:And also to put our minds at work to something as we were in lockdown so that
Husani:we could stay focused and stay sharp.
Isabel:Yeah, I imagine this is, I'm not an authority in this area, but
Isabel:just thinking as a business person, it must have put a great deal of stress
Isabel:on charitable organizations during the pandemic where they couldn't.
Isabel:Reach out and have that personal touch and personal connection for
Isabel:fundraising and some of the more conventional ways of fundraising, like
Isabel:galas and ticket selling, et cetera.
Isabel:So did that change your clients?
Husani:Yes, it was a very challenging time for nonprofits as it was
Husani:for many other organizations.
Husani:One of the plus sides was that everyone was adopting Zoom at that time.
Husani:Whereas before, nonprofit organizations oftentimes were
Husani:hiring people that were local.
Husani:Now they had the opportunity to interview people countrywide, which really broadened
Husani:their base of potential candidates, therefore allowing them to really
Husani:pick the best cultural fits and the best people for that particular space.
Husani:So the.
Husani:The Zoom culture was extremely helpful for our business model and
Husani:for the nonprofits that we served.
Husani:They also were able to do a lot of online fundraising for the 1st time, which was
Husani:extremely helpful because you can mass together a lot of smaller donations
Husani:from people all around the country.
Husani:So it was a really interesting time and really changed the face of fundraising,
Husani:I think for the far distant future.
Isabel:Yes in an earlier episode of this podcast, I interviewed Sherry
Isabel:Meredith, who is a philanthropy expert.
Isabel:And we talked about that a bit that, the face, the way we interact and
Isabel:make our choices with philanthropy and organizations where we can put
Isabel:our money where our mouth is, so to speak has changed because of
Isabel:the internet from various aspects.
Isabel:So there's that aspect, as you said, you can.
Isabel:You can become part of, your part becomes part of a greater contribution.
Isabel:You have the opportunity, as you said to reach out and develop community
Isabel:through video channels like this.
Isabel:And the other thing I think that.
Isabel:Sherry and I talked about is, with the internet, we can now, as the donors, the
Isabel:interested contributors, research a lot about organizations and be more, have more
Isabel:options as opposed to in, my own company.
Isabel:Younger era, it was who knocked at the door or who I was most
Isabel:familiar with because they were one of the biggies, right?
Isabel:They had their telethons, so to speak.
Isabel:So this is, it's very interesting.
Isabel:I'm fascinated because of my business background about the whole way that
Isabel:this works and how it's changed and how it seems to me that it's improving.
Isabel:And that it makes sense to me that there should be specialized
Isabel:placement organizations to find the right skill sets to help charities
Isabel:or foundations be sustainable.
Husani:Precisely.
Husani:It's so wonderful that right now so many organizations are hiring for
Husani:remote or hybrid positions, which allow them to tap into the pool of
Husani:vast candidates throughout the country.
Husani:And it's really been helpful for these organizations, because especially
Husani:if they're located in areas that don't have a huge talent pool.
Husani:All of a sudden, they can talk to someone from New York City or
Husani:another really large city and find the best of the best in those areas.
Isabel:It's exciting to me for my generation, the baby boomers
Isabel:who maybe have graduated out of a career or a business and
Isabel:are looking still for purpose.
Isabel:to be able to know that there's a conduit to finding the right match for how much
Isabel:time I have and know that I don't always have to be on the job 9 to 5, right?
Husani:Yes.
Husani:So being remote as well as being part time.
Husani:Can allow everyone to give back in a way that is convenient for
Husani:their schedule and also allows them to actually commit to something.
Husani:Whereas in the past, they might have had to do something full time, and
Husani:if they had other commitments, they might not have been able to give.
Husani:But now it works with everybody.
Husani:It works with a lot of people's schedules.
Isabel:How do you outreach to, as I said, the baby boomers who are
Isabel:looking for a new purpose, a new outlet for their lifetime accumulation
Isabel:of tacit knowledge and skills?
Husani:We found a lot of potentials on LinkedIn.
Husani:There's a lot of people who are either sunsetting their careers or
Husani:retired, and we're able to find them on LinkedIn and reach out to them
Husani:personally and talk to them and really find out what it is they're trying
Husani:to, how they're trying to give back.
Husani:And with our database of charitable organizations that we've worked with,
Husani:and we know what they're looking for and what their missions are, we're
Husani:able to match that and really help.
Husani:These two entities find each other.
Isabel:That's excellent.
Isabel:So for those that are listening, make sure that you're following Charity Search
Isabel:Group on LinkedIn and keep your profile up to date, indicating that you're
Isabel:open to these opportunities to continue to make a difference in your lives.
Husani:Yes, please do.
Isabel:I think this is fabulous.
Isabel:And of course, I know that you have a Canadian origin story too,
Isabel:so I'm also, rah cheering on that.
Isabel:And you, for our listeners, give a couple of examples of, the different
Isabel:types of organizations or positions that they might start to think about.
Husani:Sure.
Husani:So a lot of organizations that are smaller and local, Very
Husani:much in need for volunteers.
Husani:And so the best way is to visit our site, CharitySearchGroup.
Husani:com, and take a look at the opportunities page.
Husani:We're always updating that page with information about new opportunities.
Husani:The majority of them are full time, or I should say, or employee
Husani:positions, but there are a few volunteer positions as well.
Husani:So be sure to check that as well.
Isabel:So thank you.
Isabel:This is another thing on my mind.
Isabel:Are these all volunteer positions, or is there an opportunity to
Isabel:supplement retirement income?
Husani:Most of these are not volunteer opportunities.
Husani:Most of them are paid opportunities.
Husani:And these organizations are especially looking for people with management
Husani:experience, executive experience, so perfect for the audience that you
Husani:mentioned, people that are wise, people that have experience dealing with people.
Husani:Yeah, that's exactly, would be perfect.
Isabel:Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
Isabel:And it's a win for everyone.
Isabel:Yes, that's really excellent.
Isabel:So give me like, give me some examples of what kinds of industries, markets, or
Isabel:clauses would some of your clients be in?
Husani:So we have a wide variety of organizations we've worked with
Husani:to name a few, there's Oasis for Girls, which specializes in helping
Husani:underserved girls who come from.
Husani:Areas of the country that are having a little bit of difficulty helps
Husani:them with training, with learning.
Husani:We work with one of the more interesting ones that I've worked
Husani:with is the Opportunity at Work.
Husani:They have a goal to rewire the U.
Husani:S.
Husani:labor market.
Husani:So that all individuals skilled through alternative routes, as they call them
Husani:STARS for short, can work, learn, and earn to their full potential.
Husani:In a nutshell, alternative routes often means learning skills on the job or
Husani:through means other than a formal degree.
Husani:Oftentimes, businesses have degree requirements as a default when hiring.
Husani:Unfortunately, that can prove quite exclusionary to many qualified
Husani:candidates who can do the jobs well because they acquired their
Husani:skills through alternative routes.
Husani:This was a particularly exciting client to work with because their
Husani:mission could be transformative for millions of people and the U.S.
Husani:Economy.
Husani:It's very much of a win organization.
Isabel:I love that.
Isabel:And I love that we have diversity of choice, according to what's
Isabel:meaningful to us, whether you want to work for, volunteer, or
Isabel:contribute to an organization and say environmental issues or.
Isabel:Personal care or health care or animal welfare or supporting
Isabel:underprivileged, underserved groups.
Isabel:It seems like there, there must be a lot of need and a lot
Isabel:of opportunity in the world.
Husani:Certainly.
Husani:There's so many organizations and so many causes, and they're
Husani:all looking for people to help.
Husani:It's important to always keep an eye out for these organizations
Husani:and volunteer where you can.
Husani:Because you mentioned animal charities, I'm specifically
Husani:very passionate about that.
Husani:I'd like to say animals are people too.
Husani:Because they don't get a lot of press, but there's a lot of need
Husani:for stopping animal cruelty and helping animals because they're sent,
Husani:they're beings as well as we are.
Husani:And I think the more positivity we bring to their experience and the
Husani:more suffering that we eliminate the better for all of the world.
Isabel:Thank you.
Isabel:I share your passion for that very much.
Isabel:I started as a farm girl and that part just doesn't leave you, right?
Isabel:So there's an opportunity for, in many areas and different, in organizations,
Isabel:there could be any number of needs, right?
Isabel:From, I've got a.
Isabel:Take a guess as a business owner here, human resources, marketing,
Isabel:technology, fundraising, management, even just, managing a board of
Isabel:directors requires a rather unique skill set, having been on many of those.
Isabel:Is this perhaps, and I'm thinking again of my peeps, the baby boomer generation,
Isabel:is this perhaps also an opportunity to add to life skills and experience by learning
Isabel:on the job, as they say, when you bring other talents to an organization, but.
Isabel:While you're there, you're acquiring from teammates and colleagues.
Husani:Certainly.
Husani:There's a huge opportunity to learn on the job and learn while volunteering as well.
Husani:You can add new skill sets.
Husani:I'm a strong proponent to being a lifelong learner.
Husani:Even though my degree is in information systems, I have a wide
Husani:variety of interests in other areas.
Husani:And so it's important, I think, for everyone to explore new learning
Husani:opportunities, whether it be on their own or through organizations.
Isabel:It keeps us vibrant and vital.
Isabel:That's my philosophy.
Isabel:Do you work just in the United States?
Isabel:Does Charity Search Group only serve U.
Isabel:S.
Isabel:entities?
Isabel:So far, we've only been in the United States, but we're looking
Isabel:to move to Canada as well.
Isabel:To do non profit recruiting there as well.
Isabel:Stay tuned.
Isabel:Cool.
Isabel:And are, is there any vision to the future for more global
Isabel:reach for your organization?
Husani:I think if, once we expand into Canada, we might also look at the UK.
Husani:There's.
Husani:Different cultures and different legal requirements around recruiting
Husani:and in the nonprofit space.
Husani:So we have to look more carefully at some of those in other
Husani:countries, but North America right now is really a great resource.
Isabel:This is really opening up a lot of very interesting thoughts on my
Isabel:part, and I think this requires me to ask you right here today, put you on
Isabel:the spot, if you would come back on the show at another time, because I know
Isabel:there's so much more to excavate around The opportunities here for organizations
Isabel:to find the right people to help them grow and be sustainable, and even more
Isabel:exciting for me is to know that for those of us who are looking for our, our next.
Isabel:a script in life that this could be another very good part to consider to
Isabel:really utilize what we already have.
Isabel:And maybe it will take us to places that we didn't even imagine yet.
Husani:Certainly.
Husani:I would love to come back on your show anytime.
Isabel:That would be great.
Isabel:I think it would be just wonderful to showcase some more specific examples of
Isabel:the clients or the types of causes that you've been able to support and also some
Isabel:examples of individuals who maybe had a very different career path in their life
Isabel:and now have opened up The next career for themselves with our next contribution.
Isabel:Before we close Hussani, is there anything else that you would like
Isabel:to share with the audience about how they can lift as they climb?
Husani:Thank you again, and I would say Lift As You Climb sometimes has
Husani:been mentioned when someone is already successful, and to lift someone when
Husani:you're successful already, but I think it's something that Everyone can do.
Husani:Everyone has an opportunity to lift and go climb, I would say.
Husani:Always keep an eye out for that person in your life who might need a little
Husani:extra, positive speech or positive input.
Husani:And help them because we're all in this together.
Husani:And the more that we help each other, I think the better off we all are.
Husani:I couldn't have said it better and thank you for sharing.
Husani:Thank you.
Husani:Thank you.
Husani:All right, for today, for now, I want to say thank you again, Hassani
Husani:Bastien, who is the co founder of Charity Search Group, and stay tuned.
Husani:We'll have a sequel.
Husani:Thanks, Hassani.