July 22, 2025 • 54 mins
Marisa Quiroz, President and CEO of the International Community Foundation, leads one of the few philanthropic organizations dedicated to supporting communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. In this episode of Border Masters, Marisa shares how ICF mobilizes resources across countries and cultures to address urgent needs — from environmental justice to education to healthy towns and cities — while centering the voices of those most impacted.
We unpack the complexities of cross-border giving: What does it mean to fund change in communities you may not physically live in? How do you build trust across borders, languages, and systems? And how can philanthropy shift from charity to solidarity? Marisa brings both passion and clarity to a conversation about reimagining philanthropy as a force for binational equity and transformation.
Algunos episodios serán en español y otros en inglés, conectando perspectivas únicas de la frontera.)
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Here are some notable moments from the interview:
00:52 - Introducing Marisa Quiroz and ICF
05:25 - Marisa’s Family Roots and Philanthropy Journey
08:28 - How and Why ICF Was Born
10:26 - Marisa as a Philanthropic Matchmaker
12:42 - Shifting Philanthropic Focus Areas
15:40 - Tijuana Food Relief Success Story
18:08 - Anyone Can Be a Philanthropist
21:15 - How to Start a Giving Circle
30:23 - The Future of Cross-Border Philanthropy
44:40 - What Being a Border Master Means to Marisa
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:00):
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S2 (00:31):
OLAS Media.
S3 (00:32):
I think about the incredible leaders that have the proximity
to their community and know best what solutions will actually work.
And so that's why we we are so focused on
funding leaders who are working in place in community that
have close proximity to the issues, but also to the solutions.
And it's really about resourcing them so that they can
(00:55):
do what they do so incredibly.
S4 (01:01):
The idea of doing this podcast is that not everybody
has to live at the border to be a border master.
S5 (01:08):
Eolas media presents Border Masters, the podcast where the US-Mexico
border takes center stage.
S6 (01:15):
Gustavo is from Nogales. He has amazing credentials, so he's
super knowledgeable of everything border. But we come from very
different borders.
S4 (01:26):
Monique is very good on the emotional intelligence. It's the
personality that she has that allows people just to feel relaxed.
It's part of letting the world know why has it
been so successful to have that border and what has
inspired them about the border?
S5 (01:47):
Now, here are your hosts, Gustavo and Monique.
S4 (01:52):
Welcome to Border Masters, the podcast of border Leaders. I'm
Gustavo de la Fuente, co-host of Border Masters, and I'm
here with my co-host Monique Casillas. Today I'm really excited
to talk about philanthropy across borders. Our guest is Marissa
Aurora Quiroz, president and chief executive officer of the International
Community Foundation, or ICF. In full disclosure, I have been
(02:14):
a member of the ICF board since 2014. Marissa is
an inspirational, passionate, articulate CEO and thought leader in international giving.
The International Community Foundation is based in National City, California
and works across borders to connect people, ideas and investments
in the transformative power of community. An essential part of
(02:38):
this foundation's work over the last 35 years has been
funding nonprofit organizations in Mexico, primarily in Baja California in
the peninsula. The money comes mainly from donors in the
United States. The funding that flows through ICF impacts pressing
issues in several areas environment, human rights and migration, food systems, education, health,
(03:04):
art and culture. However, ICF is not just about moving
money from the US philanthropists. It also does a great
deal of strategic community leadership and community building, helping transform communities.
Monique I met Marissa back in 2015 when she was
(03:24):
a senior program officer for Environmental Conservation at ICF.
S6 (03:28):
A long time ago.
S4 (03:29):
It was a while ago. We go back a ways.
S6 (03:33):
Oh.
S4 (03:34):
No. It was. It's been a while. Um, and and
Marissa had come to ICF after spending seven years at
the San Diego Foundation. And because of my own experience, uh,
on the ICF board, Marissa and I have had many,
many conversations about the organization's growth, about key decisions, personnel, strategy, governance.
(03:54):
So we've shared a tremendous amount of information, and I
consider her a very good friend.
S6 (04:00):
Yeah, I can see that. Like, I see how when
even when Marisa came in and I have met you, Marisa,
before online. But I have to tell you, and this
is pure honesty, you just radiate this energy. And I
have never seen Gustavo, like, light up. Like I like,
just in, like this five minutes that you came in.
(04:22):
I'm knowing that karaoke and stuff that I have, I'm like, wow, Marisa,
you bring like, such light. And I don't know, like,
I love it. Thank you for being here. And I
think I met you through a very good friend and
someone that I also consider a border master, Carlo Teran.
And he, he and I went to school together. And
(04:43):
I remember he's saying, you need to meet Marisa. And
we did this, um, kind of like informal chat. I
don't even know what it was. Just like, you need
to know each other and see what happens. So I'm
so happy to finally meet you in person. Thank you
for being here.
S3 (05:00):
To both of you. It's such an honor to be here.
And yes, now we know Gustavo's go to karaoke song journey.
S6 (05:06):
Let's do it.
S3 (05:08):
How fun. That's right.
S6 (05:10):
I'm mighty. Well, um, before we start, a lot of
people do not know you and do not know, um,
ICF either. So will you tell us a little about yourself,
where you're from? How long have you been in San Diego?
All of that good stuff.
S3 (05:25):
Sure, sure. Let's see. So I grew up in the
Central Coast. Okay. Um, my father was born in La
Ciudad de Juarez, a border town. But my mother's side
had already been in the United States for several generations.
My great grandparents started a tortilleria in Southern California, and
there's lots of stories. Uh, it's said that my family
actually invented the tortilla chip, but we never patented it.
(05:48):
Can you believe it? So the stories of my family
and the tortilla. The tortilla, The, um, you know, uh, factory, uh,
really alive and well in my family. But I would
say that I feel very connected to the Californias, both
Baja California and California. And so being in San Diego
now for 16 years, I've learned a lot about philanthropy.
(06:09):
My first job in philanthropy was at Hispanics in philanthropy.
And then I transitioned to the San Diego Foundation, where
I started as a fund services manager. I was I
was managing funds, donor advised funds, different project funds. And
then I moved into the environment program. A tremendous woman
named Emily Young actually was the first person to call
(06:32):
out that I was an environmentalist. And I was like, no, I,
I am not an environmentalist. I don't identify like, I
don't I don't drive the Prius. I'm not wearing the Birkenstocks.
Like I'm not doing that.
S4 (06:41):
You're not a tree hugger.
S3 (06:42):
Yeah, I'm not doing that. But, you know, she was
really instrumental in my life and really helping me make connections.
And the thing about the environment movement is that it's
narrow in some ways, and it doesn't cast a wide
enough net for people to see themselves within that movement.
So when I think about it growing up, you know,
I have five sisters. So, you know, hand-me-downs were were
(07:05):
a regular thing. You know, you use your sister's clothing
when they grow out of it. Um, taking the bus
to school. My grandmother had a garden. I learned how
to make, uh, you know, leftovers for five different ways.
You know, those these are things that were really important
to my family. But we didn't call it environmentalism. And
I think the similar I had a similar experience with
(07:26):
philanthropy and that my family was incredibly philanthropic, but we
didn't call it that. Right. My grandmother was part of,
you know, supporting, um, uh, you know, people in the
community that maybe needed a little bit of support through
the community center. She would, you know, my cousins and
I called it being Voluntold because we would go and
tutor the kids on the weekend. And so, um, I
(07:47):
grew up with this environmental and philanthropic spirit without even
knowing that that's what was happening. And I'm really grateful to,
especially the, you know, my, my grandparents, my, my, my mom,
the women in my family who really taught me how
to live. They taught me these values. And I use them.
I use them now. So I'm at grad school, I'm
(08:09):
working in philanthropy. Uh, I fall in love and the
border region becomes my home. Yay!
S4 (08:16):
Beautiful, beautiful. So we were just talking about the International
Community Foundation's 35 years. So how and why, uh, is
the International Community Foundation born? I mean, what what can
you tell us about that?
S3 (08:28):
Sure. So the the San Diego Foundation actually birthed ICF.
It started as a fund, um, of donors who wanted
to give beyond county lines. You know, community foundations are
so important because they are place based. Um, there are
national funders, of course, but community foundations have always had
a reputation of being for the community locally. And this
(08:52):
group of donors were inspired to, yes, contribute to where
they lived, but also beyond borders. They maybe had a
second home in Baja, or they had traveled to a
place and felt really inspired by the local environment or
the beauty of that place, and wanted to support what
was happening there locally. So the International Community Foundation started
(09:15):
as a fund, and now, 35 years later, we are
experts in cross border giving. The International Community Foundation moves
about 1.5 million a month. We are giving across 16 borders.
We support over 300 organizations that have incredible leaders. So
you know our three goals. The reason why we exist
(09:37):
is to mobilize resources. So leverage resources, raise resources, help
people grant those resources. So we're lending our grant making
infrastructure to give across borders. And then the third is
supporting community leadership. And it's a little bit of what
you shared, Gustavo. Like, these are places where within our
ecosystem of influence we can have, you know, we can
(09:58):
make connections, we can help fill the gaps. We can
really do a lot, um, to help move the needle
on so many incredible projects that are being led by
community leaders locally and across borders.
S6 (10:10):
That's great. But how how the International Community Foundation find
the nonprofit organizations in Mexico that will be supported. And
at the same time, how do you find those US
donors willing to support causes beyond the US border?
S3 (10:26):
Yes. And this is where I get to be a matchmaker. Yeah.
Always wanted to be one. Um, but, you know, it
really is like there are so many incredibly generous people
in the world, and I'm just moved. You know, one
of my favorite parts of the job is sitting with
people who are 80, in their 80s and their 90s,
and to listen to their life story, to listen to
(10:49):
the things that they dreamt about, that they actually made happen.
It's so incredibly humbling and inspiring. And now they're talking
about legacy. So that's at one end, right? Like, you know,
there are incredibly generous people that want to give that
that want that have the means that want to help.
And then there are incredible leaders that are doing things
in their community that really no one else can do.
(11:11):
You know, when I think about, um, uh, our wicked issues,
whether it be pollution or, um, homelessness, poverty, all of,
you know, youth, um, you know, youth dropouts. You know,
when I think about these issues that we all grapple with,
I think about the incredible leaders that have the proximity
(11:31):
to their community and know best what solutions will actually work.
And so that's why we we are so focused on
funding leaders who are working in place in community that
have close proximity to the issues, but also to the solutions.
And it's really about resourcing them so that they can
do what they do so incredibly.
S6 (11:52):
Yeah. And isn't that what. Sorry. What being a philanthropic
advisor is. I get excited because that's what I do
also for a living. Yes. And it's exactly like just
a matchmaker. I love that idea because you are advising
people that have the wealth and want to give and
want to make an impact and want to leave a legacy,
and then just using a vehicle like yours. Right. So
(12:15):
I love.
S4 (12:16):
It. No, no, it's, uh. And plus, I mean, you're
looking at a diversity of things, right? So it's we
talked about some of these these these key areas environment,
human rights, arts and culture, education, health. Does that does
the focus change, Marissa. Over time? I mean, there's some
is there is there sometimes in in the period of
a year or two years or three years where you
(12:38):
see a shift toward migration or a shift toward environment
or education? Does that happen a lot?
S3 (12:42):
Yes it does. And I think that's what's so extraordinary about, um,
how philanthropy can really step into leadership, because we can
meet the moment and our funding can be more flexible,
it can be more nimble. And I think that's why
leadership and philanthropy matters. Because, you know, at the International
(13:04):
Community Foundation, we have an extraordinary team of people who
are skilled and passionate. And when you put those two
things together, extraordinary things happen. So we are a team
right now of 18 very high impact team, um, that
have different kinds of expertise. So yes, we have some
expertise in food security. So we're looking at reducing food
waste at the border. Um, we have expertise in circular economies.
(13:27):
So we're looking at how can we incentivize trash and
create jobs. And that's what people need. Everybody needs jobs. Um,
you know, how can we look at, um, you know,
some of the intersectionality of what we see happening with, um,
you know, changes in weather patterns and people who are
on the move and how can we really support and
uplift basic needs of people where where they need support?
(13:52):
And so I think that's that's how, you know, philanthropy
shifts given whatever's happening in the moment. But the infrastructure
of having a community foundation also allows people to open
funds and to do long term giving through those funds.
So donor advised funds, I mean, we are set up
like a community foundation is we have special project funds
and designated funds. These are financial tools that can do
(14:14):
things in the short term and in the long term,
because our role as community foundations is to plan for
both is to make funding available for immediate today needs,
get money into the streets right now and to plan
for the long term. That's where the endowment building comes in.
And we do have some extraordinary endowments that have grown
(14:36):
over 20 years that now support extraordinary, extraordinary places like
Laguna San Ignacio down in the Baja Peninsula, for example,
20 years ago, when that lagoon was going to be threatened,
it was going to become a salt mine. There was
an alliance of people that came together and worked with
the Mexican government to actually pass new and innovative laws
(14:57):
to protect that lagoon, and it's where the gray whales
go to have their babies. So ICF holds is one
of many partners. And our small, small part is that
we hold the the endowments for the management of the land,
the support for community leadership, um, to make sure that
that habitat stays protected. So this is the way that
(15:18):
philanthropy with our infrastructure can be really useful in hard
times and in good times.
S6 (15:25):
And I love that you're sharing some examples of the
environmental initiatives that ICF has done. Are there any other
initiatives that your donors have supported through the years and
like a success story that you love?
S3 (15:40):
Oh my goodness, there's so many. Um, you know, one
that is becoming incredibly important, especially now. And I mean,
it has been incredibly important, but I was involved in
the initial conversations that really helped connect the dots again,
through our relationships for the birth of, um, and the
success of Tijuana. And that is the the powerhouse organization.
(16:03):
There's an they're incredibly committed, and they feed over 3500
people a day in Tijuana. And I know, Gustavo, you've
taken your family to volunteer. I've also taken my family. Yes.
And you.
S7 (16:16):
As well have.
S3 (16:17):
Taken your family to volunteer. So you see the heart
power that is poured into making these meals every day.
It is absolutely incredible. And this, when you think about, wow,
it's a meal, but you know, these meals are going
to 20 plus, uh, soup kitchens and other shelters in
the region. It takes pressure off of those other places
that are serving youth, that are serving families, that are
(16:39):
serving women and men to be able to, um, to
really provide a basic need that when you think about it,
it's about human dignity. You know, like if we're meeting
people where they are and if hunger is within miles
of us, then we can actually rally to do something
about it. So, um, you know, with, with other partners,
we we had a small part again through our infrastructure. Um,
(17:02):
we house a fund called This is about humanity. They're
an extraordinary group of women that have supported many initiatives
in the border region. But Tijuana is definitely, um, a
project that they have supported and grown. And you just
see the power, right? So you can probably understand my
pride in that. The foundation provides the infrastructure for these
(17:25):
kinds of ideas to take off and to, to become alive.
And I'm so proud of our team, and I'm so
proud of the relationships we've kept because we've really enabled
through this infrastructure amazing things to happen.
S4 (17:39):
Um, in looking at all these programs and the Tijuana
number program, of course, is kind of dear, near and
dear to my heart. Uh, you know, we've been there
several times with my family, but my the question is about,
you know, typically we think that foundations are the ones
that give money to ICF, the International Community Foundation. Do
(18:00):
people just regular, you know, day to day folks, can
they give money to some of these causes? They, they feel,
you know, very strongly about?
S7 (18:08):
Yes, absolutely.
S3 (18:10):
And, um, you know, there's there's lots of different ways
that you can contribute. And I think that's part of,
you know, what I was sharing about growing up and thinking, well,
I'm not a philanthropist. My name's not going to be
on a building. Like, I don't have millions of dollars
to give. But, you know, I see our donations come in.
There is a woman that doesn't even live in Mexico
or California, and she gives $5 a month. And we
(18:33):
put that towards the issues that she cares about. So
you have, you know, a full range of multi, multi,
generational giving. I would even say of people who are
retired and have are thinking about, you know, legacy. As
I shared to young people who maybe are in college
but want to get involved and want to contribute to
(18:54):
something that really moves them. I think we're all searching
for meaning in our life, and it feels so incredible
when you can help one another and when you can
see that impact on the ground. And so, you know, ICF,
although we started as a foundation that, you know, helped
us donors give internationally across borders and in Mexico, we
(19:14):
are now seeing cross border philanthropy, you know, become stronger
within our infrastructure. So now I would say almost half
of our donors are Mexicanos and they're they're choosing ICF
to practice their philanthropy. They're doing it by opening family funds.
We have families that come and say, I want to
teach my kids that this is it's that it's important
(19:37):
to give back. Can you help structure a grant cycle
for us. Okay. And we will say yes, let's open
the fund. You know, it could be $5,000. And and
then we help kind of put together a menu of
options depending on what that family cares about. And that's
what's so inspiring when you sit down with families and
you hear, what do you care about? You'll hear stories
about people's lives. Maybe somebody actually benefited from a nonprofit
(20:00):
or social service that now they want to contribute back to.
So you see these circles and it's a really beautiful experience.
So we're we're helping steward family philanthropy. We're helping steward
corporate philanthropy. And we're helping steward individual philanthropy.
S4 (20:16):
Mm. Wonderful, wonderful. And I'm sure a lot of this money.
So from you're saying Mexican families giving money now to both.
This would be causes in Mexico and causes in the
United States as well. Right.
S3 (20:28):
This is binational.
S4 (20:29):
Binational.
S3 (20:30):
Wow. Extraordinary.
S4 (20:31):
Yeah, yeah.
S6 (20:32):
And there was for example, I want to give like
a real example. I'm thinking of my friends. So there's
a good. And I love it because you're an expert
in this. We have a group of friends. We are
all from Baja, but we all live here in San Diego.
And because of, like, we want to give back, right?
(20:55):
So if we're a group of friends, we want to
go back or get back to our roots to whatever
in Ensenada and Mexicali and Tijuana. Can we go to you?
Like how would you tell me a little bit about
behind the scenes? Like, I come here with my six
group of friends and we all want to get back.
What would we do?
S3 (21:15):
I love that that's my favorite type of situation.
S6 (21:18):
And it's a true scenario. Okay, so we will come
to you soon.
S3 (21:22):
Yes. You know, we I'm grateful we've had this type
of situation before and this is where we house giving circles. Okay.
And so um, ICF houses different kinds of giving circles
that really help support that kind of philanthropy. We do
it through a donor advised fund, and so multiple people
can incorporate, can contribute to that donor advised fund. We
(21:44):
usually set up like an advisory committee and that's the
decision maker. So in this case it would be your
six friends that that come and say, okay, we want
to make some decisions together. But it's fun to make
those decisions together. A lot of times it involves food
and music and people are coming together and you're learning together.
People are bringing different ideas for what you can do
for impact, and it's really exciting. And, you know, one
(22:06):
of these giving circles called the Latino Giving Circle, it's
one of my favorite funds at ICF, um, was started
just by a small group of, of of Latinas that said,
you know, we're showing up in these philanthropic spaces and
there's a lot we can do to to put our
philanthropy to use our own personal philanthropy. And, um, you know,
(22:27):
the three of us at the time said, we're going
to send out some emails. We're going to see if
there's other interest. By the end of the week, we
had a 57 women who didn't even. We didn't even have, like,
anything written. We just said we want to give together.
And it just it just bubbled up because. Because people
are incredibly generous. Because people want to find ways to
(22:48):
contribute and because giving together is really exciting. So, yes, um,
you know, I got a call from a seamstress who
wanted to support nonprofits that are supporting youth, find jobs,
and she got together with other seamstresses, and they want
to start doing some grant making together. It's a great
(23:09):
example similar to what you're saying.
S6 (23:12):
And, and and again, I'm in philanthropy and I understand this,
but I want to understand and maybe and I do
major gifts, which is in a quantity that many of us,
like you said, is like, no, no way, I cannot
do that. But right now, for people that say, is
there a way that, oh, Marissa, we want to do,
(23:32):
we find, uh, our circle, but is there a way
that we can also roll our sleeves and be engaged?
Because one thing and there are different ways of philanthropists.
There are people that just give their resources, financial resources,
but there's people and I know them and you know
them that we say, yes, we want to give financially,
but we want to go to the where the action is.
(23:55):
Is that something that you can also make happen?
S3 (23:58):
Yes. There are many organizations that would love to have
your expertise and the expertise of your friends as as
part of their team's effort to reach their missions. And
so that's where the matchmaking comes in, right? Once we
learn what you're interested in, we can connect you to
other leaders, and they have the best ideas for what
(24:19):
kind of support they need and what kind of support
their community needs. Um. How exciting.
S6 (24:24):
We'll do an appointment with you.
S3 (24:25):
I love it.
S4 (24:26):
And this is this is this is really important. What
you just said. It's the hands on involvement of people. Now,
most people who give money are probably not going to
come and actually work or volunteer their time with some
of these organizations, because they're probably far away. If they're
if I'm in Ohio and I'm contributing $10 to something,
how do I know that my money is reaching the
(24:48):
right hands? Because I think that's a lot of that's
a question that most people ask themselves, is this am
I being too skeptical or, you know, is this money
actually going to where I intended it to go?
S3 (24:57):
Yes, yes. No. That's where communication and reporting and proximity
to the issues and the projects and the leaders becomes
really important. And I find that, you know, there are
some people that want to be incredibly involved the way
that Monique is sharing. And there are other people that
want to stay super anonymous and they don't want any kind.
(25:18):
They don't even want any communications. They just want, um,
you know, they want their donation letter and they want,
at the end of the year, a phone call to
talk about not just what happened, but what more is needed,
what more could they do. And so we do our
very best to to make those matches and to meet
people where they are. Um, you know, when we when
(25:40):
we talk about our philanthropic community, it's funders, it's donors,
it's community leaders. It's, um, local, you know, local movement builders.
It's all of it. It's that whole ecosystem. And we
do our best to really, um, when we start a
relationship to say, hey, what kind of follow up would
you like? Do you want our newsletter? Do you want
(26:01):
articles of maybe the issues you're interested in? Um, do
you want to attend conferences and events with us? Um,
do you like fiestas?
S8 (26:11):
I love it. Maybe. Most importantly, do you want to
go to the parties?
S6 (26:15):
Tortilla chips. Anyone?
S8 (26:16):
S o t s o c I love that my
great grandmother's tortilla factory made it in.
S6 (26:21):
I love.
S8 (26:22):
It, I.
S6 (26:22):
Love it.
S4 (26:24):
That's really interesting. Okay.
S5 (26:25):
Let's take a quick break from the conversation. You're listening
to Border Masters. We will be right back.
S9 (26:35):
Gustavo, I can't believe this is the last episode of
season one.
S1 (26:40):
Yeah. Honestly, Monique, I can't either. Um, it feels like
we just started boardmasters. And now here we are, wrapping
up our very first season.
S9 (26:48):
In the meantime, catch up on every episode at Olas
Media.com or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Just search
Boardmasters on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
S1 (27:01):
And make sure to follow us on Instagram at underscore.
S9 (27:07):
Stay tuned and subscribe! Thank you so much for making
season one so special. Please keep sending ideas and guest
suggestions for season two. You can contact us at info
at masters.com.
S1 (27:21):
We'll see you soon. And until then, thanks for listening.
Muchas gracias and thanks for being part of the Border
Masters family.
S9 (27:29):
Hasta pronto.
S10 (27:33):
The Dear San Diego podcast is produced in collaboration with
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S1 (27:59):
Ayudarnos con el marketing de boardmasters. No, dude. Vamos llamamos
a tipo. Marketing proponen ideas creatives hacen campanas eventos, redes
sociales y presencia digital con mas de cuarenta anos de
experiencia tips marketing Convierte Marcus in tienen vision creatividad y
resultados si quieres saber mas visita tips marketing.com MQ Punto com.
S5 (28:28):
Porter Masters is back. Let's get the Gustavo and Monica.
S6 (28:33):
And to to the point that Gustavo was making earlier
and with the current environment in mind. So is the
giving from us to Mexico still going strong? And at
the same time is the giving from Mexico to the
US a growing trend? And is this changing or are
(28:56):
you seeing that it might change? Or there's some hesitation
both ways with the current state of affairs?
S8 (29:04):
Yes.
S3 (29:04):
I think everybody is, um, watching and learning and sharing
and wanting to know how they can be helpful in
this moment. And that part hasn't changed, right? People come
to the table. They want to know, how can I
be helpful in this moment? We are seeing philanthropic giving change.
We are seeing, for example, uh, funders who maybe were
(29:25):
funding more, um, uh, to organizations down in Baja. Pull
back to address issues they see and feel moved about
here locally. Um, we are also seeing, um, you know,
support for the nonprofits working in Mexico increase by Mexican
philanthropists because they see that shift in the funds. And
(29:46):
there's a lot of uncertainty. And so I think, um,
you know, people people want to do the right thing.
People really want to help others. And and I think
that's what keeps me in this, in this, in this job,
in this field, because you get so much from seeing
and being able to make those matches and from seeing
what's possible when people who care come together to do
(30:09):
something really big.
S4 (30:11):
Mm. Okay. Um, so getting into a little bit of
the future here. Uh, how do you see this organization
growing next five, ten years? What what what's in your
crystal ball?
S8 (30:23):
Oh my goodness.
S3 (30:25):
Um, you know, ICF is strong and we continue to grow.
I'm so proud of our extraordinary team. Um, there's lots
for us to look forward to. Um, one example is, um,
you know, we've had several, uh, individuals come to us
in the last two years who have said, you know,
(30:45):
I really care about Mexico. And I, I have had
a second home there for 20 plus years. I want
to contribute to keeping, um, you know, the organizations I've
been supporting locally. Strong. Can I donate my home?
S8 (31:01):
Oh, wow.
S3 (31:02):
And this is I mean, obviously, a tremendous gift, a
tremendous offering that could go a long way for these
small organizations that are working in place. Um, you know,
these organizations could use these homes or these places to
house their operations. They could sell that property and actually
(31:22):
have that come to general operations. Anybody who knows non-profits
knows that it's a tough, you know, cycle of having
to fundraise every year. Um, what I love about what
our team does is that we know our grants, a
lot of our grants go to general operations so that
people can keep the lights on and do the work
(31:43):
that they need to be doing. That's most important. And
so I think growing in those kinds of creative ways. Right.
How can we create financial tools for more social impact investment? Um,
you know, how can we be partnering for charitable real
estate that's cross-border in nature? These kinds of things are,
I think, what the future has in store for us. Um,
(32:04):
in the last month, I've met with, you know, four
individuals who we consider legacy donors. That means that they
are requesting, um, they are putting ICF in their will,
and we get to sit down and talk with them
about the projects they want to support when that time comes.
And what an extraordinary honor to have those kinds of
(32:25):
conversations with people who are thinking about what happens when
I die. What happens with the resources that I've worked
hard for my whole life, and that they trust ICF
to to follow their wishes and to pursue those kind,
you know, the kinds of activities that we have in
that discussion is really an honor.
S4 (32:44):
Mhm.
S6 (32:45):
And we have talked a lot about the donor or
like the people that the prospect, let's say the people
that wants to give. What about the nonprofit. Can any
in this case nonprofit in Mexico or I understand even
in other places that are not beyond Mexico or the
US maybe. Can any nonprofit apply for funding from the
(33:08):
International Community Foundation?
S3 (33:10):
Well, this is where the matchmaking comes in.
S8 (33:12):
Okay.
S3 (33:13):
Because, you know, we're we're incredibly mindful that nonprofit hours
are very valuable because the time that it takes to
put together a proposal is time that people could be
providing direct services. And so it's we we want to
honor that. Nonprofits have a lot of work to do always.
And there there's usually not enough time in the day
(33:34):
or resources in the day to, to do to get
all of it done. Um, and they work tirelessly. It's
an incredible sector. Um, because of that, we don't have
these open call for proposals because we want to honor
those nonprofit hours that time. But when we do have
these match opportunities come up, that's when we'll activate little
pockets of our ecosystem to say, hey, we we just
(33:56):
spoke with somebody they're interested in helping. You know, we
met with a gentleman who, um, has had a business
in Otay for many, many years, and he's interested in
helping seniors. But seniors in the most extreme of situations,
seniors who have been left behind, who live on their own,
who don't have access to proper food and medical care.
(34:16):
And so having this conversation was really inspiring because it
turns out through our ecosystem, we have people who within
their In there. Nonprofits have programs.
S8 (34:25):
For.
S3 (34:25):
Elders. So it's really about that matchmaking, right? We're listening deeply.
We're hearing what are the things that you want to support.
And we're already like five steps ahead thinking, okay, we
can bring we can put together a menu of options.
There are people doing this work. Let's put together something
that you'd be really proud to support.
S6 (34:43):
Yeah, I'm already thinking of people, places. I'm going to
connect you with us.
S8 (34:48):
Thank you, thank you.
S4 (34:50):
No, I, uh, I appreciate that. Um, one of the
things that I see is, you know, uh, you were
mentioning something about keeping the lights on, so most people
don't realize the amount of effort it takes to actually
channel this money and this these ideas and these groups. And,
(35:12):
as you said, the matchmaking. And so somebody has got
to be working behind the scenes doing this, and this
is what you and your organization does. Um, in terms of,
you know, you mentioned you have 18 employees. So you
have a you have a good, solid team of people.
I do. And most people again who give money do
not realize this. Uh. Do you is this something you
(35:33):
have to explain all the time to people? You know
how how that works. What sort of the inner machinery,
how how everything comes, comes out the right way?
S3 (35:41):
Yes, yes we do. Um, a lot of it is
just sharing. And it's sharing on, on on all ends. Right?
Like it's sharing with nonprofit leaders. Hey, these this is
what's important to these funders. This is how their infrastructure works.
They each have strategic plans. Like we have those conversations
on that side. And then with funders, you know, there
are many times where we'll have somebody who comes saying,
(36:02):
I used to run a nonprofit, you know, and, you know. So, yeah, so,
you know, a lot of times you'd be surprised by
how much understanding really exists. But then there are other
conversations where people may not they they come to the
table and they don't want to pay for operations at all. Zero.
And that's where we can maybe see like, let's maybe
(36:22):
expand the understanding around this, because it's expensive to keep
the lights on, and these nonprofits work so hard to
do that, to support their teams, to care for their teams.
In addition to the communities that they're caring for.
S6 (36:36):
And Marisa, we actually have been hearing, like I hear
NPR every day. That's my morning routine. And we have
been hearing how, um, even the government and many government
officials right now are like, oh, the IDC or the, the,
the overhead or they don't want to do that. And
they don't understand that if we do not many universities
(37:00):
do not charge that overhead or many institutions or research
centers like the one I work with. Um, if there's
no overhead, there's no lab, there's no like you need
in order to do something. You do need a space
and people to make it happen. No. So that's why
(37:21):
it's so important to also have that, um, understanding of
what's going on behind the scenes. And not only all
the money goes directly right.
S3 (37:32):
That's right, that's right. Um, you know, I think that
it's incredibly important to be having these conversations just to
shed some light on the true cost of what it
takes to run a non-profit business.
S8 (37:44):
Yeah.
S3 (37:44):
And I would say a lot of, a lot of funders,
once we start digging into the conversation and really the
the proof is in the numbers, right? You just show
budgets and you're saying this is what this organization is
working with. This is the.
S8 (37:55):
Deficit. This is.
S4 (37:55):
The gap.
S3 (37:56):
And it really helps paint a picture of what the
need is.
S4 (37:59):
Transparency. Yes.
S8 (38:00):
Right.
S6 (38:00):
And I if I may I want to ask a
question of your expertise. And I know that Gustavo is
a board member. So Gustavo, you can cover your ears.
But so I have been in philanthropy as well for
12 years, and and I have been in big, very
well established Institutions. But I have also been a consultant, uh,
(38:23):
sometimes pro bono, with very small organizations. And the problem
that I see on and on is with the board
of trustees or the board of directors. And the problem
is that we have a board of trustees that doesn't
give back, or we have a board of directors that
(38:43):
they're like, oh, yeah, we need this, but let's get
it somewhere else. What, like if you could give an
advice to all of this places, mostly the small places.
How do you build a board of directors or board
of trustees? Number one and two, if you already. That's
(39:04):
what I see a lot. You have one because you
invited all these directors. I don't know why you invited them,
but you invited them maybe to give you advice, but
they're not giving back. What can you do?
S3 (39:16):
No, it's a really important question. And I think, you know,
there's lots of resources out there about how to engage
your board or board governance. I mean, there's, you know,
USD puts on a whole board governance governance kind of
symposium every year. That's great. Actually, if you haven't experienced that,
it's great. Um, I think it's really back to the
the deep listening and really understanding what motivates people. Um,
(39:37):
my experience with our board is that none of them
want everybody's looking for meaning, and people join for different reasons. Um,
and if you can get closer to those reasons, you
can usually make the match of why somebody is motivated
to serve, um, on the board of ICF and how
we can connect them to those things that are really
(39:59):
important people. You know, giving is not just giving financial resources.
You know, I, I, I'm very lucky to have a
great board. Um, I see them as lifelines. So I
know their expertise, I know their career paths because we've
done all the vetting to get them to that point.
I know who to call when, and there's many times
(40:21):
when I've called Gustavo or other members of our board
to say, hey, do you have a relationship with so-and-so?
Can you make an introduction? Or this is happening, there's
a hold up with this, you know, uh, particular project.
I know you have a friend there. Can you call
them and just help us out a little bit? These
are the kinds of things or, hey, I need a
(40:41):
better investment strategy. We are getting more sophisticated investors. And
I want to know, can you help us with a
social impact model? Um, these are the kinds of lifeline calls.
S8 (40:51):
That I'll.
S3 (40:52):
That I'll make. Um, I would say, um, the majority
of our board gives resources every year, but they're also
giving their time, or they're opening up their Rolodex to
introduce us to somebody that would have a great that
we would have a great connection with. Um, I just
got a call from not even our current bakers bankers,
our former bankers who introduced us. Because the relationship is
(41:15):
so good, we don't even bank with them anymore. And
they said, I want to send you somebody because what
they're saying is what you always say when we love it.
And so I love that. To me, that speaks to
the care we have for the relationships we are, we
are tending to. Um, and I always tell the board,
if you give me a contact, I will care for
that contact, I will, I will treat that relationship with respect. Um,
(41:37):
and it feels so good to to see that coming. Right.
People calling say, I want to introduce you to somebody
or I want you to come to this dinner. Um,
and we love that. And then you also have people
that are just there for the fiestas. I know I
mentioned that before, but, you know, those are fun too.
And whatever motivates you, like, let's do this. If you
want to come to a fiesta with me and work
the room and get to know who's there, it's a
very dynamic place and our region has extraordinary food, as
(42:01):
you know, food and wine and all the things. So,
you know, it's a it's a really dynamic job.
S6 (42:06):
Yeah. And I always, um, tell everyone is time, talent
and treasure the three T's. If you have that. That's
when I consult. It's like you need the treaties and
at least they need to give you one.
S4 (42:18):
Well, it's what you're talking about is the giving mindset, right? Um,
and sometimes you give treasure, sometimes you give of your time,
sometimes you give of connections. But what does it take, Marissa,
in your experience now to have a giving mindset?
S3 (42:32):
Yeah, it's a really good question. I mean, I, I
tend to in my initial conversations with people will ask,
you know, did you grow up with your family being philanthropic?
You know, how did you learn that? How did you
experience giving? How was money? How did money move in
your family as a kid? And if you you know,
we we all have these really personal relationships with money
and giving, but we all have it. And so if
(42:53):
you can start opening that up a little bit and
even examining your own relationship with money and power and giving,
it really starts to help understand, like what path that
person is on and how they want to give. Um,
you know, I have a board member that is willing
to look at our investment policies and all of our like,
I'm like, wow, thank you. Thank you so much. You know,
(43:14):
I am so grateful for that kind. Like, how do
you want to geek out with us? Like, we can
we we we can actually make a match there, and
we can really, um, help provide a fulfilling experience where
you want to contribute and where we actually need support
or see that the community needs support. So I think
getting to know someone's story, uh, can really help unlock
(43:37):
where that giving mindset is. Um, it's very rare that
I talk to somebody who doesn't have that in some way,
shape or form or who didn't have that as a
young person in some way, shape or form. Um, and,
and it could be anything from like, well, I used
to lend my cousin my car all the time, you know, like,
it can be small. It doesn't have to be these extraordinary, like,
(43:57):
obviously these big gestures of, you know, multimillion dollar endowments.
We love those too. And those are awesome. I mean,
I had somebody call me and say, I have a
tax problem. I don't care what you do. I just
like I just like your work. Okay. Amazing.
S4 (44:12):
We'll accept that.
S3 (44:12):
Wow, Wow.
S4 (44:14):
Right.
S6 (44:15):
Yeah. And I love it. I'm geeking out at this conversation,
I love it. This is. This is my my thing. Um,
but I see that the work that you and the
international community foundations do to facilitate those resources doesn't see
borders and align with this program, board or masters. When
(44:37):
you hear that term, what comes to mind?
S3 (44:40):
Yes. Um, you know, I quickly go to an initiative
that we share with the San Diego Foundation called the Border,
the Binational Resiliency Initiative. And this is a really fun
and important project because it's connecting organizations that are working
on climate action on both sides of the border. And
(45:02):
this is a way to demonstrate that our region doesn't stop,
you know, air, land, water migration of species doesn't stop
because there's the physical infrastructure. Sure. Um, you know, we
know about some of our wicked challenges with, uh, water
pollution and air pollution. Some of the challenges that we
have from living in a metropolitan urban environment that is
side by side with another metropolitan urban environment. So, you know,
(45:26):
I think about the Tijuana River, for example, that comes
in and out of the US and Mexico three times,
and that is home to, um, not just many, many hundreds,
you know, hundreds of thousands of communities, but also, um, uh,
species and wildlife. And I think we need to be
planning together. So if we are so if we're so
(45:47):
adept and so great at planning on one side, but
we don't share that knowledge and data on the other,
then our region isn't going to be as strong as
it could be. And why wouldn't we want to make
our region as strong as it could be? So the
Binational Resiliency Initiative has been an effort, um, where a
few years in now and we've already given, I believe,
(46:07):
up to 3 million in grants to organizations that are
working on water quality, that are working on climate action planning,
that are working on, um, you know, one of the
projects that I absolutely love is a project that supports
a children's choir in Tijuana, um, with a partnership with
(46:27):
choirs on the the San Diego side. And this choral
community is singing about oceans. And, you know, why wouldn't
we want that in a region that on the San
Diego side has enjoys 144 miles of coastline? Like, you know,
when you think about what's possible and I think, um,
you know, there's all of these intersectional things that we're
(46:48):
working on. So this is an intersection of art and environment, right?
This children's choir is singing about the ocean, but they're
really part of this binational resiliency initiative. When I think
about the power of seeing how everything is intersectional, there's
so much more that we can do, and our team
gets really excited about how we can make some of
these match making connections.
S4 (47:09):
We, uh, we always ask this question before we we go,
before we leave. Um, and, um, it's about, you know,
the name of the program is Board of Masters. Uh,
do you consider yourself a border master, Marissa?
S3 (47:23):
You know, I didn't. I didn't before today. And when
you sent the invitation, you know what I think is happening?
I think you all are making us border masters. You
are naming us. You are naming us and saying, you know,
we're just going about our work and we're doing it
for our own. You know, we're motivated for our own reasons.
But essentially what you're doing is you're calling us out
to say, hey, this is where you've chosen to work.
(47:45):
This is where you've chosen to contribute. I don't want
to lead a meaningless life either, and I want to
be able to do something while I'm here for the
fleeting life that we have. And so, um, I really
feel like you are naming us. This is. It's an
honor to be here with you both and to kind
of be having this kind of conversation. I think, um,
(48:06):
like me growing up, I didn't know a lot about
formal philanthropy. So, um, it's pretty amazing to be sitting
here with you talking about these things. Now.
S6 (48:15):
Own it. Marisa. Yes. So and also, like for me,
the philanthropy and border. I'm like in like, cloud nine. Um,
before this episode ends, is there anything else you would
like to share with our audience? Like tell like my friends,
they need to call us. And where where do we
find more information?
S3 (48:35):
No, we do have a website. Org please reach out
if you have, uh, if you've been inspired by anything
that you've heard, you know, we've had long standing funds, um,
around food security, around border health, around, uh, we have
a border fund that we've had open for many years
that gives to pressing issues. We just launched a binational
(48:56):
art fund as a way to support creatives in the region,
to do more storytelling. The way that you're telling here, um, filmmakers,
you know, artists, creatives to be telling the story of
our region, it's so important. So if you've heard anything here,
and if our team can be of assistance to your
family's philanthropy or the things that you want to see
(49:17):
in the world, we are open to have that conversation.
S6 (49:19):
Thank you so much.
S4 (49:20):
Thank you. It's great.
S3 (49:22):
Thank you both. I am Marissa Aurora Quiroz and you
are listening to Border Masters.
S6 (49:30):
Gustavo, I really enjoyed this episode about serving others and
fulfilling or serving a need that needs to be fulfilled.
I love Marisa's energy. I, I love, like her career path,
how she, um, did this nonprofit program here locally, which
(49:54):
is huge. And now she's the CEO of this international
community foundation.
S4 (50:01):
Well, she's come a long way. Uh, but she has
devoted her life to philanthropy, uh, to these types of causes.
And she's got a she had a lot, a tremendous,
a tremendous amount of training before she actually reached the
pinnacle of being the CEO of this of the International
Community Foundation. But I've known her for the last ten,
12 years, um, because of my own involvement in the
(50:24):
on the board of the International Community Foundation. And so
I've kind of seen that evolution. And she really has
become she's blossomed into an incredible CEO and thought leader,
I would say, as well.
S6 (50:36):
I love it. And I also didn't realize that they
give to 16 borders. What like it's.
S4 (50:44):
Well, because the the thing is that, you know, about 70%
of the funds that come out of the International Community
Foundation are for causes in Baja California, but the remaining 30%
go to borders all over. A lot of it goes
to Central America, for instance, Central American borders, um, and
different other borders around the world, but primarily in Latin America,
(51:05):
I would say.
S6 (51:06):
Yeah, and I love that we had this episode, I think,
without thinking about it, about philanthropy at the border or
philanthropy even without borders, because it's something that I guess
as her. When I came to San Diego and started
working in philanthropy, I did not realize. And that's the
way I met you, actually. That's so funny, because I
(51:29):
didn't realize that there was people here in San Diego
that were very involved and very interested in giving to Tijuana,
like the big people that actually I. That's how I
met you, Malin Burnham. Yes, yes, this this Mister San Diego,
who always has seen our region as as a region. Yes.
(51:53):
And then Steve Williams, who has always given to Tijuana.
And that's how I met you through. You were also
a philanthropist and you were a donor, and I was
your philanthropic advisor. So it's I love this episode. It's
like full circle for me.
S4 (52:10):
I love the energy and Marissa brings, you know, a
lot of positive energy. And she lights up the room.
It's really incredible how this organization has has evolved with
her at the helm. And and I think the board
has done a pretty good job of kind of stewarding that,
stewarding that. But, uh, no. Very, very interesting episode. Very different,
(52:31):
I would say, from other episodes. I'm talking about philanthropy.
There's just so much out there.
S6 (52:36):
Yeah, I love it. Well, um, thank you for bringing
her to our program, and I love that she also
said that we are giving them the Border Master's medal.
I love that we're doing that.
S4 (52:47):
Yes, I love it.
S6 (52:48):
And to our listeners, please tune in to this podcast
on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any of your favorite platforms. Remember,
if you have comments, questions, guests, or topic suggestions, contact
us at Info at boardmasters Podcast.com.
S5 (53:11):
This episode of Boardmasters Dream Team Jake Polk. Production consultant
that supports experiencia y creatividad Lina Alvarez. Executive producer siempre
el mundo. Ulises Breton. Nuestra creative director. Bringing the vision
to life Alan Gonzalez, el audio engineer. Sonar increible Agradecimiento
(53:32):
especial a founder and president. Por la inspiration. Detras de
todo esto producido entre las sunny San Diego, California y
la vibrant Tijuana, Baja California en las media es parte
de ABC media Group. Quieres mas? Check out Olas Media.com.
Gracias por escuchamos de parte de Gustavo y nos vemos
(53:54):
la proxima vez.
Cuando pensamos quién podria ayudarnos con el marketing de border Masters?
No dudas llamamos a tips, marketing proponen ideas creatives hacen
campanas eventos, redes sociales y presencia digital con mas de
cuarenta anos de experiencia tips marketing convierte en algunos tienen
vision creatividad y resultados. Si quieres saber mas visita tips marketing.com.
S2 (00:31):
OLAS Media.
S3 (00:32):
I think about the incredible leaders that have the proximity
to their community and know best what solutions will actually work.
And so that's why we we are so focused on
funding leaders who are working in place in community that
have close proximity to the issues, but also to the solutions.
And it's really about resourcing them so that they can
(00:55):
do what they do so incredibly.
S4 (01:01):
The idea of doing this podcast is that not everybody
has to live at the border to be a border master.
S5 (01:08):
Eolas media presents Border Masters, the podcast where the US-Mexico
border takes center stage.
S6 (01:15):
Gustavo is from Nogales. He has amazing credentials, so he's
super knowledgeable of everything border. But we come from very
different borders.
S4 (01:26):
Monique is very good on the emotional intelligence. It's the
personality that she has that allows people just to feel relaxed.
It's part of letting the world know why has it
been so successful to have that border and what has
inspired them about the border?
S5 (01:47):
Now, here are your hosts, Gustavo and Monique.
S4 (01:52):
Welcome to Border Masters, the podcast of border Leaders. I'm
Gustavo de la Fuente, co-host of Border Masters, and I'm
here with my co-host Monique Casillas. Today I'm really excited
to talk about philanthropy across borders. Our guest is Marissa
Aurora Quiroz, president and chief executive officer of the International
Community Foundation, or ICF. In full disclosure, I have been
(02:14):
a member of the ICF board since 2014. Marissa is
an inspirational, passionate, articulate CEO and thought leader in international giving.
The International Community Foundation is based in National City, California
and works across borders to connect people, ideas and investments
in the transformative power of community. An essential part of
(02:38):
this foundation's work over the last 35 years has been
funding nonprofit organizations in Mexico, primarily in Baja California in
the peninsula. The money comes mainly from donors in the
United States. The funding that flows through ICF impacts pressing
issues in several areas environment, human rights and migration, food systems, education, health,
(03:04):
art and culture. However, ICF is not just about moving
money from the US philanthropists. It also does a great
deal of strategic community leadership and community building, helping transform communities.
Monique I met Marissa back in 2015 when she was
(03:24):
a senior program officer for Environmental Conservation at ICF.
S6 (03:28):
A long time ago.
S4 (03:29):
It was a while ago. We go back a ways.
S6 (03:33):
Oh.
S4 (03:34):
No. It was. It's been a while. Um, and and
Marissa had come to ICF after spending seven years at
the San Diego Foundation. And because of my own experience, uh,
on the ICF board, Marissa and I have had many,
many conversations about the organization's growth, about key decisions, personnel, strategy, governance.
(03:54):
So we've shared a tremendous amount of information, and I
consider her a very good friend.
S6 (04:00):
Yeah, I can see that. Like, I see how when
even when Marisa came in and I have met you, Marisa,
before online. But I have to tell you, and this
is pure honesty, you just radiate this energy. And I
have never seen Gustavo, like, light up. Like I like,
just in, like this five minutes that you came in.
(04:22):
I'm knowing that karaoke and stuff that I have, I'm like, wow, Marisa,
you bring like, such light. And I don't know, like,
I love it. Thank you for being here. And I
think I met you through a very good friend and
someone that I also consider a border master, Carlo Teran.
And he, he and I went to school together. And
(04:43):
I remember he's saying, you need to meet Marisa. And
we did this, um, kind of like informal chat. I
don't even know what it was. Just like, you need
to know each other and see what happens. So I'm
so happy to finally meet you in person. Thank you
for being here.
S3 (05:00):
To both of you. It's such an honor to be here.
And yes, now we know Gustavo's go to karaoke song journey.
S6 (05:06):
Let's do it.
S3 (05:08):
How fun. That's right.
S6 (05:10):
I'm mighty. Well, um, before we start, a lot of
people do not know you and do not know, um,
ICF either. So will you tell us a little about yourself,
where you're from? How long have you been in San Diego?
All of that good stuff.
S3 (05:25):
Sure, sure. Let's see. So I grew up in the
Central Coast. Okay. Um, my father was born in La
Ciudad de Juarez, a border town. But my mother's side
had already been in the United States for several generations.
My great grandparents started a tortilleria in Southern California, and
there's lots of stories. Uh, it's said that my family
actually invented the tortilla chip, but we never patented it.
(05:48):
Can you believe it? So the stories of my family
and the tortilla. The tortilla, The, um, you know, uh, factory, uh,
really alive and well in my family. But I would
say that I feel very connected to the Californias, both
Baja California and California. And so being in San Diego
now for 16 years, I've learned a lot about philanthropy.
(06:09):
My first job in philanthropy was at Hispanics in philanthropy.
And then I transitioned to the San Diego Foundation, where
I started as a fund services manager. I was I
was managing funds, donor advised funds, different project funds. And
then I moved into the environment program. A tremendous woman
named Emily Young actually was the first person to call
(06:32):
out that I was an environmentalist. And I was like, no, I,
I am not an environmentalist. I don't identify like, I
don't I don't drive the Prius. I'm not wearing the Birkenstocks.
Like I'm not doing that.
S4 (06:41):
You're not a tree hugger.
S3 (06:42):
Yeah, I'm not doing that. But, you know, she was
really instrumental in my life and really helping me make connections.
And the thing about the environment movement is that it's
narrow in some ways, and it doesn't cast a wide
enough net for people to see themselves within that movement.
So when I think about it growing up, you know,
I have five sisters. So, you know, hand-me-downs were were
(07:05):
a regular thing. You know, you use your sister's clothing
when they grow out of it. Um, taking the bus
to school. My grandmother had a garden. I learned how
to make, uh, you know, leftovers for five different ways.
You know, those these are things that were really important
to my family. But we didn't call it environmentalism. And
I think the similar I had a similar experience with
(07:26):
philanthropy and that my family was incredibly philanthropic, but we
didn't call it that. Right. My grandmother was part of,
you know, supporting, um, uh, you know, people in the
community that maybe needed a little bit of support through
the community center. She would, you know, my cousins and
I called it being Voluntold because we would go and
tutor the kids on the weekend. And so, um, I
(07:47):
grew up with this environmental and philanthropic spirit without even
knowing that that's what was happening. And I'm really grateful to,
especially the, you know, my, my grandparents, my, my, my mom,
the women in my family who really taught me how
to live. They taught me these values. And I use them.
I use them now. So I'm at grad school, I'm
(08:09):
working in philanthropy. Uh, I fall in love and the
border region becomes my home. Yay!
S4 (08:16):
Beautiful, beautiful. So we were just talking about the International
Community Foundation's 35 years. So how and why, uh, is
the International Community Foundation born? I mean, what what can
you tell us about that?
S3 (08:28):
Sure. So the the San Diego Foundation actually birthed ICF.
It started as a fund, um, of donors who wanted
to give beyond county lines. You know, community foundations are
so important because they are place based. Um, there are
national funders, of course, but community foundations have always had
a reputation of being for the community locally. And this
(08:52):
group of donors were inspired to, yes, contribute to where
they lived, but also beyond borders. They maybe had a
second home in Baja, or they had traveled to a
place and felt really inspired by the local environment or
the beauty of that place, and wanted to support what
was happening there locally. So the International Community Foundation started
(09:15):
as a fund, and now, 35 years later, we are
experts in cross border giving. The International Community Foundation moves
about 1.5 million a month. We are giving across 16 borders.
We support over 300 organizations that have incredible leaders. So
you know our three goals. The reason why we exist
(09:37):
is to mobilize resources. So leverage resources, raise resources, help
people grant those resources. So we're lending our grant making
infrastructure to give across borders. And then the third is
supporting community leadership. And it's a little bit of what
you shared, Gustavo. Like, these are places where within our
ecosystem of influence we can have, you know, we can
(09:58):
make connections, we can help fill the gaps. We can
really do a lot, um, to help move the needle
on so many incredible projects that are being led by
community leaders locally and across borders.
S6 (10:10):
That's great. But how how the International Community Foundation find
the nonprofit organizations in Mexico that will be supported. And
at the same time, how do you find those US
donors willing to support causes beyond the US border?
S3 (10:26):
Yes. And this is where I get to be a matchmaker. Yeah.
Always wanted to be one. Um, but, you know, it
really is like there are so many incredibly generous people
in the world, and I'm just moved. You know, one
of my favorite parts of the job is sitting with
people who are 80, in their 80s and their 90s,
and to listen to their life story, to listen to
(10:49):
the things that they dreamt about, that they actually made happen.
It's so incredibly humbling and inspiring. And now they're talking
about legacy. So that's at one end, right? Like, you know,
there are incredibly generous people that want to give that
that want that have the means that want to help.
And then there are incredible leaders that are doing things
in their community that really no one else can do.
(11:11):
You know, when I think about, um, uh, our wicked issues,
whether it be pollution or, um, homelessness, poverty, all of,
you know, youth, um, you know, youth dropouts. You know,
when I think about these issues that we all grapple with,
I think about the incredible leaders that have the proximity
(11:31):
to their community and know best what solutions will actually work.
And so that's why we we are so focused on
funding leaders who are working in place in community that
have close proximity to the issues, but also to the solutions.
And it's really about resourcing them so that they can
do what they do so incredibly.
S6 (11:52):
Yeah. And isn't that what. Sorry. What being a philanthropic
advisor is. I get excited because that's what I do
also for a living. Yes. And it's exactly like just
a matchmaker. I love that idea because you are advising
people that have the wealth and want to give and
want to make an impact and want to leave a legacy,
and then just using a vehicle like yours. Right. So
(12:15):
I love.
S4 (12:16):
It. No, no, it's, uh. And plus, I mean, you're
looking at a diversity of things, right? So it's we
talked about some of these these these key areas environment,
human rights, arts and culture, education, health. Does that does
the focus change, Marissa. Over time? I mean, there's some
is there is there sometimes in in the period of
a year or two years or three years where you
(12:38):
see a shift toward migration or a shift toward environment
or education? Does that happen a lot?
S3 (12:42):
Yes it does. And I think that's what's so extraordinary about, um,
how philanthropy can really step into leadership, because we can
meet the moment and our funding can be more flexible,
it can be more nimble. And I think that's why
leadership and philanthropy matters. Because, you know, at the International
(13:04):
Community Foundation, we have an extraordinary team of people who
are skilled and passionate. And when you put those two
things together, extraordinary things happen. So we are a team
right now of 18 very high impact team, um, that
have different kinds of expertise. So yes, we have some
expertise in food security. So we're looking at reducing food
waste at the border. Um, we have expertise in circular economies.
(13:27):
So we're looking at how can we incentivize trash and
create jobs. And that's what people need. Everybody needs jobs. Um,
you know, how can we look at, um, you know,
some of the intersectionality of what we see happening with, um,
you know, changes in weather patterns and people who are
on the move and how can we really support and
uplift basic needs of people where where they need support?
(13:52):
And so I think that's that's how, you know, philanthropy
shifts given whatever's happening in the moment. But the infrastructure
of having a community foundation also allows people to open
funds and to do long term giving through those funds.
So donor advised funds, I mean, we are set up
like a community foundation is we have special project funds
and designated funds. These are financial tools that can do
(14:14):
things in the short term and in the long term,
because our role as community foundations is to plan for
both is to make funding available for immediate today needs,
get money into the streets right now and to plan
for the long term. That's where the endowment building comes in.
And we do have some extraordinary endowments that have grown
(14:36):
over 20 years that now support extraordinary, extraordinary places like
Laguna San Ignacio down in the Baja Peninsula, for example,
20 years ago, when that lagoon was going to be threatened,
it was going to become a salt mine. There was
an alliance of people that came together and worked with
the Mexican government to actually pass new and innovative laws
(14:57):
to protect that lagoon, and it's where the gray whales
go to have their babies. So ICF holds is one
of many partners. And our small, small part is that
we hold the the endowments for the management of the land,
the support for community leadership, um, to make sure that
that habitat stays protected. So this is the way that
(15:18):
philanthropy with our infrastructure can be really useful in hard
times and in good times.
S6 (15:25):
And I love that you're sharing some examples of the
environmental initiatives that ICF has done. Are there any other
initiatives that your donors have supported through the years and
like a success story that you love?
S3 (15:40):
Oh my goodness, there's so many. Um, you know, one
that is becoming incredibly important, especially now. And I mean,
it has been incredibly important, but I was involved in
the initial conversations that really helped connect the dots again,
through our relationships for the birth of, um, and the
success of Tijuana. And that is the the powerhouse organization.
(16:03):
There's an they're incredibly committed, and they feed over 3500
people a day in Tijuana. And I know, Gustavo, you've
taken your family to volunteer. I've also taken my family. Yes.
And you.
S7 (16:16):
As well have.
S3 (16:17):
Taken your family to volunteer. So you see the heart
power that is poured into making these meals every day.
It is absolutely incredible. And this, when you think about, wow,
it's a meal, but you know, these meals are going
to 20 plus, uh, soup kitchens and other shelters in
the region. It takes pressure off of those other places
that are serving youth, that are serving families, that are
(16:39):
serving women and men to be able to, um, to
really provide a basic need that when you think about it,
it's about human dignity. You know, like if we're meeting
people where they are and if hunger is within miles
of us, then we can actually rally to do something
about it. So, um, you know, with, with other partners,
we we had a small part again through our infrastructure. Um,
(17:02):
we house a fund called This is about humanity. They're
an extraordinary group of women that have supported many initiatives
in the border region. But Tijuana is definitely, um, a
project that they have supported and grown. And you just
see the power, right? So you can probably understand my
pride in that. The foundation provides the infrastructure for these
(17:25):
kinds of ideas to take off and to, to become alive.
And I'm so proud of our team, and I'm so
proud of the relationships we've kept because we've really enabled
through this infrastructure amazing things to happen.
S4 (17:39):
Um, in looking at all these programs and the Tijuana
number program, of course, is kind of dear, near and
dear to my heart. Uh, you know, we've been there
several times with my family, but my the question is about,
you know, typically we think that foundations are the ones
that give money to ICF, the International Community Foundation. Do
(18:00):
people just regular, you know, day to day folks, can
they give money to some of these causes? They, they feel,
you know, very strongly about?
S7 (18:08):
Yes, absolutely.
S3 (18:10):
And, um, you know, there's there's lots of different ways
that you can contribute. And I think that's part of,
you know, what I was sharing about growing up and thinking, well,
I'm not a philanthropist. My name's not going to be
on a building. Like, I don't have millions of dollars
to give. But, you know, I see our donations come in.
There is a woman that doesn't even live in Mexico
or California, and she gives $5 a month. And we
(18:33):
put that towards the issues that she cares about. So
you have, you know, a full range of multi, multi,
generational giving. I would even say of people who are
retired and have are thinking about, you know, legacy. As
I shared to young people who maybe are in college
but want to get involved and want to contribute to
(18:54):
something that really moves them. I think we're all searching
for meaning in our life, and it feels so incredible
when you can help one another and when you can
see that impact on the ground. And so, you know, ICF,
although we started as a foundation that, you know, helped
us donors give internationally across borders and in Mexico, we
(19:14):
are now seeing cross border philanthropy, you know, become stronger
within our infrastructure. So now I would say almost half
of our donors are Mexicanos and they're they're choosing ICF
to practice their philanthropy. They're doing it by opening family funds.
We have families that come and say, I want to
teach my kids that this is it's that it's important
(19:37):
to give back. Can you help structure a grant cycle
for us. Okay. And we will say yes, let's open
the fund. You know, it could be $5,000. And and
then we help kind of put together a menu of
options depending on what that family cares about. And that's
what's so inspiring when you sit down with families and
you hear, what do you care about? You'll hear stories
about people's lives. Maybe somebody actually benefited from a nonprofit
(20:00):
or social service that now they want to contribute back to.
So you see these circles and it's a really beautiful experience.
So we're we're helping steward family philanthropy. We're helping steward
corporate philanthropy. And we're helping steward individual philanthropy.
S4 (20:16):
Mm. Wonderful, wonderful. And I'm sure a lot of this money.
So from you're saying Mexican families giving money now to both.
This would be causes in Mexico and causes in the
United States as well. Right.
S3 (20:28):
This is binational.
S4 (20:29):
Binational.
S3 (20:30):
Wow. Extraordinary.
S4 (20:31):
Yeah, yeah.
S6 (20:32):
And there was for example, I want to give like
a real example. I'm thinking of my friends. So there's
a good. And I love it because you're an expert
in this. We have a group of friends. We are
all from Baja, but we all live here in San Diego.
And because of, like, we want to give back, right?
(20:55):
So if we're a group of friends, we want to
go back or get back to our roots to whatever
in Ensenada and Mexicali and Tijuana. Can we go to you?
Like how would you tell me a little bit about
behind the scenes? Like, I come here with my six
group of friends and we all want to get back.
What would we do?
S3 (21:15):
I love that that's my favorite type of situation.
S6 (21:18):
And it's a true scenario. Okay, so we will come
to you soon.
S3 (21:22):
Yes. You know, we I'm grateful we've had this type
of situation before and this is where we house giving circles. Okay.
And so um, ICF houses different kinds of giving circles
that really help support that kind of philanthropy. We do
it through a donor advised fund, and so multiple people
can incorporate, can contribute to that donor advised fund. We
(21:44):
usually set up like an advisory committee and that's the
decision maker. So in this case it would be your
six friends that that come and say, okay, we want
to make some decisions together. But it's fun to make
those decisions together. A lot of times it involves food
and music and people are coming together and you're learning together.
People are bringing different ideas for what you can do
for impact, and it's really exciting. And, you know, one
(22:06):
of these giving circles called the Latino Giving Circle, it's
one of my favorite funds at ICF, um, was started
just by a small group of, of of Latinas that said,
you know, we're showing up in these philanthropic spaces and
there's a lot we can do to to put our
philanthropy to use our own personal philanthropy. And, um, you know,
(22:27):
the three of us at the time said, we're going
to send out some emails. We're going to see if
there's other interest. By the end of the week, we
had a 57 women who didn't even. We didn't even have, like,
anything written. We just said we want to give together.
And it just it just bubbled up because. Because people
are incredibly generous. Because people want to find ways to
(22:48):
contribute and because giving together is really exciting. So, yes, um,
you know, I got a call from a seamstress who
wanted to support nonprofits that are supporting youth, find jobs,
and she got together with other seamstresses, and they want
to start doing some grant making together. It's a great
(23:09):
example similar to what you're saying.
S6 (23:12):
And, and and again, I'm in philanthropy and I understand this,
but I want to understand and maybe and I do
major gifts, which is in a quantity that many of us,
like you said, is like, no, no way, I cannot
do that. But right now, for people that say, is
there a way that, oh, Marissa, we want to do,
(23:32):
we find, uh, our circle, but is there a way
that we can also roll our sleeves and be engaged?
Because one thing and there are different ways of philanthropists.
There are people that just give their resources, financial resources,
but there's people and I know them and you know
them that we say, yes, we want to give financially,
but we want to go to the where the action is.
(23:55):
Is that something that you can also make happen?
S3 (23:58):
Yes. There are many organizations that would love to have
your expertise and the expertise of your friends as as
part of their team's effort to reach their missions. And
so that's where the matchmaking comes in, right? Once we
learn what you're interested in, we can connect you to
other leaders, and they have the best ideas for what
(24:19):
kind of support they need and what kind of support
their community needs. Um. How exciting.
S6 (24:24):
We'll do an appointment with you.
S3 (24:25):
I love it.
S4 (24:26):
And this is this is this is really important. What
you just said. It's the hands on involvement of people. Now,
most people who give money are probably not going to
come and actually work or volunteer their time with some
of these organizations, because they're probably far away. If they're
if I'm in Ohio and I'm contributing $10 to something,
how do I know that my money is reaching the
(24:48):
right hands? Because I think that's a lot of that's
a question that most people ask themselves, is this am
I being too skeptical or, you know, is this money
actually going to where I intended it to go?
S3 (24:57):
Yes, yes. No. That's where communication and reporting and proximity
to the issues and the projects and the leaders becomes
really important. And I find that, you know, there are
some people that want to be incredibly involved the way
that Monique is sharing. And there are other people that
want to stay super anonymous and they don't want any kind.
(25:18):
They don't even want any communications. They just want, um,
you know, they want their donation letter and they want,
at the end of the year, a phone call to
talk about not just what happened, but what more is needed,
what more could they do. And so we do our
very best to to make those matches and to meet
people where they are. Um, you know, when we when
(25:40):
we talk about our philanthropic community, it's funders, it's donors,
it's community leaders. It's, um, local, you know, local movement builders.
It's all of it. It's that whole ecosystem. And we
do our best to really, um, when we start a
relationship to say, hey, what kind of follow up would
you like? Do you want our newsletter? Do you want
(26:01):
articles of maybe the issues you're interested in? Um, do
you want to attend conferences and events with us? Um,
do you like fiestas?
S8 (26:11):
I love it. Maybe. Most importantly, do you want to
go to the parties?
S6 (26:15):
Tortilla chips. Anyone?
S8 (26:16):
S o t s o c I love that my
great grandmother's tortilla factory made it in.
S6 (26:21):
I love.
S8 (26:22):
It, I.
S6 (26:22):
Love it.
S4 (26:24):
That's really interesting. Okay.
S5 (26:25):
Let's take a quick break from the conversation. You're listening
to Border Masters. We will be right back.
S9 (26:35):
Gustavo, I can't believe this is the last episode of
season one.
S1 (26:40):
Yeah. Honestly, Monique, I can't either. Um, it feels like
we just started boardmasters. And now here we are, wrapping
up our very first season.
S9 (26:48):
In the meantime, catch up on every episode at Olas
Media.com or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Just search
Boardmasters on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
S1 (27:01):
And make sure to follow us on Instagram at underscore.
S9 (27:07):
Stay tuned and subscribe! Thank you so much for making
season one so special. Please keep sending ideas and guest
suggestions for season two. You can contact us at info
at masters.com.
S1 (27:21):
We'll see you soon. And until then, thanks for listening.
Muchas gracias and thanks for being part of the Border
Masters family.
S9 (27:29):
Hasta pronto.
S10 (27:33):
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S1 (27:59):
Ayudarnos con el marketing de boardmasters. No, dude. Vamos llamamos
a tipo. Marketing proponen ideas creatives hacen campanas eventos, redes
sociales y presencia digital con mas de cuarenta anos de
experiencia tips marketing Convierte Marcus in tienen vision creatividad y
resultados si quieres saber mas visita tips marketing.com MQ Punto com.
S5 (28:28):
Porter Masters is back. Let's get the Gustavo and Monica.
S6 (28:33):
And to to the point that Gustavo was making earlier
and with the current environment in mind. So is the
giving from us to Mexico still going strong? And at
the same time is the giving from Mexico to the
US a growing trend? And is this changing or are
(28:56):
you seeing that it might change? Or there's some hesitation
both ways with the current state of affairs?
S8 (29:04):
Yes.
S3 (29:04):
I think everybody is, um, watching and learning and sharing
and wanting to know how they can be helpful in
this moment. And that part hasn't changed, right? People come
to the table. They want to know, how can I
be helpful in this moment? We are seeing philanthropic giving change.
We are seeing, for example, uh, funders who maybe were
(29:25):
funding more, um, uh, to organizations down in Baja. Pull
back to address issues they see and feel moved about
here locally. Um, we are also seeing, um, you know,
support for the nonprofits working in Mexico increase by Mexican
philanthropists because they see that shift in the funds. And
(29:46):
there's a lot of uncertainty. And so I think, um,
you know, people people want to do the right thing.
People really want to help others. And and I think
that's what keeps me in this, in this, in this job,
in this field, because you get so much from seeing
and being able to make those matches and from seeing
what's possible when people who care come together to do
(30:09):
something really big.
S4 (30:11):
Mm. Okay. Um, so getting into a little bit of
the future here. Uh, how do you see this organization
growing next five, ten years? What what what's in your
crystal ball?
S8 (30:23):
Oh my goodness.
S3 (30:25):
Um, you know, ICF is strong and we continue to grow.
I'm so proud of our extraordinary team. Um, there's lots
for us to look forward to. Um, one example is, um,
you know, we've had several, uh, individuals come to us
in the last two years who have said, you know,
(30:45):
I really care about Mexico. And I, I have had
a second home there for 20 plus years. I want
to contribute to keeping, um, you know, the organizations I've
been supporting locally. Strong. Can I donate my home?
S8 (31:01):
Oh, wow.
S3 (31:02):
And this is I mean, obviously, a tremendous gift, a
tremendous offering that could go a long way for these
small organizations that are working in place. Um, you know,
these organizations could use these homes or these places to
house their operations. They could sell that property and actually
(31:22):
have that come to general operations. Anybody who knows non-profits
knows that it's a tough, you know, cycle of having
to fundraise every year. Um, what I love about what
our team does is that we know our grants, a
lot of our grants go to general operations so that
people can keep the lights on and do the work
(31:43):
that they need to be doing. That's most important. And
so I think growing in those kinds of creative ways. Right.
How can we create financial tools for more social impact investment? Um,
you know, how can we be partnering for charitable real
estate that's cross-border in nature? These kinds of things are,
I think, what the future has in store for us. Um,
(32:04):
in the last month, I've met with, you know, four
individuals who we consider legacy donors. That means that they
are requesting, um, they are putting ICF in their will,
and we get to sit down and talk with them
about the projects they want to support when that time comes.
And what an extraordinary honor to have those kinds of
(32:25):
conversations with people who are thinking about what happens when
I die. What happens with the resources that I've worked
hard for my whole life, and that they trust ICF
to to follow their wishes and to pursue those kind,
you know, the kinds of activities that we have in
that discussion is really an honor.
S4 (32:44):
Mhm.
S6 (32:45):
And we have talked a lot about the donor or
like the people that the prospect, let's say the people
that wants to give. What about the nonprofit. Can any
in this case nonprofit in Mexico or I understand even
in other places that are not beyond Mexico or the
US maybe. Can any nonprofit apply for funding from the
(33:08):
International Community Foundation?
S3 (33:10):
Well, this is where the matchmaking comes in.
S8 (33:12):
Okay.
S3 (33:13):
Because, you know, we're we're incredibly mindful that nonprofit hours
are very valuable because the time that it takes to
put together a proposal is time that people could be
providing direct services. And so it's we we want to
honor that. Nonprofits have a lot of work to do always.
And there there's usually not enough time in the day
(33:34):
or resources in the day to, to do to get
all of it done. Um, and they work tirelessly. It's
an incredible sector. Um, because of that, we don't have
these open call for proposals because we want to honor
those nonprofit hours that time. But when we do have
these match opportunities come up, that's when we'll activate little
pockets of our ecosystem to say, hey, we we just
(33:56):
spoke with somebody they're interested in helping. You know, we
met with a gentleman who, um, has had a business
in Otay for many, many years, and he's interested in
helping seniors. But seniors in the most extreme of situations,
seniors who have been left behind, who live on their own,
who don't have access to proper food and medical care.
(34:16):
And so having this conversation was really inspiring because it
turns out through our ecosystem, we have people who within
their In there. Nonprofits have programs.
S8 (34:25):
For.
S3 (34:25):
Elders. So it's really about that matchmaking, right? We're listening deeply.
We're hearing what are the things that you want to support.
And we're already like five steps ahead thinking, okay, we
can bring we can put together a menu of options.
There are people doing this work. Let's put together something
that you'd be really proud to support.
S6 (34:43):
Yeah, I'm already thinking of people, places. I'm going to
connect you with us.
S8 (34:48):
Thank you, thank you.
S4 (34:50):
No, I, uh, I appreciate that. Um, one of the
things that I see is, you know, uh, you were
mentioning something about keeping the lights on, so most people
don't realize the amount of effort it takes to actually
channel this money and this these ideas and these groups. And,
(35:12):
as you said, the matchmaking. And so somebody has got
to be working behind the scenes doing this, and this
is what you and your organization does. Um, in terms of,
you know, you mentioned you have 18 employees. So you
have a you have a good, solid team of people.
I do. And most people again who give money do
not realize this. Uh. Do you is this something you
(35:33):
have to explain all the time to people? You know
how how that works. What sort of the inner machinery,
how how everything comes, comes out the right way?
S3 (35:41):
Yes, yes we do. Um, a lot of it is
just sharing. And it's sharing on, on on all ends. Right?
Like it's sharing with nonprofit leaders. Hey, these this is
what's important to these funders. This is how their infrastructure works.
They each have strategic plans. Like we have those conversations
on that side. And then with funders, you know, there
are many times where we'll have somebody who comes saying,
(36:02):
I used to run a nonprofit, you know, and, you know. So, yeah, so,
you know, a lot of times you'd be surprised by
how much understanding really exists. But then there are other
conversations where people may not they they come to the
table and they don't want to pay for operations at all. Zero.
And that's where we can maybe see like, let's maybe
(36:22):
expand the understanding around this, because it's expensive to keep
the lights on, and these nonprofits work so hard to
do that, to support their teams, to care for their teams.
In addition to the communities that they're caring for.
S6 (36:36):
And Marisa, we actually have been hearing, like I hear
NPR every day. That's my morning routine. And we have
been hearing how, um, even the government and many government
officials right now are like, oh, the IDC or the, the,
the overhead or they don't want to do that. And
they don't understand that if we do not many universities
(37:00):
do not charge that overhead or many institutions or research
centers like the one I work with. Um, if there's
no overhead, there's no lab, there's no like you need
in order to do something. You do need a space
and people to make it happen. No. So that's why
(37:21):
it's so important to also have that, um, understanding of
what's going on behind the scenes. And not only all
the money goes directly right.
S3 (37:32):
That's right, that's right. Um, you know, I think that
it's incredibly important to be having these conversations just to
shed some light on the true cost of what it
takes to run a non-profit business.
S8 (37:44):
Yeah.
S3 (37:44):
And I would say a lot of, a lot of funders,
once we start digging into the conversation and really the
the proof is in the numbers, right? You just show
budgets and you're saying this is what this organization is
working with. This is the.
S8 (37:55):
Deficit. This is.
S4 (37:55):
The gap.
S3 (37:56):
And it really helps paint a picture of what the
need is.
S4 (37:59):
Transparency. Yes.
S8 (38:00):
Right.
S6 (38:00):
And I if I may I want to ask a
question of your expertise. And I know that Gustavo is
a board member. So Gustavo, you can cover your ears.
But so I have been in philanthropy as well for
12 years, and and I have been in big, very
well established Institutions. But I have also been a consultant, uh,
(38:23):
sometimes pro bono, with very small organizations. And the problem
that I see on and on is with the board
of trustees or the board of directors. And the problem
is that we have a board of trustees that doesn't
give back, or we have a board of directors that
(38:43):
they're like, oh, yeah, we need this, but let's get
it somewhere else. What, like if you could give an
advice to all of this places, mostly the small places.
How do you build a board of directors or board
of trustees? Number one and two, if you already. That's
(39:04):
what I see a lot. You have one because you
invited all these directors. I don't know why you invited them,
but you invited them maybe to give you advice, but
they're not giving back. What can you do?
S3 (39:16):
No, it's a really important question. And I think, you know,
there's lots of resources out there about how to engage
your board or board governance. I mean, there's, you know,
USD puts on a whole board governance governance kind of
symposium every year. That's great. Actually, if you haven't experienced that,
it's great. Um, I think it's really back to the
the deep listening and really understanding what motivates people. Um,
(39:37):
my experience with our board is that none of them
want everybody's looking for meaning, and people join for different reasons. Um,
and if you can get closer to those reasons, you
can usually make the match of why somebody is motivated
to serve, um, on the board of ICF and how
we can connect them to those things that are really
(39:59):
important people. You know, giving is not just giving financial resources.
You know, I, I, I'm very lucky to have a
great board. Um, I see them as lifelines. So I
know their expertise, I know their career paths because we've
done all the vetting to get them to that point.
I know who to call when, and there's many times
(40:21):
when I've called Gustavo or other members of our board
to say, hey, do you have a relationship with so-and-so?
Can you make an introduction? Or this is happening, there's
a hold up with this, you know, uh, particular project.
I know you have a friend there. Can you call
them and just help us out a little bit? These
are the kinds of things or, hey, I need a
(40:41):
better investment strategy. We are getting more sophisticated investors. And
I want to know, can you help us with a
social impact model? Um, these are the kinds of lifeline calls.
S8 (40:51):
That I'll.
S3 (40:52):
That I'll make. Um, I would say, um, the majority
of our board gives resources every year, but they're also
giving their time, or they're opening up their Rolodex to
introduce us to somebody that would have a great that
we would have a great connection with. Um, I just
got a call from not even our current bakers bankers,
our former bankers who introduced us. Because the relationship is
(41:15):
so good, we don't even bank with them anymore. And
they said, I want to send you somebody because what
they're saying is what you always say when we love it.
And so I love that. To me, that speaks to
the care we have for the relationships we are, we
are tending to. Um, and I always tell the board,
if you give me a contact, I will care for
that contact, I will, I will treat that relationship with respect. Um,
(41:37):
and it feels so good to to see that coming. Right.
People calling say, I want to introduce you to somebody
or I want you to come to this dinner. Um,
and we love that. And then you also have people
that are just there for the fiestas. I know I
mentioned that before, but, you know, those are fun too.
And whatever motivates you, like, let's do this. If you
want to come to a fiesta with me and work
the room and get to know who's there, it's a
very dynamic place and our region has extraordinary food, as
(42:01):
you know, food and wine and all the things. So,
you know, it's a it's a really dynamic job.
S6 (42:06):
Yeah. And I always, um, tell everyone is time, talent
and treasure the three T's. If you have that. That's
when I consult. It's like you need the treaties and
at least they need to give you one.
S4 (42:18):
Well, it's what you're talking about is the giving mindset, right? Um,
and sometimes you give treasure, sometimes you give of your time,
sometimes you give of connections. But what does it take, Marissa,
in your experience now to have a giving mindset?
S3 (42:32):
Yeah, it's a really good question. I mean, I, I
tend to in my initial conversations with people will ask,
you know, did you grow up with your family being philanthropic?
You know, how did you learn that? How did you
experience giving? How was money? How did money move in
your family as a kid? And if you you know,
we we all have these really personal relationships with money
and giving, but we all have it. And so if
(42:53):
you can start opening that up a little bit and
even examining your own relationship with money and power and giving,
it really starts to help understand, like what path that
person is on and how they want to give. Um,
you know, I have a board member that is willing
to look at our investment policies and all of our like,
I'm like, wow, thank you. Thank you so much. You know,
(43:14):
I am so grateful for that kind. Like, how do
you want to geek out with us? Like, we can
we we we can actually make a match there, and
we can really, um, help provide a fulfilling experience where
you want to contribute and where we actually need support
or see that the community needs support. So I think
getting to know someone's story, uh, can really help unlock
(43:37):
where that giving mindset is. Um, it's very rare that
I talk to somebody who doesn't have that in some way,
shape or form or who didn't have that as a
young person in some way, shape or form. Um, and,
and it could be anything from like, well, I used
to lend my cousin my car all the time, you know, like,
it can be small. It doesn't have to be these extraordinary, like,
(43:57):
obviously these big gestures of, you know, multimillion dollar endowments.
We love those too. And those are awesome. I mean,
I had somebody call me and say, I have a
tax problem. I don't care what you do. I just
like I just like your work. Okay. Amazing.
S4 (44:12):
We'll accept that.
S3 (44:12):
Wow, Wow.
S4 (44:14):
Right.
S6 (44:15):
Yeah. And I love it. I'm geeking out at this conversation,
I love it. This is. This is my my thing. Um,
but I see that the work that you and the
international community foundations do to facilitate those resources doesn't see
borders and align with this program, board or masters. When
(44:37):
you hear that term, what comes to mind?
S3 (44:40):
Yes. Um, you know, I quickly go to an initiative
that we share with the San Diego Foundation called the Border,
the Binational Resiliency Initiative. And this is a really fun
and important project because it's connecting organizations that are working
on climate action on both sides of the border. And
(45:02):
this is a way to demonstrate that our region doesn't stop,
you know, air, land, water migration of species doesn't stop
because there's the physical infrastructure. Sure. Um, you know, we
know about some of our wicked challenges with, uh, water
pollution and air pollution. Some of the challenges that we
have from living in a metropolitan urban environment that is
side by side with another metropolitan urban environment. So, you know,
(45:26):
I think about the Tijuana River, for example, that comes
in and out of the US and Mexico three times,
and that is home to, um, not just many, many hundreds,
you know, hundreds of thousands of communities, but also, um, uh,
species and wildlife. And I think we need to be
planning together. So if we are so if we're so
(45:47):
adept and so great at planning on one side, but
we don't share that knowledge and data on the other,
then our region isn't going to be as strong as
it could be. And why wouldn't we want to make
our region as strong as it could be? So the
Binational Resiliency Initiative has been an effort, um, where a
few years in now and we've already given, I believe,
(46:07):
up to 3 million in grants to organizations that are
working on water quality, that are working on climate action planning,
that are working on, um, you know, one of the
projects that I absolutely love is a project that supports
a children's choir in Tijuana, um, with a partnership with
(46:27):
choirs on the the San Diego side. And this choral
community is singing about oceans. And, you know, why wouldn't
we want that in a region that on the San
Diego side has enjoys 144 miles of coastline? Like, you know,
when you think about what's possible and I think, um,
you know, there's all of these intersectional things that we're
(46:48):
working on. So this is an intersection of art and environment, right?
This children's choir is singing about the ocean, but they're
really part of this binational resiliency initiative. When I think
about the power of seeing how everything is intersectional, there's
so much more that we can do, and our team
gets really excited about how we can make some of
these match making connections.
S4 (47:09):
We, uh, we always ask this question before we we go,
before we leave. Um, and, um, it's about, you know,
the name of the program is Board of Masters. Uh,
do you consider yourself a border master, Marissa?
S3 (47:23):
You know, I didn't. I didn't before today. And when
you sent the invitation, you know what I think is happening?
I think you all are making us border masters. You
are naming us. You are naming us and saying, you know,
we're just going about our work and we're doing it
for our own. You know, we're motivated for our own reasons.
But essentially what you're doing is you're calling us out
to say, hey, this is where you've chosen to work.
(47:45):
This is where you've chosen to contribute. I don't want
to lead a meaningless life either, and I want to
be able to do something while I'm here for the
fleeting life that we have. And so, um, I really
feel like you are naming us. This is. It's an
honor to be here with you both and to kind
of be having this kind of conversation. I think, um,
(48:06):
like me growing up, I didn't know a lot about
formal philanthropy. So, um, it's pretty amazing to be sitting
here with you talking about these things. Now.
S6 (48:15):
Own it. Marisa. Yes. So and also, like for me,
the philanthropy and border. I'm like in like, cloud nine. Um,
before this episode ends, is there anything else you would
like to share with our audience? Like tell like my friends,
they need to call us. And where where do we
find more information?
S3 (48:35):
No, we do have a website. Org please reach out
if you have, uh, if you've been inspired by anything
that you've heard, you know, we've had long standing funds, um,
around food security, around border health, around, uh, we have
a border fund that we've had open for many years
that gives to pressing issues. We just launched a binational
(48:56):
art fund as a way to support creatives in the region,
to do more storytelling. The way that you're telling here, um, filmmakers,
you know, artists, creatives to be telling the story of
our region, it's so important. So if you've heard anything here,
and if our team can be of assistance to your
family's philanthropy or the things that you want to see
(49:17):
in the world, we are open to have that conversation.
S6 (49:19):
Thank you so much.
S4 (49:20):
Thank you. It's great.
S3 (49:22):
Thank you both. I am Marissa Aurora Quiroz and you
are listening to Border Masters.
S6 (49:30):
Gustavo, I really enjoyed this episode about serving others and
fulfilling or serving a need that needs to be fulfilled.
I love Marisa's energy. I, I love, like her career path,
how she, um, did this nonprofit program here locally, which
(49:54):
is huge. And now she's the CEO of this international
community foundation.
S4 (50:01):
Well, she's come a long way. Uh, but she has
devoted her life to philanthropy, uh, to these types of causes.
And she's got a she had a lot, a tremendous,
a tremendous amount of training before she actually reached the
pinnacle of being the CEO of this of the International
Community Foundation. But I've known her for the last ten,
12 years, um, because of my own involvement in the
(50:24):
on the board of the International Community Foundation. And so
I've kind of seen that evolution. And she really has
become she's blossomed into an incredible CEO and thought leader,
I would say, as well.
S6 (50:36):
I love it. And I also didn't realize that they
give to 16 borders. What like it's.
S4 (50:44):
Well, because the the thing is that, you know, about 70%
of the funds that come out of the International Community
Foundation are for causes in Baja California, but the remaining 30%
go to borders all over. A lot of it goes
to Central America, for instance, Central American borders, um, and
different other borders around the world, but primarily in Latin America,
(51:05):
I would say.
S6 (51:06):
Yeah, and I love that we had this episode, I think,
without thinking about it, about philanthropy at the border or
philanthropy even without borders, because it's something that I guess
as her. When I came to San Diego and started
working in philanthropy, I did not realize. And that's the
way I met you, actually. That's so funny, because I
(51:29):
didn't realize that there was people here in San Diego
that were very involved and very interested in giving to Tijuana,
like the big people that actually I. That's how I
met you, Malin Burnham. Yes, yes, this this Mister San Diego,
who always has seen our region as as a region. Yes.
(51:53):
And then Steve Williams, who has always given to Tijuana.
And that's how I met you through. You were also
a philanthropist and you were a donor, and I was
your philanthropic advisor. So it's I love this episode. It's
like full circle for me.
S4 (52:10):
I love the energy and Marissa brings, you know, a
lot of positive energy. And she lights up the room.
It's really incredible how this organization has has evolved with
her at the helm. And and I think the board
has done a pretty good job of kind of stewarding that,
stewarding that. But, uh, no. Very, very interesting episode. Very different,
(52:31):
I would say, from other episodes. I'm talking about philanthropy.
There's just so much out there.
S6 (52:36):
Yeah, I love it. Well, um, thank you for bringing
her to our program, and I love that she also
said that we are giving them the Border Master's medal.
I love that we're doing that.
S4 (52:47):
Yes, I love it.
S6 (52:48):
And to our listeners, please tune in to this podcast
on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any of your favorite platforms. Remember,
if you have comments, questions, guests, or topic suggestions, contact
us at Info at boardmasters Podcast.com.
S5 (53:11):
This episode of Boardmasters Dream Team Jake Polk. Production consultant
that supports experiencia y creatividad Lina Alvarez. Executive producer siempre
el mundo. Ulises Breton. Nuestra creative director. Bringing the vision
to life Alan Gonzalez, el audio engineer. Sonar increible Agradecimiento
(53:32):
especial a founder and president. Por la inspiration. Detras de
todo esto producido entre las sunny San Diego, California y
la vibrant Tijuana, Baja California en las media es parte
de ABC media Group. Quieres mas? Check out Olas Media.com.
Gracias por escuchamos de parte de Gustavo y nos vemos
(53:54):
la proxima vez.
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