CEOs You Should Know- Business Volunteer Maryland

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Episode Transcript

(00:02):
iHeartMedia Presents CEOs you should know.Hi. I'm John Dankle, former president
Public show of the Baltimore Business Journaland now founder and CEO of Dankele Business
Development. This is ByHeart Radio CEOsyou shouldel and I'm here today with Julie
Ernin, CEO at Business Volunteers Maryland. Welcome Julie, thanks for being here.
Thank you John, good morning.It's my pleasure. Thank you for

(00:23):
inviting me, Thanks for being here. I looking forward to our conversation.
I thought we'd start by just gettingto know you a little bit and the
organization a little bit more so forthose who may not be familiar, could
you tell us more about Business VolunteersMaryland? Sure? Yes. Business Volunteers
Maryland is a five oh one Dthree nonprofit organization. We were founded twenty

(00:47):
years ago, so we celebrated ouranniversary this year. And we were founded
by business leaders with deep roots inBaltimore who believed that businesspeople and professional needed
to be more engaged and giving backto our community. That most of these
folks really have the interest and commitmentto serving our community, but maybe didn't

(01:11):
know how. So we were createdto provide programs and pathways for business people
to engage in the community by sharingtheir skills and expertise and kind of helping
to support the literally hundreds of nonprofitorganizations that are serving their stakeholders in and

(01:34):
around Baltimore City. That's right.You could you tell us what your mission
is? Sure? So, ourmission as a connector agency, if you
will, technically is to inspire volunteerismand to connect motivated people and businesses to
nonprofit organizations, leading to stronger communities. So what does that mean? Right?

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Like, those are beautiful words,but it's really all about understanding that
we have some incredible nonprofit organizations inour community, people who really are passionate
about their mission and they understand theneeds of the stakeholders they serve. They
may not always have the resources theyneed though to support their communities from not

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like in an ongoing, long termway. So what we do is work
with businesses to develop comprehensive plans andthen connect them to those really impressive nonprofit
organizations who really need and benefit fromtheir expertise. That's great. So you're

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doing services for both the business communityor you know, business now and for
the nonprofits and could so, couldyou talk a little bit actually a little
bit more in detail about those specificservices. I guess that you're you're providing.
Yeah, yeah, that's great.So yeah, So it's an interesting
connector role that we have. Sowe work very closely with business where we

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work as a consultant, if youwill, and helped to develop a strategy
for organizations to engage in the community, and we offer different programs. I'll
talk about that in a moment.And then we work very closely with literally
hundreds of nonprofit organizations where we cometo understand what their needs are and then

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we'd match. So we understand asbusiness might have certain skills that a nonprofit
is seeking and will connect them.So how do we connect them? What
do we do well. One ofthe first ways and probably the first programmer
service that we started was board matching, So we work with professionals to match

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them to nonprofit boards of directors roles, and we do that by kind of
really going deep and understanding what theirinterests and passions and skills are. And
then again, we have really goodrelationships with the nonprofits in our community and
we know where they have needs andwhere it might be a good fit.

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So, as I mentioned, we'vebeen we've been doing this for twenty years
and so far we've placed over fifteenhundred people, hundred professionals on nonprofit boards
through this program. So that's fantastic. Yeah. So if a company doesn't
have like an internal you know,corporate social responsibility plan or corporate social responsibility

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you know program, that's where BusinessVolunteers Maryland can come in and help that
company establish that exactly that's exactly right. So we'll go deep. We'll understand
what drives the employee population, whatthey get excited about, where they want
to engage. And you know,if you know anything about this generation of

(05:00):
workers, you know that giving backis core to who they are. And
if a company doesn't have a planor a strategy to engage in the community,
their ability to recruit and retain strongfolks is really it's it's it's affected.
Yeah. So yeah, I seea lot of companies out there,

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you know, large and small,that you know, don't have a you
know, a plan like that.It's either the CEO's prerogative or there's you
know, maybe it's just kind ofhit or miss. They don't you know,
they're just getting kind of hit upthroughout the year about you know,
certain philanthropic opportunities that might come upor but they don't to your point,

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they don't have like a plan aroundit, Like what what does the companies,
you know, how does it tieinto their mission? You know,
how does it time to their employeessatisfaction and engagement? And and so I
think it's a it's a hugely neededservice. And yeah, a lot of
companies, you know, don't havea plan like that. Some do,
some have really good, good plans, but there's a lot of companies out

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there that don't. So i'd imaginethat's a you know, pretty popular service
that you're providing. That's exactly right, John. So we've got a lot
of people in our community that willdo scattershot engagements. So they've got somebody
who's passionate about one cause, andthey might raise money and funding and support

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for a five K. Then theremight be some holiday drive where folks are
donating, and all of that isreally good. It's really important, and
the benefactors, the nonprofit organizations thatreceive those funds or receive those donations,
they're highly valuable. Yeah, wejust suggest that there are ways that a
business can be strategic in how theyengage, so have things aligned to their

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own mission, make sure that theyare including employees and how they think about
engaging. In addition to placing peopleon non profit boards, we also organize
big days of volunteering and that canbe hundreds of employees out in the community
volunteering at multiple locations on one day, or it can be small departmental or

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small company getting out and giving backand it really helps the nonprofit. But
what people miss is the business benefitof doing that kind of work. So
if you're serving on a board,you're developing real leadership skills. You're having
an opportunity to work with people whoare very different than you are, with

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very different perspectives, and the resultcan be an employee who comes back to
the office much better at leading aproject, much better collaborator. So all
of those skills you develop in theseunique situations and which you find yourself volunteering.
Yeah, that's great, that's great. Anything else on the services you'd

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like to talk well, from eitherthe nonprofit side or business community side.
Well, I think one of theprograms of which we are most proud is
our fellowship program. Yeah, it'scalled Give and it used to be an
acronym for something, but now wejust call it our Gift Fellowship program and

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we've had over five hundred and fiftyleaders go through this program, and it
is really it's geared toward early tomid career professionals who have an interesting in
engaging in the community. Potentially attheir work, they've already demonstrated that they
have high potential, that they're arising star in the company. Maybe they

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need a stretch assignment, or theyneed leadership skills to develop. At any
rate, it is an eight monthprogram for these leaders that go through learning
and understanding the root causes of someof the issues that we face as a
community, and then developing skills problemsolving capabilities to help address and tackle some

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of those really deep challenges. Theculmination of the Fellowship program as a project
where they work in smaller cohorts witha local nonprofit organization who has identified a
challenge that they have and this teamgets together and using human center design,

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digs down to get to the rootcause of what that issue might be and
then starts working on solutions and ideallythey come to some resolution and are able
to implement a fixed or an opportunityto address that challenge all in that eight
month period. So it ends upbeing a huge win for the nonprofit organization

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because they are working with these reallysmart, really dedicated local not just business
professionals. The fellows come from business, but they also come from other nonprofits,
they come from government, they comefrom schools. So it's really a
diverse group of of folks who participateeach year in that program. Yeah,

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so that nonprofit gets this huge benefitof of working. We've seen where some
of the fellows go on to serveon the nonprofit boards of the organizations that
they support for their gift project.It's pretty cool. Yeah, that's good.
It's a huge benefit for the companiesthat are sponsoring those employees to go
through the Good Fellowship too. Obviouslythey're they're helping them obviously build leadership skills,

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getting them out in the community doingyou know, some goodwill, and
also just building a net or theirown network of new people that could benefit
the organization. So it's it's it'sit's a great program. What so if
companies are interested in that, whendoes it start and you know, what

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do they need to do to nominateyou know, potential give fellowship member?
So we have started our recruitment typicallyright at the beginning of the new year,
so we'll start our new class inearly twenty twenty four. However,
I think this year we're making apretty big deal about the graduation for our

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Give Fellows, the twenty twenty threeclass, and there will be some sort
of a soft launch, if youwill, for the recruitment for twenty twenty
four. Yeah. It's a greatway for people to learn and understand a
little bit more about Give is bygoing and participating in the graduation events.
So we're encouraging people who may beinterested to attend graduation. It's on our

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website November eight, right, It'sin Baltimore City, and if people are
interested, they can reach out andwe'll get more details to them. So
it's a really great thing and somethingnew. Last year we started and it's
it's really took off and this yearI think will be even bigger. Is
a competition, so they Give Fellowsthat are broken into these smaller cohorts or

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teams. They are competing against eachother to raise funds for the nonprofits based
support. So it's a competition that'skind of like a like a shark tank.
Yeah, we call it Turtle Tank. Yeah, I was gonna ask
you this actually ask you to talka little bit about that, Like,
I know you've already mentioned it alittle bit, but anything else you'd like

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to talk about on the Turtle Tankside of things. Yeah, So it's
really it's a way for our givefellows to demonstrate their knowledge and storytelling skills.
That's something else that's part of theof the fellowship program. We spend
time on telling your story. Soit's a competition. They will create a

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commercial for the nonprofit that they theysupported, and there are judges and we've
been raising funds for Turtle Take sothat at graduation, the judges will award
prize money to the nonprofits GAP GiveAdvisory Project GAP team who does the best

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job of telling the story of theirorganization. So not only do these nonprofits
get great consulting from there from theirgive fellows, but they also have an
opportunity to win some funds. Soit's pretty cool. That is very cool.
Yeah, and that's the number eighthrighte. I definitely we'll be attending
that for sure, and also agreat opportunity to meet some young up and

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coming leaders too, So that wouldbe really fun on that. So just
talk a little bit about the businessside. How is business Volunteers funded.
We are primarily funded by business partners, so that's where the consulting organ it
really feels like a consulting organization.So primarily we are in partnership with local

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businesses. We have about fifty orso businesses that we work with every year
and we do a variety of services. For some of them, we support
all of their corporate social responsibility work. We do everything from planning to executing,
and then for some organizations that mayalready have corporate social responsibility staff,

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we take on pieces of the workthat they do. So it could be
that we plan their volunteer days,or we do all of their board training,
so we've trained and prepare business peopleto serve on nonprofit boards, or
they'll go through our our fellowship programs. So it's really a very customized approach

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to how we work with each organization. Got it great, Great, Thank
you appreciate you sharing that, andjust a little bit of a different turn
te tell us a little bit aboutyour personal background and how you've got to
this point in your career. Yeah, it was a journey I spent all
of my career in the for profitworld, so I worked in business.

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Most recently, prior to Business Volunteers, I was a vice president for account
management at a local firm where Ialso oversaw the women's networking group or the
ERG for Women, and that groupwas responsible for our community engagement, so
I dabbled in an interest in communityengagement. I had served on nonprofit boards.

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I served on the board for theHouse of Ruth, Maryland and then
currently on the Baltimore Leadership School forYoung Women. So the interest and passion
in giving back was always there,but my head was focused on business and
client relationships, and when I hadan opportunity to change gears, just so

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happened that Business Volunteers Maryland had anopportunity as the president's CEO, and for
me it was really the bringing togetherof leadership and customer skills, business skills,
but also a passion about giving backto the community. I mean,
if I dreamed of a job,it's probably fits shopped asition that I would

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have written. So it's really it'swhat we do is so unique and we've
been doing it for twenty years.I just feel grateful to be at the
Helm of the organization. Yeah,that's great and as you know, thanks
for sharing that, by the way, and as you know, you know,
as the kind of a nonprofit,you know, having those relationship building

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skills and you know, feeling comfortablewith the business community and talking to other
CEOs and getting out their networking,all those are hugely important to any you
know, nonprofit executive. It's youknow, the business community is you know,
there's a lot of obviously benefits andpartnering with the business community from nonprofit
standpoint. Even if your nonprofit isyou know, mostly funded by grants,

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foundations and things like that, youthink of board members and volunteers and you
know donations and funding and corporate sponsorshipsall those fun things. So that's that's
a that's a great skill set thatyou bring to the organization because you know,
not every nonprofit leader has that.John's so well said. Everyone can
benefit. Yeah, engaging in thecommunity and getting out there and networking and

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meeting people. I mean, thereare so many good people in our city.
There are so many people who care, so many people who want to
make a difference. And if you'rea nonprofit leader and you need kind of
help support engagement, get out tosome of the networking events I know,
John, you promote a lot ofthem. It's a great way to meet

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people because they really do care.That's the one thing I think through my
entire transition to this role that hasbeen so encouraging to me is the incredible
people who really want Baltimore to liveup to what it can be, to
live up to its true potential.Yeah, I agree, I agree.
Well, thank you. All right, let's switch gears a little bit on

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you. I love to talk aboutleadership on the show. So how would
you describe your leadership style? Ohjeez, John, I guess it's a
hard one, right, Like youcould talk about your history, and I've
had the benefit of working for andreporting too some really smart, capable,

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talented role models. So I'd liketo think I've taken the best of so
many of them to combine them tobe my own leadership style. I try
to be as collaborative as I can. We have a really smart team at
Business Volunteers and they really know whatthey're doing, and so I like to

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have them lead us and make surethey have the support and resources they need
to be successful in their jobs.I mean, really, they are some
super talented community engagement experts that knowwhat they what they need. Yeah,
and that's great. Sometimes you justkind of have to let them do their

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thing, right, I mean thatyou know, if there's trust there,
if there's talent there, and thereyou know, the expectations are being exceeded
and met and communications there, thenI mean that's that's a great that's a
great organization. You know if ifif the leader can you know, really
trust their people that they're doing theirroles and there's there's hyeah, not a
lot of handholding that you need todo, I guess right, right,

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But you know, the the pandemicwas was a challenge for all leaders,
I think, and you know,I learned a lot during that time and
there was a lot of flexibility thatneeded to be given and patience and it
was hard on people emotionally, Yeah, personally and professionally and all of that.

(20:07):
I think really it took a tollon organization. Yeah. Yeah,
how did you kind of maintain theculture during that time? And you know,
do you feel that you've come throughvia the other side with a better
culture, with the same culture,with a different culture. Talked about that
a little bit. Yeah, that'shard that there should be textbooks on this

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one, right, I'm sure therewill be, right, Yeah, I'm
sure there will be a chapter onthe nonprofit community and the impact that that
COVID had on it. Well,you know, we were not unscathed by
from a staffing perspective, by bythe pandemic. We had some really talented
folks who had other opportunities come upthat that left us to go on and

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take other opportunities. So that wasobviously disappointing and sad, but really great
for them. So we had todo recruiting and onboarding at a time where
we were not really even in theoffice. So like that was I think
that was really hard. And thegood news is we've brought in some more

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really capable, talented folks. Weare back in the office most of the
time, and I'm starting to seethat family feeling develop again among our group.
So that was something I felt likewe really had during the pandemic where
we would you know, zoom,we complain about it, but boy,
it got us through because we werestill connecting. We could see each other

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and know when people were having agood day or maybe not so good day.
Yeah, So I mean I feelon the other side, we are
we're really we're really in a goodplace with a good team and a boy
it was it was not easy.Yeah, Now, no, I don't
think anybody had an easy time,But I think it was a good to

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learn lesson around communication and a checkon your culture, really tested the the
you know, the strength of yourculture, all those things. So every
time I asked that question about howthat's how you know what what leaders have
learned through that, I always getsome really interesting responses, And a lot

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of it does have to do withjust communication and trust and you know,
and maintaining and building on that cultureall those things. So yeah, sharing
that, I mean, I wasdefinitely John a person who I wanted to
see you every day. I neededto know, see touch that you were

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working every day and if that ishow you are wired. Stepping back to
a remote world and a hybrid worldwas really that was a real adjustment,
really, And I mean the goodnews is I I feel like I know
I can do it, and Ido trust that our team is getting their

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work done when we're I don't seethem every day. Yeah, but and
I still think it's really important forpeople to be together. I think that
face to face time, the casualconversations. We do walking meetings, so
we are our office is close toto Raven Stadium and frequently we will all

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or the small group of us willget up and go for a walk and
we'll talk about whatever the topic ofthe day is. And it's a great
way to connect differently. You can'tget that if you're not together, you're
not in person. Now, now, I'm a big believer in that too,
And that would have had I stillbeen at the BBJ at the time,
I would have been, that wouldhave been tought for me. I'm

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more of a yeah, I wantto connect and build relationships to help people
like and it's it must have beenreally tough to do that virtually, So
yeah, I would. I wouldhave been a tough That would have been
a tough time for me, Ithink, you know, if not for
all of the horrible things that happenedduring COVID, and you know they were

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horrible. Yeah, it's such aninteresting case study. Yeah, I learned
so much. Yeah, you know, I learned so much professionally and I
learned so much personally about what Ican do, what I can't do.
And if not for that experience,I might not have ever learned those things.

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So again, if it's it's tragic, and if not for that tragedy,
it would be a you know,kind of a great case study.
Yeah, agreed, agreed. Wellwhat gets you excited about the future of
business Volunteers Maryland. Well, here'swhat I'll say. I think if you
go to a give session or cometo give graduation and you hear from the

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future leaders of our city and ourbusinesses and our nonprofit organizations, you go
out to a volunteer event where BusinessVolunteers has people working, whether it's a
skilled volunteering event where people are sharingtheir expertise, or they're rolling up their
sleeves and moving rocks, or yougo to one of our board trainings,

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all of those things. What reallygets me excited is the people that I
get to meet, who I knowreally care. They care so much about
Baltimore City, they care so muchabout making our nonprofits successful. They know
that there are some great organizations outthere that need some help, and they're

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ready, willing and able to stepup and do it. I mean that
gets me excited. That gives mereal inspiration for the future of our city
too. Right, so much yousee on the news that can be pressing
and sad, and then you goto a give graduation and you say,
oh my gosh, there is hope. All right. So conversely, what

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keeps you up at night? Well, you know, I think probably what
any nonprofit organization worries about, andit is, you know, we've got
to make sure we continue our funding. And it's you know, every year
we are renewing partnership agreements with ourbusiness partners to make sure we can continue

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to provide the support we do tononprofit organization. So you know, I
it's no different than when I hadmy job in the for profit world.
Frankly, I mean I worried aboutthat there that too, right, I
got to keep that client, can'tlose that program. It's the same thing.
And you know, I think thoseare those are important things to worry

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about. I have an organization andstakeholders that are counting on me, and
if I didn't worry about it,I think that would be another you know,
not so good statement. So yeah, yeah, all right, well,
thank you appreciate sharing that. Sojust a final kind of wrap up
questions, is there anything else you'dlike our listeners to know about you and

(27:06):
Business Volunteers Maryland. Well, Imean just to know that we're here.
It's amazing that we've existed for twentyyears, and every day I meet someone
who says, I've never heard ofBusiness Volunteers Maryland yet we've been supporting people
in the community for two decades.So I would really like for people to
know we exist. If you're strugglingwith employee retention or employee engagement, or

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you want to find new opportunities todevelop leadership skills for your staff, or
to find ways for people to collaborate, we have great ideas that are fun
and will engage your staff. Sojust know that we're out here, ready,
willing and able to help. Awesomeand tell us how to find more
information about Business Volunteers Maryland. Thebest place is probably at our website.

(27:59):
That's www dot Business Volunteers MD dotorg. So remember we're five A one
C three nonprofit dot org and anyanything that you would want to know is
there. But there's also a waythat you can contact me directly through that

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through that website. Great great well, as they a proud board my borrow
of business volunteers. I really doappreciate you taking the time, Julie to
talk to us more about the organizationand especially I get fellowship because that's that's
that's such a great, great opportunityfor both nonprofits and the for profit community.

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And I would encourage the business communityto look into more information about Business
Volunteers Maryland and the corporate social responsibilityservices they offer. So it's a great
organization and again appreciate you taking thetime to talk to us today. John,
Thank you and thank you for yourconsiderable support to what we do in
the community. We are great fullto have you part of our of our

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team. Absolutely, thanks Julie,have a great rest of your week and
talk to you soon. Thanks John, you two, this has been iHeartMedia's
CEOs. You should know