Special Edition 14: The Great Philanthropists - Ryan and Cindy Beedie - Community Leverage

Welcome to another edition of "Around with Randall" your weekly podcast for making your nonprofit more effective for your community. And here is your host, the CEO and founder of Hallett Philanthropy, Randall Hallett.

It's wonderful to have you joining me on this Edition of "Around with Randall". We slip back into our great philanthropist series delving into some of the individuals, couples, people who have made a difference in philanthropy. What we can learn from them as a part of this process? Today we go north of the United States border to Canada and talk a little bit about Ryan and Cindy Beetle excuse me Beedie and their work regarding philanthropy, particularly in the western part of the country. Very interesting in terms of what it means to leverage community support. So just real quickly, Ryan grew up watching his father who started in a very small company, small construction, growing it into an enormous organization. He took over and also now has grown a real estate empire to becoming one of the richest people in Canada. His wife, Cindy, grew up and they met actually at Simon Frazier University and today after somewhere up north of 25 years of marriage all the amazing work that's been done in the real estate construction development business, I have a net worth somewhere between $2 and $3 billion. As a part of that they have valued philanthropy from the very beginning.

The Beedies have have really pushed the concept within their own family. So some of the things that they've supported include their Alma maters Simon Frazier University, Ronald McDonald House obviously an international organization supporting families and kids with those kids having health care issues, a children's hospital in British Columbia, they have been pushing very heavily for a fight around poverty, they have established major endowments and funding opportunities regarding education. In fact they launched the Beedie Luminaries, which is a program to send kids, committed almost $50 million in scholarships to disadvantaged students mainly, again, in the British Columbia, kind of the western side of Canada. They are in some ways this new generation of wealth. Probably got a little head start from Ryan's father, but have grown and in terms of professional development and resources with their company. But they don't view it as theirs.

We talk about this an awful lot and why do people give, and I think sometimes we make it more complicated than it needs to be. What they choose to give to might be more in terms of detail in the relationship and the trust and what we need to figure out. But the Beedies have said publicly some of the same things that we've heard from and we've mentioned some of these names in previous podcasts, Melinda Gates, and why they give. And then you go all the way back to into the turn of the century and are Andrew Carnegie. They said two important things. Number one is they feel compelled to give back to the community that's provided them so much, that there's a sense of a connection to the concept of reciprocity, of wanting to make a difference and saying thank you to those places and those people, and the in this case the communities that have given them so much. The other thing I want to comment on or quote is something that is I think really important Jeff Beedie's on the record of saying selfishly another thing that motivates me is that I love it. It feels so good knowing that you're going to have an impact. That personal, human impact on someone else is so powerful and makes me want to work harder and continue to grow their business so we can do more things like that how are words in there to me were that I love it.

Philanthropy at its base if you're worth $2.2 billion or $20 in when you give of yourself, and your time, and your expertise, or you write a check, most people say that they love it, that they enjoy making a difference, that they feel compelled to make the world a better place, that at a baseline what we see similarly consistently throughout this conversation in philanthropy. And why people give is it feels good. And I think sometimes we make it more complicated. The end of the day that's what all donors really want. They want to feel good that they're making a difference, making an impact. What is interesting about the Beedies is how they view that philanthropy, and in their case they view much of their philanthropy very publicly. But they're very specific as to why, so they are very open to having their name be on efforts, projects. I'm not saying on every building in British Columbia, but what I am saying is their name holds cachet because of the business, because of their philanthropy, because of their leadership, and they use that to better causes, and that's the learning lesson from today, figuring out who and the people in your community can help others see the value of engaging in that particular project, whatever it is you're trying to do.

So one thing that Ryan Beedie said that I found interesting in an article was why is it that you are more public than many and he said two things. He says the first is to inspire and the second is to create kind of a sense of we're all in this together. And they do that through some matching effort, efforts. So the inspirational piece is if we can do what others can do it and that these are causes that are going to make a difference in making our community a better place, it's an endorsement. And they do it not only with their own gift but they tend to say look we'll give you X and you can raise money to match it and that way we'll leverage other people's support, an old tactical thing that we've all heard about. What I think is important here is that I think we spend too much time figuring out who are the wealthiest people and not who are the people that are going to bring others along. I think there's an element of both that we need but we concentrate so much on wealth that I think we lose sight of who are the influencers that bring credibility to our cause. And here's the crazy thing, the greatest credibility in the world can leverage dollars that that person may never have.

I want to tell you just a very quick story. In my past when I went to St Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, just outside Saint Paul the all-time winningest football coach in the history of Minnesota was a retired teacher and graduate of the academy. Jerry Brown. One of the greatest people I've ever met. Just a unbelievable genuine soul. And he was a little more distant from the academy. What I figured out was, it took me about 15 seconds, as he had taught going to school with, coached, or been engaged with almost every I think even alumni work too with almost everybody for more than half a century. And there had not been a class that had gone through that place that he hadn't touched in 50 years. So I hired him at 65 or 66 years old. I said look all I want you to do is come travel with me. I want you to get me in the door. Credibility.

Did Jerry and his beautiful wife, Ingrid, make the biggest gifts? No. Did they make some of the biggest contributions in the dollars that we raised in campaigns there? You're darn right he did. That kind of credibility, you can't buy. You only earn. And that's what Ryan Beedie is talking about. I think the other thing that he said is that he wants to send the message to others in the community, stakeholders, employees, community leaders, that philanthropy is of value, that it's meant to help make the community a better place, to make people's lives better. That's a value proposition. I think that's incredibly powerful in terms of wanting to say to the greater world, we can do better and we can make this community a better place. I also said that, or also read and want to say, I appreciate his commentary around legacy, that it's just not him and in this case his wife, Cindy. It's where they got it from in their parents and what they're leaving to their children. And the responsibilities that they're going to have to make that community or whatever community they live in more viable for all.

There are downsides, and he calls them risks, when you put your name out there quite a bit. Number one is overexposure, that does it lose resonance in the community if it's always the first name on the on the books. It also is important he says in the risk not just to lend your name to places you don't know. You want a connection with that nonprofit. You want to know that nonprofit is doing the right things, and is well run, and well organized. Because if they do something bad that ties back to him and his wife and the family, and so those risks of evaluation and also of exposure are important in the context. So finding people who have great credibility but aren't overexposed but understand the value you deliver and the kind of organization you are really are important in this community that you live in.

I think the other thing that comes from it is is that they're beginning to, and you kind of read it in a couple of different articles, they're having some conversation about making a larger impact. And I think this goes to what we've seen in the numbers, particularly from the Giving Institute and Giving USA report in the United States is that fewer people are making more and more of an impact. They are the driving force why philanthropy hasn't seen a reduction over the past five to ten years. But they're getting more sophisticated. They want to know what's going to happen, so much so in the Beedie's case, that I find it interesting. They really aren't huge supporters of endowments. They want to know the money is going to be used today. I think we're seeing that more and more often it doesn't mean that was another place. I love them but for some donors what are you doing today that's going to change someone's life. And maybe I want to see it in my lifetime. Or maybe I just want to know that it's being done quickly and efficiently.

The last thing I'll mention that they talk about a little bit is that they really hone in on gift agreements, about outcome and reporting, stewardship, because they want to know the value. I think that's something we see more and more. If we want to increase the years in which we retain donors the impact, the stewardship becomes more and more important. So all of these things bring us to one of the learned lessons that inspiration with utilizing someone in the credibility that it brings when you have the right people involved with your organization. As leaders, volunteer, board, maybe there are staffing whomever really adds to the overall effect that the community, how the community views that non-profit, your nonprofit. Are you aligning with the people that are going to move the needle? And secondly is that what you do inside of your organization, credibility is important and that impact that you're trying to impart, that's the hallmark of philanthropy. In a non-profit, based on its mission, is really essential in reporting.

The Beedies are a new generation of philanthropists. They're very sophisticated. I think that's what we're going to see. The trust that we saw and see in the older generation of, I believe in the organization, it isn't that. It isn't there. But there are added hurdles to get over in terms of accountability, and in terms of inspiration, and in terms of reporting that I think we're going to have to account for with this next generation. I think the Beedies really celebrate that those aren't bad things. They're just things we have to adjust to Ryan and Cindy Beedie, West Coast British Columbia, Canada. Great philanthropists changing that community and its future. How do you find people who can make that kind of inspirational connection to you to your nonprofit and to your efforts as you try to do the same wherever you are?

Don't forget check out the blogs at hallettphilanthropy.com. In addition send me an email podcast@hallettphilanthropy.com. Short version today as we always do with great philanthropists. Hopefully some things you can take away if you're thinking about board membership, or campaign leadership, or volunteer leadership, or whatever that looks like to get you where you need to be. And don't forget what you do is important. What we do in philanthropy and nonprofit work is quintessential. It's more needed today than it ever has been. Don't forget, some people make things happen, some people watch things happen, then there are those who wondered what happened, and in our world people who make things happen, those are that's you, that's your philanthropist, your donors, for the things and the people who are wondering what happened. People that are the underrepresented, the misheard, not understood, the things in our community that need the most help what you do to be someone who makes things happen for those who are wondering what happened, what a great profession. I hope you feel that every day that you're making a difference. For all the politics, through all the strife, through all the challenges through over all the hurdles, you're doing good things and you're making a difference. Take a step back and try to see that because you bring, just like the Beedies, an immense amount of inspiration, credibility to your organization. I'll look forward to seeing you next time right back here on "Around with Randall". Don't forget make it a great day.