Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Parkes.
Hi Brandon, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Being a first-generation LGBTQ Caribbean American, it has always been important to me to leverage the opportunities my parents created for me to develop an enduring family legacy while perpetually catalyzing efforts toward a more equitable world. I believe that entrepreneurship is a pathway to creating generational wealth. I also believe that the future of entrepreneurship is an evolution where business and impact are completely intertwined rather than mutually exclusive.
After years of working across organizations to drive impact, myself, along with my co-founders, saw a gap: nonprofits missing innovative fundraising and capacity support, companies with good intentions missing the mark, or emerging philanthropists lacking the network to source specialized experts for their interest areas – and at the same time – incredible talent frustrated and leaving the impact sector because of a lack of flexibility and growth.
That’s why we exist. We wanted to create an easy way for anyone trying to make a difference – organizations, companies, and individuals – to access impact experts on demand. Leveraging over 100+ years of collective experience, we build customized teams and offer on-demand experts to help achieve individuals, nonprofits, and companies achieve their impact goals.
Our flexible structure, diverse teams, and innovative approach sets us apart, both in our approach with partners and creating a space for seasoned impact professionals to connect with a community while supporting partners they’re passionate about.
Since inception, Parkes Philanthropy has worked with and supported organizations driving change in LA, such as Caring Across Generations, whose Los Angeles Care Council works to build community and pass innovative new programs that support caregivers, care recipients, and their families across LA and Multiplying Good, an organization delivering impact across Los Angeles by unleashing potential in youth through research-based programmatic work, while partnering with organizations and corporations to recognize excellence in volunteer service.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In May 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) included “burnout” in its International Classification of Diseases and labeled it an “occupational phenomenon”. Juggling a full-time job at a growing venture capital firm while founding a growing startup was not an easy plight. I soon developed an unhealthy connection between how I perceived my self-worth and my ability to bring 150% of myself to both.
Coupled with an acute awareness of the statistical barriers that I faced being a founder of the black and LGBTQ community, I perpetually felt an overwhelming responsibility of achieving success in spite of these unfair adversities while mentally wrestling with the inherent messages implicit in these barriers. It wasn’t long before the negative impact of burnout became my reality, The navigation and prioritization of my mental health became one of my biggest and ongoing challenges.
Experts have found that entrepreneurs are twice as likely to suffer from depression than non-founders and are 2-3 times more likely to suffer from addiction as a coping mechanism. When founders of a growing or new startup are asked what the most important contributor to their growth is, they typically respond with answers such as customers, the product, the brand, etc. When in reality, the Founder is the single-most important element of a growing startup.
In order to prevent mental health issues, I had to acknowledge that my mental health is one of the most important investments I could make in myself and my company. I’m consistently taking mental reflections of how I’m defining a sustainable and successful lifestyle and intentionally carving out time and space for preventative self-care.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Parkes Philanthropy is social impact consulting firm making it easier to create and scale impact – while working with a team you love and (dare we say it!) having fun. We’re dedicated to equipping nonprofits, corporations and individuals with the ideas, resources and support they need to positively impact the world.
That’s why we created Parkes Philanthropy. We wanted to create an easy way for anyone trying to make a difference – organizations, companies, and individuals – to access impact experts on demand. Whether helping a philanthropist bring a new initiative to life or guiding a successful nonprofit through a period of growth, the ability to integrate multiple perspectives creates a powerful advantage. Working with us gives our clients that powerful advantage of collaboration without the headaches.
The backbone of Parkes Philanthropy is our talented consultants, a collective of dynamic individuals who have each demonstrated the commitment and ability to create change through lifelong social impact careers. From designing and executing Global Employee Volunteerism initiatives at Morgan Stanley to leading events to raise over $1M at an NYC arts nonprofit, our consultants bring a wealth of expertise to engagements.
Our flexible structure, diverse teams, and innovative approach sets us apart, both in our approach with partners and creating a space for seasoned impact professionals to connect with a community while supporting partners they’re passionate about.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Covid-19 made me learn that crisis catalyzes opportunity for innovation.
During the pandemic, I saw so many impactful and transformative organizations suffering. Lack of galas and in-person fundraisers were causing major gaps in revenue streams while programmatic work needed to be transformed into a digital space to continue impacting their respective communities. While on the opposite side of the coin, some companies were uniquely positioned for cross-sector collaboration to amplify recovery but lacked the insights to effectively do so.
When COVID-19 hit, businesses were forced into a new game of survival of the fittest. Swift digital transformation and nimble reconstruction in vision was vital for organizations and companies to float or face the chances of sinking. The necessity for flexible and adaptable solutions became increasingly apparent.
Parkes Philanthropy was born in the midst of the pandemic to offer a fresh perspective and customized counsel that sparked innovative thinking and delivered adaptive solutions. My Co-founder and I began recruiting top-tier experts dedicated to improving our world, specializing in everything from nonprofit management to corporate philanthropy to the public sector.
I remember when several of our consultants hosted our first webinar with our partner, Iwave. The Parkes team took a look into how nonprofit organizations approached corporate support pre-COVID-19, how COVID-19 has changed corporate partnerships, and how to adapt programming and strategies to maintain relationships in a post-pandemic world. It soon became one of the top webinars for 2020 and confirmed the need for innovative resources and support to meet the challenges of a changing world head-on.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.parkesphilanthropy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bnp67/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkesPhilanthropy/
