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Meet Becky Gray of Must! Charities in Templeton

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Becky Gray.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
September 2011, I was working in marketing & PR for the wine industry. September being California Wine Month, hosts many events throughout the state. I was taking a Friday off, as that next morning I would be heading up to work an event in San Francisco’s Ferry Building, pouring wines from the San Luis Obispo Wine Region. I loved my job and wasn’t considering anything else at the time. Life was grand, and I had been working in an industry I loved for over 16 years. That Friday morning I received a call from a friend. She asked if I could help her that day. She was getting two young foster placements and wanted to “girl-ify” some rooms. The timing was perfect, I had a day off and we had just redone our girl’s rooms and were looking to donate quite a bit. I jumped at the chance to help. I had no idea of the situation these girls were coming from but the joy in helping those less fortunate, and knowing that these girls would have a special place of their own filled my soul.

That next morning, my husband and I drove up to San Francisco, and in some conversation I was sharing how much happiness I found helping others. I shared what had transpired the day prior, and the pure joy that came from it. I even verbalized thoughts that began to swirl in my head, wondering if there would ever be an opportunity for me to have a job where I use my business skills and tie them in with philanthropy. He said, “maybe that is something you should pray about.” I listened to his advice, at the same time unaware of conversations happening that aligned with these thoughts of mine.

We had a wonderful weekend in the city, on the way home I checked my email. My inbox contained a message from a friend and winery owner. The email was simple and straight forward it read: I know you love your job, but this might be something you would be interested in. Attached was a job posting for someone to create a grassroots non-profit that was birthing out of the wine industry in Paso Robles. The wine industry in our region had the largest economic impact, and yet we had no cohesive giving coming out of it. In 2010 conversations had begun amongst a small group of winery owners, about philanthropy, new ways to look at philanthropy, local community needs, and the wine industry. These five winery owners had an incredible idea but needed someone who had time to do the work and make it happen. As you can imagine, my husband smiled and looked at me as I got teary-eyed reading out- the job description. He encouraged me to go for it, take the risk, and see what comes of it. A few months, and several interviews later I was chosen to make it all happen and that was the beginning of must! charities – February 2012.

The conversations that took place in the beginning lead us to creating what must! is today. We are a non-profit public gifting organization based in North San Luis Obispo County. (San Luis Obispo County covers quite a bit of rural area – and what we found were some of the greatest needs not getting the attention they deserved in the northern region of the county). We pool community donations & expertise so that we can invest strategically in local non-profits that are addressing our greatest community needs. The transformational change happening in our region is affecting multiple nonprofits and tens of thousands of lives for good. Non-profits benefit too, as we invest with a sustainability approach so that these non-profits will be successful for years to come. We are just a few years in, and only beginning to scratch the surface of the potential this new way of conducting philanthropy can have on a region.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I giggle a little bit as I answer this question. I attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and the motto they instill in you from day one is ‘Learn by Doing’. I still live and breathe that motto every day. I call it “failing forward”, and embrace it wholeheartedly. When you charter new territory, there is only so much you can glean from others attempting to do similar things, and the rest you just have to figure out as you go along, take risks, and know that not everything is going to turn out like you expect it to.

We had huge visions (and don’t get me wrong, we still do), however the growth of our organization right out of the gate was slower than we expected. It’s hard to prove something works when you don’t have a win under your belt. The one big win we had, was that our executive board covers all the overhead, so individuals giving could be assured that 100% of their dollars were being invested right back into our community, in a very strategic way!

This model of giving is quite different and can be difficult to explain as so many parts and pieces are involved. We are not a typical grant giving organization (in fact we don’t even use that word). We give in an evocative way – investing large dollar amounts while really getting involved in the business side of the non-profit. We have evolved in how we tell our story in hopes that more people can understand it, and are still to this day crafting it differently depending on the potential donor we are talking with. Bottom line, we are fund managers for social good. We are learning daily, how to build our donor base while retaining the donors we have. This is just one side of our business, as not only do we have to grow our donor side, we also have an investment side of the business where we give back.

We learned a lot right out of the gate with our first non-profit partnership. The foundation of must! charities giving is all built upon identifying the biggest needs or social issues our community is faced with (this premise helps us to avoid pet project ideas). In 2012 we looked at some studies and saw that there were over 4,000 kids identified, who didn’t have a safe place to be after school because there were not enough programs or safe, licensed places for them to attend. We did some research and began conversations with The Boys & Girls Club. Originally we went in thinking, we will just build bigger clubs and make sure every child has an opportunity to attend. As we began to dive deeper into conversations, it was like peeling back layers of an onion, when we began to address something, another layer would reveal itself. Ultimately we discovered that we needed to invest in the foundation of the non-profit itself before we could even begin to look at growing and serving more youth. This was eye opening for us, I know looking back we think of how obvious it is, but when you go into a partnership with a non-profit, sometimes it takes time for all parties involved to discover where resources are leaking, to plug holes, so that ultimately a strong foundation can be laid and growth can then take place.

I look at these situations now as part of the process of what we do. Internally we are still evolving and figuring out how best to operate, and we continue to build upon our experiences daily. I definitely don’t pretend to know it all. I try to remain in a state of curiosity with an open mind to learn and grow and be adaptive. Just like when we go into partnerships and bring different perspectives or look at things through a different lens, we too invite others to do the same for us. On our giving side we have learned to take our time and really get to the root of what is holding the non-profit back from being where they want to be. So often as individuals we want to fix something we see immediately, but oftentimes what we see on the outside is a result of something not working right on the inside, and often times it takes a lot of work to get to the root of it all.

As any successful business owner knows being adaptive is the answer to success. The best part is we have the opportunity to bring that concept into the non-profit arena as well. We partner with those non-profits who are willing to be adaptive so that our community benefits. Being adaptive requires vulnerability and transparency. In order to be better we have to continually look at what we are doing and improve upon it daily. Most days the road is smooth, other days the road can be rough, but in the end even the rough days and tough lessons learned provide the greatest rewards.

We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Must! Charities is a 501(c)3 public gifting organization. We invest strategically with existing non-profits to create positive impacts in our region. The investment comes from individuals and businesses who trust the comprehensive vetting process and accountability measures must! charities employs to create social good. As you can see, we are an innovative crossroad of philanthropy. We partner with donors in a collective way. We pool our resources together so that we can invest large gifts as needed in local nonprofits. Those investments when paired with expertise, ultimately strengthen a community in ways that aren’t often done in a typical philanthropy setting. We are connecting visionary leadership to strategic philanthropic investments. When I explain what we do, I get various responses. You could look at us as “venture philanthropists” – similar to venture capitalism, we pool resources and invest strategically, but instead of looking for a positive cash return on our investment, we are looking for a positive social return for our community.

We specialize in strategic investments that benefit an entire community. Often times in the world of philanthropy, a donor will approach giving because something has transpired in their life and feel the need to do something that gives them meaning and fulfillment. Let’s be honest, it feels good to give. We have a little more strategy behind our giving, and there is never a personal decision made, but rather a decision to invest based on what our community needs most. Rather than telling a non-profit we have X amount of dollars we’d like to give you, we look at it from a different angle. We have already identified the biggest needs in our community, and we come alongside those non-profits who are servicing those needs. We begin dialogue, and ask questions, such as “Do you know where you’d like your organization to be in 5 or 10 years?” or “Have you identified what you think is holding you back from achieving your goals?”. The questions in conversations vary, sometimes resulting in organizations not even having goals to begin with, just knowing they offer a service. As the questions are answered we then walk them through a process where needs are identified, and what will it take to fulfill those needs, and then at the end we put dollars to it all. I guess this is what you would expect to see from a business coach if you were operating a for profit business. And that is what sets us apart from others – you could look at us like business coaches who are willing to invest dollars into the business. Bottom line non-profits are businesses and should operate just like a business. In the end, the profits can ultimately be used to improve their operation or provide better services.

Another thing that makes us unique is 100%!!! Yes, 100% of what people give go directly to a project, thanks to my executive board (and a few past board members) that covers 100% of the overhead. That is unheard of in this line of work. Often times you hear horror stories like 10 cents of your giving dollar actually goes to the cause, or over 50% of your donation gets lost in overhead.

One more thing that makes us stand out is the way we encourage our donors to get creative with their giving dollars. We want giving to be painless and easy, and something that is simply a natural part of how they live or do business. From the start our founders implemented a “buck-a-bottle” concept. For every bottle of wine sold, $1 would go back to our community through must! charities. We call this transactional giving. We set this up, as many people were already giving to non-profits and we didn’t want them to stop, we wanted to create new revenue streams of giving dollars for our community. From the ‘buck-a bottle’ other ideas began to spread, and depending on the business or size we see everything from a ‘buck-a case’ or a ‘penny a gallon’ in the fuel industry, to a dollar amount per referral, or close of sale of a property, to a simple $15 per month (50 cents a day) from a single parent who wants to be a part of this community-wide effort… (I could go on and on about all the creative ways people give, but that’s a whole other interview). The biggest take away here is we believe EVERYONE can be a philanthropist, philanthropy isn’t about how much wealth you have it’s about a desire to be a part of something bigger than yourself.

As for what I am most proud of? That’s hard to sum up… so much good is coming from the work we do. I must say I am proud of our community. Without our donors, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do, and we wouldn’t be able to make the impacts in our community that have been made. I have met some of the most selfless, generous individuals who live and do business here. People look at our community when they visit and think we live in paradise – and let’s face it we do… but it is the hearts of our community that truly make this place unique.

And then just look at the results… Here are just a few examples:
Our first project alone… In 2012 we launched the first of several partnerships with the Boys and Girls Club. At the time one club was servicing 100 kids. Within a year, the club was awarded on a national level as being the #2 club in the nation for small rural clubs, then grew to serve kids year-round in 2 cities in the north county, and recently underwent a successful regional merger with Santa Maria Valley Clubs, and are now known as the Boys & Girls Club of the Mid Central Coast. By combining operations, they now have streamlined efficiencies as well as a greater footprint to serve and we just launched another new site out in Shandon – where the need is so huge! 50% of the youth come from single-parent households, 85% qualify for free & reduced lunch programs and 50% of families served are considered low income. The fact that we can provide services out there for those youth is incredible!

Our partnership with El Camino Homeless Organization – we have invested over a half-million dollars there and helped them transition from an all-volunteer, working board, to a governing board overseeing seven full-time staff members. We brought in expertise in the HR and Organizational Development field, walked them through strategic planning, helped with leader recruitment, and even made some capital investments such as solar, which is saving them thousands of dollars per year. We had conversations right out of the gate about how they could better serve their clients, and the City Council recently approved a 24hour operation (they were only a night shelter prior to this), we are investing in a full commercial kitchen that will serve as a training ground for the the restaurant and culinary industry, we have made connections with our donors in this field who are excited to teach classes, as they too can benefit from the opportunity to train potential employees. There is so much happening in this organization, and so much of it stemmed from our partnership investment with them. Their CEO said it best, “You challenge us in a good way, to pursue more, do more, be the best at what we do.”

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Wow! This is a loaded question I’m taking it way back… back to my upbringing where everything was rooted to today:

My parents, Jim & Judy Wells, who modeled philanthropy, loving & serving others, faith, hard work ethic, and business – they encouraged and supported me through my childhood and into my adult world. I wouldn’t be in the place that I am today without them. I had teachers and coaches in my life who also invested in me as a person, and challenged and pushed me to be the best version of myself I could be, as you know it takes a village.

My husband, Randy, has been one of my biggest cheerleaders and supporters. He is my best friend and has always encouraged me to pursue my dreams, never settle for less, believe in myself, and he reminds me daily of how proud he is of me, as an individual, a wife, a mother, and businesswoman.

My two daughters are my inspiration. Bringing children into the world makes you look at things from a different perspective. They have been the source of my desire to create change in the world, to make our community better, to invest in others and most of all they have reminded me and taught me simple life lessons as they grew up.

I have had some amazing employers who took time to invest in me as a leader in the industry, and also personally. They treated me like family and bent over backwards to make sure I was taken care of and show they valued me. They came alongside me and modeled work ethic by example – I can recall being under pressure to open the Edna Valley Vineyard Hospitality Center by a deadline (and as you know construction doesn’t always happen according to your perfect timeline – which meant in the final stretch long hours would be put in prior to us hosting a grand opening event) and two owners, John & Yvonne Niven, would show up in the evenings with food for the staff, and dressed in their work clothes ready to do whatever we asked of them. They taught me so much about work, life, community, employees, and so much more… I appreciate them immensely.

The founders of must! charities – Eric, Terry, Scott, Sabrina, Doug, & Fred – and their willingness to let the local gal, lead the charge of their conceptual idea. The time, conversations and work that they put in to even generate the concept of must! charities to begin with is inspiring. I am grateful for their willingness, dedication and continued investment in me and the organization to this day. The fact that they saw the need, and didn’t just talk about it but took action to bring it to life and make it a reality is incredible. And, that they had the desire to set it up so that 100% of the overhead was covered from their creative philanthropy dollars – simply amazing!

The donors of must! from the infancy stages to today – I wouldn’t be doing this work if it weren’t for them. Their willingness to not only donate financial resources but leverage expertise as well is incredible. It takes a community to move the needle on things, and this community is working together collectively to make it happen.

The individuals who are willing to work the front line in the non-profit sector, doing the heavy lifting. Wow! the work is incredibly difficult, but also probably the most rewarding. They impress me daily, and no matter where you live – there are people working hard to serve the less fortunate in your community – often going without the recognition they deserve. I see them, and I appreciate all they do. I am grateful for these individuals as they are the backbone of our community.

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