Lesley Santos Dierks, CEO of Spokes in San Luis Obispo recently sat down with 805conversations’ host Mark Sylvester to talk about her passion for helping those in the non-profit sector. Spokes, under her leadership, focuses on helping both internal staff and the ecosystem that surrounds the non-profit, including the members of the Board.
Your perspective is the thing that can’t be taken from you.”
Topics included;
- How to use Corporate Philanthropy as a recruiting tool
- What is CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility
- How to avoid the Peanut Butter Theory – spreading yourself too thin
- What defines as non-profit – hint: it’s about your Mission
- Why there are over 1,500 non-profits in San Luis Obispo
- The classes that are available to learn all aspects of running and working with a non-profit
- How to think about succession planning – a great way to build leadership
- How to get clarity on the expectations and responsibilities of being a board member of a non-profit
- Why you should consider being a board member next time you are asked.
This was an enlightening conversation and unique in that Spokes provides such an important service to the community. Getting a deeper understanding of the role of non-profits in the region also helps us as members of the 805 region’s business community get a better feel on how we can help, collectively and individually.
For every dragon there’s a white knight.”