496. Thriving in Turbulent Times + Building a Future-Ready Organization -Erin Davison

Listen to this episode

Overview

Meet Erin. She’s the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana, the region’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network. Despite facing four federally named natural disasters in less than a year, Erin and her team remained resilient and unwavering in their commitment to the community. In a surprising turn of events, a mysterious email led to a $1.1 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott🎁 Erin used this gift to launch the Big Defender Fund, securing the future of youth mentoring programs in her community, no matter the challenges Mother Nature throws their way🌩️ Erin shares valuable lessons for nonprofit leaders on thriving in turbulent times, seeking help amidst chaos, and rebuilding organizations to be stronger and more resilient than ever💪 Prepare for some touching stories – you won't want to miss this one!

💡Learn

Case Study: BBBS Southwest Louisiana
How nonprofits can thrive during turbulent times During Turbulent Times
Ways to build a future-ready organization

Today’s Guest

Erin Davison, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana

“So as long as I’m in this role, we’re going to give those kids who haven’t been seen yet an opportunity to thrive in a world that has totally beat them down already.”

— Erin Davison, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana

Episode Transcript

Download Full Episode Transcript Here

Episode Highlights

Erin’s story and journey to where she is today (2:30)

Leading an organization during four catastrophic events (7:00)
An unexpected $1.1 million donation (11:40)
The impact of a transformative gift (16:40)
Erin’s lessons learned about creating a future-ready organization (25:15)
A powerful moment of philanthropy in Erin’s life (29:55)
Erin’s One Good Thing: Grace. (35:20)
How to connect with Erin and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana (38:15)

Impactful Quotes

"I don't expect things, I just do what I do, because I love what I do." -Erin

"I firmly believe in stacking your team, which means everybody in my organization I feel is smarter than me." -Erin

"Any organization small, big, mid, emerging, needs to diversify their financial portfolio." -Erin

"Grace is a word that we don't use often. It's hard to give yourself grace or to give others grace. And giving grace is not anything other than sympathizing and empathizing." - Erin

"I'm tired of the labels of bad kids. They are a product of their bad environment and they make bad choices." -Erin

"So as long as I'm in this role, we're going to give those kids who haven't been seen yet an opportunity to thrive in a world that has totally beat them down already." -Erin

"I learned that I have to give myself grace, and have to allow rest. That is key to at least try to ingrain that into your leadership role." -Erin

“It's little moments that make a big impact and that's what we do.” -Erin