Inspire Others to Make a Difference with Matthew Wadlinger of CASA of OC
In the latest episode of Nonprofit Connect, we’re joined by friend and nonprofit legend Matthew Wadlinger, the Chief Strategy Officer at the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Orange County, or CASA for short.
I’m your host Matt Barnes, and just like last time, let’s go over some of my thoughts and key insights I had while recording the episode and maybe even inspire some of you to make a difference.
What Kind of Person Gravitates to Nonprofits?
You’re sitting in a coffee shop opposite your friend Susan. She stirs the sugar cubes into her coffee, swirling them around while she tells you all about life after retirement. She used to be a teacher, you remember. What does a teacher do once they’ve retired? Where do their instincts lead them? Surely, someone who wants to change the lives of children would continue to do so in one way or another?
Well, as it turns out, she’s actually begun volunteering for CASA of Orange County, a local nonprofit. As she talks about it more, along with the constant good work she’s been doing, you realize this is basically her full-time job.
You ask if it’s draining for her. Is she not exhausted by it all?
You expect her to deflate into her chair, relieved to finally confide in someone about just how tired she is. But she doesn’t do any of that. Instead, she smiles and says, “No, I’m actually feeling really good.”
You ask her if it gets depressing having to be around such sadness and face the reality of the hardships some children experience.
She laughs, and you ask what’s funny.
“Nothing,” she tells you. “It’s just–I don’t feel sad. It’s clear we’re making a difference. It’s inspiring if anything.”
The Urge to Do Good!
The goal of any nonprofit is to make an impact, and it’s only recently that they’ve begun to realize the way to do it is through inspiring people, not guilting them into it (see our previous blog post here for more on that!) But what kind of people gravitate towards volunteering? Why do they do it?
“I think it speaks more to the type of person who wants to become a CASA,” says Matthew in the latest episode of Nonprofit Connect. “We see a lot of retired teachers and retired nurses who have given a lot in their profession over the years; they really see the joy in helping the child and helping them grow. So once they retire, they still want an element of that in their life.”
It makes sense. These are people who had a professional career based on their want, or perhaps even need, to impact people’s lives. After they retire, that urge to do good doesn’t just disappear; it likely does the opposite! The more you ignore and neglect it, the more prominent it becomes.
Ask yourself, do you have that same urge?
Listen to the whole episode!
In the rest of the episode, Matthew and I talk about a wide range of topics, such as the importance of injecting humanity into your nonprofit marketing, how to inspire others to make a difference with you, and what exactly ‘servant leadership’ means!
I won’t sit here and go on and on about what a good episode this is… Okay, IT’S A GOOD EPISODE! JUST TRUST ME! But you’ll have to decide for yourself by going ahead and listening to the latest episode Nonprofit Connect!