DO GOOD X Podcast

Ep. 38 Navigating Challenges and Change: Alisha L. Gordon’s Nonprofit and Entrepreneurial Journey

• Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis • Episode 38

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Welcome to the DO GOOD X podcast, your go-to resource for insights and inspiration on building impactful businesses! In this episode, hosts Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis are joined by Alisha L. Gordon—an awarded teacher, faith leader, social strategist, and entrepreneur. As the Founder and Executive Director of The Current Project, Alisha is working to close the social and economic gaps for black single mothers. Through her work, she has navigated the challenges of entrepreneurship, tackled systemic stereotypes, and shared powerful stories that inspire change. Alisha discusses her work with black single mothers, overcoming obstacles, the importance of intentional breaks, and the tools entrepreneurs need to build sustainable and impactful businesses.
IN THIS EPISODE: 

(00:00) Introduction

(04:48) As a black single mother, Alisha Gordon's journey inspired her to launch The Current Project

(08:57) Alisha reveals the biggest obstacle she has had to overcome

(18:43) How to know when it’s time to take a break from  your business as an entrepreneur

(26:31) Tools entrepreneurs will find instructive for their business

(31:30) Raising funds by sharing stories and collecting surveys from black single mothers

(43:50) Alisha answers questions “off the cuff”

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Alisha Gordon’s nonprofit, founded in 2020 during the pandemic, has thrived by reshaping stereotypes about black single mothers and sharing their stories. Despite the success, the organization has faced challenges in confronting public narratives and navigating personal grief, highlighting the dual burden black women leaders often bear while driving change.
  • Many successful black and brown women entrepreneurs choose to close their businesses and nonprofits, not because they lack success, but because they prioritize personal capacity. Factors like grief, health challenges, and shifting family dynamics highlight their evolving priorities and the need for self-preservation in leadership.
  • A well-curated board of advisors is essential for entrepreneurs, helping to fill expertise gaps and stay focused on their mission. While early-stage leaders may rely on familiar networks, intentionally selecting advisors aligned with strategic needs can drive leadership development and long-term success.

RESOURCES: 
DO GOOD X - Website

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DO GOOD X - LinkedIn

DO GOOD X - YouTube

DO GOOD X - Spotify

DO GOOD X -  Instagram

The Current Project - Instagram

Essence Feature - Black Single Moms

The Dip - Book

GUEST BIOGRAPHY: 
Alisha L. Gordon is an awardee teacher, faith leader, social strategist, and the founder and executive director of The Current Project. This nonprofit closes social and economic gaps for Black single mothers through strategic programming and policy. Under her leadership, the organization has raised over $700,000 and gained support from major partners like The Wayfarer Foundation and The New York Liberty. Previously, Alisha led programs at Riverside Church and worked on political campaigns, including Michael Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential run. A Decatur, Georgia native and Spelman College and Emory University graduate, she has received numerous awards and lives in Harlem with her dog, Cookie.

Narrator: [00:00:00] Welcome to the do good X podcast, a sanctuary from the entrepreneur grind host Kimberly, Danielle, and Steven Lewis advocates for impactful entrepreneurship guide you on the path where purpose meets business. Join us to slow down, reconnect, and explore the challenges of under resource entrepreneurs, uncovering the unique journey of building businesses and creating value.

That make a difference. Now you're host.

Stephen Lewis: Welcome to the do good X podcast. My name is Steven Lewis, and I am a catalyst for positive change in communities and businesses. And for over two decades, I have inspired leaders and entrepreneurs to live and work on purpose. And I'm joined here today with my colleague and fellow co host Kimberley. Hey Kimberley, it's good to see you.

Kimberly R. Daniel: Hey, [00:01:00] Stephen. Good to see you as well. And hello to everyone who is tuning in. My name is Kimberly Danielle, and I am a communication strategist, a community builder and a coach who comes from generations of faith driven leaders and entrepreneurs who believe that our purpose should drive us to contribute to the common good.

And I am excited and look forward to our conversation today. Today we have Alicia. Elle Gordon joining us. Alicia is an awarded teacher, faith leader, and social strategist whose work intersects with social advocacy and culture. She is founder and executive director of The Current Project, a nonprofit organization committed to closing the social and economic gaps for Black single mothers using the intersection of strategic planning, Programming and policy to lengthen the runway for thriving and under her leadership, the organization has emerged as a leader in bridging the stories and needs of black single mothers across the [00:02:00] country, raising nearly a 1 million for its programming and gaining the support of pink cornrows, the The Wayfarer Foundation, the New York Liberty, the Pearl Milling Company share our strength and city fund.

Prior to the current project, she served as executive minister of programs at the historic Riverside Church in the city of New York, where she led innovative strategic programming for the 2000 plus member congregation. She also served as. Director for faith based initiatives for national and citywide political campaigns, including Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign in 2020 and Maya Wiley's historic mayoral race in the city of New York in 2021.

Alicia was recently awarded the prestigious Time Lock Innovative Leader Award, the on the horizon award from the North Manhattan alumni. Uh, chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, named Emory University's Distinguished Top [00:03:00] 40 Under 40 in 2019, and has served on the alumni board of Candler School of Theology since 2022.

And in 2023, if all of that was not enough, she was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award for Faithful and Creative Leadership from the Candler School of Theology. at Emory University, which is the highest honor bestowed upon the school's alumni. And I think you can probably see through all of the things that I've named, that creative and faithful leadership that she reflects and embodies through all of her work.

And not only is Alicia doing all of that, she is the mother to a college sophomore, junior, junior, junior, college junior. And she lives in Harlem with her beloved dog, cookie. It is so wonderful to have you, Alicia, good to be in conversation. It's been quite a while. Alicia is not [00:04:00] new to Steven or myself.

And so we look forward to this conversation that we'll have with her today. Thank you for joining us. 

Alisha Gordon: Thank you for having me. I was like, wow, I've done a lot. 

Kimberly R. Daniel: Yes, you have, you have. Now, the current project, as I said this in your bio, but to be more specific, you have had significant recognition Being featured in outlets like Political Essence and in conversation with leaders like Lamont Hill, Dr.

Lamont Hill, and Roland Martin. And, as I mentioned, you've also raised nearly 1 million to support Black single mothers and their families. I want to hear what inspired the current project and what has sustained your passion for this mission? 

Alisha Gordon: Yeah, that's a really good question. So, you know, like most of us, so much of our work is out of our lived experience.

And as you read in my bio, I'm the mom [00:05:00] to a college junior, and I'm a single parent. And I learned that I was pregnant with Ashley when I was a senior at Spelman. And 2004. And learning that I was pregnant with her really changed the trajectory of my life. I was thinking about going to graduate school to become a journalist and making the decision to bring her into this world just changed the trajectory of my life.

But that also meant that I was going through all of the things that you could imagine that single, um, black mothers often go through being single. reliant on social safety net, managing and navigating relationships with her father, thinking about like how I could increase my earning potential by moving jobs and becoming an educator and going to graduate school and doing all of these things to try to close the kind of social and economic gap for ourselves.

Um, And so it's out of that lived experience of being reliant on social safety net, knowing what it's like to face eviction, knowing what it's like to like make a dollar out of 15 cent, [00:06:00] understanding the importance of not only just reliance on social safety net, but reliance on the community of reliable others, like my friends and networks and communities, um, to be able to bring us to the place that we are in now really is the core, uh, in Genesis story of the current project, thinking about how Do we utilize not only community resources, but also thinking about how, uh, policy is really critical in sustaining the thriving of black single mothers.

And so the current project is really about, um, birthed out of my own lived experience and thinking about what were the things that were necessary for my own economic and social thriving. Uh, what kind of. Uh, barriers that I often face when we're talking about trying to access things like social safety nets.

What did it mean that they wanted me to come to the welfare office at two o'clock on the afternoon on a Tuesday? But they also expected me to go to work. Right? So, these kind of policy things that we often, um, that, that, not just Black single mothers, but I [00:07:00] think, you know, people writ large are, when they are trying to close these gaps for themselves within the policy norms that we have across the country, we often find that there are these barriers that make it extremely difficult for folks to pull themselves up through these programs.

And so, that base also. Combined with programming that is really sensitive to the needs of black single mothers around economic mobility is really the crux of why we do what we do. Um, and the sustainability of the work has been really rooted. I mean, it's been rooted in my own journey, right? Like I started this organization in 2020 in the middle of a pandemic.

This was after. Um, the first president, that presidential campaign I was on. And I think a lot of people were in this place of like trying to pivot and figure out like, what do we do in the middle of this, uh, global pandemic? And the sustainability of it has been very much rooted, not only in how I was able to work through my own story through the current project, [00:08:00] but also this people who were really committed to, and were able to see the vision of our work very early on, there were people who were just like.

We've never seen anything like this before, and we want to know how can we get connected and continue to, you know, help build it. And so, you know, that's. That's really the core of what, um, how the current project was being able to be birth and how it sustained itself in his very early years. Um, and how we've been able to raise money and really shift the narrative, which I think is really important around this particular demographic.

Stephen Lewis: Well, you've been very successful in the last given that you just started this in 2020. And I know that building a nonprofit and leading it comes with its own set of challenges. So what has been the most significant obstacle that you face leading the current project? And how did you overcome it? 

Alisha Gordon: I mean, which one would I pick?

How many, how much time do we have? [00:09:00] I think The most significant, I mean, it's a twofold answer. I think the most significant challenge that's like primary has been working against public narrative. There has been such a deeply rooted stereotype about black single mothers, what black single mothers are deserving of, what they have capacity for, what their dreams are.

And when you are trying to convince black folks. Brown folk, white folk, rich folk, philanthropists, corporations that, that investing in this particular demographic is a worthwhile, um, investment. You really have to help people reimagine the embedded stereotypes that they often realize they don't have about black single mothers.

And so I think the biggest challenge has been, um, The narrative change work, uh, we've been successful in being able to fundraise money. We've been successful with being able to extract [00:10:00] and the stories of Black single mothers that we work with to really bring those voices to the center. Um, but the challenge has been is helping the, the, the world at a larger scale.

When we talk about through media, we talk about through a philanthropic, philanthropic efforts to help people understand and distill down and recognize the kind of stereotypes that are embedded. in the ways in which not only do they understand the stories and narratives of Black single mothers, but also the ways in which they decide, if at all, to give money to programs that are focused on this particular demographic.

I think part B of the challenge has been just my own lived experience of You know, running this, um, organization and the kind of life challenges I've had, good and bad, like my daughter, you know, I became a nester. She went off to college in 2022 and it's just been me and her for the last almost two decades.

And so that was a shift in not only myself, but the way that I, you know, [00:11:00] did my work. It's one thing to have a child at home and talking to other mothers who are also having children at home, but it's another one when that, when that bird leaves the nest, and so that was. One thing, and then just some life shifts, you know, I lost my mother and my brother, um, during the last 18, and my grandmother the last 18 months or so.

So that's really shifted the way in which I am leading this work, um, and my attentiveness to the work, and also recognizing that that's such a key part of Black women leaders, right? That we're often leading really important work, but under the guise of grief, under the guise of stress, under the guise of like, you know, So many kind of life changes that we are often navigating while we're trying to help other people get to the place of their own thriving, so.

But we doing it. 

Stephen Lewis: You are. You have, I think in nonprofits, you know, we, you know, when you think about entrepreneurs who pursue a nonprofit route, um, the business model is [00:12:00] different. How do you generate resources is different. And it's just really impressive the ways in which you have been able to garner the kind of financial support in order to kind of continue this work, which is important and necessary.

So. 

Kimberly R. Daniel: Yeah. Thank you for that. And to get that support in the midst of complex grief and all of the other things that you get to manage in, in your life. And there are a lot of entrepreneurs and to what you're saying, Black women and brown women who are juggling all of these things. And. Given all of the demands are sometimes facing burnout, questioning their way forward, not just in their personal lives, but also with their business.

And I'm curious if all of these things that you are holding, uh, have brought up questions around your way forward with your business and if so, how have, or how [00:13:00] are you navigating this? 

Alisha Gordon: Oh, that's such a, a meaningful question. You know, This is no exaggeration. Probably in the last three months, I've seen black and brown women leaders who are either doing for profit work, they're running some kind of business, um, or non profit work, have decided six, I've been keeping a list, I have a, in my notebook, six different women that I follow on Instagram that I either know personally or just through their online presence, I Have decided to close down their business or just decided to sunset their nonprofit.

And 75 percent of them, um, I would probably say five out of the six of them are running successful organizations or corporations. They are not quitting or closing because business is down or they're not raising money. They literally are saying to themselves and to the world that I don't have the capacity to do this work in the [00:14:00] way in which I'm doing it now.

Simple as that. And there's almost something that's happening, I think, in the atmosphere and the universe where you're seeing these leaders who are making really difficult and bittersweet choices about work that they've committed their lives to, the last 10 years to, to say that What is happening in my life, whether it's around grief or loss, whether it's around health challenges, whether it's around my children or in a different phase of life and I need to give more attention to them, or if it's simply I really don't want to do it anymore, right, which is I think it's a powerful, uh, proclamation to make to yourself and to the world to say that my, my identity, my desires, my capacity has changed.

And actually there's just a lack of desire to do it in a way that which I've been doing it for so long. And so, and I think I find myself in that same bucket of discernment, right? You know, [00:15:00] losing three family members in quick succession, the kind of capacity building that is required to, to maintain and sustain a nonprofit.

And also the kind of life capacity that has been necessary to raise a child and get them off to college and like all the kind of like social, spiritual, emotional pivots that are required to do that in a, effective and successful way takes a toll on entrepreneurs. It takes a toll on leaders. And so, you know, I'm in a place of discerning that myself, but I raised that to say that I do think that there are many social entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs, nonprofit and for profit people who are finding the courage to say something is shifted in my life.

And I want to give real intention to attuning myself to this shift. And being able to separate identity from the work to say, whatever the public fallout [00:16:00] from this is what it is, but there's something happening in my life where I want to make real investment in attuning to what's happening with me. And I just, you know, It's not lost to me that six women that I know in the last three months have made these announcements on Instagram.

And I would imagine that they won't be the last. And so what is, what is it that we really need to attend to and be mindful of and kind of see the writing on the wall about, about how we're running our organizations, even when they are successful and even when they're doing well, because it's one thing to end something that's not doing well, it's another thing to step away from something that is actually, um, yielding fruit.

And so. It's just a note to kind of like put it on the wall as we, as we kind of look at this trend of black and brown leaders stepping away from their work because they need to attend to their own personal lives. 

Stephen Lewis: You know, Alicia, one of the things that your story makes me think about in the conversation that Kim and I have [00:17:00] been having with entrepreneurs is this idea that, you know, if entrepreneurship was easy, More people may be go into it, but we oftentimes don't weigh the cost of, um, of what it costs to do and to pursue and to bring these, these visions, uh, these callings to life institutionally.

And, but, but what I also hear you saying, um, implicit in your story is that we also don't weigh the cost of the other things outside of the business. that we have to navigate or will have to navigate in our lives. Um, and oftentimes we, we say, Hey, you, you need to build a team. Um, you know, your team of advisors, a team that can help you carry the business forward.

And even when we do that, we still have things that are going on in our lives [00:18:00] that we have to think about who's part of that personal team. And so, you know, um, this is very helpful when, as I think about these. Ideas and particularly what, um, parents, single parents, particularly black women and brown women have to carry.

And also in addition to how they carry their, their work forward. So what I'm curious about is how do you decide when it's time to shut your business down and why shut it down versus. Sell it off or bequeath it to someone else or hire someone else to take it. Um, talk to us a little bit about that. 

Alisha Gordon: Child, listen.

You better know God for yourself and listen to the spirit. Oh, no. You know. I think that there's a people who have an entrepreneurial spirit, either by [00:19:00] gift or by force, because they had to work themselves into this role, um, are often so engulfed with the day to day of the work. That the voice inside of us, inside of all of us that has that knowing, that itch, that thing, we often ignore it.

Not on purpose, it's simply because there's so many other external things that are being said and that we're focused on. And I think for, um, I think when you ask the question about how do you know, you just really know. I think for me there was, over the summer, Just randomly sitting in my office, this same room, and there was a fleeting thought that said, I don't know if I want to do this like this anymore.

And that was almost shocking to me, because I'm like, this is my, this is my life's work. I love my work, but when I got that [00:20:00] thought that kind of went, I was like, Ooh, 

Kimberly R. Daniel: what's that about? 

Alisha Gordon: Right? 

Kimberly R. Daniel: And, 

Alisha Gordon: A few weeks go by and it kind of, again, and I was like, no, wait a minute. But in the busyness of, you know, fundraising and summer stuff and all this kind of stuff, you just kind of like, Oh, that's the enemy.

That's, that's something else that I, but in reality when I slowed down for a second and took inventory of the fleeting thought, I said, there's something to this. And I think You know, when it's time, when you slow down for just a moment to attend to the fleeting thoughts and, and cross checking them, why am I feeling this way?

What's coming up for me and doing some real discernment, whether that's through your spiritual self or through a therapist, which is what I've been doing to really [00:21:00] investigate, like, what is, is this just exhaustion? Is this just tiredness? Or is there really something here that I need to be mindful of about why these thoughts that I've often never had about my work are now showing up in this season of my life.

And so I think I think that's it. And it's kind of esoteric, it's a kind of an esoteric kind of response. Like there's no step one, two, three, like, but I think that that is often the reason why we get to a place of burnout is because our bodies, as the book title says, our bodies are often keeping score, our bodies know.

With that, we have extended beyond the shelf life of a particular season in our lives. And I think that there is some shame and embarrassment and some ego that's often wrapped up in us continuing to do things, even though we know in our bodies that we need to take a break. And so sometimes it's, to [00:22:00] your question, do you bequeath it?

Do you hire an ED? Do you bring in a new CEO? I think that that's options for a lot of people to be able to hand over the day to day to, you know, another person. But I know for me and mine, I'm like, do I want to hand my baby over to, you know, it's like, do I really? Right? Because you can go one or two ways.

You can hand it over to somebody, and it falls to crap, and it's kind of like, oh my god. Or you can hand it to somebody, and the ego blow is that it takes it to levels that you've never imagined, right? And we have to be honest about that kind of even, that assessment, like, is that something that we are willing to offer, offer up?

And so, I mean, people have to discern what the right thing is for them. And I think that there is, even for the current project as we're discerning these, these things, I think they're a part of our works that I want to be legacy work. I want our policy and data research to live on forever. So [00:23:00] how do we begin to kind of put that into the world?

How do we begin to partner with other, uh, nonprofits and institutions to say, Hey, we have this really great data bank about black single mothers that may be useful to your work. How do we pass that off? I mean, really meaningful ways. But, you know, the short answer is. We had to slow down long enough to, to hear what our bodies and our spirits are telling us.

And if we don't intentionally slow down, they'll slow it down for us. 

Stephen Lewis: That's good. What it reminds me of is, uh, it is a good word. What it reminds me of is the late legendary educator, Howard Thurman, who says there's so much rumbling that's going on inside your streets. So much, so much rioting within you that I wonder if you can get still enough, not quiet enough, but still enough to hear this fleeting thing that just ran across your mind, but was something that you need to pay [00:24:00] attention to.

Alisha Gordon: And I think that's countercultural to the entrepreneurial spirit, right? Because, Like that's what we're talking about and what Thurman suggests is countercultural. And obviously Thurman was writing in a different time, a different era, right? But I think the, The principle of being able to be not silent, but still it will tell us everything that we need to know.

And we have to be willing to be counter cultural if it, because by design, and especially because of the work that you all are doing at elevating social entrepreneurs, people who understand that their work is deeply connected to the liberation and power of marginalized communities in particular. It is embedded in our, um, ethos, um, almost to, to innovate and capacity to build around issues, right?

But there's one thing about [00:25:00] this experience as a social entrepreneur that has to be countercultural to the ways in which we do our work. And that is taking the opportunity to be still enough to, to hear what What universe, what God, what body is saying to us, the rumblings to us, because our inability to do that actually can sometimes taint the divine work that we are called to do because we're doing it out of a place of whatever the field of attitude is.

So that's my thought on that. Like, I'm, I'm preaching to myself, I'm preaching to myself. 

Kimberly R. Daniel: Yeah, this is such an important conversation and one that we haven't had on this podcast so far in really taking that moment and discerning the way forward with your business, given all of the things that you named and what Stephen has named as well.

We're going to. [00:26:00] Shift a little and, and talk about some resources here that can support other underrepresented entrepreneurs as they're building their businesses or as they're discerning what's next. And why don't us just start off with what are one to three key resources or tools that you found instructive for building out the current project in How can entrepreneurs leverage those tools, particularly as they are looking forward with their business?

Alisha Gordon: Yeah, you know, the first thought, and obviously I'm coming from a non profit, um, framework, but I think this is true for for profit organizations as well, is that my board of advisors, has been critical in our ability to, um, not only move the work forward, but really to develop me as a leader. And I think that's probably true on the corporate side.

You have whatever corporate frameworks are around leaders, [00:27:00] CFOs all those things. Um, but my, the first resource is really this board of advisors that I have that are, have been critical in, um, Shaping me as a leader have been critical in helping us move the work along in a really strategic manner, helping me stay, um, focused on mission.

Um, my board chair often says, at least you're getting mission adrift. Like stay, stay here. Come, come back daughter. You can't save the world. Just, you can't. Focus on your work. Uh, so that's been a really important thing and about intentional, about curating who those people are. I think in the early stages of building a business or a nonprofit, we want, we want to tap into friends and sorority and fraternity people, and we want to gather the people who we, um, are most in closest proximity to, but I think there's a real power in slowing down and taking some real inventory and thinking about where are the gaps in your business.

Um, and how do [00:28:00] people like an advisor or a board member, uh, fill those gaps for the organization, um, in really meaningful ways to help alleviate some of the, the pressures that happen and come with, um, entrepreneurship. The other thing, uh, resource, kind of on theme here, there is a book by Seth, uh, Godin called The Dip.

Um, very quick little short little book. Um, but over the last four years, I've read that book four times because every time I feel like I'm in the throes of despair around leading this work. I go back to that book to almost do a exercise about like Is this dip about external forces? Is it because I need to reimagine how I'm doing my work or the rhythms of my work?

Do I need to be more strategic? Or is there something greater? And over the last three and a half years, it's been the former. It's just like, Alicia, you just need to figure out another way to do this. You're not working efficiently. So that [00:29:00] book has been really helpful as a resource because it's quick, it's accessible.

Um, and it's, And it does a really good job of snapping you out of these kind of proverbial dips, um, to be able to make quick assessments about where, where the pivot needs to happen. Is it like external or is it something that is, is deeper? Um, and the third, I don't know. I think the third resource really is, I'm gonna tell you what it is.

Third resource has been friendship. Let me tell you. The good group chats, the conversations over brunch. I live in Harlem and, you know, we, we love a good brunch on a Sunday at the church, uh, the coffee dates with like minded. Um, individuals who are running their own business or even working in corporate, but they are leading teams like those moments of intimate intimacy has been so essential in sustaining and [00:30:00] maintaining this work over the last four years.

Because what we do as social entrepreneurs is unique and often isolating and lonely work and It can be especially in the post pandemic world if you can call it that I work from home all the time A lot of us are working from home and before you know it you could be in the house three days straight It ain't seen nobody but you and your dog, right?

And so having these regular check ins with friends With colleagues being really intentional about curating that time, whether it's over coffee or, uh, or meeting up for a conversation has been a critical resource that I think, uh, we often don't name as a resource, but. Having these kind of conversations and friend groups has been essential to not only my sanity, but the ways in which I've been able to do this work, um, in really meaningful ways.

So the third resource is friends, honey. Friends, friends, community. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Stephen Lewis: Well, you know, access to funding [00:31:00] is often a barrier for underrepresented entrepreneurs, particularly, uh, women of color and especially for black women. And so I'm curious, what strategies have worked for you in raising funds for the current project and what advice would you give to others who are looking to secure financial support as particularly for those of us who understand that.

Funding never is without any strings attached. 

Alisha Gordon: So we've done a really good job at being able to secure corporate and foundation funding. Probably about 70 or 75 percent of our funding comes from corporate and foundations. And I will tell you, The primary way we've been able to capture those funds is through relationships, people that I've met over the years, people I've met through Emory, through Spelman, through, you know, FTE, like, through, [00:32:00] through all of these organizations, when it's, We started when I started the current project and it became like a public knowledge.

Literally people were just like, yo, I see what you're doing. This is really exciting. Let me know. Cause that's always a lot. Let me know what I can do to help. And I'm like, I could tell you what you can do. Combine and cut a check. Um, and so that has been, relationships have been really critical and essential to us being able to develop those relationships.

The part B of that has been my board. Um, again, your board, your board of advisors, your working board, the part of their, their primary job is to be able to connect the organizations with people who, um, have access to funding. And so we've done a really good job of, um, them identifying where the resources are, them pitch hitting it to me, I'm doing the pitch, you know, and really working it that way.

The other part has been. Around so about 25 percent of our funding [00:33:00] is from individual donors, which really honestly are more meaningful to me than the corporate dollars because these are individual everyday people who are making investment in our work out of their own pots of resources. And, Our success around that has really been tied to great storytelling.

You know, I think that there, I think because so many of the individual donors know me personally and they know my story, there's a, there's a deep connection there, but what we've been really intentional about doing is like bringing the stories of other black single mothers into the center and letting them tell the story and letting them reframe the narrative and them making the case for why investment into our work is really important.

And so the connection between, um, the individual strategy and donor strategy has really been connected to stories. And I think social entrepreneurs, we do this work because we know the stories. We've seen the stories. We, it is our lived experience or it's a lived experience of the communities in which we [00:34:00] live.

And so I think a strategy there is really thinking about like, how do you elevate these stories and tie the stories to some kind of financial outcome? So we may say that a 50 gift. Um, pays for one hour of economic training. You know, we could say a thousand dollar gift. Uh, we use that money to, uh, purchase books for our online cohort.

People really want to be able to see and make a connection to say, like, my 50, my 1, 000, my 5, 000, this is what it is going to, and here's the story behind that gift. And I think that is, um, I won't say I think it's a lost art form because we live in a social media world where telling stories is like a part of the, of the thing, but I think that there is, um, at least On our end, there was almost a guerrilla style, very authentic.

Rather, you know, it's just me and my iPhone child. I'm like, girl, tell me what's going on. You know, there's, there's, you know, we're not, uh, we're not overthinking it in the sense of production. [00:35:00] We're just like, let's just capture the source. Let's just put it out there. I'm gonna put a little thing on it from Canva and we'll see what happens.

Right. And I think there's a level of authenticity in that. Um, that strategy that people really appreciate, um, and has really helped us cultivate our individual donor strategy. So those are the two things, you know, relationships and narrative storytelling that really feels authentic and being able to help people quantify what The dollars are doing for a particular community is really important.

Kimberly R. Daniel: There's so much value in what you're sharing. And I also want to add to, you know, not just the relationships, community storytelling, that's related to, uh, impact, but also the piece you named about you just pulling out your iPhone and capturing these stories. And it's. Really just getting the story and the story told well from the people who are experiencing these pain points and challenges themselves.

And I say this in particular, because I [00:36:00] think there are a lot of entrepreneurs who feel like whatever they put out publicly needs to be well polished. They need to invest a lot of money into it or production. And it really kind of hinders their ability to, Tell the story because they're delaying it, or it has to be told in a particular way, other than just really focusing on the art form of storytelling, which is the center of human connectedness.

And so I love that you shared that in that way, and you're just simplifying it for your purpose. And also because you have a limited capacity as far as a team. And there are a lot of people listening in who have limited capacity because of the team. So I encourage you all, you listen. Nurse and definitely take note of what Alicia is sharing.

And also I have one more question related to resources. So you talked a little bit about how the current projects work really is focused on the intersection of, uh, strategic programming and policy in order to create an [00:37:00] impact. So for founders who want their businesses to influence policy, because it takes a specific type of business to do that, uh.

And they want to influence policy around a specific issue. What steps or strategies would you recommend for them to pay attention to or lean into as they are building their businesses? Ooh, this is exciting. 

Alisha Gordon: Okay. So, um, one of the things that the current project, I took a risk on dealing with one of our funders.

I committed, I asked the funder to make an investment, um, to give us money literally to survey black single mothers across the country about their social economic well being. They were like, well, you really never did nothing like that before. I'm like telling you, if you give me the money, we will do it.

Right. So to answer your question, I think the first thing that organizations and social entrepreneurs need, need to do is collect data. Data is [00:38:00] so essential. It does not matter if you are running a coffee shop that hires, you know, formerly incarcerated people, it does not matter what the business model is, but you should be collecting data on, um, both demographic data, but also qualitative data.

What are the stories? What are the anecdotes? What are the things? Because those are often the things, data is the thing that, that makes the case for policy change. I find that, you know, when we're talking about things around like social and economic issues, when we talk about social safety net, access to SNAP, access to housing, we have been talking about these issues for 65 years, right?

Many of the policies that shape, um, Uh, the well being and needs of marginalized people have been on the books for decades and they have, you know, the federal shifts have been very slow, but what we have found is not only the use, how, um, how data plays a role in being able to make a case that for those [00:39:00] who are detractors from the issue, people who don't think that these issues need any attention, they can't deny data.

I mean, they can. We see it all the time. But you can't deny what the data says about a particular demographic. You can't deny, right? And so I think there's something that data does that stories, stories are important. We just talked about that. But I think data solidifies the argument that we are often making about the need for shift in policies.

People can, can often dismiss The stories of people are you just making that up? That's, that's, you know, that's your it's an isolated incident It's not it's an isolated incident that black single mothers who are out earning social safety net But under earning to economically thrive exists that's made up But then we do it that we do a national survey and find that 77 percent of black single mothers that we surveyed said they fall into that gap So it ain't just something that I made up right so because we now have the data.

So that's the first thing I think the second thing is [00:40:00] Shifting, um, especially for social entrepreneurs who are, you know, working in local communities or something like that, doing some kind of product based service, is think about how your work and the data that you're collecting, whether it's statistical, qualitative, whatever it is, and how that shifts local and state policy.

Oftentimes we shoot for the stars and try to shift federal policy. And I think that's critical. And I think that's important, but when you talk about having leverage to be able to make real policy change, oftentimes faster than you can on the federal level is to try to work with the city council. Right there in your city, right there in your neighborhood, try to work with the state legislature because you're actually probably able to move the needle a little further and a little faster than if you try to do federal because people often forget that a federal change means it happens all across the country.

Honey, we'll be here forever, but if you can just work [00:41:00] on the local level, we found that shifts on the policies and conversations on a local level are actually more effective and reach the people that we're serving much faster than when we try to push it for the federal level. So, for example, you know, maybe in New York State, I think to qualify for something like SNAP, a family of four can't make more than like 26, 000 a year in New York.

Right. And so we recognize that many families in order to qualify for these types of policy things, uh, access, have to be at or below the poverty line. It has just not the lived experience of, of people who live in this state, right? So the policy conversation is not necessarily how do we get the federal poverty line to change, because that's a huge lift.

But it is to say, New York State, how do you begin to expand the income ban to ensure that families who, because you all are determining the state income ban, of how people qualify for these [00:42:00] things. How do you expand it to ensure that more families have access to these things? And that feels like a different lift than trying to push for a change on a federal level.

So those are my two offerings, um, collecting data and thinking about how your, um, data influences local and state policy first. 

Stephen Lewis: Those are good points, particularly as you think about how you put data and storytelling together. You're looking at the quantitative and the qualitative dimensions of how you talk about impact.

And so I think those things are really important. And then how do you use that story. That data driven storytelling to actually cast a vision of possibilities of what could be so that the state and local municipalities can actually kind of raise the bar in terms of thinking about possibilities versus actually thinking about what only they can do in their particular setting.

So we're going to shift. And what I want to say is that for those who are listening, if you want to take your [00:43:00] business to the next level and need support for the journey, visit do good x. org to join our community and access resources, tools, and advice from fellows and entrepreneurs and change makers.

And if you want to help us spread the word, leave us a rating or review on our podcast and share this episode with an entrepreneur who could use some inspiration. And now we're going to move to our next segment called Off the Cuff. We have a series of questions that have not been shared with Alicia that we will ask at a fast pace and ask for your first impression that comes off the cuff.

So here, uh, we want the first thing that comes to mind, Alicia. Um, and it's an on sensor response. Are you ready? What is the best advice that you received on your entrepreneurial journey? 

Alisha Gordon: Take a nap in the middle of the day if you need one. 

Kimberly R. Daniel: [00:44:00] Okay. Those naps, those naps are, they can be magic. They can be magical.

I just was not expecting that, but it's 

Alisha Gordon: true. 

Kimberly R. Daniel: All right. What is one of your go to practices or rituals to slow down, center and connect with yourself other than a nap? 

Alisha Gordon: Yeah, music, music, music is the way that I do that. I turn on some boss Nova or some jazz or, you know, something that doesn't have words.

And I just try to lose myself and what's happened musically. That's often the way I try to ground myself. 

Stephen Lewis: What is the greatest lesson that you've learned so far on your entrepreneur journey? 

Alisha Gordon: The greatest lesson I've learned is that the sustainability of the work is deeply connected to our understanding of our own stories and experiences.

It's, that's the way that, that's the thing that keeps [00:45:00] us connected and going. Yeah. 

Kimberly R. Daniel: How much of your success do you attribute to your faith versus your own grit, will, or hustle? 

Alisha Gordon: Child, listen, first giving honor to God who's ahead of my life, huh? Listen, it's all faith, it's all God, you know, I, I would never take any credit for, for what God has done in my life.

And I also recognize that the experiences that I have had, that God has like, given Shepherded me through the grit, the will, the resilience, um, has been, uh, the parts of the journey that have kept me going when I felt like I couldn't hear or see God. When I felt like I couldn't hear or see God, I said, well, Lord, let me just tap into some grit and some resilience because I know you told me to do it and I don't hear you right now.

So I'm going to keep on keeping on until you come on back and say something else. And so I would, I would give it a try. 100 each on each side. 

Stephen Lewis: So complete this sentence [00:46:00] because of my entrepreneurial endeavor, communities will be, or are more able to. 

Alisha Gordon: Communities will be able to see the infinite possibilities that are possible for their own lives and the lives of their families.

Stephen Lewis: Well, Alicia, we'll have to leave it there. I want to thank you for such a wonderful conversation and a look into your own story and your entrepreneurial journey. You're such a gift to the community and for millions of people who will listen to this episode and for the black women that you are working on behalf of.

Thank you. 

Alisha Gordon: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. 

Kimberly R. Daniel: Yeah. Thank you for saying yes to this. Thank you for the work that you're doing. Thank you for the transparent conversation, the real life stuff that is happening for entrepreneurs that may not be named, but it is happening, [00:47:00] especially from a black woman and your lived experience.

So thank you for also just sharing with us today, sharing your wisdom, sharing your valuable insights and your, your story. We appreciate you. Of course. 

Alisha Gordon: Of course. It was, it was my pleasure.

Kimberly R. Daniel: So Steven, what is one of your superpowers? We often ask our guests this, but I thought that maybe today we'll just talk about our own superpower. So what's one superpower that you have, or in other words, a gift that you believe you bring to the world? 

Stephen Lewis: The art of asking questions. I think, you know, uh, I'm a curious person.

And so I think that curiosity oftentimes gets catapulted or catalyzed in a question and that question then [00:48:00] allows me to kind of go down the curiosity rabbit hole around the different things I'm interested in, but also it helps me in the mentoring and advising and coaching of other people.

Entrepreneurs and leaders and what they're doing. So that curiosity kind of embodied in a question, um, I think is one of those superpowers that I bring to the table. What would you say about your superpower? 

Kimberly R. Daniel: Well, well, first I want to say that I have been one of those people listeners that Steven has asked these types of questions to questions and the questions The question, I appreciate that gift, um, in you because oftentimes it leads to deeper insight or reflection that brings more clarity.

Sometimes it brings more complexity [00:49:00] or anxiety,

but they're helpful. They're all helpful to. The discerning journey of life in one way, shape, or form. So I appreciate that gift that you hold. I would say for myself, one of the gifts that I've possessed that has also been affirmed in me is that I have the ability to be the calm in the midst of the storm.

And this is something that I do professionally and I do personally. And so when there seems to be a lot of chaos. That is happening. Uh, I tend to go until into those spaces and bring peace. Organization and really help to bring folks into a level of centering and focus. And so that's happened in a lot of my professional work over the past year, going into, [00:50:00] because something else I do is, is consult with organizations, going into these organizations where things are very chaotic and really helping them to take a moment of pause.

And kind of recenter and have a better strategy for it. Or even in my personal life, uh, in, in with family and friends, when there are situations and challenging challenges going on, I remember one time between two family members, it was a big moment of tension and a very intense moment of grief. And I literally sat myself in between both of them and immediately.

They looked at me. And they quieted down and they were able to have a real conversation, um, that actually resulted in something, a solution. And so, and so it's, it's, it's a gift that I am happy to really bring to other spaces and also bring [00:51:00] to entrepreneurs who are experiencing storms within themselves or within their own businesses and in the hopes that.

Uh, calming, centering oneself really can put them on the path that they are called to be and put their businesses on the path that it needs to be. 

Stephen Lewis: That's good, Kimberley. You, you, I would say that I have witnessed you embodying peace, be still, everything will be all right. And then you had this thunder, gregarious laughter.

That I think reassures people that yeah, everything will be like, sometimes we just have to laugh our way through our anxiety or even our storms. So, yeah, I can, I can attest to that in the work that you've done with organizations and people within, uh, the organization that [00:52:00] we've, uh, have partnered in and worked in.

Kimberly R. Daniel: Thank you. 

Stephen Lewis: I appreciate that. 

Kimberly R. Daniel: Well, I hope all of you tuning in, stay safe. Listening in, you think about your own superpowers. What is, what, what is the gift or what are the gifts? Because you probably have more than one. What are the gifts that you bring to your business, to your community, to your family, to the broader world that you can really help others or, or bring something to different spaces that, uh, isn't already there and it can also help to move your business forward.

So reflect on those gifts. Lean into those gifts. And don't keep those gifts just for yourself. 

Stephen Lewis: That is right. 

Kimberly R. Daniel: We hope that you join us again next time. And until then be well and do good.

Narrator: Thank you for listening to the Do Good [00:53:00] X podcast. To continue the conversation or access our resources, visit www. dogoodx. org. Join us again for conversations that will nourish your soul, ignite your dreams. And empower you to build an impactful business, one intentional step at a time. Until then, keep striving, thriving, and doing good.