We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Terri Grant recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Terri , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.
In caring for the underserved, I work in communities where many residents are below the poverty level, have a significant amount of chronic health problems and medical disabilities, addictions, homeliness and reside in geographic isolated areas, and don’t have access to clean water or food to make a basic meal. It’s important to reach out to these communities because it gives you an opportunity to learn about an entirely different subgroup of the population. The needs are great, but by assisting underserved communities, you encounter new areas of need and new methods to deliver services. It definitely gives you a new perspective on life.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
By profession I am an Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) and Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP). I have always been in a field where I provided help to others, I’ve volunteered with many different organizations to do my part in giving back. I was a avid traveler that traveled the world vacationing but became restless and felt that I could do more by traveling for a purpose. So in 2020 I founded Terri Foundation with more than 20 years of experience in humanitarian relief and development. Terri Foundation is a global organization working to end extreme poverty. Our projects are multifaceted, reaching across healthcare, education, and nutritional support to the impoverished people of the world. We provide street outreach, care and cater to the practical needs of people such as; veterans that feel lost or forgotten, struggling mothers, the elderly, troubled teens that have a hard time coping with society, the homeless, and those suffering with addiction. Although, difficult I am most proud of being able to provide direct assistant internationally to a few thousand people during the height of the covid pandemic and empowering change makers to invoke change within their own communities.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Identifying funding sources and deciding on the right funding model for an organization is one of the most challenging tasks, especially for a small organization. Everything from making decisions about the right approach to handling finances is not easy. Obtaining a grant large enough to make a difference is virtually impossible in the early development stages. Donors are another challenge. I had to take on a second job that I used to totally self fund my organization.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Growing a clientele in a mission based organization (non-profit) is not an issue, as you know we’re in the helping business. There is always a need or someone needing help. Unfortunately I have to learn to say no and set strict guidelines as to who, when and where I can provide help.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.terrifoundation.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terrifoundation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerriFoundation
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCQ41THjNfDrrT1cmunwBefQ
Image Credits
I have all rights to all photos that I have presented.