We were lucky to catch up with Leshundra Robinson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Leshundra, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back, what’s an important lesson you learned at a prior job

I get asked quite frequently about how to start a nonprofit and how I do it as an award-winning (in my eyes) nonprofit organization. Most believe from what they have heard that you can receive a lot of grants and funding as a nonprofit. They believe they can quit their job and receive a large salary because they will be grant funded. It’s the opposite!

When I first started UCAN of Memphis, it was a hobby. I wanted to help others in the North Memphis area and become a change-maker. I wasn’t thinking about having a salary, I just wanted to help. I still had my full-time job and 3 children that depended on me regardless of my marital status. When I did decide to take that leap of faith, leave my corporate job, and work full-time as the Executive Director in 2017, I was terrified. I prayed and asked God if was he sure I could do this. All I heard was “Depend on me”. So, I did. The first year I doubted his response because getting funding to support my salary for my lifestyle was not what I thought it was going to be. As the Executive Director, I only made $16,000 a year. Why? Because we didn’t have enough funding to cover payroll and program operation. Many items were donated, and I invested a lot back in the organization because I believed what we did work.

I was told to invest some time by attending the “Before You Ask” class offered by the Assisi Foundation. I attended the class and was astonished being a successful and effective nonprofit had so many different levels of understanding. I was on track, but it was still a lot to consume.

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?

My name is Leshundra Robinson, Executive Director of the wonderful organization, UCAN of Memphis. We are a mentoring leadership nonprofit organization for middle and high school students. Our mission is to strengthen young adolescents through mentoring, workforce development, and bullying awareness which will bring forth positive growth in the community.

UCAN of Memphis was incorporated in 2007 with the idea of helping young students achieve success through one-on-mentoring. Later we grew into group mentoring as an in-school program for local mid-south schools. I have 3 wonderful children, ages 29, 26, and 21. I understood what parents were feeling when they could provide insight into a problem they may have encountered or provide feedback for a problem their child may have had but the problem was the child felt like they heard it all before from their parents or they felt the parent was supposed to say their response; therefore, they didn’t really “hear” what was being said. But if someone else told them the same thing, the child felt like it was golden. As a parent, you feel like that’s a slap in the face (well I did) but I realized that oftentimes we want to hear others’ feedback to make sure our loved ones are not being impartial to what is happening. This was our driving force in assuring we were available to mentor students so we could help parents.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I wanted to make a difference in the community with the work we did with UCAN of Memphis. When I became the Executive Director, I worked so many hours to assure the mission, the vision, and the value of the organization were being met. I worked so many hours that I left my children behind. I made them volunteer with me (as any parent should) but I didn’t spend quality time with them. I was always working diligently caring for other parents’ children and neglecting mine. I didn’t realize how much of a mark I was missing until one day my daughter told me some disturbing news that I should have recognized. She said she had been bullied for 3 years. How dare I not notice that especially since bullying was our signature program in honor of my late brother who committed suicide from mental health and bullying. I was hurt and vowed to be more “present” mentally, emotionally, and physically in their lives. My last advice to myself was to take time out for myself. Take your time to relax and recharge.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

The best advice I’ve received as a nonprofit professional are 3 impactful statements: don’t chase the money, network, and find your “me time”. As a nonprofit leader, you see so many other organizations receiving money from the trending topics. However, when it’s time to produce the quality of the program, it becomes challenging. Why? Because they did not follow their mission. The majority of nonprofits are facing financial challenges so it’s easy to get caught up with “where the money at”. They start a new program but can’t sustain it with staff or participants. You have to be extremely careful when following the trend for grants because when the quality of production is not there, you could lose the funding.

The 2nd best advice I received was it’s about relationship building and not just money. We call it the 3 cups of tea (coffee if you are like me). You are beginning a relationship with someone that you are hoping will be a long-term donor, grantor, or even volunteer. The first cup is getting to know THEM, not you. You get to learn what they like, dislike, and their cause. At the same time, you are thinking about how your organization can fit the mix. Get to know THEM first! The second cup is your time to toot your horn on your organization. Let them see how your cause matches theirs. But still, be humble enough not to be pushy. The third cup is merging the relationship into one! How can both partners benefit each other? You want to see how this relationship can flourish together and when can it start. Now you have a marriage!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ucanofmemphis.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ucanofmemphis/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UCANofMemphis/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leshundrarobinson/

Image Credits
Darcy Thomas of Fox 13 Memphis