By Stephen Alexander, Exponent Philanthropy 

Join me to explore the values and visions of emerging leaders of a socially minded generation. Below is an excerpt of my recent conversation with Caroline Mullis, a program associate with the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina. In 2013, Caroline participated in Exponent Philanthropy’s inaugural class of Next Gen Fellows. 

What do you enjoy most about your work?

What I enjoy most is that I feel fulfilled by my work. Too many times I hear stories from my peers who are weighed down by their work and constantly feeling defeated. Although I may have those moments, there isn’t a day that I don’t walk out of my office feeling like I did something for the betterment of my community. I feel honored to be part of the long legacy that Coastal Community Foundation is leaving, and it inspires me every day to uphold the organization’s values.

What is the most challenging aspect of your work?

The most challenging aspect is being taken seriously or proving myself as a young professional in a field where we are scarce. In my position, I meet with both donors and nonprofits, often facilitating site visits with committee members. I know walking in to these meetings that my knowledge and/or experience is going to be questioned, and that only fuels me to be better prepared and more confident in my abilities. Despite being a decade younger than most colleagues, knowing that I have their unwavering support gives me the motivation to go into these situations with confidence. People tend to forget that young professionals can have fresh ideas and perspectives to share and that we are knowledgeable enough to understand philanthropic and organizational history.

What do Millennials bring to the table?

My generation and I bring to the table a new outlook on life and careers. Although we may be less concerned with face-to-face interaction, we are more connected to one another than previous generations. We quickly and easily share our thoughts and opinions and, in turn, are more tolerant of opposing ideas. I believe this idea sharing has made us a more collaborative generation who has learned to accept different opinions.

We also grew up in an era when community service was not only encouraged, it was often required. I believe this has led us to have a concern for our community engrained within us, which spills over to the workplace. I have read countless times that Millennials are less concerned with making money and more concerned with meaningful work. Whether I was aware of it or not, I am proof. As Millennials begin to take on leadership roles in their careers, I believe a shift will happen to produce more collaborative and tolerant workplaces where idea sharing is imperative.

It’s frustrating when Millennials are labeled as greedy, uninterested, and unmotivated. This isn’t the first time a generation has been mislabeled, and I’m sure we’re guilty of it too. It shows how misunderstood people can be, and if we took more time to get to know people’s core values, we’d be better for it.

What’s your vision for philanthropy?

My vision is for philanthropy to be a way of life for everyone; something that happens naturally. It’s often seen as something only the wealthy can do, and I hope that this inaccuracy is corrected.

So how we can do a better job to make philanthropy accessible to all? Perhaps we, those working in philanthropy, need to actively engage more people. The first step is to educate. Anyone can take part in philanthropy and everyone should have a sense of ownership of their community. It doesn’t take a huge check or dozens of hours and we need to show them how easy it can be.

What unique role do community foundations play?

Community foundations play an incredibly unique role. We are the facilitator and steward of donors’ philanthropic intentions. We’re a neutral convenor and resident expert within the community. Part of our job is to know what’s going on. We’re positioned to provide technical assistance to nonprofits and educate donors. That means we need to know what’s going on in the nonprofit sector. If a nonprofit is in trouble financially, we need to know. If there are nonprofits doing the same work, it’s our duty to help them collaborate. We have a full 360-degree view of everything going on.

Do people realize how much community foundations bring to the table?

When I participated in Exponent Philanthropy’s CONNECT conference in 2013, I heard about foundations that were just starting out. They were learning about the legal work, due diligence, site visits, and administration. The whole time I kept thinking that if they worked with their local community foundation, the community foundation would help ensure that their gifts were safe, smart, and the best use of their money. People may shy away from the idea of working with a community foundation because it’s their legacy, their money. But I really wish that people engaged community foundations in conversation early on. Our staff has such a good hold on what’s going on in the community, and we can be such a great resource for donors and the community.

Related resources

Voices From the Field, an Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) blog series

Working With Community Foundations: A Guide for Small Foundations, an Exponent Philanthropy primer

Program Manager Stephen Alexander designs sessions for our educational programs and coordinates content production with the goal of delivering the best service possible to the Exponent Philanthropy community. Before coming to Exponent Philanthropy, Stephen worked with Thomson Reuters, Jones Lang LaSalle, and two small nonprofits in Washington, DC. Stephen serves on the leadership team of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network’s DC chapter and is a member of the Next Gen Now giving circle in Arlington, VA. Follow Stephen on Twitter @salxndr and Exponent Philanthropy @exponentphil.