Giving isn’t simple. Think about the last time you tried to pick up the check for a friend or family member after dinner. There’s always that moment where someone puts the card down, and then the other person protests – there’s some back and forth. “No, you don’t have to,” etc etc. In my experience, this moment can even turn a little awkward, or become a battle between family members – who can convince the waiter to take their credit card??

The point is – just because a gift is offered doesn’t mean it will be received, or received well.

And this is true in the nonprofit world as well. Sometimes giving has to be strategic to have the best effect.

Today’s guest is Paul Ramsey, executive director of a Denver-based nonprofit, “A Little Help.” This organization brings together inter-generational groups of volunteers, from kids to older adults, to do some “little help” tasks for seniors in their communities. Picking up groceries, dusting the bookshelves, changing light bulbs, or air filters.

But what I found most interesting about our conversation was Paul and his team’s calculated approach to helping their neighbors. As he says in the podcast “You can’t just throw help on people!” We’ll talk about the differences between the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boomers, how these two groups receive help in drastically different ways, and how communities will continue to change, as each generation reaches the age of needing… Just a little help.

I’m your host, Megan Hannay of ZipSprout. Welcome to The Zip.

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In the two years we’ve worked with local nonprofits, events and associations, one of our biggest frustrations has been a lack of accurate measurement for local entities. We’ve used Moz’s Domain Authority, which provides understanding of the quality and influence of an organization’s website. But there’s so much more to local influence than quality of a website from a search perspective. While we’ve encouraged others to use metrics like email newsletter size and social media followings, we realize these metrics are difficult to view in aggregate across various metro areas.

So we developed Reach Score.

Reach Score is a metric that characterizes local sponsorship opportunities by their influence, or reach, compared with other organizations in the same region. Reach Scores sit on a scale of 1-100, with 100 meaning an organization has the most local reach, compared to all other organizations in the same region. Reach is established by six data points: website Domain Authority (required), Facebook and/or Twitter following (at least one is required), email newsletter subscribers, event attendees, and ZIP code.

Calculate the Reach Score of any local organization here.

Methodology: how we developed Reach Score

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It’s so easy to look at life as a series of major goals and milestones. Accomplishments. When we start walking, start speaking, start reading, start school, Start driving! These milestones make life measurable. They help us celebrate our hard work, and give us a reason to pat ourselves on the back. But milestones can also be dangerous. They aren’t one size fits all. There are often delays and setbacks. And sometimes life throws major roadblocks our way, making us wonder if we’ll ever reach that next goal.

So, while we often use the term “hope” in association with those big moments, hope is really a matter of perspective. And todays guest, Bridget Asheim, provides some great examples. Bridget is the Executive Director of Hopekids North Texas. Hopekids is a nonprofit that plans more than 300 events per year for families of children with life threatening illnesses. These aren’t glamorous, milestone events. Rather, they’re everyday fun. Movie nights. Sporting events. Themed parties. The idea behind hope kids is that hope comes from the everyday joys, not the milestone events. In this interview, you’ll hear Bridget talk about some of the friendships and bonding moments that have come out of the Hopekids community. For many of these families, life has been put on pause. And when milestones seem vague, taking hope from the day to day is even more important.

Welcome to the Zip.

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Las Vegas is a name with a lot of meaning. Especially lately.

I had too much fun in Vegas, in my early 20’s, so in recent years, the idea of Vegas makes me think of late nights and hangovers. And this very strange encounter with Andy Dick? Which… is a story for another time.

For many of us, that’s the spirit of Vegas. Drinks the size of fishbowls. Sometimes literally served in fishbowls. Dancing. Poker tables and the ringing of slot machines. The THUNDER DOWN UNDER.

And of course, in the couple of weeks – Las Vegas has taken on the burden of unspeakable tragedy. No city wants that, no matter their spirit or style.

But speaking to todays’s guest, I saw a different side of Las Vegas.

Vegas is a place of history too. It’s an enclave of performers, but it’s also a bustling culture in its own right, with subcultures of artists and dancers. Today’s guest, Victoria Jones, is an active member of the Vegas Community, and the Tap Dance community, and she works to keep these two cultures intertwined.

So, if you feel like you’ve only heard bad news out of Las Vegas lately. Heck if you feel like you’ve only heard bad news in general lately, I think this episode will perk you up. I always enjoy interviewing someone with strong passion for their work, and Victoria’s passion for tap dance, and for Las Vegas, shine a new light on some old tropes.

You’ll hear how the history of tap dance is deeply connected to the history of African American performers, and to Las Vegas performers. How tap developed throughout the 20th Century, and we’ll also hear from Victoria about her own journey, from a kid dancing in her kitchen to the coordinator of a festival that draws tap dancers from all over.

Welcome to the Zip.

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What do you want to do when you grow up? As I get older, I’m beginning to think this is a question that many of us never answer. As long as there’s a tomorrow, there’s an opportunity to do something new, whether it be a career move, a promotion, seeking new friendships, or getting involved locally. Sometimes I imagine this vague future moment, when I’m a “grownup” – and all those pieces are fit together perfectly, with just enough time for everything I care about.

One day, right?

So today I’m speaking with a guest who’s reached her “one day.” Maybe not all the way – I’m sure she’s got more that she wants to do, but Diana Ferner is well on her way. I found Diana through her work at the St Louis Professional Women’s Association. Diana works at Edward Jones – a national financial services firm who is a sponsor of the St Louis PWA, as well as thousands more local organizations across the US.

See.. we’ve been busy with data at ZipSprout lately. Specifically, we’ve been looking at patterns among sponsor thank-you pages – you know, those pages that list everyone who gave money? We used a tool to look at those pages in aggregate, to record the domains that were linked to from those pages, and to count those domains.

Edward Jones is number nine on that list.

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