find your cause

Joseph Smalzer

5.0 (9)
Non-Profit
Updated Weekly

"find your cause" is the official podcast of Greater Than Zero Percent (GTZP). GTZP is 501(c)(3) non-profit on a mission to find people and organizations that are changing the world and sharing their stories. We believe that however big or small of a positive impact you have, every bit counts. As long as you are adding greater than zero percent, the momentum you build is already changing the world.

4d ago

Why a NICU Mom Can't Give to NICU Charities with Maria Bryan

Maria Bryan is the Partnership Marketing Manager at DonorBox, where she runs the ambassador program after spending two years as a DonorBox ambassador herself, and the founder of When Bearing Witness, a trauma-informed storytelling training program and podcast for nonprofit storytellers and fundraisers. She facilitates the When Bearing Witness Trauma-Informed Storytelling Certification Program, which trains storytellers to gather and tell painful stories in ways that promote safety and wellness while resisting harm. She holds a Master's in Public Administration and a Bachelor's in Journalism, and is certified in Trauma and Resilience, Trauma-Informed Space Holding, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Somatic Embodiment and Regulation. In this episode, Maria explains the difference between being trauma-informed and trauma-responsive, walks through the full story journey from consent to publication, and shares why her own week in the NICU with her newborn daughter changed how she reads fundraising appeals. Timestamps: [00:48] What are DonorBox and When Bearing Witness? [03:12] What is trauma? [04:53] What does trauma-informed mean? [05:56] Trauma-informed vs. trauma-responsive? [06:35] Is trauma more common in nonprofits? [07:54] Why aren't fundraisers trained on trauma? [09:36] Are good intentions enough? [10:27] What did Comic Relief change? [12:46] Why copy 20-year-old campaigns? [13:07] How did the NICU change Maria's view? [15:30] What should you ask before telling a story? [16:11] Who does every story affect? [17:19] Is the story owner ready? [17:44] Does your ask use guilt or shame? [18:31] What is asset framing? [19:28] Why let story owners review first? [20:46] When should a story stay anonymous? [21:27] What if they want it taken down? [22:09] How do you ask without false urgency? [23:14] What is a "go-away gift"? [24:54] Can storytelling be too safe? [26:34] Who draws the line on painful stories? [28:23] What will donors stop responding to? [29:32] How can tools protect donors? [31:23] What should every storyteller hear? Guest Links: Website: https://www.mariabryan.comDonorBox: https://donorbox.org/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariabryancrtv/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donorboxInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/donorboxTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@donorbox GTZP Links: Website: http://www.gtzp.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
Oct 8

The Typhoon Haiyan Airlift and the Gap After It with Weanne Estrada

Weanne Estrada is the Mental Health Specialist at ADRA International, the global humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. ADRA serves in about 120 countries across roughly 1,000 projects in health, nutrition and water, education, livelihoods, and disasters and emergencies, with a mission to serve humanity so all may live as God intended. Weanne grew up in the Philippines, where recurring typhoons made disaster relief a regular part of life. After college she volunteered in the government response to Typhoon Haiyan, providing psychological first aid to survivors airlifted to Manila, and left that work asking what happens to people once their loss fully sets in. That question led her into humanitarian mental health. Today she builds mental health support into ADRA's other programs, including psychological first aid for distribution volunteers, child-friendly spaces, and World Health Organization training for non-specialist health providers in places like Sudan, Yemen, and Myanmar. Timestamps: [00:26] Who is Weanne Estrada, and what is ADRA's mission? [01:21] Why did Weanne choose mental health? [02:09] What did Typhoon Haiyan show her about the gap after a disaster? [03:22] Is mental health its own program at ADRA? [05:22] What is psychological first aid? [06:45] What do people miss about the psychological impact of disasters? [08:16] Why is a disaster where "no one died" still full of grief? [09:06] How do you help children heal after trauma? [10:47] How does mental health care change for adults? [11:31] What do you do when there is no psychiatrist nearby? [13:10] How does faith shape the way ADRA serves? [14:41] What would be lost if ADRA's mental health work disappeared? [15:21] What happens to children and trafficking survivors who never get treatment? [16:27] How can trauma affect memory enough to get someone denied resettlement? [17:34] How do you measure the impact of mental health work? [18:33] Why does Weanne have beef with Maslow? [19:59] What small signs show that hope is returning? [20:53] Is media a help or a harm for the people ADRA serves? [23:55] What would a perfect mental health response to a disaster look like? [25:11] Why does ADRA adopt existing health facilities instead of building its own? [25:42] What is task shifting, and how did it work in Myanmar? [26:56] Can AI help close the mental health gap? [30:19] What does Weanne hope to see from ADRA in 10 years? [31:23] How can listeners get involved with ADRA? [32:06] What makes ADRA Connections different from other short-term trips? [33:43] Can someone get psychological first aid training on the way to a disaster? [34:54] What does Weanne want listeners to take away? Guest Links: Website: https://adra.orgLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/adra_2 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joinADRAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrainternationalGTZP Links: Website: http://www.gtzp.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
Sep 30

Did 1 Fund Push "Apple Inc." to Drop Leather Watch Straps? with Claire Smith

Claire Smith is the founder and CEO of Beyond Investing, a firm that builds investment products for vegans and environmentalists. After more than three decades in finance, including years at UBS and as a research analyst and partner at Albourne Partners, she left her hedge fund analyst role in 2017 to start the company. Beyond Investing runs two ETFs, the US Vegan Climate ETF (VEGN), operating since 2019, and the International Vegan Climate ETF (VEGX), which launched recently. Both screen out animal exploitation and fossil fuels across the supply chain. She also leads Beyond Impact, a venture arm backing animal-free startups, co-founded the Beyond Animal networking platform, and heads the Beyond Cruelty Foundation, which campaigns for a proposed SDG 18 on zero animal exploitation. Timestamps: [0:00] Why did an $8 million coal trade bother Claire? [0:22] Who is Claire Smith? [0:39] What is the mission of Beyond Investing? [1:28] Why did Claire take up this cause? [4:49] What qualifies a company as vegan? [6:26] What are the less obvious ways companies harm animals? [8:52] Is it wrong to assume big tech has no animals involved? [9:14] Why is Amazon excluded? [10:15] Why was Microsoft removed from the portfolio? [11:28] How has the portfolio changed geographically? [13:06] What should a CEO do to get into one of the indexes? [15:59] Why was Apple removed, and did it change the Apple Watch? [17:29] How does Beyond Investing measure carbon? [19:37] How does Claire balance capitalism with personal conviction? [21:14] What was the hedge fund story that changed her path? [23:52] Why did that trade feel wrong to her but not to him? [25:16] Why did Claire have to build the funds herself? [26:38] What is a "cow unit," and why did Claire interrupt a pitch? [28:01] Is cruelty-free better for business? [30:39] Will eating meat be a delicacy in 100 years? [32:38] How can listeners get involved? [33:58] Can you buy the ETFs through Fidelity? [34:46] What is the Beyond Cruelty Foundation, and what is SDG 18? [37:07] Any final words? Guest Links: Website: https://beyondinvesting.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-smith-8a461a1/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondinvesting/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondinvesting/ GTZP Links: Website: http://www.gtzp.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
Sep 14

Why Do Women Need Seven Conversations to Run for Office with Sarah Jakle

Sarah Jakle is the founder and executive director of DemocraShe, a national nonpartisan nonprofit that gives historically underserved high school girls free online training in resiliency skills, public policy leadership, and civic engagement, paired with a stipend so cost is never a barrier to participating. Sarah built the program after a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis derailed her career as a social worker studying trauma and resilience through a military-focused master's in social work. She turned that research into practical tools (what DemocraShe calls "amygdala skills") for regulating fear and self-doubt, first for herself, then as national outreach director for a voter registration organization and Get Out the Vote director for California NOW, and now for the thousands of girls who go through DemocraShe's programs. She founded DemocraShe in January 2021 after learning that high school is the last point where boys and girls believe they can run for office equally. The organization is now 92 percent girls of color and 70 percent first generation Americans, and Sarah's five year goal is to grow the program to serve 115,000 girls by 2030. Timestamps: [00:00] Cold open: what did a rheumatologist tell Sarah she'd never do again? [00:56] Introduction [01:09] What is the mission of DemocraShe? [01:31] Why did Sarah found DemocraShe, and what's the origin story? [05:31] What are the early signs a woman is counting herself out? [07:17] Is there an evolutionary reason women's brains respond to risk differently than men's? [12:07] What can a woman do right now to work through that response? [15:55] How does DemocraShe turn these practices into an actual program? [17:35] What changes do girls see in themselves before and after the program? [22:12] What are DemocraShe's plans for the next five to ten years? [29:25] How can someone get engaged with DemocraShe? [30:58] What does Sarah want to leave listeners with? Guest Links: Website: https://www.democrashe.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/democrashe/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DemocraShe-110108011246367Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/democrasheorg/ GTZP Links: Website: http://www.gtzp.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
Sep 5

80% Return to Their Trafficker. Empowered Network Changed That with Kristy Norbert

Kristy Norbert is the co-founder and executive director of Empowered Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2017 that partners with survivors of human trafficking to achieve economic independence. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience, Kristy didn't set out to work in anti-trafficking. After moving to Connecticut, she met Abby Fabiaschi, the board chair of an anti-trafficking organization operating in Southeast Asia, and once she saw exploitation up close, she couldn't walk away. The two co-founded Empowered Network to address the gap that exists after crisis services end, partnering with survivors who have reached stability to build a 12-month empowerment plan covering housing, education, and employment. The organization serves around 200 survivors per year, with fewer than 2% of graduates returning to exploitation after completing the program. Timestamps: [00:00:00] Who keeps going back? [00:00:33] What is Empowered Network? [00:01:04] Why did Kristy end up here? [00:03:25] What does trafficking look like in the U.S.? [00:06:09] How does Empowered Network define trafficking? [00:06:48] What is familial trafficking? [00:07:58] What long-term impacts does nobody talk about? [00:08:36] What gap did Empowered Network exist to fill? [00:10:24] What is the re-trafficking rate? [00:11:31] When does a survivor enter the program? [00:13:46] What are the two program pathways? [00:15:06] What careers and wage gains are survivors seeing? [00:16:42] How did Empowered Network change how it measures impact? [00:18:46] Why does this data matter to survivors too? [00:20:34] What do survivor stories from the program look like? [00:24:43] What keeps Kristy going? [00:26:08] How does she stay grounded doing this work? [00:27:52] How has this work changed how she parents? [00:31:40] Where is Empowered Network headed? [00:33:50] How can someone get involved? [00:36:04] What does Kristy want people to know? Guest Links: Website: https://www.empowerednetwork.comLinkedIn (Kristy Norbert): https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-norbert-73448231LinkedIn (organization page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/empowerednetworkorg/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpoweredNetworkorg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowerednetworkorg/ GTZP Links: Website: http://www.gtzp.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
Aug 29

$112 Stops One Trafficking Victim with John Molineux

John Molineux is the founder and CEO of Love Justice International, a Christian nonprofit that fights human trafficking through a method called transit monitoring: training volunteers to intercept potential victims at borders, airports, bus stations, and other transit points before they are exploited. He moved to Nepal after college at Taylor University and stayed for 20 years, later relocating to South Africa, where he now lives with his wife, Aksha, and their two sons. Under his leadership, Love Justice has grown to 17 countries, intercepted more than 115,000 potential victims, and helped lead to about 2,000 arrests. The organization also runs children's homes and a school in Nepal called the Dream School. Timestamps: [00:00:25] Introduction, who is John Molineux and what is Love Justice International? [00:01:05] What is the mission of Love Justice International? [00:01:21] Why did John found Love Justice International? [00:03:28] How many people are living in modern slavery right now? [00:04:05] Why does human trafficking happen in the first place? [00:04:44] What role do governments play in stopping trafficking? [00:06:55] What sparked Love Justice's shift toward fighting trafficking directly? [00:09:16] How does transit monitoring actually work? [00:11:55] How much does it cost to intercept one trafficking victim? [00:12:36] What is the Dream School? [00:13:42] How does John stay hopeful doing this work every day? [00:16:18] What can everyday people do to help stop trafficking? [00:17:27] How does Love Justice decide where to expand next? [00:20:48] How does Love Justice work with local law enforcement? [00:21:35] Why aren't arrests equal to the number of interceptions? [00:22:49] What kind of data does Love Justice track on traffickers? [00:23:53] Is sharing trafficking data across countries a challenge? [00:24:36] How can listeners get involved or donate? [00:28:25] What's John's final challenge to listeners? Guest Links: Website: https://www.lovejustice.ngoLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-molineux-04792b239Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoveJusticeIntl/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovejusticeintl/ GTZP Links: Website: http://www.gtzp.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
Aug 22

Stage 4 Cancer Led Her to Build a Search Engine for Good with Dvora Inwood

Dvora Inwood is co-founder and Head of Product at Samaritan Scout, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that built the first AI-powered search engine dedicated to connecting people with local, in-person volunteer opportunities. The idea started with her daughter, a high school freshman who kept running into a wall trying to find real, nearby service hours, only to find Google surfacing large national organizations and outdated directories with nothing local. When Dvora was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in 2022, the recovery gave her the time and urgency to finally build it. She launched Samaritan Scout in May 2023 alongside co-founder Will Rosenthal, a then-high school senior with a background in cybersecurity. Today, Samaritan Scout crawls more than 25,000 certified 501(c)(3) organizations, lets users filter by location, skills, and cause, and is working toward a full volunteer management platform that removes the friction from sign-up on both sides. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - She Got a Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis and Built a Search Engine During Recovery 00:11:28 - Why Do Most Volunteers Never Discover More Than One Organization? 00:08:50 - She Lived 7 Miles From This Volunteer Opportunity for 30 Years and Never Knew It 00:08:04 - Why Is Volunteering With Strangers the Real Cure for Loneliness? 00:06:34 - What Skills Do Nonprofits Need That They Don't Know How to Ask For? 00:25:16 - Why Do Only 12% of Nonprofits on the IRS List Actually Want Volunteers? 00:16:04 - What Is the One Friction Point Stopping Most People From Ever Volunteering? 00:12:40 - She Builds This Unpaid, Up Late at Night, for Years. What Keeps Her Going? Guest Links: Website: https://www.samaritanscout.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dvora-inwood/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Samaritan.Scout/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samaritanscout/ GTZP Links: Website: http://www.gtzp.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
Aug 15

The Cowboy Myth Every Activist Believes with Shane Lukas

Shane Lukas is the owner and creative strategist of A Great Idea (AGI), an LGBTQ+-owned brand communications agency he founded in 2015, based in Greensboro and Durham, North Carolina, working with purpose-driven nonprofits and for-profit companies in healthcare and education across the country. He is also a two-time TEDx speaker (his second talk focuses on values), an author with a book coming out later this year, and a co-host of Power Beyond Pride, a weekly podcast spotlighting LGBTQ+ changemakers. Shane's activism started in his teen years and has centered on bodily autonomy and harm reduction, beginning with Planned Parenthood, work he says has shaped both his personal life and how AGI approaches brand strategy for its partners. Timestamps: 00:00 What happens when a nonprofit's numbers don't add up? 00:29 Who is Shane Lukas? 00:57 What is A Great Idea? 01:34 Why did Shane become an activist? 02:19 Is every organization "purpose-driven"? 03:44 Why does a food bank need to exist? 05:48 How do you find your real impact story? 10:12 What is the "Amazoning problem"? 13:57 Where's the line between values and manipulation? 16:54 Which values are rising and falling? 19:47 Why don't we agree on facts anymore? 23:05 Should social media follow publisher rules? 28:47 Can lived experience alone show you truth? 30:35 What should a young activist learn first? 34:03 Why shouldn't you do this work alone? 36:14 What impact has A Great Idea had? 38:25 Where does Shane want to be in 10 years? 41:07 Where can you learn more about Shane? 42:09 What's Shane's closing message? Guest Links: Personal website: https://shanelukas.comOrganization website: https://agreatidea.comLinkedIn (personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-lukas/LinkedIn (A Great Idea): https://linkedin.com/company/agreatideacomFacebook (A Great Idea): https://facebook.com/agreatideacoInstagram (A Great Idea): https://instagram.com/weareagiPodcast: https://powerbeyondpride.com GTZP Links: Website: http://www.gtzp.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp

5

out of 5

9 Ratings

LOVE!

01/03/2021

sondi18

Amazing people doing amazing things. Great space to listen, learn and feel inspired!

"find your cause" is the official podcast of Greater Than Zero Percent (GTZP). GTZP is 501(c)(3) non-profit on a mission to find people and organizations that are changing the world and sharing their stories. We believe that however big or small of a positive impact you have, every bit counts. As long as you are adding greater than zero percent, the momentum you build is already changing the world.

Creator

Joseph Smalzer
Years Active

2020 - 2026
Episodes

214
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Joseph Smalzer
Show Website

find your cause