The Generosity NOW Podcast Eric Most

In this conversation, Eric and Laurie, are joined by Helen Young Hayes, the founder and CEO of Activate Work. Helen shares her remarkable journey from being the daughter of Chinese immigrants to becoming a top portfolio manager and surviving the catastrophic United Flight 232 crash. She reveals the profound spiritual experiences that led her to reevaluate her purpose and catalyzed her mission to empower individuals through Activate Work's rigorous IT skills training and employment placement.
Helen also introduces the Colorado Inclusive Economy movement, a call to action for leaders to build a more equitable future, and shares how listeners can engage with this initiative. This episode is a testament to the power of generosity that extends beyond financial giving, encompassing a full-hearted commitment to creating opportunities and uplifting communities.
About Helen
Helen is the founder and CEO of ActivateWork. ActivateWork’s mission is to connect diverse, qualified talent to leading employers through rigorous skills training, community resources, and professional and life skills coaching. ActivateWork is the culmination of Helen’s past for-profit and nonprofit experience, harnessing the power of the marketplace to achieve profound social impact. By moving individuals to sustained economic mobility and professional success, ActivateWork creates triple wins for job seekers, employers, and the community.
The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Helen is a believer in and the embodiment of the American Dream. But the American Dream – a life of flourishing – is elusive, as generational poverty becomes the default for too many men and women from underrepresented populations. ActivateWork bridges the gap between individual potential and realized success by matching and placing individuals into self-sustaining careers and through intensive coaching of personal, professional, and financial skills. ActivateWork seeks not only to advance economic and professional success but to transform lives through the learning and mastery of new habits, mindsets, and disciplines.
Helen is a 20-year veteran of the financial industry. She was the portfolio manager of the flagship Janus Worldwide Fund, Janus Overseas Fund, and related assets totaling approximately $50 billion at Janus Capital, a mutual fund company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. She also served as managing director of investments, heading up the 100-person research and investment arm of Janus Capital, encompassing equities, fixed income, money market, and trading.
In 2018, Helen was selected as one of the Denver Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business for her leadership at ActivateWork (previously Activate Workforce Solutions). In 2021, she was awarded the Colorado Technology Association APEX Awards Talent Champion of the Year for launching ActivateWork’s tuition-free technology training and professional development program to create equitable paths in IT for individuals seeking careers and employers seeking talent.
Helen is the author and executive sponsor of the Colorado Inclusive Economy Movement, a CEO-led movement to build a community of shared opportunity and prosperity, and she is a governor-appointee to the Colorado Business Experiential Learning Commission and a member of the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network.
Helen is a frequent speaker and writer on topics including workforce development, corporate social responsibility, employee engagement, corporate culture, performance management, diversity and gender issues, economic development, and economic mobility.
Helen, her husband Matt, and her family have called Denver home for 30 years. Helen is an avid albeit average athlete and enjoys biking, swimming, running, skiing, and surfing.
Quotables
"I believe that I was appointed to be on the plane, um, to pray the prayers that the Lord answered."
"I know that I was appointed to be on the plane, um, to pray the prayers that the Lord answer

In this conversation, Eric and Laurie are joined by George Duffin, the Director of Charitable Gift Annuity Services at the National Christian Foundation (NCF). They discuss the concept of charitable gift annuities and how they can be a valuable tool for individuals and organizations in their giving strategies. George explains that a charitable gift annuity is a way to make a gift to a charity and receive money back for the rest of your life. He highlights the benefits of gift annuities, such as the charitable deduction, income tax preferred status, and the remainderment that goes to benefit the mission of the charity.
George also discusses the different ways that gift annuities can be funded, including cash, marketable securities, complex assets, and qualified charitable distributions from IRAs. He emphasizes that NCF is there to help organizations and individuals navigate the process of setting up and administering gift annuities, and that they have seen a significant increase in gift annuities in recent years. The conversation concludes with a reminder to not grow weary of doing good and to seize the opportunity to do good to everyone.
About George
George Duffin is NCF’s Director of Charitable Gift Annuity Services. A graduate of Morehouse College, George has spent decades in ministry and helping people make wise decisions with their charitable gifts.
Takeaways
Charitable gift annuities are a way to make a gift to a charity and receive money back for the rest of your life.
Gift annuities offer benefits such as a charitable deduction, income tax preferred status, and the remainderment that goes to benefit the mission of the charity.
Gift annuities can be funded with cash, marketable securities, complex assets, or qualified charitable distributions from IRAs.
NCF is there to help organizations and individuals navigate the process of setting up and administering gift annuities.
Don't grow weary of doing good and seize the opportunity to do good to everyone.

Quotables
"A charitable gift annuity is a way to make a gift to a charity and in return you receive money back for the rest of your life."
"NCF wanted to create a win-win-win. A win for the person funding the gift annuity, a win for the charity receiving the remainderment, and a win for NCF."
"Gift annuities have become an amazing tool to help with the great wealth transfer."

On this episode, Eric and Laurie sit down with Jeff Haanen, founder of the Denver Institute for Faith and Work, about the holistic message of generosity.They discuss the unintended consequences of a stewardship mentality, the importance of receiving God's generosity, and how generosity can be expressed through work and investing. Jeff emphasizes the need for interior work and the journey of generosity, reminding listeners that it is a process and that grace should be given to oneself and others.
About Jeff
Jeff Haanen is a writer and entrepreneur. He’s the founder of Denver Institute for Faith & Work, an educational organization that creates content and experiences around topics related to faith, work, the economy, and modern culture. Jeff writes on faith, business, entrepreneurship, and work, and he has published essays with Christianity Today, the American Enterprise Institute, and Comment. He’s the author of An Uncommon Guide to Retirement: Finding God’s Purpose for the Next Season of Life and the forthcoming books Working from the Inside Out: A Brief Guide to Inner Work That Transforms Our Outer World and God of the Second Shift. He lives with his wife and four daughters in Denver, Colorado.Takeaways
Generosity is not just about external impact, but about who we are becoming.Receiving God's generosity is a crucial aspect of generosity.Generosity can be expressed through work by hiring people with challenging backgrounds, investing in healthy workplace culture, and being generous with time and attention.Generosity in investing involves considering the social and spiritual impact of investments, not just financial return.The interior work of generosity is the hardest but most important work.Generosity is a journey, and grace should be given to oneself and others.Quotables
"Generosity is not first about external impact. It's about who we're becoming.""The interior work is the hardest work.""The overflow of receiving the kingdom is a holistic generosity that influences all areas of our lives."
Connect with Jeff
https://www.jeffhaanen.com/
 

In this episode, Eric and Laurie interview Jeff Shafer, CEO and co-founder of Common Good Capital. They discuss impact investing and how aligning investments with values can make a positive impact on people's lives. Jeff shares his personal journey and how a back surgery and subsequent crisis led him to shift his focus to impact investing. He explains the work of Common Good Capital in sourcing, due diligence, and educating wealth advisors to help investors align their investments with their values. Jeff also provides examples of impact investments in affordable housing, environmental stewardship, lending to small and medium-sized enterprises, and supporting formerly incarcerated individuals.
About Jeff
After graduating from Wheaton College (IL) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Biblical Studies, Jeff married Shelly, his wife of over 20 years. Jeff has always been passionate about the financial industry and has worked with Morgan Stanley and TriLinc (a leading impact investing fund sponsor), while spending the majority of his time, 18 ½ years, with CNL, a leading alternative investment asset manager. Jeff served in multiple senior leadership roles, and as President, led his team in raising nearly $9 billion in capital. During his time at CNL, Jeff earned a Master of Business Administration from Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College (FL) and also holds the Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Financial Consultant designations, as well as FINRA Series 7, 24, 63 and 79 licenses. Today, Jeff is co-founder and CEO of CommonGood Capital where he sets the strategic direction and leads the team day to day on this exciting journey.
Jeff has served on numerous boards including the United Way and Board of Advisors for Crummer Graduate School of Business, Rollins College. Today he serves on the Doug Holliday Ministries Board, NCF Advisory Board, Chair of Elevation Scholar Foundation, Alumni Board of Wheaton College and The Geneva School Board of Directors.
Jeff and Shelly settled in Winter Park, FL in 2004 where they love doing life together, whether around the dinner table, or keeping up with their two children, Ellie and Nick, who are both college-bound shortly. You will often find Jeff reading non-fiction books, cycling, cheering on his beloved Oregon Ducks or tinkering around on their acreage out in the country with the family dog, Calvin, a black and tan coon hound. He also is deeply passionate about men and women who are incarcerated, and one day wants to create an impact fund that benefits both these ex-offenders and investors.
Takeaways

Impact investing involves aligning investments with values to make a positive impact on people's lives.


Investing with a focus on impact can bring joy and freedom, in addition to financial returns.


Common Good Capital sources, conducts due diligence, and educates wealth advisors to help investors align their investments with their values.


Examples of impact investments include affordable housing, environmental stewardship, lending to small and medium-sized enterprises, and supporting formerly incarcerated individuals. Impact investing focuses on both financial returns and positive social and environmental impact.


Due diligence is crucial when evaluating impact investments, including assessing the manager or sponsor, understanding the investment thesis, and considering the impact and faith integration.


Individuals can use their charitable capital for impact investing, and financial advisors can help facilitate these investments.


Generosity should be thought of more broadly, and investing in causes can have a lasting impact.


Investing requires faith and a willingness to take risks, trusting that the outcomes are in God's hands.

Connect with Jeff
Website: https://commongoodcap.com/
A New Lens Podcast: https://commongoodcap.com/podcast/

On this episode, Eric and Laurie are joined by Pete Gazlay. Pete shares his journey of faith, entrepreneurship, and generosity. He grew up in a middle-class family and came to know Jesus at the age of 17. Pete and his wife Linda started a commercial cleaning business called Total Facility Care, which grew over the years. In 2020, they went through a Journey of Generosity that transformed their perspective on business and stewardship. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, their business thrived and they were able to give bonuses to their employees.
 
 Pete Gazlay and his wife Linda share their journey of entrepreneurship, selling their business, and embracing generosity. They experienced financial success but felt a calling to give back and make a greater impact. They learned about complex asset gifting and decided to gift a portion of their business to increase their charitable impact. This decision allowed them to give away more money than they had ever given before. They also involved their family in the giving journey, gifting each of their children and grandchildren a significant amount of money to donate to kingdom-oriented causes.
 
Pete and Linda have also been involved in mission trips to Guatemala and Tanzania, where they witnessed the need for the Gospel and the joy of serving others. They encourage other Christians to embrace generosity and stewardship, emphasizing the importance of giving not just financially but also with their time and resources.















 
Takeaways
Faith and prayer played a significant role in Pete and Linda's journey of entrepreneurship and generosity.
The Journey of Generosity experience had a transformative impact on their perspective on business and stewardship.
Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, their business thrived and they were able to give bonuses to their employees.
Implementing significant price increases with their clients was a bold move that was well-received. Entrepreneurs can experience financial success but still feel a calling to give back and make a greater impact.
Complex asset gifting can be a powerful way to increase charitable impact and give away more money than ever before.
Involving family in the giving journey can be a meaningful and transformative experience.
Mission trips provide opportunities to witness the need for the Gospel and serve others, leading to personal growth and a deeper understanding of stewardship.

Quotables

 
"God was working on me over a number of months. And in one day after school, it was it was the day. And so we went down in the basement into a classroom. And, you know, my teacher and Linda and one of our friends prayed for me and I I gave my life to Jesus."
"We got down on our knees and are living in... It's like, okay, God, this company is really yours. Like we, we give it to you."
"We became experts in COVID decontaminations and, um, we did hundreds of them over the next few months."
"We'd seen our revenue was going up, you know, massively. We'd been able to give big increases to our team with a promise for what that looked like over the next couple of years."
"The stress of caring for almost 150 families as employees and as an employer led us to the decision to sell."
"The complex asset gift allowed us to give away more money over the next few years than we had given in our entire adult lives."

On this episode, Eric and Laurie are joined by Cody and Kealan Hobelmann. They discuss the concept of setting a financial finish line and the impact it can have on one's life. They share their personal stories of faith, generosity, and stewardship, and how these principles have shaped their financial decisions. The conversation also touches on the importance of inviting others into these conversations and the role of faith in financial planning. Kealan and Cody talk about how their experiences have influenced their work as financial advisors and their desire to help others align their finances with their values. The conversation explores the concept of setting a financial finish line and the impact it can have on one's life. They discuss the Finish Line podcast and the diverse stories of generosity shared by their guests. They also introduce the Sprint program, which is designed to encourage group conversations around the core foundations of generosity. The guests highlight the importance of individual expressions of generosity and the unique callings that God has placed on each person. They emphasize the need for customizable approaches to generosity and stewardship. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the broader story of God's work in the world and the opportunity for individuals to be part of it through generosity.
About Cody and Kealan
CODY HOBELMANNCody and his wife Stephanie live and work in Maryland. Cody is a financial planner and Stephanie is an elementary school teacher.
After a number of years managing various types of wealth professionally, Cody has had plenty of opportunities to consider the impact that money has on us, and how to manage it wisely. He and Stephanie chose a finish line for their spending in 2020 and have been giving away everything over that line since.
After exploring how to best steward any excess that God blesses him with, Cody along with Kealan founded Compound Impact, a nonprofit real estate fund that purchases and rehabs homes and rents them exclusively to incoming refugee families. Every dollar generated by each home is given away to organizations that are advancing the gospel in hard-to-reach places.
KEALAN HOBELMANNKealan is a resident physician in Pennsylvania. He and his wonderful wife Alison are parents to four beautiful girls.
Kealan and Alison set a finish line for their spending around 2016 and have been giving everything over that line away since then. And they’ve learned a lot along the way. You can read about their other passion at www.fosteringphilly.com.
Read more about this interview at generositynow.org