The Passion Project Volume 2: Philanthropy
There are over 1.5 million non-profit organizations registered in the United States. Each organization is dedicated to promoting awareness and funds for particular causes. In Volume 2 of the Passion Project, we unpack the gust required to work for or start your own philanthropic causes.
On this past Sunday afternoon, Ms. Shataya Gilstrap met me in Demolition Coffee Shop (click here for more information about the shop). Before I noticed her endearing smile, pink dress, purple blazer, or the complementing Chuck Taylor's, her resounding personality had already greeted me. The night before she experienced the magic that was the ANTI tour and was immediately faced with her responsibilities as a mentor, philanthropist, and, now, conference coordinator.
Name : Shataya Gilstrap
Title : Founder of The Philanthropist LLC
Hometown: Petersburg, VA
Alma Mater: Virginia State University - Mass Communications
Guilty Pleasure : White Chocolate Mochas [with two extra shots]
www.shatayadyonna.com
Why did you want to work in Philanthropy?
Since I was 15 years old, I've worked with children. My first job in that realm was with kids in Petersburg Parks and Recreation.
Now I worked there for almost 6 years and when I looked at my paycheck and passion, they never matched. I never had money because I kept giving to the kids. I was working part-time at a Daycare at the time and they offered to pay me more to have me full-time. The Parks and Recreation Department couldn't match their offer but I stayed. I realized, "I'm not here for the money."
I began working specifically with young women by volunteering weekly with a non-profit organization called H.O.N.E.Y. The organization caters to that "diamond in the rough" and is dedicated to making each participant a well-rounded young lady.
Sometimes I think these ladies fall short because they think that what immediately surrounds is all that there is in the world.
(Click Here to Read More About H.O.N.E.Y.)
The co-founders saw my dedication and made me the Executive Assistant. Now, I'm still in the non-profit world and the organization is not grant-funded. So, I'm essentially paying to work. When funds are are low, I don't mind at all because every girl means so much to me. Each of my co-founders and I will stay up and work until 3am. It may SEEM like glitz and glamour but it is really hard work.
What's one the most rewarding projects you've worked on thus far?
One of them would definitely be the Sisterhood in College Retreat. H.O.N.E.Y. takes young ladies ages 11-17 on college tours during their spring break. This will be our first year with graduating girls out of the program. We've taken them to Virginia Beach, Ocean City, Atlanta, and this year we took them to North Carolina State in Raleigh and Duke University in Durham . For some of these girls, this is their first and unfortunately their only visit to college. It also may be their only opportunity as teenagers to leave Petersburg. One girl's testimony really sticks with me. We took the girls to Virginia Beach and we went down to the shore onto the beach. One the girls turned to my co-founder and told her that it was her first time putting her feet in the sand. Or another girl who says "I'm not going to college. I'm failing," visits Spelman College of Clark Atlanta University and then comes back excited and ready to get herself together for the school years. She sees what she can have.
What else am I supposed to do for the rest of my life?
How do you establish boundaries between yourself and the girls you work with?
It's honestly hard to. I'll give you one example. I had one of my mentees call me when I was on my way to a party. I had been waiting on this party almost all year. My mentee says, "I'm about to kill myself." She hangs up the phone and turns it off. Mind you, I'm not driving and I have a skirt that is not "mentor material." However, it's a full-time job when you're coaching and mentoring young women. So, after calling my co-founder, me, Shataya, in my early twenties, arranges to use my friend's car to check on this girl. Thank God she was alright, but it really is a full-time job. My girls call me whenever. They have my cell phone number, instagram, twitter, snapchat accounts. In the same way they have mine, I also have theirs. I'm their social media police.
Myself and Ms. Shataya Gilstrap at Demolition Coffee in Petersburg, VA
You Launched your own, limited liability company "The Philanthropist." What's the mission behind your company?
I started the Philanthropist LLC because I wanted to leave my own legacy. I found myself pouring into other peoples' dreams and legacies and I needed to figure out what I was missing. So I thought of branding myself as the Philanthropist. The name seems broad but I need it to be. There are so many things I want to do underneath that one name.
The girls I work came to me and said that they wanted to talk to women who already worked in the fields that they're looking to work in. The issue? Not all girls can come to a mentorship group every week or every day. Some have basketball, cheer, dance, step, and they can miss vital keys to getting ahead. Instead, I wanted to create events where I can plant the same seeds in one event or in one day. Hence, the Girl Boss Networking Conference. It started off as a lock-in [and the lock-in would have been easier]. Now I have 67 girls registered for a conference this Saturday, and the number keeps growing.
Click Here to Read More About The Philanthropist LLC
Many people want to pursue their dreams, but their dreams aren't something that their family or close friends respect. How have you dealt with that?
The feedback that I receive from my family isn't always positive. I've been working with H.O.N.E.Y. for four years, and my close family hasn't given me $1.00 or even encouragement. Sometimes, I feel that they say things out of spite. I got, "You're out here mentoring girls, when you need a mentor yourself" from some people. The experience isn't just for the young ladies, it's for the mentors as well. You learn so much about yourself being a mentor. Sometimes your mentee can be your mentor. So it's an experience for us all.
You have to always know that your dream is bigger than you and it is bigger than them.
Had I not worked for H.O.N.E.Y. and poured into H.O.N.E.Y. I would not have touched those young ladies, I wouldn't have the Philanthropist, LLC, and I wouldn't be hosting my first conference this coming Saturday.
Friday, I hosted my launch party and saw my work come to life. My H.O.N.E.Y. girls were there. That feeling was stronger than any doubt or spite I've ever received.
If it's in your heart and it's your passion, just do it. You will lose friends. But just get a prayer circle - get a small circle of people you can bounce ideas off of. People who won't take your ideas as their own, because it's not about them.
So the "Girl Boss Networking Conference" is this Saturday, April 16th at Virginia State University. what inspired you to do this?
I was really inspired by the Girl Scouts campaign, "I'm not bossy. I'm the boss." We've found that by middle school, many young girls won't raise their hands, or run for student council, or step up as captain of a sports team because they'll be labeled as bossy or worse! That needs to stop.
WHEN THE ATTENDEES COME IN, WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
The young ladies will be broken up into their appropriate age ranges and the parents will be in their own sessions. There are a lot of parents who aren't comfortable with just dropping their children off. So we decided to also have sessions for them. We'll have a power hour of registration with a live DJ. We have a spoken word performance. We have digital content specialists, etiquette consultants, financial literacy classes, performers, and more. They'll get to hear the stories of these professional women in person - victories and failures alike. We'll go through making schedules, writing out their goals, vision planning, and self-care. We even have a Zumba session and at the end we'll get their feedback on everything. We'll end the day with a Vendor Expo, because what girl doesn't love to shop!
Click Here to See More About the Girl Boss Networking Conference
The vision is to host the conferences throughout the nation. I always want the panelists to be from where the conference is hosted. I want the girls who attend to see that girls where they're from have accomplished so much and that they also can!
If you could give advice to anyone who wants to pursue work in philanthropy or mentorship, what would say?
I'd give three pieces of advice.
Don't take no for an answer.
Keep trying. A lot of the panelists I have initially told me "no" or didn't immediately answer me back. I tried and tried and tried again, in different ways.
Pray about it.
There are so many things I want to do. There's so much that I have on my plate. There are times where my anxiety sends me through the roof. The only reason any of this is getting done is because of God. Pray about your tasks.
Don't be afraid to ask for help.
If you need help, don't stress yourself out when you have willing and able people around you. Again, it's not about you. Lose your ego and ask.
If you're interested in sponsoring a young girl who wants to attend the conference or you want to register a young girl ages 11-17, be sure to visit www.shatayadyonna.com (click link for more information).
