find your cause

Hosted by Joseph Smalzer

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199

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Jun 2026

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About the show

"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.

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60 recent

June 12, 202646 min

What Wealthy Donors Think During Your Pitch? With Bill Crouch

Bill Crouch spent two decades as a college president before founding BrightDot, a consulting firm that has worked with over 150 nonprofits to fix the one problem most of them refuse to name: they do not know how to talk to the people who have the money.In this episode, Bill and Joseph dig into why fundraising staff turn over every 16 months, what a funeral home owner taught Bill about donor psychology, how the shift from the 80/20 rule to a 95/5 wealth concentration has changed the game for nonprofits, and why "your mission doesn't count unless you have the revenue to run it."Connect with Bill and BrightDot:brightdot.comFind Your Cause:Website: gtzp.orgSponsor inquiry: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzpInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercentFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2#FindYourCause #Nonprofit #Fundraising #BrightDot #Mattership #NonprofitLeadership #SocialImpact #MissionDriven #Philanthropy

June 3, 202637 min

What LGBTQ+ Youth Actually Need With Brian Wenke

Brian Wenke has spent over a decade as Executive Director of It Gets Better, one of the most recognized LGBTQ+ youth organizations in the world. What started in 2010 as a single video response to a wave of youth suicides became a global storytelling movement reaching young queer people across 19 countries.But Brian is not interested in staying relevant forever. His goal is to put the organization out of business.In this episode, Brian and Joseph dig into what it actually takes to reach LGBTQ+ youth before a crisis happens, why storytelling alone is not enough anymore, how the Changemakers grant program has put $1.6 million into youth-led projects across nearly every US state, and what Brian thinks the community itself has gotten wrong in the current political moment.Connect with Brian and It Gets Better:itgetsbetter.orgtwitch.tv/itgetsbetter@ItGetsBetter on all major platformsFind Your Cause:Website: gtzp.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzpInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercentFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2Sponsor inquiry: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment/#FindYourCause #Nonprofit #LGBTQYouth #ItGetsBetter #SocialImpact #CauseLeadership #MissionDriven #Philanthropy

May 26, 2026Episode 19742 min

He Fights for Forgotten Crime Victims With David Thiruselvam

Sponsorship Inquiries: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignmentWhen a crime happens, the system focuses on putting the perpetrator away. The victim testifies, helps the prosecution, and then gets forgotten.There are no programs, no financial support, and no path forward for people whose lives have been completely upended. David Thiruselvam saw that gap and built a law firm around it.Victim Recovery Law Center exists specifically for crime victims, from sexual assault survivors to shooting victims to families who lost someone because a business failed its duty to keep them safe. The cases are hard, expensive, and go to trial. That is exactly why most law firms do not take them.This episode covers how the civil justice system actually works, why most victims do not know they have legal options, what businesses are legally required to do to protect their customers, and how one lawsuit helped take a ghost gun manufacturer off the streets.Chapters:[02:00] Why David built a firm focused only on crime victims[03:13] Why America is a litigious country and whether that is good or bad[07:24] The coffee case: what most people get wrong about frivolous lawsuits[10:53] How settlement amounts are determined and what forum shopping is[14:07] How insurance and civil lawsuits interact[18:29] Why most victims never know they have a legal option[21:45] How cameras are changing accountability, not crime rates[22:03] Why the mall was held responsible[23:54] Gas station shootings and the duty businesses owe their customers[29:36] How to find a law firm if you are a crime victim[37:33] How a lawsuit shut down a bar where employees were drugging customers[41:07] How to contact Victim Recovery Law CenterConnect with David Thiruselvam:https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-thiruselvam-49560a6/info@victimrecoverylaw.comConnect with Find Your Cause:Website: gtzp.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzpInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercentFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2#FindYourCause #GTZP #VictimRecoveryLaw #CrimeVictims #Justice #VictimRights #Law #CivilJustice #GhostGuns #SexualAssaultAwareness

May 19, 2026Episode 19649 min

The Nonprofit Fighting America's Division With Adam Mizel

Sponsor inquiries: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment/In May 2020, Adam Mizel was yelling at his television. His wife turned to him and said, "You've been screaming at the TV about the Yankees for thirty years and they never hear you.If you feel this way, what are you going to do?" He stood up, walked away from private equity, and spent the next five years building a movement to reunite America.Last summer he drove across the country in a purple and white pickup truck with a film crew, talked to thousands of Americans, interviewed Shaq, and discovered something the media does not report: most people are not nearly as divided as they are told to be.This is the story of Us United, the Unity Pledge, and what it actually takes to change a culture.Chapters: [01:08] Why Adam left private equity to do this [03:02] Is America's division normal or something new?[05:47] How technology and AI are magnifying the problem[09:58] How to protect yourself from misinformation[13:34] The legal difference between publishers and bulletin boards[15:33] The road trip: driving across America in a purple pickup truck[23:41] The Unity Pledge and how to change the algorithm[29:00] Unity Seats: bringing strangers together at sporting events[35:48] How to have a constructive conversation across the divide[39:38] 30 For Us: the redlining story that changed four minds in 30 minutes [42:24] Why changing your mind is not flip-flopping, it is growing[46:12] How to get involved with Us UnitedConnect with Us United:Website: us-united.orgInstagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn: @UsUnitedConnect with Find Your Cause:Website: gtzp.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzpInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercentFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2#FindYourCause #GTZP #UsUnited #Unity #AmericanUnity #Nonprofit #CivicEngagement #Storytelling #Leadership #UsUnitedOrg

May 12, 2026Episode 19535 min

She Built A Foundation From A Hospital Bed with Gladys Ijelu

She was 15 years old and in the hospital for five months when she made a promise to herself. When she got better, she would pour that same love back out into the world. She kept that promise.Now she runs the Gladys Giving Foundation, bringing inclusive holiday celebrations, essential resources, and a new youth workshop to communities that other systems have already turned away.No ID required. No Social Security number. No documentation. Just show up.Connect with Gladys Giving Foundation:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gladysgivingproject/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gladysgivingfoundation/Email: gladysgivingfoundation@gmail.comSponsorship Inquiries: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignmentConnect with Find Your Cause:Website: gtzp.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzpInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercentFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2#FindYourCause #GTZP #GladysGivingFoundation #Nonprofit #CommunityImpact #PurposeDriven #GrassrootsNonprofit #HolidayGiving #GlowUpCollective #SocialImpact

May 8, 2026Episode 19439 min

The Death Claim That Changed His Career With Tony Holland

He grew up in a railroad town in a single-parent household, channeled his anger into football and grades, got into Johns Hopkins, failed at stockbroking, and lived out of a conversion van.Two years into the insurance business, making $124,000 a year, buying Corvettes and getting magazine features, a 12-year-old kid drowned and Tony Holland had to process the death claim. That moment ended his ego and started everything else.Now he runs billion-dollar companies, has coached 13 championship football teams, and holds a minority ownership stake in the Baltimore Orioles. This is the story of how purpose and profit stopped competing.Connect with Tony Holland: linkedin.com/in/tony-holland-1130a8251Sponsorship inquiries: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignmentConnect with Find Your Cause:Website: gtzp.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzpInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercentFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2 #FindYourCause #GTZP #TonyHolland #GlobalPremierBenefits #Integrity #Purpose #Adversity #Entrepreneur #Faith #Leadership

April 29, 2026Episode 19341 min

The Missing Piece in Most Nonprofits With Tania Rempert

Sponsorship Inquiries: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignmentTania Rempert has spent her career inside nonprofits that are doing real work but cannot prove it.As founder and board president of Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation Org (P.I.E.), she helps mission-driven organizations identify what they are actually changing, measure it, and tell that story to funders with confidence.In this episode, Joseph and Tania dig into why most nonprofits are measuring the wrong things, how a single through line transformed 40 siloed programs at Youth Guidance into a unified impact story, and what even the smallest one-person nonprofit can do right now to start owning their data.Connect with P.I.E. Org: pieorg.orgConnect with Find Your Cause:Website: gtzp.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzpInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercentFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2

April 8, 2026Episode 19225 min

Heavenly Cynt Youth Org: Mentorship, Exposure, and Cindy the Cowgirl Teaches Kindness | EP. 192

In this interview, Cynthia Manuel, executive director of Heavenly Cynt Youth Org, explains the organization’s mission to empower youth through mentorship, literacy, life skills, sports, and positive community connections, rooted in her brother’s 1998 death from street violence and her desire to protect and expand opportunities for youth in Chicago’s North Lawndale. She describes using exposure as a key tool: taking kids outside their neighborhoods, running mentoring programs since 2016, and creating unique experiences like horse care, gardening, and career tours that helped one youth pursue phlebotomy. Cynthia also discusses addressing desensitization to violence, rebuilding youth perceptions of police through relationship-building activities, and plans for a funded community center and trade-focused programming. She promotes her anti-bullying children’s book, “Cindy the Cowgirl Teaches Kindness,” and requests volunteers, donations, partnerships, and support for monthly literacy and CPR events.Sponsor Inquiry: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment/ Guest Intro Call: https://calendly.com/gtzp/intro-meetingTimestamps:00:15 Mission of Heavenly Cynt00:36 The Why Behind It01:58 North Lawndale Reality03:04 Horses and New Horizons04:52 Cindy Cowgirl Book06:18 Desensitized to Violence09:10 Mentorship and Alumni10:42 Exposure Builds Trust13:58 Success Stories and Police16:18 What Keeps Her Going17:31 Next Decade Vision20:53 Life Skills Curriculum21:52 Measure Impact and Support23:53 Kindness Pledge ClosingConnect with Cynthia Manuel Social: https://www.instagram.com/heavenly.cynt/https://www.instagram.com/heavenly_cynt_youth_org/https://mzcynthia59.wixsite.com/heavenlycyntyouthincConnect with GTZP:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/

March 30, 2026Episode 19132 min

He Turned Cybersecurity Into Plain English with Cyber Matters | EP. 191

Partner with us: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignmentSaaim Khan spent 20 years inside some of the world's largest cybersecurity consulting firms before stepping away to build something he could not find anywhere else.Not a bigger firm. Not a flashier one. Just an honest one.As Managing Director of Cyber Matters, Saaim built a company around radical transparency, a flat structure where no one is anyone's boss, and a single guiding value that is far more direct than anything you will find on a typical company values page.In this conversation, Saaim shares what he deliberately kept and left behind from corporate consulting, why he thinks trust should never have to be earned through hoops, and what it actually looks like to build a business where people genuinely do not dread logging in on Monday morning.*Connect with Cyber Matters:*https://www.cybermatters.io/https://www.linkedin.com/in/saaimkhanhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/cybermattersio/*Social*Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercentFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/*Listen*Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691*Connect*Website: https://www.gtzp.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzpChapters:00:00:00 Teaser00:00:44 Introduction00:01:22 What is Cyber Matters and why it exists00:02:07 20 years in big consulting: what he kept and what he left behind00:06:28 Why flexible work is really a question of trust00:10:05 The problem with 50-page proposals00:16:58 Flat structure, no bosses, and speaking your mind00:22:42 How the culture has landed with the team00:27:00 How Cyber Matters lets people go with dignity00:28:20 The one company value that guides everything00:29:19 The next six years: compliance beyond cybersecurity00:31:28 Closing thoughts#FindYourCause #Nonprofits #Chicago #CommunityImpact #501c3 #SocialImpact #GTZP #GreaterThanZeroPercent

March 23, 2026Episode 19025 min

There's a Crime Scene In Her Block. She Stayed. | LaTanya Johnson & the Youth of Englewood

A shooting happened right next door to her youth center. She closed for one day. Then she opened back up on Monday.LaTanya Johnson is the Executive Director of LaTanya and the Youth of Englewood, a 501(c)3 that has been serving children ages five and up in Inglewood, Chicago since 2013.Recreational activities, educational programming, mentorship, entrepreneurship, community events, and family support. All of it, completely free.In this community check-in episode, Joseph and LaTanya go deep into what has changed since they last spoke. She talks about the shooting that happened right outside her door, why she sent the kids home that Friday and came right back Monday, and the invisible calculus families in Englewood make every day just to survive in their own neighborhood.She shares what 12 years of free programming has actually produced, which activities changed the trajectory of real kids' lives, and what she needs most right now to keep going.TIMESTAMPS:[00:00:00] Intro[00:00:39] LaTanya's background and organization mission [00:02:06] Why she started 12 years ago[00:03:31] The alderman's office and how it all began [00:05:55] Why she starts programming at age five [00:07:25] Joseph's time at Chicago juvenile detention [00:08:58] What activities created the most lasting impact [00:12:10] Gardening, go-karts, photography, and building [00:13:13] Phones, safety, and keeping kids engaged [00:14:18] The shooting next door [00:16:16] The battle parents face living in Englewood [00:17:41] Poverty, cost of living, and why families stay [00:19:50] What LaTanya wants to build next [00:22:27] Sports, arts, and why variety matters [00:23:09] How to connect with LaTanya [00:24:50] ClosingConnect with LaTanyaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latanya-johnson-7a202a154/Social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercent Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/Listen Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Connect Website: https://www.gtzp.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp Partner with us: https://calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment#FindYourCause #Nonprofits #Chicago #Inglewood #YouthDevelopment #CommunityImpact #501c3 #SocialImpact #GTZP #NonprofitLeadership #GreaterThanZeroPercent #CorporatePhilanthropy