spi 220 an interview with make-a-wish co-founder, frank shankwitz - smart passive … · 2016. 6....

Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session220

1

SPI 220An Interview withMake-a-Wish Co-Founder, Frank Shankwitz

June 29, 2016

http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/

http://smartpassiveincome.com/session220


1

Pat: ThisistheSmartPassiveIncomepodcastwithPatFlynn.Session

number220.Here’saquestion,whatwouldyouwishfor?

Announcer: WelcometotheSmartPassiveIncomepodcast.Whereit’sallabout

workinghardnow,soyoucansitbackandreapthebenefitslater.

Now,yourhost,whenhewasakidhisfavoritetoywasatypewriter.

PatFlynn.

Pat: Hey.What’supeverybody.Thankyousomuchforjoiningme

today.Thisisaveryspecialepisode,becauseIwassothankfulto

getconnectedwithFrankShankwitz.Whoistheco-founderofthe

Make-A-WishFoundation.AlotofushaveheardabouttheMake-A-

WishFoundation.Youmayhaveevenseendocumentariesorheard

stories,inandaroundyourhometown.Therewas1documentary

inparticularthatmyfamilywatchedtogether,thatmysongotreally

excitedabout.Thiswascalled,BatKid.Youmayrememberthis

storyfromaboutayearago,Ibelieve.Whenakidwhowassick,he

hadaskedtobeasuperheroforaday,tobeBatman.Theentirecity

ofSanFranciscotransformedforthislittleboy’swish.

Iwasjustagain,verythankfultogetconnectedwithFrank.Who

isnolongertheCEO,buthewastheco-founderandCEO,first

presidentofthefoundation.Wetalkaboutbusiness.Ofcourse,we

talkaboutwhatittakestorunanonprofit.Whatit’slike,andhowto

fundraise,andallthatstuff.Just,Frankisagreatmind.Somegreat

storiestotell.Also,aboutwhyitgotstarted.Thewholepurposeof

doingthisinthefirstplace.

Ijustinviteyousitback,listen.Frank,you’llhearinhisvoice,that

heisjustsuchanauthenticperson.Iconnectedwithinstantly,

eventhoughthiswasthefirsttimeI’veeverchattedwithhim.In

thisepisode,IliterallytearedupandcriedwhileIwasdoingthis

interview.Ilaughedandyoumightjustdothesame,sojustas

awarning,thisisagreatone.I’malwayslookingforsomenew

opportunitiesoutthereforphilanthropicefforts.Thiswasvery

inspirational.Idohavesomebigthingsplanned,whichI’llshare

withyouinthefuture.Idon’tknowwhen,buttherearebigthings

comingandFrankwilldefinitelyhelpbeacatalystforthat.Herewe




2

go.

Hey,what’supguys.I’mherewithFrankShankwitz,theco-founder

oftheMake-A-WishFoundation.Hehasreceivedsomanyawards

foralotofwhathe’screated.ThePresidentsCalltoService

Awardthatmakingadifferenceinaworldandmakingaworldof

difference.TheEllisIslandMedalofHonorAwards.Man,justFrank,

thankyousomuchforbeinghere.Suchanhonortohaveyouon

theshowtoday,Iappreciateit.

Frank: Well,thankyouPat.Iappreciatetheinvite.

Pat: Absolutely.I’malwaystryingtoencourageothersthroughexample,

butalsothroughhavingguestslikeyouontheshow.Tothink

beyondjust,youknow,servingourcustomersouttherewiththe

businessesthatwe.Toreallythinkaboutwhatelsewecoulddo

withalotofthesuccessthatwefind.I’vebeendoingalotofwhat

Icantoexploredifferentphilanthropicefforts.That’swhyIwanted

togetyouontheshowtotalkaboutkindofyourstartherewiththe

Make-A-WishFoundation.Iknowyou’renolongerinmanagement

there.You’redoingotherthings,wecangetintothataswell.Could

youtakeusbacktothebeginningwhenMake-A-Wishstartedand

wheredidthisideacomefrom?Howdiditallgetformed?

Frank: Well,let’ssee.Weneedabouta3hourshowforthis.

Pat: Well,maybethe5minuterundownorsomething.

Frank: I’lltrytosummarizethisasbestasIcan,Pat.Inthemid-70s,there

wasaverypopulartelevisionshowcalled,CHiPs.

Pat: Yes.

Frank: Thatwasverypopularwiththekids.Forpeoplearen’tawareofthat,

CHiPswasabouttheadventuresofdeepCaliforniahighwaypatrol

motorcycleofficers.Extremelypopularwiththechildren.Infact,

theshowfeaturedchildrenasoftenastheycould.Duringthistime

period,IwasamotorcycleofficerwiththeArizonaHighwayPatrol.




3

Infact,Iwasonasquadof10menthatweworkedthewholestate

ofArizona.2weeksofonetown,2weeksinanother.Becauseof

thepopularityofChips,wewouldalwaysgowith2manteamsin

theselittletownsareas.Becauseofpopularityofthisshow,allof

thesuddenthekidswouldjuststartwavingatus,becausewe’re

intown.Theteacherswouldaskustocometotheschoolandtalk

aboutbicyclesafetyandjustmeetthechildren.ThegreatestPR

tooleverforthepoliceforce,wasespeciallyforArizonaHighway

Patrol.Ourmotorcycles,ouruniforms,andeverythingwereidentical

toCalifornia.Infact,weinitiallytrainedwithCaliforniaHighway

PatrolinSacramento.[...]Again,thekidsjustlovedit.

In1980,IreceivedaphonecallfromafriendthatwasaU.S.

customsagentandsaid,he’dmeta7-year-oldboynamedChris.

Chrishadterminalleukemia,onlyafewweekstolive.Hisheroes

werePonchandJohnthetelevisionshowCHiPs.AllChrisever

talkedabout,washewouldlovetomeetamotorcycleofficer,a

highwaypatrolmotorcycleofficer.Tomoftenwasacustomsagent

andaskedusifwecoulddosomething[...]andseveralother

people[...]Aspecialdaywasarrangedforthislittleboytocome

toourheadquartersbuilding.Infactweflewinourstatepolice

helicopter,fromthishospital.Iwasaskedtostandbytomeetthis

littleboy.I’dnevermethimbefore.

Helicopterlanded.Iexpectourparamedicstohelpoutthislittle

boy,becausehe’djustcomeoffIVs.LikeIsaid,extremelyill.This

littleboundofenergyhoppedoutofthathelicopter.Whenhe

lookedoveratthemotorcycle,hethoughthewaslookingateither

PonchorJohnfromtheTVshow.Justranup.Justthisbigsmileon

hisface.Hismotherwaswithhim.Iwaswatchingherreactionand

she’sjustgottears,becauseshe’sseeinga7-year-oldboyjustallof

thesuddenrunningaroundhappygiggling.Justhavingthegreatest

time.Chriswentonthatdaytobecomethefirstandonlyhonorary

highwaypatrolofficerinthehistoryoftheArizonaHighwayPatrol

Nowwe’regoingbackalmost36years.Completewithuniformthat

wasmadeforhim.Hismotorcycle[...]Everythingthatthislittleboy

couldimagine.




4

Unfortunately,hepassedawayacoupledayslater.Ourdepartment

askedme,theysaid,“Wehavelostanofficialofficer.Hewasgoing

tobeburiedinIllinois.Wouldyoupleasegobackwithanother

motorcycleofficer,givehimafullpolicefuneral?”Whichwedid.He

wasburiedinuniform.Hisgravemarked[...]ArizonaTrooper.

Well,flyinghomefromIllinois,Ijuststartedthinkingaboutthis

littleboywhohadawish.Wemadeithappen.Whycan’twedo

thatforotherchildren?That’swhentheideaoftheMake-A-Wish

Foundationwasborn.Ittookme6monthstogetitgoing.Ifinally

found4otherpeoplewouldseverasboardmembers.Webecame

officialinNovemberof1980.IwasthefirstPresidentandCEOat

thattime.

Pat: Wow.Youwerebringingmetotearsrighttherewiththatstory.I

havea6-year-oldboyandIcanjustimaginethatsituationasa

parent,andwhatthatwouldbelike.IfIfindmyselfwithmykidsin

thatsortofsituation,Iwouldwanttogivethemtheirbiggestwish

likethat.Justthankyouforsharingthat.

Whenyouwerestartingyousaid,ittookyouabout6monthsto

getitgoing.Ithinkthat’soneofthethingsthatalotofuswhoare

listeningtheshow,wehavethesegrandideasofthingswecould

dotohelpothers.Then,theactualactionthatittakestomakethat

happenisthedifficultpart.It’sdifficult,alotofusdon’tactuallydo

thosethings.Whatwerethose6monthslike?Yougetthisideaon

thewayhomeandit’sobviously,motivatingyou.Whatareyourfirst

stepsfromthere?

Frank: Youhavetorememberthiswasthedaysbeforeinternet.

Pat: Right.You’reabsolutelyright.Thankyouforremindingus.

Frank: Yeah.Howdoyoustartanonprofit?Thatwasgoingtotheresearch

library.Ifortunatelyhadafriendthatwasanattorney.It’snotan

oxymoron,sometimesattorneyscanbefriends.Ialwaysteasethem

aboutthat.Justalotresearch.I’mworkingfull-timethough,like

mostpoliceofficers,I’malsoworkingoffdutyjobs.Itjusttookalot




5

ofeffort.Ialsostartedreceivingalotofhelpfromtheattorneys,

fromotherpeoplehowtoresearchthis.Howtostartit.

Wefinallyfileda501decree.Again,justalotoftime.Thebiggest

thing,Pat,thatIhadacommanderwiththeArizonaDepartment

ofPublicSafetywhoendorsedthisidea.Hecametomeandhe

said,“Iknowwhatyou’redoing.I’mgoingtoallowyoutouse

companytimewhenyouhaveto.”Hesaid,“ButIwantyoutogive

me8hourswork.Ifittakesyou15hourstodothat,you’regoing

togiveahonest8hourswork.”Ialwaysadmiredandrespected

thegentlemanforthat.Wentaboveandbeyondtofulfillthatlittle

contract,thathe’dmadewithmeverbally.

Pat: Wow.That’sgreat.Well,thankyoutohimforallowingyoutodo

that.Anotherthingthatcomestomind,isjusthowbigMake-A-Wish

is.Idon’tknowthefullhistoryonMakeAWish,butwhenyouhad

startedit...Imean,it’sonethingtostartsomethinglikethis,Imean

it’sawesomethatyouhaddonethat.Then,tobesobigthatwhenit

issometimesthefirstnonprofitthatcomestopeople’sminds.One

thatisverymuchapartofthepubliceye.

WeseestoriesliketheBatKidstory.Immediatelybringsustotears.

Theyhadthatdocumentary.Iactuallywatchedthatwithmyson

acoupleweeksago,abouttheBatKidwhowasgoingthrough

SanFrancisco.Man,mysonwasjustgluedtothetelevision.I’m

alwaystryingtoteachhimaboutgivingtoothers.Thatjustshowed

himwhatawhocitydid,really.Reallyawholeworlddidtocome

together,becauseoftheinternet.It’sabilitytoconnecteverybody

togethernowadays,tosupportthisonechild.Evenmysonwas

askingme,“Whyaretheydoingthisforthislittleboy?”Initially,I

thinkitwas,becausehewantsstufflikethattohappentohimtoo.

Hewaslike,“Howareallthesepeoplecomingtogetherjustforthis

onekid?”

Couldyouspeakalittlebit,beforeweevengettothemarketingor

thegrowthofMake-A-Wish,onjusthowimportantitistofocuseven

onjustonesingleperson.Inentrepreneurshipalotofpeopleare

like,ohhowdoIreachthemostpeopleaspossible?Whenyou’re




6

tryingtohelpothers,evenjustaffectingoneperson’slifecanmake

aworldofadifference.Canyouspeakonthatalittlebit,Frank?

Frank: Peoplecare.That’sthebiggestthing,ispeoplecare.It’ssucha

strangeworldwe’relivinginrightnow,butpeoplestillcare.The

BatWishisthemostperfectexample.Itjuststartedout,thatthis

youngboywantedtobeBatmanforaday.Thatwassimplyit.The

wordgotout,throughvolunteersandthat.Likeyousaid,thewhole

citycametogether,becausethatcitycareaboutthisonelittleboy.

That’swhatmadethisfoundationwhatitistoday,peoplecare.

Peoplemaynotknowweservechildrenwithlifethreatening

medicalconditions.Whenwestartedthis,itwasforstrictlywith

childrenwithterminalillnesses.ThroughthegraceofGod,modern

medicinealotofthoseterminalillnesschildren,arenowsurviving

today.Butwestilldon’tknowifthey’regoingtosurvivethat

condition.That’syourquestion,isstrictlybecausepeoplecare.

Theywanttohelp.

Ifsomanyofthesebusinessesgetinvolved...Abusinessisvery

successfulinthecommunity.What’sthebestwayforabusiness

toidentifywithacommunity,istogivebacksomehow.Withsome

typeofacharity,withanonprofit.Iknowwewouldsay,companies

goinandhelppeoplefixuptheirhouses.Theremaybebeawidow

situationoraelderlyperson,theycan’tdoit.They’llgoinand

cleanyards,paint.Whateveritis,somehowjustgivingbacktothe

community.Caringaboutpeople.

Pat: Yeah.That’sreallywhatitallcomesdownto.Everysinglepersonis

important.WhenitcomestothegrowthofMake-A-wish,Ithinkthat

obviously,thatcaringisabigpartofthegrowthofit.Werethereany

strategicthingsthathappenedinthebeginningstagesofMake-A-

Wish,thatreallyhelpeditgetit’sfootingandhelpspreadtheword

outthere?Werethereanyspecific,Idon’tknow,momentsthatyou

canrememberthatwerereally-

Frank: Oh,yeah.Yes.




7

Pat: Bigliftingmoments?Whatwerethey?

Frank: Itwouldbeourveryfirstofficialwish[...]inMarch1981.Again,Isat

nearalittleboy.HiswishwastogotoDisneyland.Wehadverylittle

funds.Nothing,butweweregoingtomakethishappen.Wecalled

andcalledDisneypeopleoveratDisneyland,California.Theyhad

noideawhowewere.Wewerebrandnew.Wouldn’thelpusout.I

startedthischaritybasedoncharacter,integrity,accountability.

LikeIsaid,Disneyjustwouldn’thelpus.IfinallycalledDisney...

Wewouldcallseveraltimes.Isaid,“Ineedtotalktothedirector

ofpublicrelationswithArizonaHighwayPatrol.Ihaveawarrant

foroneofyourpeople.”Igotthemanonthephoneimmediately.

ThefirstthingItoldhimwas,“Iliedtoyou.”Now,rememberIjust

said,Ibasethischarityonintegrity,accountability.Isaid,“Ilied

toyou.”ThisisthereasonI’mcalling.Here’smyname.Here’smy

badgenumber.Here’smysupervisor’sname.Youcangetmefired

immediately,butpleaselistentomystory.”

ToldhimabouttheMake-A-WishFoundation.Whatwewanted.We

justwantedtogetyoungboyinthere.Hewasinawheelchair.Can

wepossiblygethiminfrontofthelines.Thatonelittleliestarted

therelationshipwithDisney,whonow36yearslaterhasbeenone

ofthebiggestsponsorsofMake-A-WishFoundation.Sometimes

you’vegottojustliealittlebit.Seeifthere’sanintegrity[...]That

wasthestartofthegrowth,becauseDisneygaveusimmediate

press.Thepresspickedituprightaway.TheAssociatedPress,

becausetheyhadneverheardofanythinglikethis,theMake-A-

WishFoundation.TherewasnosimilarorganizationintheUnited

StatesortheWorld.Then,NBCtelevisionpickeditup.Itwent

onanationwidebroadcast,whichimmediatelygotusthepress

coverages.

Otherstatesstartedcalling.Howdowefranchisethis?Howdowe

getachapterinourstate?Wejuststartedthatgrowth.Because

ofjustthatonelittleevent,nowalltheseyearslater,there’s63

chaptersintheUnitedStates.36internationalchapterson5

continents.Ialwayswanttostressthatall,becauseofonelittleboy.




8

Ifithadn’tbeenforthat7-year-oldlittleboy,thiswould’venever

happened.

Pat: Wow.Alsoifyouhadn’treallywantedtotalktoDisneyandjust

didwhatittook.Ithinkthat’sanotherthing.Youreallybelieved

inwhatyouweredoing.Youreallyknewthatthiswassomething

couldwork.Youtoldalittlebitofalie.Ofcourse,whensomebody

hearsthattheyhaveawarrantonthem,you’lltalktotheperson

youneedtotalkto.Man,whatanincredible...Iwasliterallygetting

goosebumpswhileyouweretellingthat.Tothinknow,likeyousaid,

36internationalchapters.5continents.I’mreadinghereonthewiki,

there’sover300,000wishesworldwidethathavebeengranted.

Tothinkthat...Thosearenotjustthelivesofthosechildren,but

thelivesofthefamiliesofthosechildrenandeverybodywhohears

andreadsthosestories.Ithinkit’sspreading,justgivinghopefor

everybody.Ilovethat.Ithankyouagainforallofthat.

Ohgosh,there’ssomanythingsthatIwanttodiveinto.Basedon

yourexperience,Iknowyou’renotworkingasCEOandpresident

anymore.You’rethefirstpresidentbackinthe80s.You’realsostill

involvedasawhat’scalledawishambassador.Canyoutalkalittle

bitaboutwhatthatmeans?

Frank: WishAmbassador.Thefoundationhasaskedmetogotodifferent

chaptersthroughouttheUnitedStates...AsfarasGaum.On

keynotespeeches,keynotefundraisersthemeetandgreetwith

certainexecutivestoexplainthemission.Justgivethat1-on-1,nota

telephoneconversation,butaneye-to-eyeasIliketocallit.Police

officersliketolookatpeople’seyes,theirreactions.Justexplain

whatthemissionisandaskfortheirsupport.Beenverysuccessful

at,togetthisdeployed.Tomakethefoundationgrowtowhatitis

today.ThecurrentpresidentandCEOoftheNationalFoundation

[...]hasbeenjustanexcellentjob.

IfIcangobackalittlebit,Ihadtomakeacareerchoiceaftertwo

yearsofstartingthefoundation.AmIgoingtorunthisfoundation

andthenI’mgoingtobepoliceofficer?Iwasanexcellentpolice

officer,braggingalittlebit.Iknewlittleaboutthenonprofitworld.




9

Itwasallbrandnewtome.Likesomeofmymentorstellme,you

hiretheexperts.That’swhatwestarteddoing.Inevertookasale.

Weknewwehadthefireoftheexperts.Thatwasprobablyoneof

thebestbusinessdecisionsmyselfandtheboardatthetimemade.

Let’shiretheseexperts,soovertheyearshavebeenmadethis

roadtowhatitistoday.

Pat: Yeah,that’sanexcellentpoint.ItremindsmeofAndrewCarnegie

backinthesteeldays.Wherehehadconnectedwithwhathe

calledhisMastermindGroup.Hejusthiredalltheexpertsinthe

steelindustry.Heactuallydidn’tknowmuchaboutsteel,buthewas

abletobecomeoneoftherichestmenintheworld.Revolutionized

justalotofthings.Also,becomethebiggestdonoreveratthetime,

givingtocharitiesandwhatinasimilarfashion.Becauseofhis

connectionsandthefactthathehadhiredotherpeople,likeyou

hadjustdoneandhadsaid.Ithinkthat’sverysmart.

Thatbringsmetomynextquestionhere,Frank.Whichisallabout

thebusinessofthiswork.Imean,it’samazingthatyoustartedthis

andit’scontinuingtogoandit’scontinuingtorun.It’salso,wehave

torealizethatit’sstillbusiness.Itstillhastorun.Itstillhastoprofit

andmakemoney,sothatitcancontinuetorunandhelpothers.I

thinkthat’sabigstruggleforpeopletoo.

Canyoutalkalittlebitaboutwhenyouwerestartingitout,how

youwereabletokeepitafloat?Ithinkthat’soneofthethings.

Especially,withthiskindofthing,whereyouwanttogivesomuch.

It’sveryhardtokeepitafloatintermsoftheprofitsthat...Youneed

tokeepitrunning.Whatcanapersondo,who’slookingtogetinto

nonprofits?Basedonyourexperience,whatcantheydotomake

surethattheycontinuetokeepthisthingmovingforward,that

they’regoingtoactuallyjuststayafloat?

Frank: Probablytheonewordisintegrity.Ifyou’restartinganonprofit,

it’sallaboutthenonprofit.It’snotaboutyou.WhatImeanonthat,

isyou’vegottofocusonthemission.Alotofnonprofitsthatyou

lookedat...Myfavoritewebsiteischaritynavigator.org.Charity

Navigatoristhewatchdogfornonprofits.They’reapproximately1.2




10

millionnonprofitsintheUnitedStatesrightnow.

Pat: Wow.

Frank: Awholebunchofthem[...]ownpersonalgain.CharityNavigator

ratesona4-starsystem.Theypointoutwherethemoneyisgoing,

becauseeverynonprofithastoreportquarterlytoInternalRevenue

Service.CharityNavigatorgetsthosereports,looksatthem,and

findoutwherethedollarsthatpeoplethatdonatearegoing.Isit

goingtothemission?Isitgoingtosomebody’shighsalary?That

wasoneofthebiggestthingsthatwestressedonwhenwestarted

this.That’swhyInevertookasalary,becauseIwantedeverydollar

togotothemission.

Make-A-Wishrightnowismaintaininga70%orhigherofevery

dollardonated,goesdirecttothemission.Whichtomaintainsa

4-starrating,withCharityNavigator.Isstillmaintainsthatmission.

Thebiggestthing,ifsomebody’sinthenonprofitorarestarting

...LikeI’mstartingabrandnewnonprofitwe’regettingreadyto

launchherenextmonthhopefully,isagain,we’regoingtofocuson

themission.Notanindividualperson.

Pat: Idon’tknowifyou’reableto,butdoyouwanttotalkaboutwhat

thatnextventureisforyouandjustmaybesharealittlebitaboutit,

sowecanperhapsshowsomesupportforit.

Frank: ImentionedtoyouthattheMake-A-WishFoundationisawellrun,

wellfoundedorganization.It’smissionisforthechildrenwithlife

threateningillnesses.Imeetsomanypeoplearoundthecountry,

becauseI’mnowamotivational,inspirationalspeakerthattalks

aboutwell,howcomewecan’tgetsomebodytohelpmeetwithmy

friendswithservicedogs[...]Ididresearchonthat.Justanexample,

$58,000averagepricetotrainaservicedogforanautisticchild.

Thesameservicedogwillgotoourveterans.Thatcanhelpthem.

Aveteranwithprostheticlegsandthat.Helpthemgetaround.Help

themdothings.ThesamepriceandtheVAdoesn’tprovidethat.

Justallsortsofindividualcauses.Afriendofminesuggestedgeta




11

foundation.Wewilltryandgetinthecommunity.Startarippleeffect

toraisemoneyfortheseindividualcauses.That’sinfactthename

ofthenewnonprofit.RippleEffectFoundation.Ourmissionisgoing

tocreate,manageevents,meetingandonlinebenefitsforalltypes

ofcharities.

We’regettingreadytolaunchhereprettyquick.I’vedevelopeda

prettygoodboardonthere.SomenamesI’llmention,youwon’t

knowtheirnames,butyou’llknowtheirrelations.Oneoftheboard

membersisDavidStanley.Hisstep-brotherisElvisPresley.

Pat: Oh,wow.

Frank: AnotheroneisTanyaBrown.Youdon’tknowhername,butyouher

sister,NicoleBrownSimpson.We’regettingsomepeoplethathave

contacts,whocanreallyhelpusoutandseewhatwecandoto

helpawholebunchofotherpeople.

Pat: That’sawesome.Well,IlookforwardtolearningmoreaboutRipple

EffectFoundationinthenearfuture.We’lldefinitelyputlinkson

theshownotespageandeverythingforyou.ThelastquestionI

haveforyou,Frank...Again,thankyouforyourtimetoday.Really

appreciateit.Isaboutthefundraisingaspectofcreatinganonprofit.

Ithinkthisissomethingthatscaresalotofpeople.Evenpeopleas

entrepreneurswhoarejuststartingout.Sometimesthey’reeven

scaredofaskingtheircustomersforasaleorformoney,because

theyjustdon’tliketheideaorareafraidofaskingformoney.

Asabusinessowner,youhavetobelieveinyourproductof

course.Whenyoudothat,it’smucheasiertoaskforthesale.

Eventhen,somepeoplestillstruggle.Asanonprofit,Icanimagine

itbeingaverybigstruggleforsomepeoplewhodon’tfeeltoo

awesomeaboutmakingpeoplefullouttheirwallets.Howdo

youbestapproachthefundraisingaspectofrunninganonprofit

organization?

Frank: That’saverygoodquestion.Ialwaystellpeople,ifyou’reafraidto

askyoushouldn’tbeinthe-




12

Pat: Right.

Frank: Notforprofitbusiness.Thefirstthingis,youhavetohaveamission

thatpeoplewillrelateto.Whateveritmaybe,helpingveterans.It’s

goingtobeamission.Again,it’sgottobeamissionofintegrityand

accountability.Youjustgothereasyour...Thebusinessworldisall

aboutsalesandanonprofitisthesamething.It’sallaboutsales.

Youhavetosellthatmissiontopeople.

You’regoingtofindtherightpeoplesupportit.Then,italwaysgoes

...WhenIfindthatrightperson,howbigisyourRolodex?Thatyou

cancontactyourotherfriendstoseeiftheybelieveinthatmission

I’mdoing.Justasabusinesswouldbe,howdoyoubelieveinmy

product?It’sbasicallythesamesalesmanship.Ifyouhaveagood

productinthebusinessworldandthen,youhaveagoodprofitin

thenonprofitworld.Then,itworksthesameway.

Pat: Loveit.That’sagreatanswer.

Frank: Plus,youhavetoshowareturn.Youhavetoshowinthenonprofit

worldthatmoneythat’sbeingdonatedisgoingtothatmission.

You’reaccomplishingamission,justlikeinbusiness.You’re

accomplishingagoodqualityproduct.

Pat: Absolutely.Ithinkthebigstrugglewiththefundraisingaspectin

nonprofitworldis,alotoftimeswiththebusinessworldyouoften

getareturnimmediatelyafter.Forexample,ifyou’rebuyingapiece

ofsoftwareorsomething.Youknow,you’rebuyingabookeven.

Yougettoholditorstartreadingitimmediately.Startusingthat

softwareandgetthatimmediatereturnorthatimmediate...You

know,it’sa1-to-1real-timetransaction.Whereas,whensomebody’s

donatingmoneyoftenyoureallyknowwhathappens.

Frank: You’re100%correct.AbrandnewnonprofitlikeRippleEffect,we

have$0inabankaccountrightnow.Itwilltakeusagoodyearto

getstarted.We’reactuallygoingtostartgivingbacktothedollars

donated.Again,accountability.Thethankyouistoshowthem

what’sgoingoninanonprofitworld.Here’sthemoney.Here’swhat




13

we’redoing.Here’swhatwe’regoingtodo.Then,throughyour

socialmediasourceskeepeverybodyinformed.Transparency.

Pat: Yeah.Iloveit.Frank,whenRippleEffectsstartscollecting,letme

know.I’mmorethanhappytohelpout,forsure.

Frank: Well,thankyousomuch.Thankyou.

Pat: Absolutely.We’llkeepthatinmind.Isthereawebsitewhereany

particularplacewherepeoplewhoarelisteningtothisrightnow

cango.Isthiskindofa-

Frank: Yeah.ThewebsiteRippleEffectisbeingdeveloped.Wehaven’t

evengotonthereyet,butanything.Formyindividual,youcan

followmyadventures.We’rehavingamoviemade.Universal

Studiosisdoingthemovieaboutmylife,whichiskindofflattering.

That’sawholeothertopic.Thebook’scomingout.Atmyperson

websiteiswishman1,thenumber1,wishman1.com.

Pat: Wishman-

Frank: Andonthat-

Pat: 1.com.

Frank: 1.Thenumber1[...].Onthat,tobeabletofolloweverythingthatI’m

doingasfarasthenewRippleEffectFoundation.Movie,thebooks,

andsoon.

Pat: Man,I’msuperinspired.Frank,thankyouagainsomuchforcoming

onandsharingallofyourwisdomandjusttheinspiration.Ireally

lookforwardtotheseupcomingventures.Themovieandthebook,

Ididn’tevenrealizethatwashappening.Iwilldefinitelymakesure

tocatchthosewhentheycomeout.Ifthere’sanythingIortheSPI

communitycandoforyou,justpleasereachouttomeandletme

know.We’llmakethingshappen.

Frank: Pat,again,Iappreciateallowingmethetimeonyourshow.




14

Pat: Yeah.Thanksforcomingon.Cheers.

Frank: Allright.

Pat: Allright.ItrulyhopeyouenjoyedthatepisodeasmuchasIloved

re-listeningtoit.Especially,recordingitandhavingaconversation

withFrank.Itjustmakesme,justsohappythatI’mabletoconnect

withpeoplethroughthepodcastingworld.Imean,IneverthoughtI

wouldbeconnectingwithsomeofmyheroes.EvenpeopleIdidn’t

knowwouldbemyheroesuntilafterIchattedwiththem,likeFrank.

IjustwanttothankyouFrankifyouenduplisteningtothisorif

somebodywhoknowsFrankendsuplisteningtothis.Again,Frank

Shankwitz.Co-founderoftheMake-A-WishFoundation.

ToeverybodyelseouttherewhohasdonatedtoMakeaWish.Who

hashelpedorwasinvolvedwithMake-A-Wishinsomeway,shape,

orformatmomentintimeyouguysaredoinggreatstuff.It’sso

inspirational,becauseIwanttodobigthingstohelppeoplelike

thattoo.I’vebuiltacoupleschoolsinGhana.I’montheadvisory

boardforPencilsofPromise.Thereasonforthat,isnotonlysoIcan

helpoutinotherways,butalso,Ijustwanttomakeconnectswith

asmanyofthesephilanthropicpeopleaspossible,becausethisis

howwemakechangeintheworld.That’swhyI’msoexcitedabout

allofthis.Frank,you’reamazing.Everybodyelseoutthere,you’re

amazing.Thankyousomuch.Ihopeyouenjoythisepisode.Alittle

bitdifferentthanotherepisodes,butalsoalotofgreatcontenttoo.

Frankdefinitelybroughtthegood.Hehasalotofexperienceand

wisdomtoshare.Thisisgreat.

Ialsowanttothanktoday’ssponsor,whichis99designs.com.For

thoseofyouthatdon’tknowwhatthatis,it’saplacewhereyoucan

getstuffdesignedbyseveraldifferentdesignersaroundtheworld.

Youpostwhateverdesignneedthatyouhaveonthatwebsite.

Whetherit’sassmallasalogotoanentirewebsite,toat-shirt

design,afoodtruckwrap.AniPhonecaseoranappicon.Whatever

itmightbe.Putitupthereandhundredsofdesignersfromaround

theworldwillrespondwiththeirtakeonitandtheirdesign.Youget

topickyourfavorite.Theturnaroundissuperquick,7days.Very




15

affordable.Thisisthatthingthatyouuse,ifyoucan’tyetafford

thatonedesignerforyourownbusiness.Whichisidealofcourse,

becausetheyknowyourbrandandallthatstuff.Ifyoucan’tthen

you’rebootstrapping.Thisisaeasysolutionforyou.Ifyouwant

tocheckitout,goto99designs.com/spi.Again,that’s99designs.

com/spi.You’llget$99thatyoucanputtowardsyournextdesign

project.I’veuseditmyself.It’sgreat.99designs.com/spi.

Allright.Thankyousomuch.Iappreciateyou.There’sjustso

manygreatepisodescomingup.Thenextoneiswithastudent

ofmine,who’sbeenontheshowbefore.He’sdoingsomestuff

thatI’veneverheardofbeforeeither.It’ssortofthestudentnow

teachingtheteacher.You’regoingtogetalotofinformationthat’s

goingtohelpyou.Especially,ifyousortofflatlinewithsales.If

youflatlinewithsales,thisisgoingtohelpyougettothenext

plateau.It’sgoingtobeamazing.Ilookforwardtoservingyou

inthatepisode.Episode221.Untilthen,justkeeppushingthe

envelope.Keeppushingforward.Loveyouguys.Thankyouso

muchforyoursupport.Checkouttheshownotesforthisepisodeat

smartpassiveincome.com/session220.Takecare.Seeyouthen.




16

ReSouRceS: Make-A-WishFoundation

Wishman1.com

CharityNavigator.org

PencilsofPromise

SpoNSoR: 99Designs.com




http://worldwish.org/

http://wishman1.com

http://CharityNavigator.org

https://pencilsofpromise.org

http://99designs.com/spi


spi 220 an interview with make-a-wish co-founder, frank shankwitz - smart passive … · 2016. 6....

Documents