On Giving with Ellen Yui

In the first of our spotlight series, Spur Local speaks with members of our community to hear about why they give, how they choose to give, where this fits into their lives, and what they've learned throughout their journeys.

Today, we share our conversation with Ellen Yui.

Can you share about how you chose the values and beliefs that center you?

I find myself working with Spur Local through a combination of faith and joy – faith in my soul, in the souls of others, faith in my community, and faith in our ability to connect through love and have a profound impact, not only on our community and others, but on ourselves at the same time.

The easiest way to feel your way into where you belong in the world and identify your unique strengths is through joy. Does it bring you joy? It’s truly that simple. Love, to me, is the strongest force in the universe. The way you feel love, in many ways, is through joy.?

Joy is a discipline, as is love. It’s not always easy to love. If you find yourself coming up against something that doesn’t make you feel good, pay attention to that because it helps you go deeper into your joy, yourself, and what your soul is saying to you. Truly adhering to your values and your belief system is difficult. It gets easier the more you do it, because you learn to free yourself into saying no and allowing joy and love to direct you.

How has your experience of love and community changed over time?

My focus has always been very broad, very global. What I love about Spur Local is it allows me to bring it local, to my community, to the DMV.?

You don’t always have to be on a board or go to a gala event or even give money. There are plenty of ways to give time, and Spur Local facilitates the ability to give time just sitting at your desk. You don’t even have to leave your house or your office!

The organizations supported by Spur Local and in the catalog see a need, are passionate about something, and are all driven by love – love for community, for themselves, for individuals, for children, for the arts – whatever space they are providing value to. It’s so moving to read the applications that come in from organizations hoping to be included in the catalog.

I’m so grateful for what Spur Local affords me – it’s given me the feeling that I’m really giving in my community. As a reviewer for the catalog, I provide feedback on strategic communications, branding and partnerships to all the organizations, just as I do when I coach entrepreneurs and other leaders. Even if I never meet them, I’m helping them grow. I have a lot of meaningful, faith-driven things that happen to me, that move me. This, every year, is one of the top three.?

What are three things you would love to have known when you first started giving back?

I’ve been giving back since I was a child, so it’s always been a part of who I am. I grew up in a small town where there was a tremendous sense of community. I think that as I got older, started my own company, did pro bono work… I wish what I had known in general is to not project my values, or the way I would do things, on others. Not to get frustrated when you find that something is not really a good fit for me – just get out there and find it. Being is what it’s all about – how do you want to be in the world?

I wish I had known early to really list in my head what would bring me joy. It would’ve been helpful to be a little bit more methodical – what is joy? How do I identify joy??

Everyone needs help, and everyone’s in a position to give. There’s always an opportunity to give love. Anyone can do it. You just have to believe in yourself and hold fast to your values. It comes from a place of love – what you do and why you’re doing it. You always have to keep your heart open to learning in a new way.

More About Ellen Yui

Known for big ideas and bold advocacy, Ellen Yui brings decades of experience in communications and corporate social responsibility, marrying the powers of conscience and commerce to fuel positive change. As the founding principal of YUI&Company, Inc., she helps leaders elevate transformative ideas, sustain success, and build legacies that leave the world a better place.

Alongside her husband, Jimi, she also serves as a principal in YuiDesign, Inc. a boutique commercial kitchen design studio and hospitality consulting firm.

At Cornell University, Ellen serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence in the Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship. She has served as a guest lecturer at Cornell University, Boston College, and The University of Stavanger, Norway; as a guest speaker at trade and professional conferences; and she has been published on strategic marketing/communications and achieving impact through ESG and CSR programs.

As a Trustee of the Fund for Education Abroad, she works to promote justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion in international education and serves as a reviewer of the Spur Local’s Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington.

She holds a BA in Political Science from Boston College and the Baccalauréat in Philosophy, French Language and Literature from the Lycée Détat LaMartine in Macon, France. She is certified in CSR through Johns Hopkins University, and she received the Luminous Warrior Path of Power certification on mind-body-spirit integration and awakened leadership.

Previously, Ellen worked at Edelman Public Relations, Hill and Knowlton and Gray and Company. She also served on Capitol Hill and in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the US Department of State. Ellen is based in Washington, D.C. and New York City.