Working in the Non-Profit Sector With Lissa Zanville

F.I.R.E. - Feature, Inspiration, Resources, and Education

Feature:

Lissa Mozur Zanville has more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit management and is the executive director of Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charities (LATLC). She is a graduate of UCLA with a B.A. of arts in Public Affairs. Lissa currently resides in LA with her husband Stuart.

Inspiration:

by:?Stacee Jacobs?CPWA? RMA?, BFA?, Lead Planner at Initiate Impact

Lissa worked for the Democratic National Committee in Washington, DC? after college as an editorial assistant. As she transitioned her life to the LA area, she continued her career in politics and became the Assistant Finance Director for the California Democratic Party and later spent time in the Public Information Office for the LA City Attorney.

Where Lissa really began to leverage her talents and passion for the nonprofit sector was in 2007 when she became the Executive Director of Phase One Foundation, a private Family Foundation. The foundation focuses its efforts on phase I clinical trials and treatment for cancer patients.

In 2006, a small group of LA trial lawyers came together to form an official way to support their local community. This is where Las Angeles Trial Lawyers Charities was born. They focus on helping those who were oppressed and underserved. The goal is to leverage their time, talent, and treasures to make a positive impact in their community. The operations and management of LATLC were completely through volunteer efforts.

The organization quickly grew its membership to over 3000 trial lawyers by 2015. Because trial lawyers are typically very busy and are often preparing for or are in court much of the time, they often didn’t have the necessary time to organize fundraising and service projects.

Lissa wanted to be more connected to her generosity and the impact of her work after a long career with Phase One.? Lissa had become aware of the work that LATLC was doing in the local community because her husband, Stuart, is a trial lawyer.? She attended several events that were hosted by the organization. When the board decided it was time to hire a full-time director, they approached Lissa with the idea of coming to work for them.?

Lissa joined LATLC as the sole full-time employee after a successful interview process in 2016. One of the first events that she attended as the Executive Director was their first Great Tryke Giveaway, where they donated three adaptive tricycles to children with disabilities.? When she reflected on that experience she said:

“If every service event that we do is like this, I will either be crying in my car or high as a kite the rest of the day.”?

She knew that this is the place she belonged as she sought the fulfillment of seeing the impact.? This year in partnership with their sister organization, Orange County TLC, they gave away 35 of the adaptive tricycles!

During her time with the organization, Lissa has helped organize and grow their support and their services to the community. They host four major fundraising events each year, three signature service events, month service opportunities, and have a youth sports program and a college scholarship program.

LATLC is a pass-through organization so they give away everything that they bring in.? They support and partner with many LA area charities that align with their mission.? So far, they have given away more than $5.3 million in grants and gifts and recorded more than 7,600 volunteer service hours. They engage trial lawyers and their vendors in fundraising efforts, and anyone can volunteer with them.

There are no age requirements so local families in the area can look to LATLC to find opportunities to engage their children in giving back and volunteering.? An individual or family looking to volunteer would likely find several opportunities to serve that align with the causes that matter to them - including, homelessness and hunger, helping those who are disabled, education, athletics, diversity, equity and inclusion, mental health, and more.

The future for LATLC is bright.? Outside of continuing to grow their impact in the LA area, they are also committed to helping other trial lawyers in other geographic areas come together to form their own organizations with a similar mission of “justice in the courtroom, service in the community.” They have already assisted the Orange County TLC in its formation including sharing of logos, bi-laws, best practices, etcetera.? The goal is, of course, to improve communities outside the reach of LATLC.

Resources:

Lissa Zanville - LinkedIn

Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charities - Website - Facebook - Twitter - Instagram - YouTube

Education:

One of the most inspiring conversations that we had with Lissa was from her time in college.? She shared that during her upbringing her parents were always engaged in service and politics.? Therefore, she shared similar values.? The first time she learned about philanthropy was in college when she met a man at an event.? When he introduced himself, he said he was a philanthropist.? She asked him what that meant and he shared he was wealthy and that he was committed to giving it away.? Lissa herself was inspired to have enough wealth to give away to others from that time on.

Her career provided for her needs but did not create the type of personal wealth she felt necessary to make the significant impact she desired.? When she began working with LATLC, she felt like she had come full circle. She not only manages her family’s personal gifts and service to others, but she also has been able to actively engage in giving more than $5 million and organizing more than 7,600 service hours.

If you are like Lissa and have a real desire to make an impact financially, with your time, or your talent, but can’t stop earning for your family, or if you aren’t feeling much joy in the for-profit sector with traditional capitalism goals, what are your options? Or maybe, you are looking for what is next when thinking about retirement for your lifelong career.? Can you align your resources so that you spend every day making an impact on the world around you?

This is not to suggest everyone is cut out to be an executive director of a non-profit organization.? We are suggesting there might be opportunities like Lissa found to pursue a goal in a creative way.?

There are over 1.5 million registered non-profit organizations in the US serving varying causes. They employ 10% of the US workforce.? Additionally, the nonprofit sector, according to some experts, has not been immune from the Great Resignation.

If you are working in the traditional for-profit sector, you likely have some transferable skills that could be utilized to make a great impact around the globe. ? Whether those skills are hands-on skills like building, fixing, providing medical care, or they are related to social media, management, or marketing, the non-profit sector would likely be elated to have your talent at their disposal.

If you are in the position that you still need to earn, there is likely a paying position that you would qualify for in your area or close by.. Also, according to a 2016 article by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, workers at non-profits earn on average $5.13 per hour more than the same positions in for-profit companies.

When you are passionate about living in impact and potential, not satisfied with your current career or ability to give back, looking for creative ways to align your resources can help you experience more joy.? Figuring out where to start can be a challenge.? At Initiate Impact, we guide those we serve to live a balanced and happy life.? We look at more than just the money and help find direction for each whom we serve.? We believe this leads to greater joy and deeper impact.?

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