One of the core tenets of the Global Good Fund is supporting social entrepreneurs and high-potential leaders to accelerate their path towards success. Could you please share more about this incredible organization with us and what lead you to become Co-Founder and CEO?
I had the privilege of being mentored by multiple wonderful people, one of whom is my former boss and current CEO of Inova Health System, Knox Singleton. Knox coached me, sponsored me, pulled me up, invested in me, and believed in me. His mentorship accelerated my career growth and my ability to positively contribute to society. The Global Good Fund was founded to replicate this model of pairing a high potential young leader with an accomplished business executive as a catalyst for social good.
I did not intend to create an organization when The Global Good Fund was started. I loved my job and had pursued graduate school for health administration. My boss/mentor gave me a gift of money he would have spent taking me and my colleagues to lunch for my birthday. I figured “Why not try to turn $100 into $1,000 each for 6 organizations I’d volunteered with in the past?” We hit the initial fundraising goal of $6,000 dollars, ultimately raising $2,000,000 in a couple of weeks. I am still pinching myself to this day — $2,000,000??!! I felt an immense sense of gratitude and responsibility, having raised that kind of money. So I started putting one foot in front of the other with a lot of help along the way, and that journey evolved into The Global Good Fund as it exists today. It all started because multiple people took a chance on me, and now I have the opportunity to take a chance on other people.
You have had a rich background in human development and identifying future leaders. When did you realize your passion for truly making the world a better place? Do you have any recommendations for those commencing University or Graduate studies looking to follow a similar career path?
I used to get asked what I want to be when I graduate. It would have been more helpful if someone had asked me these questions instead:
- How do you want to spend your time?
- With whom do you want to surround yourself?
- What do you care about? What makes you angry that you wish you could change?
- Why will your life’s work to matter?
Once I considered these questions, my creativity and passion let loose. There was no eureka moment for me, rather a journey filled with self reflection that continues to be both a struggle and fulfilling. My advice to students is to think about how you would answer these same questions. Your answers will help you advance in a direction that is personally meaningful.
Tell us a bit more about your career path and your passion for nonprofits and social entrepreneurship.
I used to carry a list of 10 printed questions in my purse so that I would be prepared for an informational interview with anyone who would speak with me, at any time. One day while in graduate school, I searched the Internet and came across the name of a professional I admired. I spent time looking for her email and eventually found it. To my surprise, she agreed to a phone conversation with me. One of the questions on my list was, “What is the most creative part of your job?” Usually the interviewees responded with a description, but this professional responded with an individual’s name: Tama Duffy Day. I felt I absolutely needed to speak with Tama since she was so inspiring to another individual whom I greatly admired. I approached Tama with my same set of 10 questions, then asked for a job when I realized I was smitten with working for her. Tama not only became my boss, but also an early supporter of The Global Good Fund years later. I learned from Tama that the most important aspect of choosing a career path is choosing who to work for – I’ve only ever had bosses whom I respect and strive to emulate. I’ve also only ever worked jobs that were created with me in mind. That’s been an amazing gift. Not fitting in sometimes means having a target on one’s back, but it also means immense opportunity and growth.
After working with Tama designing health care facilities, I transitioned to work in health care delivery. I got my first full time job in health administration because I was assigned the task of taking attendance while a lowly intern at a local hospital. Who should walk in the room but the CEO?! I asked for a meeting with the CEO about building legacy and he accepted my invitation. I’ve noticed that most people talk with executives about the industry they work in. But if you want to create a lasting, positive impression, I’ve found the most memorable, meaningful conversations are about topics that matter to the individual, which have nothing to do with the industry they work in. That means digging to uncover what other people care about and working up the courage to ask questions that seem off topic (for instance, about the ways they serve their community). That character trait serves me well working in the field of social entrepreneurship where the focus is to address social challenges that most people intentionally work to avoid.
What are some of the main attributes of the individuals within your fellowship program and Young Executives Council? What is the difference among the two?
The Global Good Fund Fellowship is an annual program composed of 12 Fellows from around the world, including the United States. This year, the Fellows will be selected from a cohort of approximately 3,000 applicants, so it’s a wildly competitive, selective process. We look for high potential young leaders who are committed to their social enterprises full-time, play a key leadership role, and demonstrate both humility and coach-ability — The Global Good Fund is, after all, a leadership development program that requires Fellows have the ability to receive and incorporate feedback into their personal growth.
The Young Executives Council (YEC) is a small but mighty team of young professionals who are committed to helping other young professionals through The Global Good Fund. The YEC meets routinely to advise and act as a sounding board as we grow The Global Good Fund. The YEC members are successful leaders in their own right.
What is your vision in the coming years for The Global Good Fund? What big events or other personal conquests do you aim to execute on?
My priority for The Global Good Fund is for the organization to be financially sustainable long term. We’ve been in existence 5 years now, and I want to ensure that the organization is thriving 10 years from now so that we are able to scale the number of social entrepreneurs we have the privilege to support. Achieving that goal means creating and implementing an earned income stream, which is what we’re in the midst of doing now.
From a personal standpoint, I am about to give birth to our second child. The greatest decision I ever made was marrying my husband and the best thing we’ve done together is raising our children.
Who do you look up to?
I look up to a lot of people. I look up to the young people I mentor – they inevitably teach me about topics like resilience and positive attitude. I look up to my neighbors – they teach me the value of being good to one another through their warmth and hospitality. I look up to The Global Good Fund Fellows – they help me appreciate that struggle is a key part of the journey and they inspire me on a daily basis. They remind me that there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right here right now doing what I am so privileged to do with The Global Good Fund. Thank you for the opportunity to share my story.
Kindly provide us a few paragraphs about yourself
Carrie Rich is the co-founder and CEO of The Global Good Fund. Built by and for social entrepreneurs, The Global Good Fund was created in 2012 based on the belief that growing leaders is the best strategy for solving complex social problems and achieving global good. Carrie tested the theory behind The Global Good Fund while working as Senior Director of Vision Translation at Inova Health System and teaching as an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University. There she co-authored, Sustainability for Healthcare Management: A Leadership Imperative, a Handelsblatt’s Top 5 Business Book.
Carrie is the 2016 EY Entrepreneur of the Year, recipient of the POLITICO Women Who Rule Award, Washington Business Journal 40 under 40, Entrepreneur.com Top 30 Start-ups to Watch, Stevie Award for Women in Business, Asian Social Innovation CEO of the Year, Social Enterprise Alliance 50 under 40, and Empact100. Carrie has been published in media outlets such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, HuffingtonPost, The Founder Institute, Under30CEO, and Philanthropy News Digest. She sits on the boards of Rezon8Capital, Women in Business, Ibasho, and Halcyon Incubator. Carrie serves on the faculty at George Washington University and the Amani Institute in Kenya. She is also the Mentor in Residence at George Washington University where she mentors emerging young social entrepreneurs.
Carrie volunteers, enjoys photography, other people’s cooking, and voluntary running.
Learn more here: http://globalgoodfund.org/
Co-Founder David Almonte live in studio preparing for the next round of financial...
One of the core tenets of the Global Good Fund is supporting social entrepreneurs and high-potential leaders to accelerate their path towards success. Could you please share more about this incredible organization with us and what lead you to become Co-Founder and CEO?
I had the privilege of being mentored by multiple wonderful people, one of whom is my former boss and current CEO of Inova Health System, Knox Singleton. Knox coached me, sponsored me, pulled me up, invested in me, and believed in me. His mentorship accelerated my career growth and my ability to positively contribute to society. The Global Good Fund was founded to replicate this model of pairing a high potential young leader with an accomplished business executive as a catalyst for social good.
I did not intend to create an organization when The Global Good Fund was started. I loved my job and had pursued graduate school for health administration. My boss/mentor gave me a gift of money he would have spent taking me and my colleagues to lunch for my birthday. I figured “Why not try to turn $100 into $1,000 each for 6 organizations I’d volunteered with in the past?” We hit the initial fundraising goal of $6,000 dollars, ultimately raising $2,000,000 in a couple of weeks. I am still pinching myself to this day — $2,000,000??!! I felt an immense sense of gratitude and responsibility, having raised that kind of money. So I started putting one foot in front of the other with a lot of help along the way, and that journey evolved into The Global Good Fund as it exists today. It all started because multiple people took a chance on me, and now I have the opportunity to take a chance on other people.
You have had a rich background in human development and identifying future leaders. When did you realize your passion for truly making the world a better place? Do you have any recommendations for those commencing University or Graduate studies looking to follow a similar career path?
I used to get asked what I want to be when I graduate. It would have been more helpful if someone had asked me these questions instead:
Once I considered these questions, my creativity and passion let loose. There was no eureka moment for me, rather a journey filled with self reflection that continues to be both a struggle and fulfilling. My advice to students is to think about how you would answer these same questions. Your answers will help you advance in a direction that is personally meaningful.
Tell us a bit more about your career path and your passion for nonprofits and social entrepreneurship.
I used to carry a list of 10 printed questions in my purse so that I would be prepared for an informational interview with anyone who would speak with me, at any time. One day while in graduate school, I searched the Internet and came across the name of a professional I admired. I spent time looking for her email and eventually found it. To my surprise, she agreed to a phone conversation with me. One of the questions on my list was, “What is the most creative part of your job?” Usually the interviewees responded with a description, but this professional responded with an individual’s name: Tama Duffy Day. I felt I absolutely needed to speak with Tama since she was so inspiring to another individual whom I greatly admired. I approached Tama with my same set of 10 questions, then asked for a job when I realized I was smitten with working for her. Tama not only became my boss, but also an early supporter of The Global Good Fund years later. I learned from Tama that the most important aspect of choosing a career path is choosing who to work for – I’ve only ever had bosses whom I respect and strive to emulate. I’ve also only ever worked jobs that were created with me in mind. That’s been an amazing gift. Not fitting in sometimes means having a target on one’s back, but it also means immense opportunity and growth.
After working with Tama designing health care facilities, I transitioned to work in health care delivery. I got my first full time job in health administration because I was assigned the task of taking attendance while a lowly intern at a local hospital. Who should walk in the room but the CEO?! I asked for a meeting with the CEO about building legacy and he accepted my invitation. I’ve noticed that most people talk with executives about the industry they work in. But if you want to create a lasting, positive impression, I’ve found the most memorable, meaningful conversations are about topics that matter to the individual, which have nothing to do with the industry they work in. That means digging to uncover what other people care about and working up the courage to ask questions that seem off topic (for instance, about the ways they serve their community). That character trait serves me well working in the field of social entrepreneurship where the focus is to address social challenges that most people intentionally work to avoid.
What are some of the main attributes of the individuals within your fellowship program and Young Executives Council? What is the difference among the two?
The Global Good Fund Fellowship is an annual program composed of 12 Fellows from around the world, including the United States. This year, the Fellows will be selected from a cohort of approximately 3,000 applicants, so it’s a wildly competitive, selective process. We look for high potential young leaders who are committed to their social enterprises full-time, play a key leadership role, and demonstrate both humility and coach-ability — The Global Good Fund is, after all, a leadership development program that requires Fellows have the ability to receive and incorporate feedback into their personal growth.
The Young Executives Council (YEC) is a small but mighty team of young professionals who are committed to helping other young professionals through The Global Good Fund. The YEC meets routinely to advise and act as a sounding board as we grow The Global Good Fund. The YEC members are successful leaders in their own right.
What is your vision in the coming years for The Global Good Fund? What big events or other personal conquests do you aim to execute on?
My priority for The Global Good Fund is for the organization to be financially sustainable long term. We’ve been in existence 5 years now, and I want to ensure that the organization is thriving 10 years from now so that we are able to scale the number of social entrepreneurs we have the privilege to support. Achieving that goal means creating and implementing an earned income stream, which is what we’re in the midst of doing now.
From a personal standpoint, I am about to give birth to our second child. The greatest decision I ever made was marrying my husband and the best thing we’ve done together is raising our children.
Who do you look up to?
I look up to a lot of people. I look up to the young people I mentor – they inevitably teach me about topics like resilience and positive attitude. I look up to my neighbors – they teach me the value of being good to one another through their warmth and hospitality. I look up to The Global Good Fund Fellows – they help me appreciate that struggle is a key part of the journey and they inspire me on a daily basis. They remind me that there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right here right now doing what I am so privileged to do with The Global Good Fund. Thank you for the opportunity to share my story.
Kindly provide us a few paragraphs about yourself
Carrie Rich is the co-founder and CEO of The Global Good Fund. Built by and for social entrepreneurs, The Global Good Fund was created in 2012 based on the belief that growing leaders is the best strategy for solving complex social problems and achieving global good. Carrie tested the theory behind The Global Good Fund while working as Senior Director of Vision Translation at Inova Health System and teaching as an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University. There she co-authored, Sustainability for Healthcare Management: A Leadership Imperative, a Handelsblatt’s Top 5 Business Book.
Carrie is the 2016 EY Entrepreneur of the Year, recipient of the POLITICO Women Who Rule Award, Washington Business Journal 40 under 40, Entrepreneur.com Top 30 Start-ups to Watch, Stevie Award for Women in Business, Asian Social Innovation CEO of the Year, Social Enterprise Alliance 50 under 40, and Empact100. Carrie has been published in media outlets such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, HuffingtonPost, The Founder Institute, Under30CEO, and Philanthropy News Digest. She sits on the boards of Rezon8Capital, Women in Business, Ibasho, and Halcyon Incubator. Carrie serves on the faculty at George Washington University and the Amani Institute in Kenya. She is also the Mentor in Residence at George Washington University where she mentors emerging young social entrepreneurs.
Carrie volunteers, enjoys photography, other people’s cooking, and voluntary running.
Learn more here: http://globalgoodfund.org/