Transcript:
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Brad Caruso:
Welcome to Civic Warriors, brought to you by Withum. On this podcast, we bring the conversation to you, sharing, engaging stories that motivate and build consensus in the nonprofit community. This podcast is about the innovators, the leaders on the frontline of adversity, guiding lights in the nonprofit industry affecting change. And through their stories, we can all join forces to become civic warriors. Hey, warriors. Welcome to today’s episode of Civic Warriors, brought to you by Withum. I’m your host, Brad Caruso, leader of Withum’s not-for-profit practice. Today we have a great conversation lined up to discuss how a large community-based corporation embraces philanthropy and makes significant impact, both in the services they provide as a company and the various mechanisms of giving and volunteerism. With us today is Maria Spina, who is manager of PSEG Foundation. At PSEG, she directs foundation resources to key areas of PSEG’s, philanthropic giving strategy, societal investment strategy, all while supporting the corporation’s vision through defined pillars of the foundation.
Brad Caruso:
Maria plans creates and facilitates societal investment strategies through philanthropic giving and works with key strategic partners that aim to empower underserved communities through social and environmentally sustainable activities. While strengthening the PSEG brand, Maria establishes and foster strategic external partnerships liaisons with and supports senior corporate officers and the PSEG Foundation board, and also outside of the foundation work. She’s also very active in the not-for-profit community and serving many other community-based organizations, such as the Board of Council of New Jersey, grant Makers Partnership for Drug Free New Jersey and Volunteer Center of Bergen County, and serves in several other advisory related roles. So, needless to say, she certainly is a true community advocate, has a wealth of knowledge in the not-for-profit community, and is a true civic warrior. So with that being said, Maria, welcome to the show.
Maria Spina:
Thank you, Brad. Pleasure to be here.
Brad Caruso:
Awesome. Um, so I, I guess to start out, you know, one of the things that I always like to, to bring up and, and give the audience a little background on is, you know, how do you ended up in the role you’re in? So, how did you end up at PSEG?
Maria Spina:
So it, it’s, it’s interesting, um, and I hope I don’t bore you too much with this one, but quite simply, <laugh>, it’s a combination of taking a leap into a career that was driven by my passion. I think, you know, if you ask anyone that question, what made you decide on this career, the answer isn’t always direct. You know, we end up on paths that in the moment do not seem to make sense, or we’re driven to explore what else is out there, and then suddenly you end up on a different path that makes you self-reflect. And all those decisions actually did make sense, and, and that’s exactly what happened to me. So I’m gonna, I’m gonna start a little bit on a journey to kind of put it all into perspective for you. Um, and this is really, you know, telling the story of my passion.
Maria Spina:
Um, as a teenager in the eighties, I saw firsthand the fear surrounding the AIDS epidemic around the unknown and around human interactions. And I felt compelled to learn as much as I could and how I might contribute to stopping the fear That too often followed, and I channeled that passion for understanding and helping into a project, um, in seventh grade, uh, which allowed me to win the Hudson County Science Fair. And while I was pleased to win, mostly I was pleased to help better the world at such a young age. I, I felt really compelled by that. Um, as an older teenager and a young adult, my family was faced, faced with some unfortunate news, um, where my mom learned she had cancer. And, and oftentimes the information we received about her illness, the available resources came from patient advocates from the American Cancer Society and other local organizations.
Maria Spina:
And I always appreciated that because in moments of that overwhelming fear and uncertainty, it was comforting to know that there were nonprofits available to help cancer patients and their families. Um, years later, as a young mother, I had a, a job at a local community hospital in Jersey City, managing their foundation’s financials and writing federal and state grants for mental health and substance abuse programs and administering those funds and as well as community initiatives. And this was a deeply poignant job on one end to know that there was such a tremendous need for services in the city and the county learning of all the touchpoints of substance abuse and the intersections of mental health and the children and families impacted by these diseases. There certainly was, and still is more need than there are resources available. Um, in 2012, I came across a job actually on a nonprofit website called Idealist.
Maria Spina:
It’s a social impact nonprofit job posting site. And having that positive feeling about PSEG as a place that I had an interest in working for, I was fortunate to get an interview for the position. And sort of a little side story there, my interest to work for PSEG actually developed later in life. Uh, my father, who is now a retiree of PSEG, would always encourage me to apply for positions. And of course, like most of us, we don’t listen to our parents and we wanna seek our own journey. And for me, after college, that was an entirely different industries of the luxury goods and financial industry. Anyway, when I was younger, we would always participate in the annual March of Dimes walk, which PSEG has been a major supporter and funder of for decades.
Maria Spina:
And I participated in those work, those walks, fundraising and, and actually walking. And through my family, I would always hear about PSEG and its commitment to the community. Fast forward now, I’ve been with PSEG for 11 years and on the other side of philanthropy, so I, I, I kind of experienced from that passion the side of being on the nonprofit sector, but still in a nonprofit role. But for a corporation, and as a the manager of the PSEG Foundation, I find our ability to support the community rewarding. And I’m grateful that my passion for helping others has developed into my career. And I’m proud to work for a company that values the importance of being an involved citizen, making a difference in the lives of so many.
Brad Caruso:
That’s phenomenal. And just hearing that story, I think brings it all together. And, and it’s also helpful too for, you know, those that receive grants from the organization, you know, that obviously you’re a big part of like knowing how much you care and why you care about the community you serve, or why you care about the constituents you serve. And realizing that the foundation world and the servicing for not-for-profits serve in that community. And I can tell you recently we went through a fundraising campaign for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society did a whole big, you know, fundraiser. They have this visionary of the Year program. And, you know, I, I learned so much from some of the individuals that they provided services to. I learned from their own advocates or the own mm-hmm. <affirmative> individuals internally and, and how much support they provide in the uncertainty of that event. And I think sometimes people always wonder where do the dollars go? But when you, the more and more you hear stories like that, you realize these organizations do so much good. And that’s why people give to them. And, and I think it’s great that you have that background to appreciate what those nonprofits do. And I guarantee it adds to the power of the money that you give and makes people feel so appreciated when you’re working with them. So that’s phenomenal hearing your backstory. Love it.
Maria Spina:
Absolutely. And, and I think you need that level of empathy to really understand, you know, the impact that these organizations are having in our communities. And that isn’t always easy, especially, um, when, when you are working for a foundation and wanting to be in a position to help support and kind of being limited sometimes from a resource standpoint. Um, but certainly it puts it all into perspective.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. And you can’t help everybody, which is the hard truth, right? Like you wind Absolutely. And you hear all these great stories, you wanna help everyone, and you realize you can’t, but you also realize that yes, but the good that we do is, is certainly very valid and important in the world. So I jumped right into it in the beginning, but I guess maybe taking a step back about PSEG itself, and, you know, I’m a firefighter by trade outside of being a public accountant by day. So, um, you know, I encounter PSEG all the time and it’s, you know, second nature to me. Some of our listeners may not always encounter PSEG, you know, other than knowing they keep the lights on. But I guess for, for a quick refresher, uh, maybe provide a little bit more background on the corporation itself. You know, who do you serve? What communities are you in?
Maria Spina:
Sure. So, uh, little History. PSEG was founded in Newark and we’re headquartered in Newark. In fact, we’re celebrating our hundred and 20th anniversary this year. So founded in 1903. PSEG is a publicly traded diversified energy company, and one of the 10 largest electric companies in the us. We have a family of companies. So, uh, most folks in New Jersey know us as Public service, electric and Gas, PSEG. And we’re New Jersey’s largest provider of electric and natural gas service serving 2.3 million electric customers and 1.9 million gas customers. We also have PSEG power, and it’s an energy supply company that integrates the operation operations of its nuclear generating assets with its fuel supply functions. We also have PSEG, long Island, um, which we operate the electric transmission and distribution system of the Long Island Power Authority, uh, for 1.1 million customers. And we’re also viewed as an infrastructure company focused on a clean energy future powered by diverse, dedicated and highly skilled workforce.
Brad Caruso:
And I think one of the things too, obviously very community-based, you know, New Jersey is, is obviously a significant market, but you’re in other locations. And, you know, the way I always look at PSEG interestingly enough, and I think this is from a first responder, is that, you know, everyone thinks of first responders as police, fire, EMS, and the fourth first responder is public service, electric and gas. <Yes.> ’cause you’re, you know, every time we’re on calls, people are like, oh, you know, firefighters, you do all this stuff. I’m like, well, I’m like, the second there’s an electrical problem, who do we call <laugh>?
Maria Spina:
Right?
Brad Caruso:
We, we don’t touch electricity ’cause it’s dangerous. And if everyone out there doesn’t know electricity’s extraordinarily dangerous. And you should not ever touch it unless you’re a professional. But it’s, um, interestingly enough, you know, you’re, you’re, you’re definitely the first responders in the world in any major incident major, you know, hurricane disaster.
Brad Caruso:
These folks work around the clock. And I think a lot of people lose sight of that sometimes. And I think, yeah, it also adds into what we’re gonna talk about too, about, you know, how you approach giving back to your communities. But the other thing too that everyone should be conscious of is always thank your PSEG folks out there, <laugh>, always thank your, you know, the people that keep the lights on for you. Because at the end of the day, especially in natural disasters and events, they work around the clock and, and do a lot of good. So, uh, but appreciate that backstory. I think it gives the listeners a little more understanding of the corporation itself. So diving in many of us out there hear about corporate philanthropy, social responsibility, how corporations give back to their communities. There’s obviously many ways. How does PSEG approach corporate social responsibility? How do you view your core, kinda like ethics and values towards giving back to your community?
Maria Spina:
Yeah, Brad, um, and actually just quickly touching on, on the statement you just made about, uh, being a firefighter, um, in fact, one of the things that we value too is that such a significant level of our workforce also volunteers on their time with their local community as firefighters as well, and first responders and, and many different ways. And so it was interesting to hear your connection there because, um, it, it’s nice to know that we’re viewed in that light, but also our employees also commit to the community that way. Um, so when we view corporate social responsibility, today’s customers, our employees, our investors really expect PSEG to not just serve its communities, but also to solve some of society’s most complex problems. And we have a longstanding commitment to corporate citizenship and our demonstration to civic values by sharing our time, talent, and financial resources, we really ensure we’re making substantial investments to improve our communities in the quality of life. We leverage that considerable talents and knowledge of our diverse employees, and we partner with nonprofits whose missions align with our strategic giving as well as those that recognize and elevate the importance of volunteerism in our communities. And therefore we aim to deliver purpose-driven results that include operational efficiency, reputation management, employee and community engagement, while fostering thriving communities for all.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. So certainly a heightened focus to say the least. And even beyond the social values that you maintain, you know, you also have different arms of the company and different messaging to different, different individuals. Um, you know, I think when, when you made your introduction today and, and you know, what we’re gonna dive into a little more is the foundation itself. <Affirmative>. Um, and so, and when we’re kind of viewing the foundation in light, um, you know, how, how do you, how do you view how the foundation fits into the overall PS and t philanthropy model? And, you know, how, how do the different, you know, giving platforms and the foundation giving platforms differ or intersect, you know, how, how do, how do they work together, I guess is probably the best way to ask that question.
Maria Spina:
Sure. Um, it’s interesting because, you know, again, as a corporate foundation, I think most people just think, you know, you award grants, but don’t realize that we are a separate 501c3 nonprofit, and we have the same requirements as any nonprofit from maintaining our tax status with the IRS to filing our annual nine 90. And we partner with organizations whose mission aligned with our strategic giving, who are equipped to address some of the most trying social and economic challenges of our time, as well as those that recognize and elevate the importance of volunteerism in our community. So a lot of nonprofits reach out to us sometimes seeking more so that sort of in kind support. So in kind through direct services and volunteerism. And they value that sometimes more than the actual grant they receive. Not to say they’re turning away funding <laugh>, um, but they value that <laugh>.
Maria Spina:
Um, so we’re active in the community from philanthropic giving to our employees, serving on boards to an active workforce that’s always seeking opportunities to volunteer, mentor, and help in our communities. And in fact, um, we have from the foundation strategic partnerships as well as our pillars that are, are really a representation of where our giving is. So again, I mentioned some of the things like our charitable giving and our robust employee giving program, and we build this on a holistic view to really ensure we have purpose-driven results. Um, I’ll touch on some of our foundation’s giving priorities, um, because those really are aligned as well with our corporate vision. So, um, and, and none of these are in any particular order in terms of value. So they’re all equally valuable for the foundation and PSEG. Um, but similarly there’s intersection in how we support, uh, some of these programs as well.
Maria Spina:
So environmental sustainability is one area of focus. And in that space we look to support our organizations that help to promote environmental sustainability, facilitating clean energy innovation, preserving ecosystems and encouraging conservation, as well as fostering environmental justice. Um, second area is focused on social justice, and we believe in empowering diverse and inclusive communities focused on addressing inequities and elevating prosperity in our communities. We view that holistically on how can we help to close the wealth inequality gap as well as promote diversity, equity, inclusion, racial and cultural awareness. And then the third area is it’s focused on equity and economic empowerment. And in this space we try to increase awareness of STEM education and workforce readiness skills, expanded educational opportunities for all, support neighborhood revitalization, as well as economic development and really trying to build safe and resilient communities.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. And all, all super important areas in the not-for-profit world, especially, you know, when we think about the effects that Covid had on not-for-profit organizations, especially inner city, not-for-profit organizations and people that they serve, I think Covid had a substantial impact. And, you know, the, the giving that foundations do has accelerated significantly and, and been a much needed bridge in in difficult times. Uh, you know, commenting before about, about corporate foundations, I think it, it’s not really a thing that you hear about publicly, but, but I definitely put it into a, a class of foundation. Mm-hmm. It is a 501c3, it’s a tax exempt organization. They have a determination letter, you receive a tax deduction for donating to it. Um, you know, but generally corporate foundations are set up as, as you would expect by the corporation they’re affiliated with. And, and really the main difference between that and the other, you know, foundation uh, private foundation or non-private foundation, it’s just that, you know, a lot of the, a lot of the values of that, that corporation, uh, flow down to that foundation and, you know, the, the governance structures are set up a certain way, but, but ultimately, you know, you are, you are a foundation and, and it is set up very similar to others.
Brad Caruso:
So I think often, you know, it’s, it’s a, it’s a class of foundation that’s, it’s very important because it, it drives overall giving. Um, but a lot, a lot of people don’t really talk about it a lot. I haven’t heard, you know. Right. I, my own personal practice, I serve as several, uh, several corporate foundations and, and, um, you know, so I’ve got to see the in inner workings of a lot of ’em. And it’s, um, it’s wonderful to see because all of them are usually, they receive funding from, from the corporation. They, they give that out. They have a very strong strategic plan, always like very, very specific. As you said, you have those three pillars you service and, and that you grant to. So the impacts that they make in the community they serve are immense. And, and so, you know, certainly those out there listening, you know, it’s important to, you know, know that these foundations exist. And I, I think that’s one of the, one of the, the reasons why we’re talking today, one of the, you know, ways we’re bringing to light some of the great work that the foundation is doing.
Maria Spina:
Yeah. And you touched on, you know, a governance structure too. I mean, we have guidelines. We have a board, like any nonprofit, um, you know, we have bylaws, so, so same type of governance structure as any nonprofit operating in the community. Just, you know, obviously different scale because we have the name of PSEG behind it, but certainly we operate the same way.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. And all the ones I’ve ever I’ve worked with are very buttoned up, very, very, you know, operated, you know, you imagine it’s, it’s affiliated with a multi-thousand employee corporation and, and those, you know, legal parameters and, and you know, heightened sense of we need to have every dollar know where everything goes and have strong internal controls. Most of the time I see those same internal controls at that big public corporate company fall down to. So I think that’s also important for the public to know that, you know, especially, and I don’t know, I haven’t worked with the PSEG Foundation, but in general, I have seen that there, you know, you can trust that there’s strong internal controls and the, you know, the money goes exactly where they intend and multiple eyes have been on it. And yeah, it’s, it’s, uh, it’s a, it’s great to see, um, that, uh, that you set it up that way.
Brad Caruso:
Um, you know, so I guess diving into a couple, uh, you know, programs you have, I think, I think it’s great to hear about the, the work you’ve been doing. Um, you know, there’s been press releases and I know, um, you know, we spoke before this a little bit about it, uh, about your neighborhood partners program. And so I was wondering if maybe you can go into a little, uh, further detail about the program, you know, uh, kind of the why behind, you know, awarding those gifts and, and you know, a little more detail about the program itself.
Maria Spina:
Sure. Um, so each year the PSEG foundation releases the Neighborhood Partners Group program, which awards grants that range from $500 to $15,000. And this is really focused on grassroots community-based organizations that address inequities and inequalities in under-recognized communities throughout PSEG’s service and operating territory. The past few years, we’ve allocated a million dollars in funding from our annual budget to be dedicated specifically to the neighborhood partners program. And we’re actually approaching our 10 year anniversary of this program. Um, since the inception of it, the foundation has made great strides with affecting equitable change in the communities it serves. And we really try to partner with organizations that are transformative, leading changes on issues impacting our communities and working towards collaborative solutions. Um, so as I said, 10 years strong, and there certainly is a need, uh, from the community. We’ve seen this program grow in terms of, from an outreach standpoint where, you know, we had a few hundred organizations to the number just keeps growing each year. It’s amazing. We see, you know, it’s sort of this bittersweet moment of there’s so many organizations reaching out to us requesting funding for their projects, but at the same token, it’s, it’s, you know, so heart wrenching to know that there’s so many organizations and communities in need.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. And, and the list, the list I’m sure is growing too, from the program itself. What areas do you see where funding is usually needed the most? Like, I’m sure you review a lot of applications. I’m sure that, you know, a lot of information crosses your desk when you’re reviewing that and seeing, you know, what the needs are. Where, where do you see kind of the more common needs or the more common requests that you’re, that you’re getting for funding?
Maria Spina:
So it’s interesting because if I reflect back, um, at the start of the pandemic where we saw the greatest need was in food insecurity and mental health services, family support services, childcare, uh, those were kind of the core areas in 2020. Um, the programs that we support have sort of shifted a little bit over the years, but I’d say that still remains strong. That food insecurity, um, mental health services, career workforce skills, those are really the areas of need that we’re seeing in our communities.
Brad Caruso:
I’ve definitely heard similar things. I think throughout all of the government funding packages that came out, I think a lot of those government funding packages were designed <affirmative> to address some of those areas. But I don’t know that from an efficiency or distribution perspective that they had the impact necessarily. And I have no empirical data to necessarily support that other than public speculation, but I know <Right.> You know, the foundation world definitely stepped up in a big way to fill those gaps and exactly as you said, and, and, you know, uh, through your programs, you certainly have made, you know, substantial strides in, in filling those gaps. But it’s interesting to hear.
Maria Spina:
Yeah. And, and again, uh, it, it’s interesting even for us as we sort of, you know, have done this analysis over the past few years to see if, if the requests have trickled down, and they certainly have not. Um, and that, that is really one of the areas where there seems to be the biggest need.
Brad Caruso:
And I guess in these, uh, you mentioned before and, and kind of diving into a similar, similar but related topic is a lot of the not-for-profits that you partner with and you’re working closely with, they’re looking for support, you know, monetarily or, or through a grant. But you also mentioned there’s other support that is provided, or there’s other, you know, volunteer efforts or, you know, and I know PSEG encourages their, as you mentioned, their employees to get involved. Um, you know, what does that look like? What are some of the other areas or ways that the foundation helps, uh, you know, non monetarily helps and, and you know, gets employees involved and things like that?
Maria Spina:
So we, the foundation has a program called Our Power of Giving program, and there’s a couple of different slices to this program. Um, we support company sponsored events. So these are your types of things like your galas, your walks, um, conferences, things where employees wanna get active in the community mentoring, um, other, other ways where they wanna be active in the community board placement as well. Um, and through that, we encourage our employees to track your time, ensure you’re, you know, you’re being supportive of the community. We have no limitation necessarily in terms of how employees wanna be present. Um, they can do it on their own time, they can do it through company sponsored time. We have a policy that allows folks to take some time off from paid time off to participate in, in company sponsored events. Um, in addition to that, for employees who are sort of dedicated with a particular nonprofit, meaning, you know, they’re consistently showing up to a particular nonprofit and volunteering their time at a minimum of 25 hours per year and up to a hundred hours per year, the foundation will donate, um, will, will actually donate funds for the equivalent of their time.
Maria Spina:
So for example, if they’re don, if they’re donating a minimum of $25, the organization will get $250. Um, so it’ll go all the way up to a thousand dollars for employee time. And then other ways, um, that we also from a donation standpoint is we do, we match the dollar for dollar for donations. If an employee donates to a 501c3 organization of their choice, again, there’s certain guidelines that they have to meet, um, but not organizations that our foundation sort of drives. They can do it to organizations they wish to donate to on a national scale. The foundational match dollar for dollar up to $7,500. So really robust and, and a generous program. And then, um, every year we participate in the Giving Tuesday campaign that occurs the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. And we will be doing that again this year. Um, and during that program we match two to one.
Maria Spina:
So for every dollar, the foundation will match $2. So we really encourage through all of these various programs, employee participation to be ambassadors in their community, ensuring that they’re showing up that they’re, you know, really, um, taking advantage of helping to support their community on a grassroots level. And I mentioned some of them earlier when we talked about, um, you know, being a volunteer firefighter. Again, these are ways that employees can help support their local community. And just kind of put into perspective, in 2022, we had 46% of our workforce participate in company sponsored events. So if that gives you any perspective, and I, and I didn’t start with telling you when I talked about this.
Maria Spina:
We have 13,000 employees. Um, so if that puts into perspective the number of employees that are out there active in the community, um, we really, you know, we, we really help build that sense of community through these programs.
Brad Caruso:
And, and those are, and that’s just the ones that actually log and track their time or, or budget. Right, exactly. I mean, think about all the, all the non-compliance with tracking of time <laugh>, right? That’s what we deal with. Like Yeah. But, but that’s, I mean, that’s great to hear. And I mean, I, you know, of 50% participation rate for such a large, you know, large corporation. I mean, it just shows, you know, and, and it’s always a top down approach from a tone from the top, uh, that message transpires throughout the whole organization and from all levels of the organization that that’s phenomenal to hear. And, you know, for those out there, I think, you know, one of the things that Maria just touched on too is, is, is matching, um, you know, many of the corporate foundations of the world. That’s where a lot of the matching programs come from. And um, you know, I can tell you through our firehouse, um, we were designated as a 501c4, and you know, Brad, the not-for-profit guy comes on, I’m like, why are we a 501c4? <Right?> We, we are precluded from receiving all this money. So what did I do? Got us, I gotta open up a foundation, got us a 501c3 designation. I’m like, Hey guys, now we can accept matching gifts.
Maria Spina:
That’s excellent.
Brad Caruso:
You can thank me later. <laugh> <laugh>. But it was a big, it was a big discussion point because I, you know, um, you know, many people don’t realize that as a foundation, you know, you, you, you can’t just go provide money to a, to a c4 necessarily directly. Um, especially the, the matching programs, many of them are set up not to get or are set up to give to 501c3 organizations. So, um, that designation, you know, although many people may not always realize it is actually very important for your not-for-profit, how, how you’re structured. But the matching programs definitely accelerate giving, increase giving. It’s a way to encourage your employees at your organization to give more. And it makes you feel good about it. ’cause it’s, Hey, I gave a hundred dollars and now that not-for-profit got got $200 total. Like it, you know, they’re, they’re a great, uh, they fill a great need in the world, but the matching programs I know are, are very big in the, in the corporate foundation world from, uh, from my dealings. So good to hear that you brought that up.
Maria Spina:
Absolutely.
Brad Caruso:
So, you know, we’ve talked a, um, a about a couple different topics and, and I, I guess just kind of like the last thing is, you know, many, many of, um, you know, many not-for-profits, people that work in nonprofits will be listening to this episode and we’ll be thinking about, okay, you know, I’ve heard a little bit about this, but, you know, how do I get involved? How do, how do not-for-profits, you know, in those communities you serve, you know, how do they engage with you? What, what’s the mechanism for that to happen? How, how do, how do others kind of work with you and, and get involved?
Maria Spina:
Sure. So, you know, again, PSEG / PSEG Foundation, we have a long history of supporting our communities. And in most cases, nonprofits reach out directly to our employees, our employee resource groups, our board members, the foundation directly, or similarly in our circles of nonprofits like the Council New Jersey Grantmakers or Center for Nonprofit at conferences. Um, you know, we try to be present there to ensure that we’re really connecting with our nonprofit community and other networks where there’s volunteers involved as as well. Um, some of the opportunities that exist are through the neighborhood partners program, as I mentioned, that’s a grassroots funding support. So a lot of organizations do come in sort of through that approach and, and then we help, uh, develop and cultivate a relationship from there.
Brad Caruso:
If you could put a number to it, how many non-for-profits, just in general do you think you work with or, or a grant to? Like, if you looked at like an overall number, what, what does that look like?
Maria Spina:
So in 2022, we partnered with, and I say partnered, but you know, funded holistically, um, a little over 400 organizations from the foundation. So it’s, it’s rather sizable.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. That, that’s a massive, I mean four, four hundred’s a big it, that’s a big number of not-for-profits in, in one and that, and we’re talking about one year too. Right. It’s, you know, that’s substantial amount of grants that you make.
Maria Spina:
Yeah. Most definitely.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. Awesome. Um, so I guess the last thing, you know, I’ll, I’ll ask you. And um, you know, you, you and I talked about it, about, you know, the importance of, you know, getting involved and, and the importance of, you know, being involved in an organization on a board. You know, what, what is, you know, from kind of closing it up with your overall philosophy on that, and from the beginning, you know, why you got involved and, you know, now you probably encourage others to get involved, you know, what, what is your opinion on that and getting involved in a board or getting involved in, you know, kind of the not-for-profit community as a whole?
Maria Spina:
I think it’s really important and, and I’ll kind of take it from the perspective of the board for a minute. ’cause I do serve on a few boards and, and advisory councils and advisory boards as well. Um, you know, all of us have a degree of our day-to-day job, so to speak, right? So you, you talked about, you know, you’re an accountant, but you volunteer with the firehouse. And so there’s a level of talent that everyone has that can be brought to the table that nonprofits can really learn from and can appreciate in operating their business as well. I mean, they are, we don’t view nonprofits, I think traditionally as a small business or as a business per se, but they are, right. And they’ve, they’ve got overhead and they’ve got all of that. And so to be in a position to have resources available to them, um, from that talent perspective is so important. And, you know, it, it allows for a different angle or the diversity of voice too. Um, when we’re sitting on a board to, uh, to bring that perspective to the table, we’re all addressing the same type of social and economic concerns, uh, that we all on a global scale too, we’re faced with. And so if there are ways that we can be innovative in that and, and help those organizations, um, I think that that’s really what this is about. We’re all here to help each other.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. And, and, and it’s so important too, because everybody brings a different diverse experience on, on so many levels, whether it’s your expertise, whether it’s where you grew up, whether it’s, you know, your connection to the cause, um, getting involved. Uh, and you know, I think some people may be intimidated by it. Some people may say, oh, I don’t know if I have the commitment, but I, I view it so important. And, you know, just, I, I think for those listening, you know, some of us, you know, for me, like I’m, I’m involved heavily with one organization just just given the volunteer efforts. But, you know, you can be involved with multiple organizations and Maria’s involved with several and, uh, we’ve talked about that. She’s mentioned. And, um, it’s a commitment. But at the same token, it’s a rewarding one. And it’s one where you know that there’s a lot of value that you add on a variety of levels.
Brad Caruso:
Um, I know a lot of the, you know, uh, I get approached every once in a while and say, Hey, do you have anyone on on your team that would wanna join that has that, you know, c p a experience? Because, you know, to your point, not-for-profits are businesses. And as a business, you have to manage, you know, you have to manage the shop, you have to manage the finance. If you want a grant from PSEG, you probably need to, uh, you know, have financials in order and, and need to have information to support that. And so if you have a skillset, it’s very important to get involved with it. Whether it’s, whether it’s a trade in accounting in an attorney, uh, you know, experience in in case work. I mean, all of those things, you know, having a board of different thought is important. So, um, you know, it’s, I appreciate you sharing kind of how you got involved in some of the places that you’re involved with. It’s, um, I hope others listen and say, oh, I, you know, I’m gonna take this as a catalyst to go do something <laugh> It’s always a good thing.
Maria Spina:
Yeah. And, and you know what, maybe it’s not necessarily a board, maybe it’s a committee of sorts, or maybe it’s, you know, another way that the organization needs assistance. Um, but I think it’s really connecting with that organization where you have a driven passion and, and finding out how can you be helpful and then taking it from, you know, each step. And you know, personally too, it helps from a leadership perspective, right? We, I can learn from them as well. So it’s not just about them learning from me. So I think it’s twofold. And again, it, it all comes down to how do we help support each other?
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. And sometimes we take jobs that we don’t fully understand, but you learn, you learn, you learn through it.
Maria Spina:
That’s right. <laugh>.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. I, I definitely, I definitely learned, uh, after the fact and many, many, uh, you know, especially the firehouse life, I mean, you, you know, you learn through experience the hard way <laugh>.
Maria Spina:
Yeah, that’s for sure.
Brad Caruso:
But it’s a good thing, you know, you’re a better person at the end of the day afterwards. And, uh, you know, it’s all about putting in your best effort. But, cool. Well, if, if, um, the point of our listeners wanted to find out a little bit more about the foundation, you know, where, where, what resources would be out there, where, where could they go?
Maria Spina:
So a number of different ways. I would say start with our website. Um, look up PSEG corporate Social Responsibility or PSEG Foundation, um, through some of our partners. As I mentioned, the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers or Center for Nonprofits always posts things that are current events, things that are happening with PSEG Foundation. Um, if you look at our press releases, that’s another opportunity as well. And of course, as always, social media, we are on, um, you know, all of the platforms from Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, uh, I think I mentioned them all, but <laugh>, you know, we’re on all the social media platforms.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. So social media has been, been interesting, but it definitely has been an, an important, uh, important role to play in getting the message out. And, you know, I encourage everyone too, you know, fo follow, A lot of these foundations follow the, the work they do, because they always do a great job of posting pictures, of posting who they support, posting why they support. I think that’s always a, a good reason to hear, especially if you’re, um, you know, applying for funding, just hearing, you know, what, what are, what are those values and how they translate. And uh, you know, social media’s a fun way to do that in short little posts. So, you know, other than all the other nonsense that’s out there, social media, there’s, there’s a lot of good if you follow the right places. And you know, I always find following.
Maria Spina:
That’s right. You have to filter through it.
Brad Caruso:
You have to filter through it. Yeah. Not nonpolitical stuff is good. <laugh>
Maria Spina:
Always <laugh>.
Brad Caruso:
Awesome. Well, Maria, I I really appreciate your time today. I appreciate you sharing more about PSEG, sharing more about the foundation, share more about kind of the impact that you’ve had, you know, certainly with the, the, the amount of organizations you give to and, and, and really appreciate you, you being on the show today.
Maria Spina:
Thank you. Thank you for having me. It’s a wonderful opportunity and I’m pleased to be able to share all that the PSEG Foundation is doing.
Brad Caruso:
And Warriors out there. Thank you for listening. You know, whenever I summarize these, I always think about a couple things. When I, when I listen to this show and, and kind of hear about what we talked about and, and Maria and I’s conversations about, about the foundation itself. We realize that creating a culture of giving is hard to do, but certainly there’s a way to do it, right? And I think when we hear about the work that PSEG does, you know, they, they clearly have created a culture of giving at the corporation, you know, and created a, a, a foundation to support local organizations and have a lot of different mechanisms for which they support their communities. And, you know, whether you’re a corporation, you know, looking to start a program like this, this is a great model to think about, uh, whether you’re an individual in the community and you’re looking to get involved, you know, volunteering is important.
Brad Caruso:
And just hearing Maria say that almost 50% of their employees are volunteers out in their communities, uh, is great to hear. Uh, or if you’re a not-for-profit, you know, certainly there’s avenues that there’s funding available that that can be supported. Um, and, and it’s really, you know, ultimately incumbent upon all of us to, to help others. And I think this episode is one of those testaments to how individuals get involved, how a large corporation supports their communities in difficult times and provides much needed funding to the communities they serve on a variety of levels. So subscribe and meet us back here for another episode of Civic Warriors and hope everyone, uh, has a great day. Thanks everybody.
