How many times have you generously donated to a worthy cause, only to have the sinking feeling that a majority of your money was gobbled up by administrative costs? Even if 100% of your donation goes straight to the cause, do you ever really know what impact your money made?
Our guest this episode, Steve Mestre, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Giving Trail, has solved these and other issues that plague charitable organizations through his ultra-efficient crowdfunding platform. Truly a paradigm shift in the world of fundraising, Giving Trail is opening new doors for organizations and businesses who want to help their community. (NOTE: As of 2021, Giving Trail is no longer in operation. We hope you’ll still listen to this fascinating interview with Steve!)
Steve didn’t start out in the non-profit industry. He has been a successful business owner for 40 years. After donating their own time and money to many worthy causes, Steve and his wife Greta discovered a real need for a type of funding platform that provided greater efficiency and connected the donors to the outcome, so they decided to do something about it!
Whether you’re a philanthropist, you’ve started a non-profit, your company hosts live events, or your kid’s school is having a bake sale fundraiser and you can’t stand how much time and money is wasted when it’s supposed to be going to help the kids… you will want to know about Steve’s company. You’ll learn how fast and easy it is to set up a profile, and that it’s shareable on social media – great for getting the word out in a cost-effective way. It can also help for-profit businesses partner with charitable organizations and get their name out in the community in a positive light.
Another interesting part of my relationship with Steve is that, many years ago, Steve and I started our landscaping businesses right around the same time. We ended up going in completely different directions: Steve took the “lifestyle” approach to business, while I took the “hard & fast” route. Decades later, Steve and I came around full-circle, and now he is an investor in Guardian, our fund that purchases affordable homes in the U.S. Midwest and Southeast. He has some great things to say about the value of diversification and what has worked for him in his investments.
I had fun interviewing Steve, and I think you’ll enjoy listening to what makes this genuine and innovative guy tick.
Ways to Listen
How many times have you generously donated to a worthy cause, only to have the sinking feeling that a majority of your money was gobbled up by administrative costs? Even if 100% of your donation goes straight to the cause, do you ever really know what impact your money made?
Our guest this episode, Steve Mestre, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Giving Trail, has solved these and other issues that plague charitable organizations through his ultra-efficient crowdfunding platform. Truly a paradigm shift in the world of fundraising, GivingTrail.org is opening new doors for organizations and businesses who want to help their community.
Steve didn’t start out in the non-profit industry. He has been a successful business owner for 40 years. After donating their own time and money to many worthy causes, Steve and his wife Greta discovered a real need for a type of funding platform that provided greater efficiency and connected the donors to the outcome, so they decided to do something about it!
Whether you’re a philanthropist, you’ve started a non-profit, your company hosts live events, or your kid’s school is having a bake sale fundraiser and you can’t stand how much time and money is wasted when it’s supposed to be going to help the kids… you will want to know about Steve’s company. You’ll learn how fast and easy it is to set up a profile, and that it’s shareable on social media – great for getting the word out in a cost-effective way. It can also help for-profit businesses partner with charitable organizations and get their name out in the community in a positive light.
Another interesting part of my relationship with Steve is that, many years ago, Steve and I started our landscaping businesses right around the same time. We ended up going in completely different directions: Steve took the “lifestyle” approach to business, while I took the “hard & fast” route. Decades later, Steve and I came around full-circle, and now he is an investor in Guardian, our fund that purchases affordable homes in the U.S. Midwest and Southeast. He has some great things to say about the value of diversification and what has worked for him in his investments.
I had fun interviewing Steve, and I think you’ll enjoy listening to what makes this genuine and innovative guy tick.
In this podcast, we chat about:
- How Steve and I both started our landscaping businesses around the same time but went down very different paths, each having our own measure and type of success
- The time frame for taking a business idea from concept to viable product
- What can happen when you do your research, have a business plan, and follow your dreams
- How the Rotary Club in Elko used GivingTrail.org to generate enough donations to vaccinate over 90,000 children against Polio
- How Steve’s system can relieve a business of the serious liabilities of hosting a live event (from food poisoning to safety hazards or injuries – especially after guests have a couple drinks)
- How for-profit businesses can use Giving Trail to get their name out in the community in a positive light
- Steve’s thoughts on how the Guardian investment model fills a necessary niche that helps people achieve the American Dream of homeownership, and how he believes it is a win-win for both the economy and the families
In this podcast, we chat about:
- How Steve and I both started our landscaping businesses around the same time but went down very different paths, each having our own measure and type of success
- The time frame for taking a business idea from concept to viable product
- What can happen when you do your research, have a business plan, and follow your dreams
- How the Rotary Club in Elko used GivingTrail.org to generate enough donations to vaccinate over 90,000 children against Polio
- How Steve’s system can relieve a business of the serious liabilities of hosting a live event (from food poisoning to safety hazards or injuries – especially after guests have a couple drinks)
- How for-profit businesses can use Giving Trail to get their name out in the community in a positive light
- Steve’s thoughts on how the Hughes Capital investment model fills a necessary niche that helps people achieve the American Dream of homeownership, and how he believes it is a win-win for both the economy and the families
Listen to the Recording
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Watch the Video
Steve Mestre
Owner of Mestre’s Lawn Service, Co-Founder of Giving Trail
Steve Mestre was raised in Reno, and has been a self-employed business owner for 40 years. Steve has a deep commitment to our community and supports many charitable causes and organizations who work hard to better life for our citizens. As someone who has been involved in many fundraisers, Steve was frustrated with how much of the donation was going to pay for the event and not going toward the cause. He also knew that every hour of work that went into fundraising was an hour not spent on the mission. With this in mind, Steve and his wife Greta created a 501(c)3 which operates a crowdfunding website, GivingTrail.org, to help organizations raise money for charitable causes. The website was designed to help increase the productivity of the charitable world by lowering both the cost and time it take to fund projects. Most importantly, the website allows charitable organizations the opportunity to directly connect a donation with an outcome. GivingTrail.org is a powerful tool that gives charities the ability to tell their story.
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