I met Daniel Lombardi in the Humber Fundraising and Volunteer Management program. He was a whiz at everything technological. Both instructors and students turned to him for help. He had a knack for social enterprises and a background in business. Dan is a triple threat.
What’s the first philanthropic thing you did?
“Truthfully I couldn’t think of one situation that would qualify as my first act of philanthropy. I don’t know if that I have ever really thought to track it, or maybe thanks to the lessons my parents taught me it comes as second nature. One philanthropic act that I am currently obsessing over though is giving up my seat on the subway to the elderly or a mother/father with kids. Not enough people do that I feel.”
What drove you to choose a career in philanthropy?
“I feel I have always been interested in making the world a better place but there is one instance that really stands out, that I needed to commit to philanthropy in a bigger way. Sitting in a first year business classes at Brock University, I remember doing a case study that focused on the relationships between a few employees and managers in a restaurant. The common solution in the class was to “fire” the employee that was causing problems. Then the teacher asked us, “Well what if this employee was a single mom, with children to feed and loans to pay off?” It made me realize I never want to be solely about the bottom line, or business models that drive profits, or selling a product like shoes. I went home at Christmas break and thought about switching programs. I talked about it with my mom and decided to stick it out. However, from that day forward I have tried to be more philanthropic. It seemed to work because a friend from University mentioned to me a few years later as were working on a project that he could see me graduating and changing the world!”
Why is your work important to you?
“The thing I love most about work is being able to help multiple organizations achieve their fundraising goals which in turn empowers them to build their programs or do more research and thus be able to help more people. It makes me thankful that I stuck with business, because a lot of what I do in direct response fundraising is data driven. Using both my analytical and creative senses it is awesome to be able to see what you want to accomplish numerically, yet how that number is reached (be it dollars raised or number of new donors) is achieved through creativity.”
What else could you be doing to make you happy?
“There is the quote attributed to W. Beran Wolfe in the book SOULPANCAKE that states; “If you observe a really happy man, you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his child, growing double dahlias or looking for dinosaur eggs in the Gobi Desert. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that had rolled under the radiator, striving for it as a goal in itself. He will have become aware that he is happy in the course of living life 24 crowded hours of each day.” I guess in a long-winded way, what I am getting at is I don’t really know. I am happy doing what I do now, both professionally and personally.”
I know you like to volunteer, why?
“The whole premise of volunteering is about being philanthropic. Essentially it is just an extension of what I do at work every day and the values I try to exhibit in my personal life. It allows me to be generous and promote or improve the welfare of others. As fundraisers we should realize that any gift big or small comes from someone with a connection to the organization. However at times maybe those that provide a smaller gift, although significant to them, may not feel they are giving enough. At least for me in this stage of my life as a recent graduate with debts to pay I don’t always feel I am making enough of an impact by donating a small amount. So volunteering lets me physically see and experience the impact I have and the impact other donor’s dollars have on the lives of people served. It is a powerful feeling to know you have made a difference.
Not to mention I have always found the places I volunteer do an amazing job of accepting your ideas and what you want to achieve being there. I appreciate being seen as valuable as a volunteer, something I may not have always gotten in a work setting, especially as a teenager with a part-time job.”
Through your travels, have your experiences effected the way you view the world? The way you view philanthropy? Is there anyone you met along the way that pushed you into this field?
“The greatest thing about travelling is how it forces you out of your comfort zone. Being in a foreign country on few hours of sleep and even fewer people around that might speak English as you try to navigate to a hotel can teach you a lot. In a situation like you aren’t afraid to ask for help or directions. Not everyone you ask will understand you or be able to help you but you have at least opened yourself up for the possibility. I guess it is kind of like fundraising and asking for gifts. Plus the more open you are the easier it is to develop relationships.
Furthermore when you see how kind people are around the world it makes you want to me kind to. I remember travelling to Korea to visit some friends. After landing I then still had a 3 hour train ride to the city I was meeting friends. I got off in the stations had to call my friend and some anonymous elderly women walked up to me as I stood at the payphones and offered me money to make a call. It was heartfelt and simple. It made me realize that philanthropy and giving is the same premise all over the world. That genuine acts such as that hold significant meaning no matter where you are in the world.”
Finally, what is your dream for your children’s world?
“My hope for future generations is that they still appreciate, value and participate in physical relationships. From the simplicity of having a face-to-face conversation, or just sitting outside and taking in the sights and sounds. I feel that as the world continues to advance, technology will continue to become cheaper and we as a society are more likely to continue to be heavily plugged in. I hope they just appreciate what is truly around them without looking at a screen, they take the chance to travel and they make some mistakes. Doing this will hopefully help them to learn and understand the values of being philanthropic.”
Dan will always work in philanthropy; whether it be professionally or personally. He will always help others, with small or large acts. Daniel Lombardi’s second nature is philanthropy.
