Visual Eyes

S2 Ep 13 - Supporting Families of Fallen Officers: The McDavid Group Charities Story

• Visuals by Momo • Season 2 • Episode 13

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In this powerful episode of the Visual Eyes Podcast, host Chris Baker sits down with Tanya Barett, Executive Director of McDavid Group Charities, to discuss how this nonprofit is making a life-changing impact for the families of fallen law enforcement officers.

About Tanya Barett

Tanya Barrett is an accomplished Executive Director and entrepreneurial leader based in Jupiter, Florida, with over 25 years of professional experience. As the current Executive Director of McDavid Group Charities, she has tripled annual fundraising revenue from $400,000 to $1.6 million in just five years.

Under her leadership, McDavid Group Charities fulfills its vital mission of supporting the educational goals of children and spouses of fallen law enforcement officers. The organization provides crucial financial support and counseling services to help these families survive and thrive, while also raising awareness about the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

This mission holds deep personal significance for Tanya, as she is the surviving spouse of Virginia State Trooper Mark D. Barrett, who had his End of Watch on September 14, 2010. She works tirelessly to create a world where financial barriers to higher education no longer burden these families, offering hands-on support, counseling, and scholarships to help them rebuild their futures.

Episode Highlights

🔹 How a single golf tournament turned into a $1.5 million nonprofit
🔹 The $40,000 scholarships helping families of fallen officers afford education
🔹 The importance of networking and community support in nonprofit success
🔹 How government policies affect benefits for law enforcement families
🔹 The challenges and opportunities in sustaining nonprofit growth

🚀 Learn how YOU can support this mission!

🔗 Visit McDavid Group Charities: https://www.McDavidGroupCharities.org
📧 Contact Tanya Barett: Tanya@McDavidGroupCharities.com

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🔎 Hashtags for Discoverability:
#Nonprofit #Philanthropy #Leadership #LawEnforcement #Scholarships #FallenHeroes #CommunitySupport #GivingBack #SocialImpact #Podcast


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Special Thanks to Stacy Daugherty for the beautiful wall artwork in the background. Socials: @artographybystacy

Chris Baker:

Chris Baker, and each week we'll explore incredible connections between nonprofits, businesses and the community. This is a space where we highlight inspiring partnerships, uncover strategies for creating meaningful impact and share stories that show how working together can make all the difference. Whether you're a nonprofit leader, a business owner or someone just passionate about building connections, this podcast is for you. Welcome back to Visual Eyes. Today. I have an amazing guest. Thank you so much for joining us. Tanya Barrett from the McDavid Group Charities Welcome.

Tanya Barrett:

Thank you, Chris. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so thankful to even be here. Thank you.

Chris Baker:

No, thank you for coming down. When we first met it was just kind of like I didn't really know a ton about your organization. But we got on the call and it was kind of like our energy started to shift. I don't know if you noticed that too when we actually had our Zoom call. So for me it was just kind of like wow, we're having this connection. We're talking about nonprofits, we're talking about helping people. So I want to have you say, in your own words, a little bit more about your journey and how McDavid Group Charities has really kind of expanded where they're going.

Tanya Barrett:

I really appreciate that, chris. Yeah, I felt the energy shift too, and I think a lot of that just comes from my passion for what I do. So I am Tanya Barrett. I'm the executive director of the McDavid Group Charities. It's a nonprofit that was started by Jim McDavid back in 2016. He was pulled by.

Tanya Barrett:

There was a shooting of the Dallas Five police officers that were brutally executed that day and he heard something on the radio sitting in his truck that they were talking about raising money for the families of fallen law enforcement. And it was something small, not small, not that $30,000 or $50,000 is small, but when you're talking about the loss of a life and five officers, that and typically law enforcement's not paid a lot of money. He just felt very motivated, very motivated to give back to those who serve our communities. And with that he decided he could throw a golf tournament. He could throw a golf tournament, he could throw a golf tournament, he could raise some money. And he was just going to just do what Jim McDavid does just blow it out of the park. And you know he reaches for the stars all the time. So within three months, he decided in September to throw a golf tournament, threw the golf tournament in December that year and, I believe, raised $150,000.

Chris Baker:

And he did it in three months.

Tanya Barrett:

Three months Wow. He leaned on his community. As I mentioned to you before, I've been listening to your podcast and so much of it has to do with networking and connections, and Jim McDavid did just that. He leaned on his network, he leaned on his connections and he raised $150,000 in three months, back in 2016.

Chris Baker:

Yeah, oh, and I think what actually kind of probably helped him do that is the story Like he had. You know, he brought the story to the community. He, like you said, leveraged the community and the network that he had. I mean just you talking about it. I mean if he was here I think there would be more passion, but you still even have a lot of passion for it too. So, yeah, I can definitely hear it.

Tanya Barrett:

Yeah, so thank you, and I love Jim McDavid, his heart, his soul, his wife Maria. They are an amazing power couple. They just light up the room, any room they walk into, but they bring so much to the organization and just getting behind our law enforcement officers. But since 2016,. I came to know the organization in 2018 when I started volunteering for him. When I started volunteering for him, my son and I had moved to Florida in 2013, which was two years after my husband, a Virginia state trooper, died in the line of duty.

Tanya Barrett:

So we had moved originally to Pompano. I had moved up to Jupiter for high school. I found out about Jim McDavid and this organization he had started because he was solely giving. His organization was solely giving to another organization called Concerns of Police Survivors, an organization that I knew all too well because myself and my two children had been through that organization. They are kind of like the first hands-on after an officer dies. They help provide support, they help give you counseling, they get you through your first national police week, which typically happens. It always happens in May every year but it's usually within that first year after an officer dies. So my kids went into this kids program and they came out and they were like mom, we met other kids like us.

Tanya Barrett:

My kids were 15 and 6 when my husband died in the line of duty. So when they came out of this program and I still get a little teary, I mean, I still do they came out of this feeling validated and acknowledged, because kids don't really understand, nobody understands death. But then you have a law enforcement officer die in the line of duty and there's this huge funeral. It's on all the news stations. My kids, my kids, were like why are they talking about daddy on?

Chris Baker:

the news.

Tanya Barrett:

Like why are they talking about you? The? You two went to high school together and I was like it was just, it was you know, it's just all very strange. But here they go into this organization through concerns of police survivors and they meet other kids like them.

Tanya Barrett:

They meet other kids who have been through this massive funeral very you know on the media, and so it was just like it gave me this like sense of ah, this is where we need to be. So fast forward. Moved to Florida. Jim McDavid starts his charity. So fast forward. Move to Florida, jim McDavid starts his charity. I find out about it after I moved to Jupiter and I'm like I need to help this man raise more money for cops love it.

Tanya Barrett:

I need to help him. So I started volunteering just my time, like however I could. My son was still in high school, so I, like, would just give back as much as I could. Fast forward to to 2020,. Covid and I was just looking to get out of the house. My son was home all the time. I was like I need to find something to do and I found Jim's regular job was hiring for a receptionist and I walked in and I was like, hey, I'm going to take this job but I want to run your charity.

Tanya Barrett:

And he was like we're not going to have any paid employees, we're not going to do this. I'm like no, no, no. I know that your charity has the potential to grow. I know what you already do and I know that there is a small niche in here where you're missing. The fallen law enforcement community is missing a piece. The fallen law enforcement community is missing a piece. And he was like what's that? And I said it's college. And he said well, I don't understand what you mean. And I said there are so many opportunities out there and we're missing the boat.

Tanya Barrett:

These spouses that have two small children at home that never thought they'd need to go back to school, these kids worried about money. I said my six-year-old came to me and said daddy died. Do we have enough money to stay in our house? I said fast forward to right now. He's a freshman in high school and he's worried about where he's going to go to college. He's a smart kid and he's worried, like how are you going to afford it? What are we going to do?

Tanya Barrett:

And I had already nine years earlier there. My kids are nine years apart. Nine years earlier I'd already walked this line with my daughter like what could we afford, what could we do? And it's just, even though there's, like all these organizations that want to help law enforcement officers you know, I know there's ones out there now that they'll pay off mortgages and while that's all grand, nobody thinks about how does that look on your FAFSA? Nobody thinks about. You know, where did you invest your money? Because I'll be the first one to tell you spouses of law enforcement officers usually get some chunk of change, but nobody takes into account that your husband was making no money. And now this is supposed to get you through the next 10, 15, 20, 30 years of your life.

Chris Baker:

And especially if they have children, what does their children's future look like, in retrospect of all of that too? So I understand what you're saying.

Tanya Barrett:

And then if your money's not invested right, or you, I mean I have friends who they just put all their money in a savings account. And then their child goes to college and they have to fill out a FAFSA and like they get no money, there's no scholarships available because the financial need it doesn't appear to be there, when I know for a fact that it really is there Anyway, 2020,.

Tanya Barrett:

Walked into Jim McDavid's office, said I'm going to run your charity and so hence now it's 2025. I've been running the charity for four years. Two years ago I finally had the title of executive director.

Chris Baker:

I became the first paid employee.

Tanya Barrett:

Yes, thank you, and I love that I get to give back to a community that I know all too well. I love that we have now created the scholarship fund. It's called the America's Heroes Scholarship Fund. We host it through the community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin County and, even though it's hosted through there, it is nationwide, it's third party. Because I am a spouse, I do not want to have any biasness towards any families, because I end up talking to a lot of them. I end up talking to a lot of the spouses, a lot of the children, when they're filling out our application. This year we had over 52 applicants. We have five spots.

Chris Baker:

Oh, my goodness.

Tanya Barrett:

Yeah, yep, so that's so much need and that's not a lot of ability to help all of them. I mean, obviously we and you're accepted, you become one of ours, become part of our little golfer cop McDavid group charities family and we don't let go of you. All you have to do is maintain your GPA and you get that $5,000 a semester guaranteed for four years. So we love that, we love that.

Tanya Barrett:

That's what we're able to offer. I always say that I want to be the charity that we can just pay for your college education, rather than even having to worry about scholarships. Or, you know, Even there are some states who offer state-supported schools, like free tuition. But even with that because Virginia happens to be one of those states that even with that, I was still paying out of my pocket $1,000 a month for both my kids and it adds up Everything.

Tanya Barrett:

Yeah, and it adds up Everything. Yeah, it all adds up. And granted, I know I'm fortunate, but I also wanted. I want kids who are bright and want really good futures and I want to invest in futures and I don't want to limit them to a state supported school. That's not where their best efforts could be seen. You know, if there are these 4.0 kids and they want to go to Stanford or wherever they want to go, I don't care where they want to go. I don't ever want them to think, oh my gosh.

Chris Baker:

I can't.

Tanya Barrett:

I can't, my mom can't afford that.

Chris Baker:

Right, you actually opened up my eyes to a few things that I didn't even think about, and I want to say it was 2016. And my dear friend that I was living with at the time she was struggling because her brother was shot down as well consult her and I just like helped her through it as best I could, but you know it wasn't my family, so I didn't actually have the same connection that she did, and she actually took his dog.

Chris Baker:

So that you know, this lovely dog was a part of both of our lives because she was staying with me at the time, and just the sweetest, sweetest dog, um.

Chris Baker:

But it was so hard because you know it's the loss of anyone is challenging, but when they're taken in a way that it's not natural and there's no reason for it, that's when I think it's the hardest. And it's so complex, and even for children, like if you think you're talking about you know your son was six years old. Yeah, how does that process? And going through and hearing all these stories on TV and just like it's a lot to deal with, yeah. And then looking at the future, because everyone looks and is like, oh, you know, this police officer, this law enforcement person has lost their life and it is public and everybody hears about it. But who is who's looking at the families? So I'm glad that this charity is here to kind of look at what else can be done and maybe not everything, but what else can be done and I think that's a good question to open up to everybody.

Tanya Barrett:

Yeah, and I think it's a great question because I feel like, yes, these families get forgotten about and nobody realizes. I know I mentioned it a few times already, but law enforcement officers, I mean, they're like teachers, they're not paid for what they do and it's so unfortunate. Like teachers, they're not paid for what they do and it's it's so unfortunate Like they, you know, I wish we could pay them better, invest more in them.

Tanya Barrett:

You know it's all these public servants, right? That, yeah, that we just need to invest in. But law enforcement officers is what I know and you know. It's how to? How do we help these families thrive? How do we give them tools and help them thrive? And that's exactly what McDavid Group Charities does is we make sure that, either through concerns of police survivors, getting them all the hands-on programming and all the support they need, so that's how we start to set them up for the higher education and making sure of these scholarships.

Tanya Barrett:

One of the things I realized with the scholarships was this past year in virginia, for example. I did mention how some states do take care of their fallen one or their first responder families, because it can be any line of duty death in most states. Um, in virginia, for example, they proposed a new budget. The budget was signed into law and my son's college education benefits were stripped away from him. Fourteen years later, here he is. He's in college. He's at University of Virginia, like he is at one of the top three public universities in the United States. He forked his tail off to get there.

Chris Baker:

Sure.

Tanya Barrett:

And he said, mom, what are we going to do? And I was like dude, I'll figure it out.

Chris Baker:

Right. You know and we got to look for solutions. Yeah, I said.

Tanya Barrett:

I'll find a solution. And he was like well, I can't apply for your scholarship. And I'm like nobody.

Chris Baker:

You can't conflict of interest.

Tanya Barrett:

But I was like we'll figure it out. Like I, you know, I said number one, I'm gonna fight and it will start there and just so happens that it was over like we had the budget redone. We know it'll get him through his fourth year of college good but it doesn't help for the kids under him.

Tanya Barrett:

I went to virginia and I can, and I went to there's local chapters of concerns of police survivors. I went to the local Virginia chapter 63 children. We're not even talking a lot, we're talking 63 children of fallen law enforcement officers, 63. He was one of 63. He was one of 63. And I was like how do families plan for? You know this is what we're going to do. My son and I planned it out Like this is how we're going to do it.

Tanya Barrett:

And then all of a sudden, it's just gone and I have friends that you know. Their kids are seven, eight. All of a sudden they're not even planning for college yet, and this benefits already.

Tanya Barrett:

You know it's gone could have been ripped away right, correct as it stands today it's still in place. Good, that state statute is in place. But what scared me was figuring out because I'm not in politics, but figuring out that because of political wins and just things shifting and agendas that's what I ended up finding out was that it was just political agendas. Somebody wanted something, so they were like it was just very odd and I was like, wow, this can happen anywhere and to any, any state.

Chris Baker:

Any program, anything, yeah. Any program. This can happen anywhere and to any, any state. Any program, anything, yeah.

Tanya Barrett:

Any program, any state, anything, and I thought, if things can be taken away this easily, like I want to, and again I go back to 52 applicants this year- and we're offering five, and I know that we're going into our 10th year for an event and we have grown massively In the last five years the organization has gone from. I think five years ago we took in $500,000. This past year we took in $1.5 million. We are growing but we're still not even meeting the need of where these educational benefits need to be.

Chris Baker:

Well, and you brought up a really good point and the government can change things on a dime. Things happen. They're trying to make a political statement and they're pulling funds here and there the people that are still in need. That's why nonprofits exist and gives the community what they need in a different way that is not necessarily always geared by government. Like you can find private donors that are going to support your cause because they love or, you know, appreciate what you're doing for the community, and there's other grants that can come out there from foundations and everywhere else. So, and I'm so grateful that I got to learn even more about nonprofits as I've continued my journey and changing our business structure Like now that we're focusing primarily on just helping nonprofits, I get to see it even more, and I I'm hoping that more people in the community can also see it.

Tanya Barrett:

So much of what you're doing and visuals by Momo, like trying to establish the connections and these networks, and I shared with you that. I was listening to some of your podcasts on my drive down this morning and I was just blown away because I feel like I and even if I go back to 2016 and Jim McDavid and him leaning on his network it's one of the things that I have found as the charity has grown is that our connections, our network, so much of that has to be in play, like it's and it's word of mouth, it's sharing and nonprofits You're right Like in the community. That's why nonprofits exist. You know there's foster care, there's cancer. There's like there's, you know, sex trafficking. There's so much and everything is such a good cause.

Tanya Barrett:

But I feel like at the heart of it all is it's even if I go back to you saying that energy shift it's like getting to know people, like just investing some time networking, leaning in a little, you know, because that's how we all grow Like nonprofits, businesses for profit, businesses. It's how we all grow. We all grow by leaning in getting to know people. It becomes about people.

Chris Baker:

It is.

Tanya Barrett:

Well, the world should be about people. We should get back to more of that. Yeah, about people. We should get back to more of that.

Chris Baker:

Yeah, we really do need to get back to more of that.

Tanya Barrett:

Yes, but it's really just about people and it's, you know, sharing the stories and people willing to listen. Thank you, chris. But you know, but it is, it is, it is all of that, it's, it's all of it. And if, if we look at that as a whole, like it's how we grow as a community, it's how we grow as a nation, like just investing in each other and sharing that, I love that.

Chris Baker:

I really do appreciate that, because it is it's about the connections that we're trying to build. Jim basically going out into the community and he already had these connections. It was him being able to share the story and the way he felt about what happened. Yeah, that started a started a whole revolution in building a whole non-profit from from scratch from nothing, from nothing, from nothing.

Tanya Barrett:

I mean how we went from 150 000 to 1.5 million in less than 10 years.

Chris Baker:

That's growth, that's beautiful.

Tanya Barrett:

It's beautiful, but it wouldn't be there without those connections. It wouldn't be, out there without the community. It's not there without the people.

Chris Baker:

So that actually brings us to one of our main questions for the podcast is collaboration. So to get you from that first event and obviously you won't have all the years, but you have a good portion- of them. What collaborations have you guys established, either with other nonprofits or for-profits, to help you succeed and get to the point where you are today?

Tanya Barrett:

Gosh, I feel like a little bit of everything right.

Chris Baker:

Yeah.

Tanya Barrett:

I think it's really just making those connections with whatever vendors we use, whether it's the photographer, videographers, gosh, even on the golf course. We have cigar rollers. We have used them since year one. They know, every year they're like we've just established these personal connections with most everyone and I will want to. I say to jim mcdavid all the time, one of his biggest he calls it his achilles heel and the thing that raises him is his loyalty to people. Yeah, and it's one of the things I've learned to look at him for is like where are his loyalties? Because those are people who have stood by his side, right. But also, you know, like this past year, one of the new sponsors that I brought on was Ideal Nutrition, which I don't know if it's here in Broward or not, but in Palm Beach it's. Two West Palm Beach officers created this prepackaged meals. They're $7.50 or $7.99 a meal, but they couldn't go out and eat healthy for a decent price, so they created this and so it just so happened. I got a connection to them and I brought them on as a sponsor and now, you know, I like to say they're like part of our family too, because now I don't want to just do business with people. I want to get to know them. I want to. You know, I liked getting to know that they were West Palm Beach officers. Now they're a marketing person.

Tanya Barrett:

I know him very well. You know, first time I met him, like you get a big hug from me because that's me. But I think all of that is just so important is, you know, creating those friendships. And you know, yes, even in business, I feel like we still need those friendships. One of our biggest things is I don't want to bring on a sponsor where we're not also trying to elevate them. You're elevating us. How can we help elevate you? So how can I foster either more connections, because we're still a smaller nonprofit, we don't really have the social media to like. We do share it all. We just don't have the following two. It's not going to make or break somebody, but how can I introduce you to someone else? And that's the piece of it that I feel like carries everyone far, not only in the non-profit space but creating those connections, those, you know, it just helps. You know one of our.

Tanya Barrett:

I would say he's like a golf entertainer he reached out yesterday and he was like hey, can you connect me to this person who did some video of me? I'm like, yes, I can, and now this golf entertainer he's nationwide, like you know but he was like no, no, I need the person who videoed me at your event. I'm like okay, I'll connect you, but it's just those little things and they go far right.

Chris Baker:

And they do, and I honestly think that's the most impactful and the most beneficial when we actually think about collaboration.

Tanya Barrett:

Collaboration's a great word yeah.

Chris Baker:

So when we think about collaboration, it's not always like I'm going to give you an apple. You're going to give me an apple back.

Tanya Barrett:

Yeah.

Chris Baker:

It could be you know I'm giving you, I can help you with this service or I can give you a discount, but it could be that next connection that you introduced me to that propels my business forward and just going, can I introduce them to somebody? That one question is huge for me, like if I'm able to help assist any nonprofit and they're like you know, what I need to make this introduction for them.

Chris Baker:

It could change their life. That's amazing, and it opens up so many more doors. So that collaboration aspect is so invaluable that we just forget about it so much. Sometimes we just get stuck in our lane.

Tanya Barrett:

Yeah, it's true.

Chris Baker:

We just get stuck in our lane and it's like okay. And we always talk about stop and smell the flowers, yeah. We always say that statement, but there's a major truth to it. Like, okay, if you're always in your lane, do you ever see the other people that are supporting you, caring you along the way, and are we looking at them going? Oh, what am I doing with them, or what am I? How am I helping them as well?

Tanya Barrett:

yeah, it's so true I do want to say I want to get back on. Like you asked about other nonprofits too and I do feel like it's not there are. I meet a lot of people in nonprofits I I tonight I'm volunteering at another nonprofit. I do that a lot.

Chris Baker:

Yeah.

Tanya Barrett:

Um, but I don't feel like they're all competent, like none of them are competition. We're all here to support each other and if I really, if I can see like a hole in what something you're doing at an event or in general, and if I can help and say, hey, exactly with the collaboration, right, hey, here's a great person for that, or here's a great company to help assist you with that, it's just huge. There's another nonprofit, their executive director. He and I, like we just saw each other at another nonprofit gala two weeks ago and he was like we really need to have coffee and I know he gives back. They focus on scholarships as well, but Palm Beach County kids, right.

Tanya Barrett:

And I just thought, but how is there a way for us to partner together? Like how can we help each other? And I know he's of that same mindset Like how can we work together? Like we're doing something very particular, he's doing something very particular. But there's always that way to how can we help each other? And you know there are so many people and I think in society now where everybody thinks like, oh no, I'm in it for myself and and it's, and then the nonprofit world, and the for profit world too. We need to kind of let that go down and like look at everybody is, hey, I'm here to help, I'm here to do, but I do love I do a lot of the Association for Fundraising Professionals and so that's a lot of nonprofits that show up to those meetings and it's just great to pick somebody else's brain.

Chris Baker:

Oh yeah.

Tanya Barrett:

Completely different nonprofit. You know just, they can have a completely different thing. And I just want to go well, how do you do this? Who do you use for marketing? You know what photographer are you using here? What photographer you know, like you know what photographer are you using here?

Chris Baker:

What photographer you know? Like there's that aspect that you can actually learn about other you know companies that can assist and who they're using. But there's also this beautiful connection that I feel like you're going to look at their organization from an outside viewpoint, through a different lens. So if you're struggling with something, talk about it, because, honestly, that one other person could go hey, did you. So if you're struggling with something, talk about it Because, honestly, that one other person could go, hey, did you know.

Chris Baker:

If you tweak it just here, everything gets solved. Yeah, and it's just it's turning that dial, like oh, the fridge is set at six and I just need it at four and that, and like you don't even think about it, it's just a small little turn of the knob and everything just kind of like flows into place. And I think that when you actually build the solid relationships, that you could actually have more full transparency, because sometimes you know you're still just building that relationship, trying to figure out where people are going to land with you, but when you have that full transparency, you'd be like this is what is really I'm stuck with what is your organization doing, or how is your organization handling this. That's when you both grow, because you're being out for yourself and everybody's competition, you're actually giving more engagement.

Chris Baker:

So, now, I'm sharing what you're doing. You're sharing what I'm doing and by the end of the day, it's not even just doubled, it's like quadrupled or 10 times, just because more people are looking at it in a different way.

Tanya Barrett:

Yeah, no, it's beautiful and I love that within my little group that I've created, we all volunteer for each other's events. I mean, they all work for different nonprofits, but yet they'll come and volunteer for me and I volunteer for them and there's even just the beauty in that just having someone, because I feel like sometimes nobody cares as much as you do.

Chris Baker:

It's true.

Tanya Barrett:

Nobody cares about the nonprofit that I run. Nobody cares about it as much as I do. I care so much. I care so much about the people and nobody really cares as much. But when I make these friendships, and especially when they're also running nonprofits, I feel like when they show up and help volunteer or help give advice or whatever it is, they care at a level I do. It may not be about the same, niche.

Tanya Barrett:

Yes, but they care at a level I do. We all want each other to succeed, want we all want each other to succeed and I think that's the important piece of that with non-profits and you know, helping each other and raising each other up too, everybody cares. Like there's that genuine belief in all of us that we just care, we want, we want everybody to do well you're all trying to make the world a little bit better.

Chris Baker:

Yes, that's, that's really the truth of it all. It's like you're trying to make it a little better and we're doing the same thing. So the biggest thing is like I just had this conversation yesterday with someone, but it's all about and non-profit is still a business.

Tanya Barrett:

Yeah, it's just where the money is allocated I just watched, and I'm probably gonna mess his name up dan palotta. Have you heard of him? He did this. Ted talk and and I'm not sure if this piece of it came out of his ted talk and I'm probably misquoting him, but he was. It was all about non-profits and he said you don't want the epitaph on your headstone to read I saved on overhead.

Chris Baker:

Oh, I want it I want it to you.

Tanya Barrett:

Every single one of us in this room wants it to read I changed the world so and I get it. I get that nonprofits like there's this whole like percentage and this, and I want people not to get so stuck on that. Yes, there is a percentage, but yes, we are all trying to make a living and do better in the world, and sometimes to do better in the world, we might have to spend a little bit more money on some things and it all comes out in the wash, but at the end of the day, we're all wanting to change the world for the better.

Chris Baker:

The biggest thing and I think this is the hardest part for a lot of people to realize like, oh, you can just be volunteer-based. Okay, well, I have to have 1,000 volunteers over one year all doing one hour at a time or two, and it's never going to be consistent. There's no like it's so hard to like comprehend, like who's managing these people?

Tanya Barrett:

And I just said it, who cares as much as you do?

Chris Baker:

Right.

Tanya Barrett:

I mean, yes, there are volunteers that show up and they do care.

Chris Baker:

Oh 100%.

Tanya Barrett:

They do.

Chris Baker:

But they can only do so much.

Tanya Barrett:

They can only do so much, right? You know, and I'm right there with you. You know it's easy for me to have a volunteer step in and me to hand them a handful of thank you notes and help me hand write thank you notes, sure, it's great, it's easy. But to keep doing that over and over again, and then what happens? For example, that volunteer I just thought about that helped me write some thank you notes. She helped me all of last year and now she lives in North Carolina.

Tanya Barrett:

So you know it's hard. It's hard with volunteers. Yes, you can be strictly volunteer-based. I don't think you're ever going to grow with a strictly volunteer-based. You know If you want your charity to never grow, never move it's. You know you can dial it in at having volunteers only.

Chris Baker:

The problem that comes in, and it's actually the last question I'm going to ask you is how do you leave a legacy? You can't leave a legacy if you don't treat your non-profit as a business correct, because now, how does it survive if it only is run by passion and by you and volunteers that are helping you? There's no growth, there's no sustainability and there's no legacy. No, and so that's something that's extremely important, that I think we all need to consider, because life is too short it is too short and you know, and that's I will say.

Tanya Barrett:

Most people in non-profits are probably a lot like me, like you, can work 70, 80 hours a week, not even think twice about it, because we're very passionate about what we do, like I don't consider me answering a kid's phone call or a mom's email about the scholarship at 10, 11 o'clock at night work.

Tanya Barrett:

It's just not. It's not in me. For the one other employee I have, she's not answering calls at 1030, 11 o'clock at night. I'm not, I'm not. I don't expect her to, but it's yes. It is leaving that legacy Like how do we grow? How do we really put our mark on the world? What do we really want that epitaph to say? Like, at the end of the day, you know, I want it to say I changed the world by doing this you know, I want the nonprofit to grow.

Tanya Barrett:

I want it to be, you know, one of these. I want the nonprofit to grow. I want it to be one of these bigger, more nationally known ones and I want to get there. But we're not going to get there playing small.

Chris Baker:

I'm glad to hear that you have that mindset, because that's, honestly, one of the biggest things is, you have to have your mindset changed to go, we need to grow, and this isn't about me, this isn't just about me, it's about helping the world.

Tanya Barrett:

Yeah.

Chris Baker:

And so, once you have that new vision and you have the new clarity, that's when you can actually leave that legacy. So, as I ask everybody that's leaving our show, what is the legacy you personally want to leave in the world for future generations?

Tanya Barrett:

generations. I want every child of a fallen law enforcement officer to know that even if higher education isn't meant for you, you know. But I want them all to know their, their mom or dad's never forgotten. They are, they're always remembered. I want you to know how important it is to say their name and I want you to know that, if you ever want higher education, that we want to be the charity you come to. We want to be able to pay for your college. We want you to succeed. We want to inspire your dreams, inspire your hopes. We want what your mom or dad wanted for you. Mom or dad wanted for you and we want to make sure that we can make that happen without you having to think about what finances or how they even come into play.

Chris Baker:

And it's building the future for generations.

Tanya Barrett:

It's building the future for generations. Yeah, I mean, how can we change the world if we're not investing in it?

Chris Baker:

Beautiful line.

Tanya Barrett:

We need to invest in these futures and if these kids are too worried about money, there's no hopes and dreams there. They're too worried about the finances. Let's remove it.

Chris Baker:

Remove one obstacle at a time.

Tanya Barrett:

Yep.

Chris Baker:

And that's what you're doing.

Tanya Barrett:

One obstacle at a time. Chris, thank you so much.

Chris Baker:

No, I was going to thank you, so you beat me to it. So thank you again for joining me today here on. Visual Eyes you so and you beat me to it, so thank you again for joining me today here on Visual Eyes one last piece how do people get in contact with you?

Tanya Barrett:

so it is um website is the mcdavid group charitiesorg. And then my email is tanya t-a-n-y-A at themcdavidgroupcharitiescom.

Chris Baker:

Perfect. Thank you again. So much. Thank you for sharing your story. I know that was a little challenging and I'm glad that you were able to do so with me.

Tanya Barrett:

Thank you. Thank you for hosting this and creating these networks and conversations. I think what you're doing is beautiful and I'm really appreciative of being here. Thank you.

Chris Baker:

Thank you for joining me on this episode of Visual Eyes. We hope that the inspiration and practical insights can help you foster stronger connections and meaningful change. Don't forget to subscribe, share the episode and leave us a review. To learn more about Visuals by Momo and how we support collaboration and storytelling, visit visualsbymomo. com. A huge thank you to everyone out there listening. Until next time, remember, collaboration fuels change and your connections can inspire the world.