How to Build Strategic Partnerships with Kim Kargbo, President & CEO at Accessible Hope International
In this episode of Exploring Growth, host Lee Murray talks with Kim Kargbo, President and CEO of Accessible Hope International. They discuss the power of strategic partnerships, the realities of fundraising, and why collaboration—not competition—is key in the nonprofit world.
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Kim Kargbo
00:00:00
I had a woman say to me, I think what you're doing is really lovely, but you are never going to be able to fund it. And I was like, why? Because I was thinking this should be easy to fund. But she was right.
Lee Murray
00:00:15
So it's been a while since I've interviewed someone from the nonprofit world. I think we've had 3 or 4 people guests on the podcast, and there's a lot of great things happening everywhere, especially in the nonprofit world. And, one sort of stat that was given to me was the fact that there are 1.3 billion people globally that are disabled. And that number just was staggering to me because I just wasn't prepared for it. But what's even crazier is, by and large, that group of people are largely invisible to most people that are going about their daily lives. And by now, you're probably wondering, what does this have to do with building relationships with strategic partners as you read the title. Don't worry, you're on the right episode. Today, I have the privilege of interviewing Kim Carbo, president and CEO at accessible Hope international, and we're going to dive into the topic of making your organization visible to strategic partners.
Lee Murray
00:01:17
So welcome to the show, Kim.
Kim Kargbo
00:01:19
Thank you. Thanks, Lee. It's good to be here.
Lee Murray
00:01:22
Yeah. So I'm excited about this conversation. I'm really, excited about what you guys are doing there. And I wanted to first just have you tell us about accessible Hope international and a little bit about yourself and what you guys have been up to.
Kim Kargbo
00:01:35
Sure. well, accessible hope international is a nonprofit, as you said. we're relatively small, even in the nonprofit space, not a huge nonprofit, like, you know, World Vision or, you know, United Way or something like that. Not that big. but we, and and part of that is that we're not super old. So about 16 years going on, 16 years now since we were founded. And and also because we serve a population that's not sort of the, the trendy popular population to serve, in the nonprofit space, particularly internationally. And, so that's, that's sort of a lay up to who we are. And, let me tell you a little bit about how we got to this space.
Kim Kargbo
00:02:24
So, our program started in Sierra Leone, West Africa. That was where we originally started our work, and it was among women with disabilities exclusively. that program has grown. we're continuing we continue to have a relationship, in Sierra Leone with the the program that serves women with disabilities. It's called women of Hope on the ground. And, but since then, the the whole organization has evolved and changed, and we now do a lot more. That's global. So we started out for about the first 9 or 10 years just working in Sierra Leone with women with disabilities, and then over the past six years or so have been expanded globally to work with other small, local grassroots non-profits on the ground in Africa, primarily who are serving people with disabilities, particularly those that are maybe are even more vulnerable than the average person with a disability. So typically that would be women and children. Our other two programs that we have, long term partnerships with our schools for kids with disabilities, one is also in Sierra Leone, in a different part of the country than our other program.
Kim Kargbo
00:03:30
And then one is in Tanzania. Both of those are schools that serve children and young adults with disabilities with a variety of services. So one of the characteristics that we require in a long term partnership is holistic services. So not just dealing with one particular thing. So in the disability world that might look like, you know, sort of wheelchair distribution for example, or assistive devices distribution, things like that. and, and that would not necessarily be something we wouldn't do, but it would be in the context of dealing with the whole person as opposed to seeing them as just their disability or with one particular need. And so all of our programming is and the people that we, the organizations that we partner with, really are designed to be very holistic. and then in addition to that, we do a lot of training around the world. and this is not just in Africa. This is really globally. helping to do worldview shifts around disability. so you mentioned that people with disabilities are a population that's often hidden.
Kim Kargbo
00:04:33
In fact, in talking with other nonprofit leaders. when I start talking about disability, people will often say, this is like the number one comment that I get. Well, we just don't really have very many people with disabilities in our where we work. And, you know, to which I kind of usually chuckle a little bit, wryly and say no, but you do. You just don't see them. And and that's really one of the big issues that people with disabilities face, globally, but particularly in the global South where, where the worldview and the, the, beliefs and attitudes about people with disabilities are really, typically quite harmful, to them where they're viewed as, either cursed by God, and therefore, you know, need to be separated from so that that curse isn't also somehow affecting you and your life. Yeah. or that there may be demonic. and so, I mean, nobody really wants to have a demon as a friend, right? and so if that's how you believe and you think it's true, you know, it makes sense that you would separate yourself from that, that person, and or that they're just not really a full human right, that they're just sort of a half human.
Kim Kargbo
00:05:44
and so because of those very common beliefs about disability and people with disabilities, whether that was that they were born with a disability or they acquired a disability later, it really doesn't matter. that really results in a lot of ostracization and marginalization of people with disabilities. To the point that, oftentimes people with disabilities are literally hidden away. Like, not just that they're sort of invisible by default because people aren't noticing them, but that they literally are put away so that people can't see them. And, and then, you know, along with that comes a lot of other sort of abuse and neglect issues as well. and so part of what our organization does is to really try to shift the attitudes and belief systems around disability to give people a new understanding of people with disabilities, that people with disabilities also have inherent value, that they are human beings, just like all the rest of us that have specific challenges, but also have a lot of gifts and potential to bring to bear to our community and society. And, and then to through that new understanding to then start to think, what are the steps that we need to take to be more inclusive as a society?
Lee Murray
00:06:56
Yeah, okay.
Lee Murray
00:06:57
Well, thanks for that. That's a great background. It's a lot to kind of take in because, I mean, there's so many different things that come to mind. I'm thinking about the complexities of, managing care. you know, where does that start and stop? Because if you're doing that holistically. Yeah. you know, especially in countries that have infrastructure issues and governance issues. Yeah. you could run into, kind of starting to take care of a whole village. Yes. You know, I mean, you're, you're, you know, you could really out outweigh the limits of your ability and funding.
Kim Kargbo
00:07:31
easily.
Lee Murray
00:07:31
You know, so, seems like there's that's a tall, tall order to go into, really the, the the, you know, the most hurting of people, in a situation that's already probably really hurting, and try to help them. So, it's amazing work that you guys are doing.
Kim Kargbo
00:07:49
Yeah it is, it is very challenging work, as you have alluded to. And and there are many, many complexities.
Kim Kargbo
00:07:56
So it does it keeps us on our toes, because I think if we were just, distribution for assistive devices in wheelchairs, that would in a lot ways be so much easier, right? Because it's pretty straightforward. It's very tangible. and it sort of has an endpoint, you know, like once a certain number of people get a device, you're kind of done. but this is more of a real long term commitment of walking alongside people with disabilities over a really long period of time and, and really sort of speaking into their life in various different ways, including with training for themselves, training, skills development, economic development, kinds of things. support advocacy, for injustice. a lot of times people with disabilities are evicted from their room or home, wherever they are living unjustly, just because people don't want them there. and, and so advocating for things like that where they'll go to the hospital with a medical need and our people won't see them, you know, doctors and nurses refuse to see them.
Kim Kargbo
00:09:04
and so there's a lot of advocacy that needs to happen as well. So, just really coming alongside people with disabilities and their families in ways that are very, as I said, holistic and, addressing sort of the multifaceted needs that they have, as a person. And, and really, what we have found is and then along with the community education piece too, right, so that people's attitudes start to shift. But what we've really found is that particularly with our, adults, like the women with disabilities, that we have our largest program, in Sierra Leone, as the women themselves have started to rethink who they are and what their value is and their purpose for being here. they start to act differently, and that starts to make people pause and think, wait a minute. This person that I thought was cursed by God and not valuable or not even a human, is suddenly contributing meaningfully to our society. I don't understand why is that happening, and so it makes them have to question their own beliefs.
Kim Kargbo
00:10:05
And so, as the women have really started to take on sort of a new, a new identity, really, in who they are, it started to shift the people the way people around them think and see them as well.
Lee Murray
00:10:19
Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah. Does that shift take a long time typically, or do you see it happening quickly?
Kim Kargbo
00:10:24
No a long time. Yeah I mean you, you can see some incremental shifts that are fairly quick. You know, where like for example, some of the, a lot of the women in our program go through a particular training we have called transformation training. It's it's quite an extensive, period of time, 16 weeks where they go for a whole day once a week to training. And these are women that have never gone to school a day in their life, right? Never. Like, so the the idea of sitting, you know, for a whole day and it's very interactive. So it's not just sort of sit but but really just being in a sitting space for a whole day when they're used to being on a farm or, you know, in some very sort of high labor capacity, just for daily life, and learning with another with a group of women just like them is just sort of mind bending for them.
Kim Kargbo
00:11:16
Right? Because that's just never been something that was part of their experience. and initially they come in thinking, I don't know why I'm here because I, I've never went to school, so I'm not going to be able to learn. Right. And, and through the very, highly interactive, highly engaging course, that really touches on all different aspects of their life emotional, physical, social, spiritual. all different kinds of things, as all of those things start to be, discussed in their, in their group and they participate in activities, they realize, wait, I am learning stuff. And, we've actually had women in those classes who've literally multiple times have literally saved the life of people in their community, through simple preventative measures or simple treatment of diseases that are very common and very, not easily solved because they're complex, but that, you know, having a, a very easy treatment can really make the difference of life or death in a situation where there's not really much medical care. And so, that has happened multiple times, which that will be sort of a sudden change of how people view them, where they went from sort of this outcast, you know, sidelined person in their village to sort of the local hero, you know, who just saved the life of this kid through simple measures like rehydration solution, you know, and, so that those kinds of things do kind of result in a pretty sudden shift, at least initially, you know? And then it takes time for people to really internalize shifts like that and begin to see the person as a different person.
Kim Kargbo
00:12:56
But those are often a starting point when women start sharing with others what they've learned.
Lee Murray
00:13:02
That's amazing. As we are shifting our conversation to how to build relationships with strategic partners, one step that I want to take before we get there is, kind of this question about, you know, how people see your organization like just individuals, right? people don't know that your organization exists. how do they find you? And what do they typically think that you do when they initially get to you?
Kim Kargbo
00:13:30
Yeah, that's a good question. so I'll answer the first one first. how do people typically find us? I would say word of mouth and then maybe online. Right. If they're sort of googling, you know, disability work in Africa or something like that, we might come up in something like that. There's not a lot of disability specific non-profits that are serving in Africa specifically. So there are a few, but there's not a ton. So, you know, we're going to be in the first page or two of the Google search.
Kim Kargbo
00:14:01
so I think those are some of the ways, word of mouth and, you know, through different speaking opportunities or conferences, things like that. and then, how do people see us? Well, I haven't actually asked that, but based on this feedback that I've gotten, I would say, initially when people think disability, nonprofit, you know, sort of that sort of thing, especially internationally, they think of things like distribution of wheelchairs and crutches and, you know, white canes for the blind, things like that. So, typically people think that's what we do is provision of very specific disability aids for those with disabilities, which is actually not at all what we do. And so that's where we can start to have the conversation about, that a person is a person and that they have very complex needs. Some of them as a result of their disability, but typically not as a direct result of their disability. Typically, their needs are going to be more an indirect result of the attitudes of people about their disability.
Kim Kargbo
00:15:12
So their biggest needs and problems are a lot more to do with how people view them than they are with the lack of infrastructure or support or resources available to them, although those definitely are big needs, but they're their biggest barriers are really the attitudes of other people. So I think that's one of the misconceptions.
Lee Murray
00:15:34
Yeah. And that's what I was thinking. and your, your, the base that you're serving is probably impoverished because there are, you know, like we talked about these issues. so they probably can't pay directly for any services that you offer. And, finding funding is probably going to be tricky. So that that would naturally take us to strategic partners in that, you know, in order for you guys to exist, you're going to need to partner with other people, organizations of the like to have, you know, caught your vision and, and see the change that needs to happen. kind of walk me through your approach to finding and working with strategic partners, and especially since your organization is very much invisible.
Kim Kargbo
00:16:19
Yeah. you know, I'll give you one story that I think illustrates perfectly what you just said. when we first started accessible. Hope this has been, you know, 15, 16 years ago now. I had a woman say to me, you know, I think what you're doing is really lovely. but you are never going to be able to fund it. And I was like, why? Because I was thinking, you know, like these are very vulnerable people. This should be easy to fund, right? Like there's high need. people are compassionate people, generally speaking. and she said because they're not cute kids. And I was like, okay. And I kind of wanted to sort of push back on that and be like, people aren't that petty, are they? But she was right. So, yeah, unfortunately, because I think, you know, things like, I don't know, World Vision or Compassion International, larger organizations that do serve sort of children, right? All over the world.
Kim Kargbo
00:17:20
super cute kids, right? Like, they're just, like, very they're adorable. And, and people just want to do something. Like, they just are cute, and they kind of tug your heartstrings. Disfigured women? Not so much. Right? Like, that's not. Maybe not going to be people's idea of beauty. And and we we give toward what our hearts are, are moved toward. Right. And so I mean, that's the whole thing about marketing and promotion anyway, is like, get people's heart to get involved, like make them feel something. Right. And and that will then then the, the funds will follow. And so I mean, while I hated what that woman said and wanted it to not be true, over the years, I realized that it was more true than I wished it was. So I think that sort of speaks into a little bit what you're talking about, about, that there's maybe some challenges in.
Lee Murray
00:18:14
Yeah, sounds like there's additional challenges.
Kim Kargbo
00:18:16
Yeah, yeah.
Kim Kargbo
00:18:17
And even, you know, with, with the children with disabilities because we have, you know, two schools that we also, that are part of our, our partnerships. And, even with that, again, not to say they're not cute, but they're not sort of the society's idea of beauty, right? And so if there's they're very disfigured or whatever, then there's, there's sort of this people have to kind of get over a hump to, to see that child as beautiful or as. we all have our internal biases, right? And so we have to kind of overcome those to see, like this is a person that, may not be like what I would consider cute, right? Whatever that is. but but has needs and is valuable and is worth, helping and reaching out to and that their family has needs as a result of their disability as well. And the infrastructure not being there makes their needs all the greater. Right. And so I think going back to now your question about partnerships, what we really like to do is to, almost be subversive.
Kim Kargbo
00:19:26
we, we do a lot of work with a lot of conferences with other we're faith based organizations. So we are at conferences a lot with other faith based organizations and really just like asking those organizations, whatever it is they do, right? Whether it's, relief and development, you know, in disaster zones or wash like, water and sanitation or, even if it's like planting churches or whatever their particular aspect is, of service to ask them, in the population that you serve, how many of those, like 16% of the world has a disability? Every population around the globe, like every population, every country that you go to, at least 16% of those people have a disability. Now in conflict zones or post-conflict zones, that's even higher, because of the conflicts. But but on the regular, it's 16%. If you were to survey your entire sort of target population of whatever your organization serves, how many people within your specific target organization or target population have a disability. And this is where I get the response.
Kim Kargbo
00:20:34
Well, we don't really have very many people with disabilities in our area where we're working. Right. you know, to which our reply is you do. They're just hidden. And so what we really have been working more recently in is to work alongside other organizations that are doing other things and helping them catch a vision for why people with disabilities need to be intentionally included into whatever their service provision is. So, you know, if you are an organization that drills wells in Africa, for example, and clean water is your thing. Right. And you're all about access to clean water. that's that's amazing. Are you keeping in, in your mind that there are people with disabilities within that village or wherever it is that you're drilling that well, are you making sure that the well is accessible to people with disabilities? Are you making sure that people with disabilities are are actually accessing water, or are people keeping them like they don't want them in their. Well, like usually wells have like an enclosure around them in these rural villages.
Kim Kargbo
00:21:41
they don't want them in there because they consider them to be dirty. And so they're like, well, we just got this new clean water. We don't want dirty people in there. you know, our people with disabilities allowed into the well enclosure to, to get water, is the pump or whatever the mechanism is for getting the water accessible to people with disabilities. So trying to help, other organizations think through their strategy and, and ask the question, are we really serving people with disabilities? Maybe their their organization provides education for children in rural areas where there's maybe not a very good access to education that's definitely needed. Are you also thinking about children with disabilities in your area, and finding ways to make sure that they also are able to access that education? so part of what we do is consulting with other organizations to help them ask these questions, to evaluate their own target population and their service provision space and make sure that people with disabilities are actually included in that. and if they're not to ask the question why, right.
Kim Kargbo
00:22:50
And then to start being curious about what might be happening in that community that is preventing people from with disabilities from accessing those services.
Lee Murray
00:23:00
Yeah, that's super interesting. So you're trying to find other organizations that you can integrate with or that you may be aligned with. Be it, you know, probably the similar base of people you're going after and informing them. so you said consulting. I thought that was such an interesting way to think about. I mean, that's what you're doing. But, you know, it's interesting from a business standpoint. You know, if we're thinking about strategic partnerships, there are people that are serving our our same prospect base and we could educate them on the, you know, the need and benefit of, you know, the type of solution that we're providing that integrates with theirs. Maybe, you know, I know I'm thinking about myself as a, content marketing, agent agency, you know, working with other types of agencies that are very similar, like SEO agencies and stuff like that.
Lee Murray
00:23:51
where we're going after a similar customer base. but there's a crossover in terms of, adding impact. Yeah. And I like that a lot because it's it's not just going to an organization and asking for help, you know, and putting a burden on them. But it's going they're adding value.
Kim Kargbo
00:24:11
Yeah. And one of the things that we've worked really hard over the last, oh, probably 6 or 7 years is to develop a lot of resources and they're all open source, resources that, that do train, leaders. Right. So we can we can talk with. So let's say we'll continue on with the. Conversation around a wash. Right. A while welding organization that if they were like you know what you're right. Like we don't think we have people with disabilities accessing our wells or we have not noticed people with disabilities in our community. And why would that be? And so if they start to become curious, then what we have next is we have offerings that we can provide to them of training and curriculum and resources that will help train their leadership.
Kim Kargbo
00:24:59
And then hopefully that would trickle down that they would continue to pass that along to their, you know, field people and things like that. that would begin to help them just start thinking differently about disability and to open their eyes a little bit to who might be being excluded from our services unintentionally. Right. Not not intentionally for sure, but who might not be accessing our services for reasons that are maybe unknown to us that we might need to ask more questions about and try to be more intentional about including. And so we have a lot of those resources, and we also provide training for organizations like that for their leadership, and then provide them with resources that they can take the training on down to the rest of their staff.
Lee Murray
00:25:42
Yeah. That's great. So on the on the ground level, that makes a lot of sense in terms of funding. How do you build relationships or partnerships there?
Kim Kargbo
00:25:53
Yeah. so that's harder. I think funding is the hardest part of this job, hands down. and, you know, and I've already told you the story of the gal that said, why? And, you know, I think there's something to that.
Kim Kargbo
00:26:11
I don't I don't think that's the whole sole reason for sure, but, Most of our funding comes from just individual donors, right? And, so it's a lot of just trying to continue to push those circles out and include more people in the communications, in understanding what we do and why we do what we do. and, and particularly sort of making sure that people who really already have some sort of a passion around disability, maybe they themselves have been affected by disability through their own life, or a family member, child, parent, brother, sister, whoever, and so their life has been directly affected by disability. And they understand, that there's so many complexities. And so, you know, those might be some people that we would want to make sure that they know. Like, here's another way that you could be involved in providing access to care and to resources and, to all the things that humans need to for flourishing, for those that live in much less privileged places. And so that would be one.
Kim Kargbo
00:27:19
and we do, because we are faith based. We do speak in churches and let people know in churches that this is an opportunity to really serve some of the most vulnerable people and some of the poorest. and then we also do partner with some foundations, for, for grant funding as well. the bulk, like I said, is individual donors. But then we, we do have some like project grants for specific projects, through, through foundations.
Lee Murray
00:27:49
And so when you're speaking at churches, are you using that as a platform for getting in front of other individuals or partnering with the churches directly?
Kim Kargbo
00:27:58
both. Yeah, both. Yeah. so sometimes we do actually have churches as a whole that do partner with us as well. Yeah. And we're actually rolling out a new program. We just spent all morning actually developing, working on the development of the program, for some direct church partnership opportunities. that would be a little bit more hands on and a little bit more direct for the church, where it's not just sort of like we write a check out of our missions fund or whatever, every, you know, so often, but that we can really sort of adopt a project and partner directly with a local church in another area that would then equip them to do better access for people with disabilities in their own community, but they're working together on it.
Kim Kargbo
00:28:41
So we're just putting that program together as well.
Lee Murray
00:28:44
Yeah, it seems like that would be fruitful because when someone can get involved personally, you know, a group of people from a church can get involved. And, you know, let's say, go on a mission trip to whatever you might call it, they're going on a trip together from the church with your organization to see, you know, what's going on firsthand, see how you're caring for these individuals. Yeah. And the impact is going to be so much greater. Yeah. you know, from those individuals and then in the church.
Kim Kargbo
00:29:14
and their understanding is so much greater if they've had the opportunity to really be firsthand, you know, with with people.
Lee Murray
00:29:20
So yeah, I, I think that would be a great. Yeah. A great, activity.
Kim Kargbo
00:29:26
Yeah. We do. So we have the opportunity just sort of on one off if people are interested. But then now we're kind of trying to formalize that a little bit more in this partnership program, where a specific church can partner with a specific church to really, you know, spread that inclusion message in their own area so that it's a little bit more targeted.
Lee Murray
00:29:47
So your your current model as it is today, how is it how are you thinking about evolving that? well, I mean, you were giving one example there of these possibly, you know, having churches being more direct partnership. Is there any other way that you're thinking about strategic partners differently as you move through in this next year?
Kim Kargbo
00:30:07
Yeah, we are we actually have a meeting coming up next week with a large, I don't know if they would call themselves a foundation. Maybe they would, but it's a philanthropic group. An investment group actually started as an investment group. And then, you know, sort of moved into philanthropy, in South Africa. And they have a conglomerate of organizations across Africa, sub-Saharan Africa that they work with directly, in all different sorts of things, a lot of economic empowerment types of programs. They're really, pretty intent on building, alleviating poverty through economic development. And, and then also things like education and the things that support economic development. Right. So health care and and education and water and sanitation and that sort of thing.
Kim Kargbo
00:31:00
So they have a whole network of organizations that are part of their sort of, I don't know, family of organizations, if you would. And we're actually meeting with them. We've been in in conversation with them for about six months now, but having our sort of last formal meeting to sort of pitch this. Potential partnership, in trying and working with them to offer sort of our consultancy and expertise around disability and inclusion to all of their partners. So through training, through, maybe direct partnership with some of their, organisation, partner organisations where we would work specifically with that particular organisation to strategize and train their leadership on, on a worldview shift on disability and then disability inclusion in their particular context, whatever that might be, and then help them sort of tweak their strategic plans so that it is more inclusive of people with disabilities, thereby then including people with disabilities, into all of these already existing organisations that are doing really good work and serving people across the continent. it. but then just sort of elevating what they're doing to make sure that it's including the most vulnerable and the people that are maybe not quite as visible, to, to them as the rest of their population.
Kim Kargbo
00:32:25
So that's, that's one way that we're looking at trying to sort of spread the impact and, accomplish the mission, but sort of through the avenue of other organizations that are already on the ground doing so many good things.
Lee Murray
00:32:41
Yeah, that sounds like a true strategic partnership relationship where, yeah, you know, it's not I mean, the other ones we're talking about are our strategic partners, but this one being almost a third party to everyone that's involved. yeah. And I like that too, because the impact can be greater for the base of people you're serving. But it also can be greater volume wise, to get recognition and visibility to what you're doing and what they're doing globally. Yeah. Yeah. That's great. Well, you know, I'll kind of end on this question. if you're, you know, if you were talking to a room of business owners and even people on running nonprofits, what advice would you give them for building strong relationships with strategic, strategic partners?
Kim Kargbo
00:33:32
I feel like this is an area that I am constantly learning in, and would by no means consider myself an expert.
Lee Murray
00:33:41
Well, aren't we all?
Kim Kargbo
00:33:42
Yeah. And so, like I would if somebody asked me for advice, I'd probably flip the question on them honestly and just say, tell me a little bit about what you do and hope that, you know, I would learn something from them and we could maybe mutually help each other. because I don't feel like I'm an expert by any means. I do think that, one thing that I, we as an organization hold quite strongly as one of our core values is just the idea that we're all in this together. And so to sort of let go of the nonprofit world. Probably the business world, too, I don't know. That's not my my world, but is highly competitive and, territorial. And so we really push back against that as intentionally as we can to just say, like, we we want to help you serve people with disabilities. Right? Like we're not saying, hey, we're we're the people that serve people with disabilities. Back off. Yeah.
Kim Kargbo
00:34:39
but really, just how can we resource you? Right. What? Here's what we have to offer. And if it is helpful to you, then by all means, please utilize it. Right. So I personally think that, just really being open handed with what we have, the resources that we have, the expertise that we have, the I will say this, this is when I'm having trouble balancing because like, I get people that are like, well, you ought to make people pay for that expertise, you know? And and then part of me is like, yeah, we just want to see people with disabilities served well, right? And so if this group over here maybe can't afford to buy that expertise through consultancy or whatever, then great, I'll just give it to you. Like I just want you doing the thing right. so there's a balance in that. And I think because we're a nonprofit, we maybe have the the ability to do that a little bit better, easier. but, you know, because people are always saying, yeah, but that could be a different income stream.
Kim Kargbo
00:35:38
And, and that's true. Yeah. but then also that might be a barrier, you know, to really seeing other people with disabilities served well, which is what we, what we're passionate about. So, so those are some of the wrestles, I think. I don't know, this is advice. but it's certainly things that I would want to wrestle with with someone else. Like what? What kind of what do you have that you can make available to other people that would serve them well and actually serve your mission? Like if our mission is to see people with disabilities live transformed lives. then like, if that happens through this organization over here, great. That still happened, right? Like, that's what we want to see. So, I think for any whether it's a business, a nonprofit or, you know, a for profit or a nonprofit business, what? Just to be more open handed and less territorial? that's my encouragement to really everybody I know that's not a popular business. sort of.
Kim Kargbo
00:36:38
Well, but no, I think it's important. And, and I think we'll all do better. You know, if we if we do just really see ourselves as all working towards the same things, the flourishing of humanity, in whatever way that is, that we've been sort of, you know what? We're the space that we're given to occupy in that space.
Lee Murray
00:36:58
Well, you know, talking about being a resource, I believe is is the key. and I, you know, the reason why I will bring on people who run nonprofits occasionally, to my podcast is because I really think that business owners, founders, CEOs, whomever that's running these companies, they need to learn from the nonprofit world, they need to learn. that, you know, if they could think a little bit more like a nonprofit, they probably would make bigger strides. And it's a hard thing to do because, you know, in your for profit business, you're about, writing new business and, increasing revenue and increasing profit.
Lee Murray
00:37:40
You know, these are the main things on your mind. And, you know, the big companies that we see that just do really well by their shareholders and their customers, they, they tend to have this mentality that a lot of nonprofit, directors or executive directors have. And, that is where, hey, we are all in it for the greater good. We're in it for the good of the the the base of people. We're we're here to serve and it's, you know, there are contracts involved and there there's business involved. But we're ultimately if our job is successful, if we can bring one more person to this step of, you know, completion. And so I think that if more company founders owners can think like a nonprofit in terms of being a resource and kind of almost like holding what they have with more of an open hand, I think that their success may not come quicker, but I think it would be so much, so much deeper.
Kim Kargbo
00:38:45
Yeah, deeper and more sustainable.
Kim Kargbo
00:38:47
yeah, I think I think it really is the, the difference between having a scarcity mindset where you're competing for the resources all the time, and an abundance mindset that says there's enough for all of us, and we should if we do this together, we will actually go farther. Right? Like the African proverb, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together, right? And and I think that that's kind of what you're saying is that, that there's, there's a deeper success and a more sustainable success when we really are, working together and have a more generous mindset.
Lee Murray
00:39:19
That's very well said. Yeah. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. I'm always, you know, honored to bring people from the nonprofit world in and, you know, kind of enlighten some of us on the for profit side and to what's going on. So I appreciate you coming on.
Kim Kargbo
00:39:33
Well thank you. I really appreciate it being here. It's been a good conversation.
Lee Murray
00:39:38
so we want to send people your way. Do we send them? Where do we send people to to get in contact with you?
Kim Kargbo
00:39:43
Yeah. People can contact me directly if they'd like to have a conversation. my email is just my name. Kim. At a hint at accessible Hope international. or our website, which is accessible.org.
Lee Murray
00:39:58
That's great. Thanks, Kim.
Kim Kargbo
00:39:59
Yeah. Thank you. Lee.