For 20 years, Heather has been helping people and organizations flourish financially. Her roles have included philanthropic advisor to many families and businesses, executive director of a private family foundation, program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and fiscal analyst for the Washington state legislature. A native of Washington state, Heather holds a Master's degree in Public Policy from Duke University and a BA in Political Science and Economics from Central Washington University, where she was a Presidential Scholar. She volunteers with Generous Giving nationally and the food bank locally, and serves on the board of the Strategic Alliance to Fight Exploitation which is working to fight sex trafficking in Washington State.

I’m honored to have Heather on The Wow Factor podcast to share her wisdom on the power of giving and why. Although it’s wonderful to give spontaneously, to really move the needle, you need to be strategic with your philanthropy. She tells us all about her generosity caper, how it works and how it came about. Heather also pulls back the curtain on her time working for the Gates Foundation and what it taught her about fostering a culture of giving.

“Sometimes we are generous because our gut tells us to do it right now. But at other times, we have to be strategic to move the needle.” - Heather Tuininga

“As entrepreneurs, we learn from our missteps. We fail fast or fail forward, and then take the next smarter step.” - Heather Tuininga

“I invite you to be generous with everything you have; to hold your stuff, your time, your money, and your relationships with open hands, and then wait for the nudge to give some of it away.” - Heather Tuininga

This Week on The Wow Factor:

Heather’s experience of growing up on the Olympic Peninsula and early leadership lessons she learned from her family
Why she moved from the political sphere and felt called to philanthropy and working in the generosity space
Heather’s role as a loop closer at the Gates Foundation and some of the insights she gained
Why Heather decided to found 10|10 Strategies to help people give strategically
Some of the different ways Heather and her team serve families who want to share their wealth
How being strategic with 80 to 90% of your giving helps move the needle on issues you really care about
Heather’s generosity caper, how the spontaneous giving fund came about
How Heather is learning to be generous with her listening

Heather Tuininga’s Word of Wisdom:

Generosity brings joy — it changes everything.

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