We are excited to have Darcy Schatz on the podcast. A home-grown Minnesotan. She has been involved in nonprofits for most of her life. As a volunteer, staff member, Executive Director, and board member. She went to law school for fun! When she is not trying to save the world, she is hiking, kayaking, traveling, obsessing about crossword puzzles, reading non-fiction, and trying not to adopt all the animals in the shelters. She is the Founder and CEO of Nonprofit Ops Pros, where she brings her incredible operational savvy to help her clients organize and scale.
Resources: Website: www.nonprofitopspro.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nonprofit-ops-pro
Transcript
John Simon 0:06
John, welcome to Simon Says, inspire a podcast about life, leadership and building legacies.
I'm John Simon, SR and I'm Dina Simon.
Our guest today is Darcy Schatz.
Darcy is the founder and CEO of the nonprofit ops pro
Darcy. Welcome
to our podcast.
Darcy Schatz 0:25
Thank you so much for having me.
John Simon 0:27
Why don't you take a second and tell our listening audience a little bit about yourself? Okay,
Darcy Schatz 0:33
I'm Darcy Schatz. I am a born and bred in Minnesotan and I've lived here my whole life, I have three grown, let's say grown children who are 21, 24, and 25 and I am the founder and CEO of nonprofit ops Pro, which is a company that does administrative support and consulting and provides resources for nonprofits of all sizes, all around the world.
John Simon 1:03
Great. I took a an opportunity to read the information that you put out about how to start a nonprofit, and I told Dina, I said she's an attorney. You can tell by the way it's written. Well,
Darcy Schatz 1:16
yeah, so about that, yeah. So I have law degrees, sure from William Mitchell and but I am not a practicing attorney, so I'm going to disclaim right now any legal advice that you might think you're getting from any materials provided by me. I just went to law school for fun, and it was tons of fun, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. But no practicing, no license. Do not follow any legal advice.
John Simon 1:45
Well, it, it's written just like, like you were practicing.
How long have you known Dina?
Darcy Schatz 1:52
Oh, I don't know, five years. Six years, seven Wait. How old's Mandi? Maybe that's the way to Yeah, that's
Dina Simon 2:00
Let's back into it. Yeah. So Mandi's gonna be 21 Oh, goodness. I mean, I think we've known each other at least a decade. Yes, it probably Yeah. So
Darcy Schatz 2:10
you're right. It probably has been that amount of time. Yes, back, yeah and yes
John Simon 2:14
and where did, where did you meet? Also, great
Darcy Schatz 2:17
question. No,
Dina Simon 2:20
I do okay, yeah, so based on who you are and these amazing talents that you have, we brought you on first, I think because you've done some work with me, both on Simon Says lead and Simon says give. But I think it was Simon says give originally to help us get our organization stuff together as we were growing fast in those first couple years. So getting systems and processes down and all those things, if you remember, and getting our SharePoint, like all that kind of stuff set up and organized, but really just some of those systems and processes, especially when we started evolving into the two different chapters that we had. Oh yeah,
Darcy Schatz 3:00
back to me. I thought that we had met before that somehow and then started working together. But you like me, and I bow to your superior memory.
Dina Simon 3:09
I think I found you because your virtual assistants kind of stuff too. And then I think that's originally how I found you, and then being that we live not too far from each other in town, and then you certainly helped me in those early days as well, from assignments as lead perspective. And then we've just, you know, through covid and stuff, I think after covid, we reconnected for coffee and just totally got caught up, just personal lives, business lives. And the funny part about podcasting is, I remember you saying, Dina, like you have so much wealth of knowledge in the staffing industry, why aren't you out doing like, some podcasts and getting your message out there? And I was like, really? And so now I think it's funny that I have a podcast with my father in law, and then here we have you as a fantastic guest, sharing your experience and story. And so it all comes full circle.
Darcy Schatz 4:03
That is a great story. I love it.
John Simon 4:06
I like what you say in your nonprofit startup guide about starting a nonprofit. It's not for the saints of heart you you really better be committed if you're going to get into it.
Darcy Schatz 4:16
It is absolutely true and has no different than starting a business. You know it is the principles are very much the same. You have to run your nonprofit like you do a business, and neither of them is for the faint of heart, because you have to believe so much in why you're doing the thing to carry you through the days that you hate it and want to give
John Simon 4:39
up. Well, especially when you get into, like,
a mission statement, no
more than 30 words, just tell the people what you're trying to do and
and do it. That's,
Darcy Schatz 4:49
that's absolutely right, and it's but what you what a lot of organizations struggle with, is that they want to do all the things, and they it's really. Called to narrow it down to just the one thing that you can do really well and and and really focus on and commit to that. Again, it's, you know, just like running a business like, yes, you want to do all the things for all the people, and you have these great ideas to to run this business, but unless you focus on one thing and do that thing really, really well, then you're going to do everything else sort of okay.
John Simon 5:28
Well, and I like the part where you talk about founder syndrome, because you know, you have to almost have a plan where you're not going to be part of it anymore, but it still must carry on. Yes,
Darcy Schatz 5:38
yeah, it's a it's a real thing. I actually had a conversation with somebody a couple of weeks ago where they were describing, is this a networking call? We were just kind of chatting about her, her work and her organization, and she was talking about the founder who had done this, and X and Y and Z, and the struggles that they were having with that. And I said, Oh, it sounds like they have a bad case of founders syndrome. She said, that's a real thing. Is that it's not just him. That's a real I said, No, it's a real thing. There's a reason. There's a whole, a whole phrase for it, and you have to very much look outside your your own vision for what you want to do and plan and set up the organization for it to operate without you, because, you know, none of us are guaranteed any day on this earth. And so when you are setting up something that means so much to you, it is that it is the kindest and most most honest thing that you can do for your for your nonprofit, is to set it up to run without you, and so that other people can take it and run with it. Other people can can really commit to it and bring it into the next level of what it needs to be,
John Simon 6:50
yeah. And with great advice, it's probably hard for some people to give that up in time. So it
Darcy Schatz 6:56
is, yeah, just like when you're when you're an entrepreneur, and you are hiring your first your first assistant, or anyone to help you with this. With this baby that you have baby, right? You it's really hard to to let any piece of that go, because only you know how to run it best, and only you know how this and x, y and z should operate. But again, you're stifling your business when you do that. You're stifling your nonprofit when you don't allow others into it and and help them, let them help everybody, carry it to the next level.
John Simon 7:28
You know, I and I can relate that to when I was working, I was president of the finance company, and the company was sold, and I took a package and left, and a year later, I went back to have lunch with this, you were the people that I worked with. I couldn't even get into the building, and they didn't even know my name, and I was there for 23 years. So it gives you an idea how quickly things can change when you're no longer around anymore.
Darcy Schatz 7:52
Absolutely, if you're not involved in you're dying. Is that No is the is the phrase, and if it's true as a company, it's true of a nonprofit, it's true of us as individuals, you know, or that better? Yeah,
Dina Simon 8:03
yeah, exactly. And so love the conversation, even, as you said, from a for profit or non profit like that, what's that end game? What's, what does that look like? And so from a succession planning or a business entity that needs, you know, to be transitioned to somebody just, and you use the word really kind, like, it's the kindest thing that you can do based for this baby that you're, you know, growing, whether it be for a nonprofit or for profit, but you went into business for a reason, you know, with a passion and a mission. And so I love that, just that conversation about how kind it is actually to be planning for that. And I know when I was in franchising, we always said before somebody signed on the dotted line as business partners, like to go into business together. Okay, can do that. But what's, what is your end like? What does the exit strategy look like? Because if there is going to be one, so planning for that end in mind, even from the beginning and then in the nonprofit space. I mean, I know for us, so we've, you know, Minnesota based, but we had a chapter in South Dakota that we were super excited about that ran like eight, nine years. And then, just based on it being a kid based organization, when the kids outgrew it, we sunsetted it, and we'll do the same with our Massachusetts chapter at some point. And the only difference with Minnesota, like we don't know. I mean, as we said, Mandy is going to be 21 and we think we'll keep it going for a while, but at some point. And so the kindest thing we can do is either figure out, if we sunset it, what does that look like? Can we take everything that we've learned along the way and give it to somebody else to go? Do you know, there, there's those types of opportunities as well,
Darcy Schatz 9:42
yeah, but it really is, you know, that's how you are when you start a nonprofit, when you start a company, like, all you could do is think about, like, what I had, like, the 1021 things I have to do today and next week to to really grow this. Seen in and part of what I tried to do in that so how to set up your 501 c3, document is to really help organizations figure out how to set it up from the beginning so that that could grow with them in the next five years and 10 years and 20 years, as other people were brought on. Because what I see so many times is an organization that is sets up with their personal emails with, you know, home addresses, things like that, and then as those people leave the organization for one reason or another, which happens, turnover happens all the time in nonprofits, then the people who are left are unable to get access to bank accounts or IRS documents or things like that, and, and then you put yourself 12 steps back trying to regroup and and be able to move things forward. So, so that's that, that document, you know, pieces and, and I totally get that nobody starts a nonprofit looking, looking 20 years down the line. I mean, that's, that's, it's incomprehensible when you first starting an organization. So you have to be accepting of this. Isn't always going to look like this, and you don't always want it to look like this. You don't always want to just serve the 10 people that you're, that you're that you're working with. You want it to either grow or merge or otherwise, you know, be something bigger than what you could even imagined it. It was, yeah,
Dina Simon 11:28
absolutely so. Darcy, you mentioned that you have three grown children, and they are quote, unquote, grown in their 20s, right? But tell us a little bit about your family, because you have amazing children.
Darcy Schatz 11:39
Yes, My children, the oldest is lives here in Minnesota. Is finishing his third year of law school at St Thomas this coming year, and then he'll join the Minnesota National Guard as an officer with the viewer towards working in military intelligence. My daughter is lives in California. She lives in Los Angeles. She is a engineer for SpaceX. She is one of the five people that watches the rockets every week, and that's that's her job. Yep. And then our youngest son lives here in Minnesota. He works for the Minnesota Legislature in the non partisan roles, administrative roles, with the clerk's office and the sergeant arms offices.
John Simon 12:21
Well, it shows like all three are very successful than what they've chosen. They're
Darcy Schatz 12:25
happy. They're on a good path. Of you know who they are and where they're going. You know nobody's nobody's path is straight, nobody's path is the same. And so we you know when you are working. You know for yourself and for you know, young adults that you're working with, whether it's your own or somebody else's, you know, keeping that in mind that just because your buddy or your sibling has this path, that doesn't mean it's your path. You know, who of us you know today is in a spot where they started, you know, graduating from college or leaving high school, things like that. My path is things and zagged all over the place and but that's that moving forward and always, you know, just you know, what's the next thing? And you know, grabbing onto that, because everything you do leaves you someplace. And so that's they're happy with where they are now. I hope they continue to pursue their passions and what they do wherever that does meet them.
Dina Simon 13:23
Yep, absolutely. But as John she said, I mean, they're still very, fairly young, and they have these amazing past work that they're doing. So just I know how proud you are of all of their amazing accomplishments, and it's just super fun also to watch and see the impact that they're making, you know, in their careers and in the lives of those that they touch and just super cool.
Darcy Schatz 13:43
Yeah, they're good kids. They're the most amazing kids in the world work. You know, truly, truth filled. Right
John Simon 13:50
that I'm, I'm betting your daughter that works for SpaceX out in California, that's that has to be an interesting job every day. Yes,
Darcy Schatz 13:58
absolutely it is. Yep, she occasionally is on the console where she is doing the call outs, you know, as during the launches. And so we love listening to those listening to hear her call out, you know, whatever incomprehensible words that she is saying, you know, during the during those launches. But she's worked really hard to get where she is. And it is. It's interesting now with the position that she has, she is 24 she's 24 she's worked there almost two years now, and she has an intern this summer. And so we've been what she thought was hilarious, because now she's 24 and has an intern, yeah, who's barely younger than she is, you know? And so, so we've been talking a lot this summer about about leadership and about mentorship, and about what does that you know? What's your responsibility and your role in in working with that, with that person? And she's a great mentor. She's a great person to have as in that role, because she's she's very knowledgeable. She's very, very good at what. She does, she has a lot of compassion, but she also has high standards for herself and for the team, and so that's a great combination to have in a leader, because that's those are circumstances under which an employee, and especially one early stage career, is going to thrive under, because you have that support and that training, that compassion for that role
John Simon 15:22
well, and the type of business she's in, we are working through Eli Musk at SpaceX, you know, there's not much room for error.
Darcy Schatz 15:30
No, you know. And the great thing about SpaceX, and I can't speak to the other companies that he owns, SpaceX, is a terrific environment for young professionals, because they have a failed forward mentality, and so they want you to push the boundaries. They want you to try something. They want you to learn. But when they fail, which they do, space is hard, I guess, and so when they do fail, their mentality is okay. What did we learn from this? And let's not do it the next time, you know. So it's a really wonderful supportive environment for young professionals to be in, yeah,
John Simon 16:06
a great team environment, because that's really how you have to run that. And when the the old saying, when the horse and the cart get into ditch, everybody has to reach in and help move it out.
Darcy Schatz 16:16
That's exactly right, yep, that's, I
Dina Simon 16:19
don't think I've heard that before. John, it makes sense.
John Simon 16:23
I've used it a few times over the years.
Dina Simon 16:25
Yeah. So Darcy, our podcast is about life, leadership and building legacies. And building legacies is all this stuff that we've talked about. You know, it's not what we do when we're gone, it's the things that we're living out. So talk to us a little bit about legacies, because I'm also sure that you love to travel and experience things. So there might be a little bit of that in there. Yep, I
Darcy Schatz 16:47
let's see. I am the daughter of one of the original entrepreneurs. My dad was a farmer, and so the some of the original entrepreneurs, and it's growing up in that environment, in rural Minnesota. It shapes, shapes a lot of who you are and what you do. I am a 10th generation farming child. And so there's the all the way back to my ancestors in the in Norway and Germany. And so there's, there's a lot of commitment to that. There's a lot of legacy that comes with that, because you, you grow up in an environment that's different from everybody else's, and what you what you learn to do at a very young age. So driving, I my driver's test was no sweat when I was 16, because I'd been driving since I was eight, you know, out on the farm. So that was no there some really great things about that. But there is, you learn the value of hard work. You learn the value of being flexible, because you do not know what's going to happen from one day to the next, and you have to take that as it comes. And absolutely you don't know if it's going to rain or it's not going to rain. And you don't some days you want it to rain, some days you don't, you know, so you have to really have an immense amount of resilience to be to be a farmer. And I have an incredible amount of respect for that. If I have probably pulled anything from those, from that ancestry, from that legacy of my farming ancestors, that it had probably is, I hope it has been that resilience piece of it. It is a it's something I try to focus on. It's something I try to make sure to maintain in my own life. It's something I try to help my kids understand and work with themselves. And been developed that's a good bone to develop in your life, so and as I go through the what I do now, I would like to leave that, that legacy of of resilience for my kids, teaching them that I think that that is a an element of or a characteristic or personality trait, whatever it is that can carry you so much further than talent or skill or luck or circumstance or money or anything like that, that resilience and adapting the building, yeah, love that. Do
Dina Simon 19:15
you still have the family farm going like, is that? Is that that still, is there people working it?
Darcy Schatz 19:21
My mom still lives there, yet. My dad passed a couple of years ago, but there she still lives on the family farm. It's rented out now, none of my siblings. I have six siblings. Six siblings. Yes, six siblings. None of them took on the family farm, but my mom does still live there.
John Simon 19:36
So why don't you tell us a little bit about your passion for crossword puzzles. Oh,
Darcy Schatz 19:41
I subscribe to The New York Times crossword New York Times, so I get an only the Sunday edition, because I want my paper copy of my New York Times on my doorstep every Sunday morning. So yep, family and friends know not to bother me Saturday mornings for. Couple of hours. You know, when I first get up, because I don't care what else is on. I don't care what else is going happening. That crossword is on my clipboard, and we are doing the crossword. So it's how I relax at night. It's how I you know, I really love the intricacies of it. I'm It's on my bucket list to create my to have my own press word published. I've, I'm hesitant to say I want it published in the New York Times, because I don't know. That seems like kind of lucky goal, but I don't know so somewhere published. But I've done, I've done two so far, they've both been rejected by the New York Times. And so I'm better work, you know, doing the worst study in and with that. But they, I love the word play of them. I love the intricacies of them. I love that I know just remember just enough French from my high school to be able to answer the French, you know, crossword puzzles in the New York Times. So
John Simon 20:57
that's, well, it's funny, because I have a friend that does the same thing every Sunday morning. My friend Steve, he he subscribes to the New York Times, and he can't wait to get that every week. In fact, he's an attorney. He was an attorney too, whenever he was working.
Dina Simon 21:11
So I didn't know that was a thing. I didn't know that you could, like, publish, I love that, that you could actually create a crossword and submit it, and it could get picked up from, you know, the New York Times or something else as well. Yes, yeah, there's
Darcy Schatz 21:24
lots of places that publish them. New York Times is, of course, the gold standard of your getting your crossword published. So I'm working on one now that I have high hopes, right? So nice, you know, it's, you know, they're,
they have high standards, you know. But, but lots of regular people like myself get them published. And so that's very cool. My goal awesome. And travel also you you get you've done quite a bit of travel over even like, if you think of past or post covid, where has been, some of the funnest places that you've been to.
I went on a solo trip to Budapest a year ago, not quite a year ago, last fall, that was amazing in a lot of ways. It was a it was a place that I went by myself for seven days and just I saw everything. And it was, it was a really chance for me to recharge. I really a chance for me to I haven't traveled internationally very often, just once before, so taking that I didn't, I don't know the language, I had to, like, figure out the currency, like, all the things. So not only was it a, like, a fun trip as a beautiful place and lots to see incredible history and culture in Budapest, but also that bit of getting myself out of my comfort zone, of traveling by myself to a foreign country that was very it's a very far away, and nobody I knew had ever been to to Budapest, and so, so that was a that was a wonderful trip. On a lot of levels, I've been to Iceland just this last May, which was, which was great fun. Everybody should go to Iceland. It's a beautiful country. And now, as as the kiddos are, are older and need less of me, I've actually it's always been my goal to structure this business so that I could take it on the road, so that I really could travel as much as I as I can, and still, and still, make sure that all of my clients are being well taken care of, that they're all getting what they need. So I I've always, I've always structured this business so that I could take it on
Dina Simon 23:29
the road. On the road. Yeah, love that, and I love that you travel. So I when I was over with Mandy, getting her overseas to study abroad, and then I traveled by myself for, like, I think I was, like, four nights, five days by myself, and the experience, right? Like, just, and I was only I was Italy, so it wasn't a huge language barrier or anything like that, but just the like, getting from point A to point B, and figuring things out, and then also just I could do whatever I wanted to do. It was my agenda, and it was really fascinating. I certainly would love to travel with other people to share the experience, but I was super proud of myself. It was really an enlightening experience to do those few days all by myself in another country. It was, it was extraordinary. Yes, it really, I think it's
Darcy Schatz 24:17
really important for people to travel by themselves. Actually. You know it is, as moms, it feels like, it feels like an indulgence, you know, to travel by yourself, you know, especially if you, if you spent, you know, 20 or 25 years or whatever it's been with small children, you know, at your side all the time. And so it's great when you get to a point where you're able to travel, you know, by yourself and but it isn't, I don't think it shouldn't be felt like as an indulgence. And actually, I think it is really important for everyone to travel, you know, whether you're dad or signal or, you know, everyone, because you you do have to rely on yourself, and you do have to figure things out. And those are things. About getting outside your comfort zone that are so critical to personal growth, and just travel is just a really fun way to exercise that bone. Yeah,
John Simon 25:08
oh yeah. You know, to figure out train schedules and where you need to be at a certain time, and how to get to the train station and really, how to find the right track and all that. I mean. That means that here in the US, we don't do a lot of so when you get over to any of the European countries, it's a it's a new experience for us. And I always say you need to do that while you're young, and you're still young enough to keep on doing that. Yeah,
Darcy Schatz 25:32
oh, I
think you can do that at any age. Yes, I think it's really I those are pieces of personal growth that even if that, you can do it at any time. It doesn't have to be even a European trip or anything outside the country, you know, just taking a trip, you know, by yourself, to Washington, DC, or someplace that's, you know, that's easy, like that, you know. But it's the act of doing it outside, doing it yourself, and getting outside here, yeah, and so on. Yeah.
John Simon 26:00
I often teach the grandkids that I need to do this while I'm young and I'm 75 so, you know, I'm still young yet. There you go. To do that. To do that,
Dina Simon 26:08
you and Jeannie, you just did a long weekend. I mean, the part about getting out and exploring and taking in new things. I mean, that's all again. There's so much you know about keeping your mind sharp and new experiences, and what a better way to do it than travel?
Darcy Schatz 26:24
That's absolutely true. I my next destination, I think, is Marrakesh now, which is to me, very outside my comfort zone. So because, you know, European countries are relatively easy to travel to, that that, you know that this feels, feels a little bit a little bit itchy here was outside, further outside my comfort zone. But, yeah, I
think it'll be lovely, nice.
John Simon 26:49
Yeah, pretty much in most of Europe, everybody speaks English, so you're not going to get too lost. But yeah, you go to Budapest or something like that, you know it's going to be a little bit different, absolutely.
Dina Simon 26:59
Yeah, so Darcy, knowing that you would we're going to be on the podcast. Was there anything else that you would like our listeners to hear from you? No, I
Darcy Schatz 27:09
think you have heard so much from me. I think people should definitely continue to listen to this podcast, as you guys do. I've heard quite a few episodes that you've done, and thank you. Bring a really terrific perspective into this idea of leadership and legacy that you're not going to find many other places. So thank you for having me
Dina Simon 27:29
absolutely well. And I told John that. I mean, we certainly have collaborated over the years, but just I'm asked on a very regular basis with our nonprofit, like, Hey, how'd you start it? And if I wanted to start a nonprofit, what does that look like? And so I have kind of a canned email that I send to people on all the things that they need to think through. And you and I have talked about this often, they're like, oh, maybe I don't want to do this, because it's not, it's as it was. What was the phrase is not for the faint of heart, is that what? Yeah, I mean, it's, it's, it's setting up a business, it's a commitment, right? It's not just a small little endeavor, but I know that you and I are looking to find a way to collaborate and maybe put a webinar out there where we can both share our experiences. But you do have so many amazing operational pieces that you give to your clients. I have benefited from them, so I know that's on our to do list, so we can be chatting about that and get some information out there and get that moving in the next couple months.
Darcy Schatz 28:26
I love that people want to start nonprofits. That's a that's, it's amazing. It's a wonderful thing. It's not for everybody. And so if we can help people make that decision for themselves and for their loved ones, because it's, it's all in for everybody when you do it, and then help people set if they are going to do it, and help them get it set up the right way. Then, then we're just, you know, assisting that, that mission and that vision. Yeah, absolutely. Well,
John Simon 28:55
I know whenever I took a look at the nonprofit startup guide and your handbook roadmap. Everybody that's getting into one better take a look at that, because it spells it out, provides a lot of information for them.
Darcy Schatz 29:07
Thank you. Yeah,
John Simon 29:10
it does. It does well, Darcy, we're honored that you joined us. So thank you so much. It was fun for us to get to know you a little bit and have our listeners listen in.
Darcy Schatz 29:18
Thanks so much. I had a great time. Thank you, Darcy.
Thank you.
Dina Simon 29:23
I would like to thank Darcy Schatz for joining us on the podcast. We will make sure in the show notes that you know how to get in touch with her, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with her again. We've known each other for a long time and just always impressed with her business savvy and know the great work that she does with the clients that she supports. As always, I'd like to thank my father in law, John Simon, for being my co host. And the podcast is produced by Simon and Associates, and we're very excited to be a part of the C suite Radio Network, and until we talk again, you.
John, welcome to Simon Says, inspire a podcast about life, leadership and building legacies.
I'm John Simon, SR and I'm Dina Simon.
Our guest today is Darcy Schatz.
Darcy is the founder and CEO of the nonprofit ops pro
Darcy. Welcome
to our podcast.
Darcy Schatz 0:25
Thank you so much for having me.
John Simon 0:27
Why don't you take a second and tell our listening audience a little bit about yourself? Okay,
Darcy Schatz 0:33
I'm Darcy Schatz. I am a born and bred in Minnesotan and I've lived here my whole life, I have three grown, let's say grown children who are 21, 24, and 25 and I am the founder and CEO of nonprofit ops Pro, which is a company that does administrative support and consulting and provides resources for nonprofits of all sizes, all around the world.
John Simon 1:03
Great. I took a an opportunity to read the information that you put out about how to start a nonprofit, and I told Dina, I said she's an attorney. You can tell by the way it's written. Well,
Darcy Schatz 1:16
yeah, so about that, yeah. So I have law degrees, sure from William Mitchell and but I am not a practicing attorney, so I'm going to disclaim right now any legal advice that you might think you're getting from any materials provided by me. I just went to law school for fun, and it was tons of fun, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. But no practicing, no license. Do not follow any legal advice.
John Simon 1:45
Well, it, it's written just like, like you were practicing.
How long have you known Dina?
Darcy Schatz 1:52
Oh, I don't know, five years. Six years, seven Wait. How old's Mandi? Maybe that's the way to Yeah, that's
Dina Simon 2:00
Let's back into it. Yeah. So Mandi's gonna be 21 Oh, goodness. I mean, I think we've known each other at least a decade. Yes, it probably Yeah. So
Darcy Schatz 2:10
you're right. It probably has been that amount of time. Yes, back, yeah and yes
John Simon 2:14
and where did, where did you meet? Also, great
Darcy Schatz 2:17
question. No,
Dina Simon 2:20
I do okay, yeah, so based on who you are and these amazing talents that you have, we brought you on first, I think because you've done some work with me, both on Simon Says lead and Simon says give. But I think it was Simon says give originally to help us get our organization stuff together as we were growing fast in those first couple years. So getting systems and processes down and all those things, if you remember, and getting our SharePoint, like all that kind of stuff set up and organized, but really just some of those systems and processes, especially when we started evolving into the two different chapters that we had. Oh yeah,
Darcy Schatz 3:00
back to me. I thought that we had met before that somehow and then started working together. But you like me, and I bow to your superior memory.
Dina Simon 3:09
I think I found you because your virtual assistants kind of stuff too. And then I think that's originally how I found you, and then being that we live not too far from each other in town, and then you certainly helped me in those early days as well, from assignments as lead perspective. And then we've just, you know, through covid and stuff, I think after covid, we reconnected for coffee and just totally got caught up, just personal lives, business lives. And the funny part about podcasting is, I remember you saying, Dina, like you have so much wealth of knowledge in the staffing industry, why aren't you out doing like, some podcasts and getting your message out there? And I was like, really? And so now I think it's funny that I have a podcast with my father in law, and then here we have you as a fantastic guest, sharing your experience and story. And so it all comes full circle.
Darcy Schatz 4:03
That is a great story. I love it.
John Simon 4:06
I like what you say in your nonprofit startup guide about starting a nonprofit. It's not for the saints of heart you you really better be committed if you're going to get into it.
Darcy Schatz 4:16
It is absolutely true and has no different than starting a business. You know it is the principles are very much the same. You have to run your nonprofit like you do a business, and neither of them is for the faint of heart, because you have to believe so much in why you're doing the thing to carry you through the days that you hate it and want to give
John Simon 4:39
up. Well, especially when you get into, like,
a mission statement, no
more than 30 words, just tell the people what you're trying to do and
and do it. That's,
Darcy Schatz 4:49
that's absolutely right, and it's but what you what a lot of organizations struggle with, is that they want to do all the things, and they it's really. Called to narrow it down to just the one thing that you can do really well and and and really focus on and commit to that. Again, it's, you know, just like running a business like, yes, you want to do all the things for all the people, and you have these great ideas to to run this business, but unless you focus on one thing and do that thing really, really well, then you're going to do everything else sort of okay.
John Simon 5:28
Well, and I like the part where you talk about founder syndrome, because you know, you have to almost have a plan where you're not going to be part of it anymore, but it still must carry on. Yes,
Darcy Schatz 5:38
yeah, it's a it's a real thing. I actually had a conversation with somebody a couple of weeks ago where they were describing, is this a networking call? We were just kind of chatting about her, her work and her organization, and she was talking about the founder who had done this, and X and Y and Z, and the struggles that they were having with that. And I said, Oh, it sounds like they have a bad case of founders syndrome. She said, that's a real thing. Is that it's not just him. That's a real I said, No, it's a real thing. There's a reason. There's a whole, a whole phrase for it, and you have to very much look outside your your own vision for what you want to do and plan and set up the organization for it to operate without you, because, you know, none of us are guaranteed any day on this earth. And so when you are setting up something that means so much to you, it is that it is the kindest and most most honest thing that you can do for your for your nonprofit, is to set it up to run without you, and so that other people can take it and run with it. Other people can can really commit to it and bring it into the next level of what it needs to be,
John Simon 6:50
yeah. And with great advice, it's probably hard for some people to give that up in time. So it
Darcy Schatz 6:56
is, yeah, just like when you're when you're an entrepreneur, and you are hiring your first your first assistant, or anyone to help you with this. With this baby that you have baby, right? You it's really hard to to let any piece of that go, because only you know how to run it best, and only you know how this and x, y and z should operate. But again, you're stifling your business when you do that. You're stifling your nonprofit when you don't allow others into it and and help them, let them help everybody, carry it to the next level.
John Simon 7:28
You know, I and I can relate that to when I was working, I was president of the finance company, and the company was sold, and I took a package and left, and a year later, I went back to have lunch with this, you were the people that I worked with. I couldn't even get into the building, and they didn't even know my name, and I was there for 23 years. So it gives you an idea how quickly things can change when you're no longer around anymore.
Darcy Schatz 7:52
Absolutely, if you're not involved in you're dying. Is that No is the is the phrase, and if it's true as a company, it's true of a nonprofit, it's true of us as individuals, you know, or that better? Yeah,
Dina Simon 8:03
yeah, exactly. And so love the conversation, even, as you said, from a for profit or non profit like that, what's that end game? What's, what does that look like? And so from a succession planning or a business entity that needs, you know, to be transitioned to somebody just, and you use the word really kind, like, it's the kindest thing that you can do based for this baby that you're, you know, growing, whether it be for a nonprofit or for profit, but you went into business for a reason, you know, with a passion and a mission. And so I love that, just that conversation about how kind it is actually to be planning for that. And I know when I was in franchising, we always said before somebody signed on the dotted line as business partners, like to go into business together. Okay, can do that. But what's, what is your end like? What does the exit strategy look like? Because if there is going to be one, so planning for that end in mind, even from the beginning and then in the nonprofit space. I mean, I know for us, so we've, you know, Minnesota based, but we had a chapter in South Dakota that we were super excited about that ran like eight, nine years. And then, just based on it being a kid based organization, when the kids outgrew it, we sunsetted it, and we'll do the same with our Massachusetts chapter at some point. And the only difference with Minnesota, like we don't know. I mean, as we said, Mandy is going to be 21 and we think we'll keep it going for a while, but at some point. And so the kindest thing we can do is either figure out, if we sunset it, what does that look like? Can we take everything that we've learned along the way and give it to somebody else to go? Do you know, there, there's those types of opportunities as well,
Darcy Schatz 9:42
yeah, but it really is, you know, that's how you are when you start a nonprofit, when you start a company, like, all you could do is think about, like, what I had, like, the 1021 things I have to do today and next week to to really grow this. Seen in and part of what I tried to do in that so how to set up your 501 c3, document is to really help organizations figure out how to set it up from the beginning so that that could grow with them in the next five years and 10 years and 20 years, as other people were brought on. Because what I see so many times is an organization that is sets up with their personal emails with, you know, home addresses, things like that, and then as those people leave the organization for one reason or another, which happens, turnover happens all the time in nonprofits, then the people who are left are unable to get access to bank accounts or IRS documents or things like that, and, and then you put yourself 12 steps back trying to regroup and and be able to move things forward. So, so that's that, that document, you know, pieces and, and I totally get that nobody starts a nonprofit looking, looking 20 years down the line. I mean, that's, that's, it's incomprehensible when you first starting an organization. So you have to be accepting of this. Isn't always going to look like this, and you don't always want it to look like this. You don't always want to just serve the 10 people that you're, that you're that you're working with. You want it to either grow or merge or otherwise, you know, be something bigger than what you could even imagined it. It was, yeah,
Dina Simon 11:28
absolutely so. Darcy, you mentioned that you have three grown children, and they are quote, unquote, grown in their 20s, right? But tell us a little bit about your family, because you have amazing children.
Darcy Schatz 11:39
Yes, My children, the oldest is lives here in Minnesota. Is finishing his third year of law school at St Thomas this coming year, and then he'll join the Minnesota National Guard as an officer with the viewer towards working in military intelligence. My daughter is lives in California. She lives in Los Angeles. She is a engineer for SpaceX. She is one of the five people that watches the rockets every week, and that's that's her job. Yep. And then our youngest son lives here in Minnesota. He works for the Minnesota Legislature in the non partisan roles, administrative roles, with the clerk's office and the sergeant arms offices.
John Simon 12:21
Well, it shows like all three are very successful than what they've chosen. They're
Darcy Schatz 12:25
happy. They're on a good path. Of you know who they are and where they're going. You know nobody's nobody's path is straight, nobody's path is the same. And so we you know when you are working. You know for yourself and for you know, young adults that you're working with, whether it's your own or somebody else's, you know, keeping that in mind that just because your buddy or your sibling has this path, that doesn't mean it's your path. You know, who of us you know today is in a spot where they started, you know, graduating from college or leaving high school, things like that. My path is things and zagged all over the place and but that's that moving forward and always, you know, just you know, what's the next thing? And you know, grabbing onto that, because everything you do leaves you someplace. And so that's they're happy with where they are now. I hope they continue to pursue their passions and what they do wherever that does meet them.
Dina Simon 13:23
Yep, absolutely. But as John she said, I mean, they're still very, fairly young, and they have these amazing past work that they're doing. So just I know how proud you are of all of their amazing accomplishments, and it's just super fun also to watch and see the impact that they're making, you know, in their careers and in the lives of those that they touch and just super cool.
Darcy Schatz 13:43
Yeah, they're good kids. They're the most amazing kids in the world work. You know, truly, truth filled. Right
John Simon 13:50
that I'm, I'm betting your daughter that works for SpaceX out in California, that's that has to be an interesting job every day. Yes,
Darcy Schatz 13:58
absolutely it is. Yep, she occasionally is on the console where she is doing the call outs, you know, as during the launches. And so we love listening to those listening to hear her call out, you know, whatever incomprehensible words that she is saying, you know, during the during those launches. But she's worked really hard to get where she is. And it is. It's interesting now with the position that she has, she is 24 she's 24 she's worked there almost two years now, and she has an intern this summer. And so we've been what she thought was hilarious, because now she's 24 and has an intern, yeah, who's barely younger than she is, you know? And so, so we've been talking a lot this summer about about leadership and about mentorship, and about what does that you know? What's your responsibility and your role in in working with that, with that person? And she's a great mentor. She's a great person to have as in that role, because she's she's very knowledgeable. She's very, very good at what. She does, she has a lot of compassion, but she also has high standards for herself and for the team, and so that's a great combination to have in a leader, because that's those are circumstances under which an employee, and especially one early stage career, is going to thrive under, because you have that support and that training, that compassion for that role
John Simon 15:22
well, and the type of business she's in, we are working through Eli Musk at SpaceX, you know, there's not much room for error.
Darcy Schatz 15:30
No, you know. And the great thing about SpaceX, and I can't speak to the other companies that he owns, SpaceX, is a terrific environment for young professionals, because they have a failed forward mentality, and so they want you to push the boundaries. They want you to try something. They want you to learn. But when they fail, which they do, space is hard, I guess, and so when they do fail, their mentality is okay. What did we learn from this? And let's not do it the next time, you know. So it's a really wonderful supportive environment for young professionals to be in, yeah,
John Simon 16:06
a great team environment, because that's really how you have to run that. And when the the old saying, when the horse and the cart get into ditch, everybody has to reach in and help move it out.
Darcy Schatz 16:16
That's exactly right, yep, that's, I
Dina Simon 16:19
don't think I've heard that before. John, it makes sense.
John Simon 16:23
I've used it a few times over the years.
Dina Simon 16:25
Yeah. So Darcy, our podcast is about life, leadership and building legacies. And building legacies is all this stuff that we've talked about. You know, it's not what we do when we're gone, it's the things that we're living out. So talk to us a little bit about legacies, because I'm also sure that you love to travel and experience things. So there might be a little bit of that in there. Yep, I
Darcy Schatz 16:47
let's see. I am the daughter of one of the original entrepreneurs. My dad was a farmer, and so the some of the original entrepreneurs, and it's growing up in that environment, in rural Minnesota. It shapes, shapes a lot of who you are and what you do. I am a 10th generation farming child. And so there's the all the way back to my ancestors in the in Norway and Germany. And so there's, there's a lot of commitment to that. There's a lot of legacy that comes with that, because you, you grow up in an environment that's different from everybody else's, and what you what you learn to do at a very young age. So driving, I my driver's test was no sweat when I was 16, because I'd been driving since I was eight, you know, out on the farm. So that was no there some really great things about that. But there is, you learn the value of hard work. You learn the value of being flexible, because you do not know what's going to happen from one day to the next, and you have to take that as it comes. And absolutely you don't know if it's going to rain or it's not going to rain. And you don't some days you want it to rain, some days you don't, you know, so you have to really have an immense amount of resilience to be to be a farmer. And I have an incredible amount of respect for that. If I have probably pulled anything from those, from that ancestry, from that legacy of my farming ancestors, that it had probably is, I hope it has been that resilience piece of it. It is a it's something I try to focus on. It's something I try to make sure to maintain in my own life. It's something I try to help my kids understand and work with themselves. And been developed that's a good bone to develop in your life, so and as I go through the what I do now, I would like to leave that, that legacy of of resilience for my kids, teaching them that I think that that is a an element of or a characteristic or personality trait, whatever it is that can carry you so much further than talent or skill or luck or circumstance or money or anything like that, that resilience and adapting the building, yeah, love that. Do
Dina Simon 19:15
you still have the family farm going like, is that? Is that that still, is there people working it?
Darcy Schatz 19:21
My mom still lives there, yet. My dad passed a couple of years ago, but there she still lives on the family farm. It's rented out now, none of my siblings. I have six siblings. Six siblings. Yes, six siblings. None of them took on the family farm, but my mom does still live there.
John Simon 19:36
So why don't you tell us a little bit about your passion for crossword puzzles. Oh,
Darcy Schatz 19:41
I subscribe to The New York Times crossword New York Times, so I get an only the Sunday edition, because I want my paper copy of my New York Times on my doorstep every Sunday morning. So yep, family and friends know not to bother me Saturday mornings for. Couple of hours. You know, when I first get up, because I don't care what else is on. I don't care what else is going happening. That crossword is on my clipboard, and we are doing the crossword. So it's how I relax at night. It's how I you know, I really love the intricacies of it. I'm It's on my bucket list to create my to have my own press word published. I've, I'm hesitant to say I want it published in the New York Times, because I don't know. That seems like kind of lucky goal, but I don't know so somewhere published. But I've done, I've done two so far, they've both been rejected by the New York Times. And so I'm better work, you know, doing the worst study in and with that. But they, I love the word play of them. I love the intricacies of them. I love that I know just remember just enough French from my high school to be able to answer the French, you know, crossword puzzles in the New York Times. So
John Simon 20:57
that's, well, it's funny, because I have a friend that does the same thing every Sunday morning. My friend Steve, he he subscribes to the New York Times, and he can't wait to get that every week. In fact, he's an attorney. He was an attorney too, whenever he was working.
Dina Simon 21:11
So I didn't know that was a thing. I didn't know that you could, like, publish, I love that, that you could actually create a crossword and submit it, and it could get picked up from, you know, the New York Times or something else as well. Yes, yeah, there's
Darcy Schatz 21:24
lots of places that publish them. New York Times is, of course, the gold standard of your getting your crossword published. So I'm working on one now that I have high hopes, right? So nice, you know, it's, you know, they're,
they have high standards, you know. But, but lots of regular people like myself get them published. And so that's very cool. My goal awesome. And travel also you you get you've done quite a bit of travel over even like, if you think of past or post covid, where has been, some of the funnest places that you've been to.
I went on a solo trip to Budapest a year ago, not quite a year ago, last fall, that was amazing in a lot of ways. It was a it was a place that I went by myself for seven days and just I saw everything. And it was, it was a really chance for me to recharge. I really a chance for me to I haven't traveled internationally very often, just once before, so taking that I didn't, I don't know the language, I had to, like, figure out the currency, like, all the things. So not only was it a, like, a fun trip as a beautiful place and lots to see incredible history and culture in Budapest, but also that bit of getting myself out of my comfort zone, of traveling by myself to a foreign country that was very it's a very far away, and nobody I knew had ever been to to Budapest, and so, so that was a that was a wonderful trip. On a lot of levels, I've been to Iceland just this last May, which was, which was great fun. Everybody should go to Iceland. It's a beautiful country. And now, as as the kiddos are, are older and need less of me, I've actually it's always been my goal to structure this business so that I could take it on the road, so that I really could travel as much as I as I can, and still, and still, make sure that all of my clients are being well taken care of, that they're all getting what they need. So I I've always, I've always structured this business so that I could take it on
Dina Simon 23:29
the road. On the road. Yeah, love that, and I love that you travel. So I when I was over with Mandy, getting her overseas to study abroad, and then I traveled by myself for, like, I think I was, like, four nights, five days by myself, and the experience, right? Like, just, and I was only I was Italy, so it wasn't a huge language barrier or anything like that, but just the like, getting from point A to point B, and figuring things out, and then also just I could do whatever I wanted to do. It was my agenda, and it was really fascinating. I certainly would love to travel with other people to share the experience, but I was super proud of myself. It was really an enlightening experience to do those few days all by myself in another country. It was, it was extraordinary. Yes, it really, I think it's
Darcy Schatz 24:17
really important for people to travel by themselves. Actually. You know it is, as moms, it feels like, it feels like an indulgence, you know, to travel by yourself, you know, especially if you, if you spent, you know, 20 or 25 years or whatever it's been with small children, you know, at your side all the time. And so it's great when you get to a point where you're able to travel, you know, by yourself and but it isn't, I don't think it shouldn't be felt like as an indulgence. And actually, I think it is really important for everyone to travel, you know, whether you're dad or signal or, you know, everyone, because you you do have to rely on yourself, and you do have to figure things out. And those are things. About getting outside your comfort zone that are so critical to personal growth, and just travel is just a really fun way to exercise that bone. Yeah,
John Simon 25:08
oh yeah. You know, to figure out train schedules and where you need to be at a certain time, and how to get to the train station and really, how to find the right track and all that. I mean. That means that here in the US, we don't do a lot of so when you get over to any of the European countries, it's a it's a new experience for us. And I always say you need to do that while you're young, and you're still young enough to keep on doing that. Yeah,
Darcy Schatz 25:32
oh, I
think you can do that at any age. Yes, I think it's really I those are pieces of personal growth that even if that, you can do it at any time. It doesn't have to be even a European trip or anything outside the country, you know, just taking a trip, you know, by yourself, to Washington, DC, or someplace that's, you know, that's easy, like that, you know. But it's the act of doing it outside, doing it yourself, and getting outside here, yeah, and so on. Yeah.
John Simon 26:00
I often teach the grandkids that I need to do this while I'm young and I'm 75 so, you know, I'm still young yet. There you go. To do that. To do that,
Dina Simon 26:08
you and Jeannie, you just did a long weekend. I mean, the part about getting out and exploring and taking in new things. I mean, that's all again. There's so much you know about keeping your mind sharp and new experiences, and what a better way to do it than travel?
Darcy Schatz 26:24
That's absolutely true. I my next destination, I think, is Marrakesh now, which is to me, very outside my comfort zone. So because, you know, European countries are relatively easy to travel to, that that, you know that this feels, feels a little bit a little bit itchy here was outside, further outside my comfort zone. But, yeah, I
think it'll be lovely, nice.
John Simon 26:49
Yeah, pretty much in most of Europe, everybody speaks English, so you're not going to get too lost. But yeah, you go to Budapest or something like that, you know it's going to be a little bit different, absolutely.
Dina Simon 26:59
Yeah, so Darcy, knowing that you would we're going to be on the podcast. Was there anything else that you would like our listeners to hear from you? No, I
Darcy Schatz 27:09
think you have heard so much from me. I think people should definitely continue to listen to this podcast, as you guys do. I've heard quite a few episodes that you've done, and thank you. Bring a really terrific perspective into this idea of leadership and legacy that you're not going to find many other places. So thank you for having me
Dina Simon 27:29
absolutely well. And I told John that. I mean, we certainly have collaborated over the years, but just I'm asked on a very regular basis with our nonprofit, like, Hey, how'd you start it? And if I wanted to start a nonprofit, what does that look like? And so I have kind of a canned email that I send to people on all the things that they need to think through. And you and I have talked about this often, they're like, oh, maybe I don't want to do this, because it's not, it's as it was. What was the phrase is not for the faint of heart, is that what? Yeah, I mean, it's, it's, it's setting up a business, it's a commitment, right? It's not just a small little endeavor, but I know that you and I are looking to find a way to collaborate and maybe put a webinar out there where we can both share our experiences. But you do have so many amazing operational pieces that you give to your clients. I have benefited from them, so I know that's on our to do list, so we can be chatting about that and get some information out there and get that moving in the next couple months.
Darcy Schatz 28:26
I love that people want to start nonprofits. That's a that's, it's amazing. It's a wonderful thing. It's not for everybody. And so if we can help people make that decision for themselves and for their loved ones, because it's, it's all in for everybody when you do it, and then help people set if they are going to do it, and help them get it set up the right way. Then, then we're just, you know, assisting that, that mission and that vision. Yeah, absolutely. Well,
John Simon 28:55
I know whenever I took a look at the nonprofit startup guide and your handbook roadmap. Everybody that's getting into one better take a look at that, because it spells it out, provides a lot of information for them.
Darcy Schatz 29:07
Thank you. Yeah,
John Simon 29:10
it does. It does well, Darcy, we're honored that you joined us. So thank you so much. It was fun for us to get to know you a little bit and have our listeners listen in.
Darcy Schatz 29:18
Thanks so much. I had a great time. Thank you, Darcy.
Thank you.
Dina Simon 29:23
I would like to thank Darcy Schatz for joining us on the podcast. We will make sure in the show notes that you know how to get in touch with her, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with her again. We've known each other for a long time and just always impressed with her business savvy and know the great work that she does with the clients that she supports. As always, I'd like to thank my father in law, John Simon, for being my co host. And the podcast is produced by Simon and Associates, and we're very excited to be a part of the C suite Radio Network, and until we talk again, you.