Make an impact. That’s the goal of so many young professionals these days. But how can 20-somethings really do that when they are busy building a career and a network, and still have time for a social life? College friends Adam Compton and John Coggin – wanting all of those things – decided to put those goals together and created The Longleaf Collective, a giving circle of young professionals in the Triangle.
“We wanted to find a way to get young professionals more involved in nonprofits, so we thought if we banded together, we could make a bigger impact,” Adam explains. Adam and John called their college friend Jessie Birckhead, who lives in Durham, and The Longleaf Collective kicked off with a party. “We had to explain that everyone could be a philanthropist, but still be fun.”
In its first year, the collective had 30 paying members who each contributed a minimum of $100 to a fund at the Triangle Community Foundation. “We [didn’t want to] just give money to an organization, but to [also] become involved,” John says. “So we decided that we would pick one organization a year and commit fully to it.”
FOCUS GROUPS
After a year of study and planning, the group determined that they would concentrate on education, poverty, the arts and health in a yearly rotation. Jessie, a member of the grants committee, explains that poverty was selected as their first issue to tackle. “We chose the East Durham Children’s Initiative as our first grantee from the 28 organizations that applied.”
Lauren Stephenson of EDCI was thrilled that The Longleaf Collective picked them. “Our grant is for mental health workshops for parents, something that is hard to get funded, but the collective really studied the need,” she says. The members of the collective not only provided EDCI with $5,500; they also are spending the year volunteering.
“We are not mental health professionals, but we are able to volunteer to help with the STEAM summer program,” Jessie says. (STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math, and is a 10-week camp held at the Maureen Joy Charter School for kids in east Durham, where they learn through fun activities and enjoy a healthy lunch every day.)
‘MOVE THE NEEDLE’
The Longleaf Collective has a social and educational aspect to it, too, holding monthly gatherings around the Triangle. It most recently hosted a social event at Ponysaurus Brewing Co. in June. “We have experts come and talk with us,” Adam says. “Gene Nichol from the N.C. Poverty Research Fund is the one who educated us on the connection of poverty to mental health.”
While giving to EDCI this year, the collective is simultaneously searching for their next grantee in the education sector. “All paying members have a vote, and people are as involved as they have time,” Jessie says.
“We are hoping to grow our giving circle, [targeting] people in their 20s and 30s,” Adam explains. “Together we can move the needle, have fun and meet new people at the same time.”
Round of Applause!
Longleaf Collective President Adam Compton was one of Triangle Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Leadership Awards winners for 2016.
