GROWING HOPE

Julie Fiske knows how hard people work to earn money. And now through a relatively obscure foundation she is hoping to help people spend that money by offering an innovative approach to philanthropy with a commitment to critical thinking.

Fiske, who is a former Lutheran pastor, serves as executive director of Growing Hope Foundation based in Owatonna. The foundation was organized in 2009 but shifted its focus in 2018.

“We thought of a more creative way to grow this and have a bigger impact,” said Fiske, who grew up in Owatonna and graduated in 1988.

Growing Hope was started by Jerry and Lois Epland, a couple who crossed paths with Fiske while she was serving as pastor in Emmons located in southern Freeborn County. The Eplands realized their farmland of about 1,300 acres could be used to grow more than crops. It could also be used to grow hope. The foundation was created as the mechanism to accomplish that goal.

In their estate plan, the Eplands have set aside a specific number of acres of their farmland to eventually pass to the foundation. The revenue that comes from renting out that land provides the financial base for the work of the foundation.

Fiske describes the Eplands as “humble people,” but they want others to consider what they are doing with their estate. “It’s important to them to help other people,” she said, adding they want to use what they have been given to help others in a charitable way “for the betterment of society.”

Farming, Fiske says, is a business that if you treat the land right, it will treat you right. “And then after that you have a responsibility to do good things,” she explained.  

Growing Hope serves a small niche as most people don’t have significant amounts of money to give away, Fiske said.

Due diligence

As director of the nonprofit, Fiske says one of her primary duties is to visit the organizations supported by the foundation to “gain a deeper understanding of their work, because nothing can truly take the place of actually seeing the work in action.”

Fiske’s due diligence trips have taken her to Rochester, the Twin Cities, Chicago, Michigan, South Africa and most recently Tanzania where she was for 10 days in April. She has visited most of the organizations Growing Hope has supported over the years. Except for the more local trips, Fiske travels to the other areas once every three years.

As a result of what she has found on her trips, the Foundation has discontinued support of a particular organization. “It’s not necessarily for negative reasons, but just because through a trip, it is easier to really understand an organization’s priorities and identify whether or not it is truly a good match for us and the people who do their giving through us,” Fiske said.

Discontinuing funding to Tanzania happened after Fiske’s recent trip. While she was on the trip, some significant issues arose with the district commissioner of the Same (pronounced Sah-May) region. The commissioner suspended health and education programs due to alleged financial irregularities, and a police investigation was initiated into the organization that had been supported by Growing Hope.

“My recommendation was to suspend donations until they have things straightened out,” said Fiske. “Part of the due diligence is really understanding what’s going on and adjusting accordingly,” she added.

Fiske called the Tanzania trip “very eye opening,” not only professionally, but also personally. She couldn’t believe how the country continues to be plagued by diseases as she found people are constantly battling parasites and getting sick. She called it a “watershed moment for me.”

“I’m not degrading the country, but it’s difficult to live in a place where you are constantly battling disease,” she said. “It was much more stark than anywhere else I have traveled.”

During her trip, Fiske enjoyed going on a safari where she saw elephants, giraffe, zebras and buffalo among other animals.

She noted there is no OSHA organization in Tanzania. “I don't know what standards they have,” Fiske said, stressing that made her nervous throughout the trip. “We hugely take that for granted in the U.S. We take it for granted that our buildings are structurally sound.”

For Fiske, the best thing that came out of the trip was “learning the immense value of taking due diligence trips.”

Helping others

Fiske completed her master’s degree in business administration in 2021, which has helped change the scope of Growing Hope in the past few years.

Growing Hope does not support many projects in Steele County. “One primary reason we limit the amount of money we donate locally is because it’s easier for people in town to see firsthand the results of their donations,” Fiske said. “We are trying to help people who also want to give to organizations beyond Steele County, including international locations.”

However, that doesn’t mean Growing Hope hasn’t done anything locally. In May, Fiske handed over a check of $5,000 to the Exchange Club Center for Family Unity’s capital campaign. In that case, Fiske toured the facility with Exchange leaders to see where the money is going.

Fiske spends considerable amount of time speaking at organizations and networking to educate people about Growing Hope’s mission. She concentrates on developing relationships with people in the financial industry, including accountants, financial planners and attorneys.

Growing Hope primarily works with donors who give $10,000-$50,000 or more.

She describes her work as “helping good hearted people who don’t have the right skills to manage their money.” Fiske works hard to make sure the money goes to worthy causes.

“I want people to think of it as charitable giving as an investment—not money, but outfunds,” she said. “My goal is to help people who are interested in charitable giving to think more critically about how much they are donating and why.”

Managing the Foundation excites Fiske because she gets to help people focus on getting better about charitable giving at a higher level.

“I want to help people who have worked hard to earn their money,” she said.

___________________________________________________________

Growing Hope Foundation

• Director is Julie Fiske, former Lutheran pastor

• Based in Owatonna and operated by board of 5 people

• Helps with charitable giving at a higher level

• More information at www.growinghopefoundation.org

___________________________________________________________