Diesa Seidel, Founding Director of United Initiatives for Peace

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of interviewing Diesa Seidel, the founding director of United Initiatives for Peace, a global non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the lives of girls and women by promoting higher education, offering creative recreational programs, and encouraging grassroots social reform.

We talked for about an hour, so I’ve broken the interview into three posts.  Part 1 describes four of her five programs, Part 2 is about the fifth program, and in Part 3 Diesa talks about what she’s learned about starting and running a non-profit organization.

Aside from removing discourse particles and some of the content, these posts are largely transcriptions of my recording of the interview.

Starting and Running a Non-Profit

KELLY: So why did you decide to start your own non-profit rather than working for or volunteering for something that was already established?

DIESA: You know, when I was working with other service projects…I started in 2004? I think that was my first service project, and I was doing stuff with Inter-Religious Peace, like working with different religions and cultures, facilitating educational programs for them, and then poverty alleviation, and the usual, like building schools and construction projects.

And then just through my experiences doing that around the world, I just became more aware of the status of women and girls and how I always just felt like they were on the back burner. And it was just…their choices and their options were so limited, and it just was not fair, you know? And I just felt like there wasn’t enough, there were not enough opportunities for girls. And if half of your population is being suppressed, how are you going to grow as a country?

So I just felt so passionate toward that, and I wanted to use my skills, whether it was what I learned from my volunteer work with these other organizations, and then my background as an athlete and what I learned from sports to couple that together and then create programs that I feel benefit the girls personally, but also have a ripple effect to benefit their community.

Yeah, I don’t know why I decided to particularly start my own, I just felt like I had to do it, you know? And it’s kind of like of course there’s hundreds of organizations that work with girls, but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be more. Just like, “Oh well, there’s already a school over there.” A school can only educate a dozen students, that’s not enough. So that’s kinda how I took it. And I think when people follow what they’re most passionate about, it will be successful.

I think every non-profit kind of has their niche. Some non-profits, say, just work in one local community, and they just teach art. And that’s wonderful, and that’s needed. Another non-profit that works with girls, they just do counseling services. And that’s great, and that’s needed. But I think the more opportunities and support programs there are, the more you can make sure that individual has every angle protected and empowered.

So, I like to think my niche serves a purpose.

KELLY: So how do you go about marketing your programs, and getting schools and groups to sign up? I mean, you’re all over the world, you’re a little organization…

DIESA: I know.

KELLY: How do you make those connections?

DIESA: I always have a personal connection on the ground. So all the countries that I’ve worked in, it’s either because I was there myself at another time doing another service project and then I befriended some contact there that was really involved in the community or a principal of a school. So then I would just go back to them and coordinate.

KELLY: Right.

DIESA: So that’s always kind of how it grew.

More recently I was invited to a leadership conference that was held in Hawaii, and it was a global conference, and there were 15 of us. And two of us were from the US and then it was like Colombia, Iraq or Iran…Iran….wait, wait…Guatemala, Colombia, Israel, Iran, and Palestine, um…Rwanda, Liberia. I don’t think there was anyone from Asia…oh, and Nepal, Nepal.

So now it’s like I have this network of leaders from these countries that each have kind of their own mission in some kind of social endeavor.

KELLY: Right, right.

And what did you learn in the process of setting up your organization?

DIESA: A lot. That’s a hard question. What did I learn?

I think if it’s your passion then you don’t really feel like it’s work ‘cause I just wanna do it all the time. But one thing that I know I have to get better at is asking people for help because I’m not good at delegating. I just want to do everything. You know?

KELLY: Yeah.

DIESA: And then, um, you know, if you build it, it will come. It’s like one of those things. You really want to do something, and you just have that action plan and work toward it like it’s going to happen. So, yeah, I mean, every time I look at, even like this little flyer…this is what I did with volunteers, on an annual budget of under $50,000 a year. And it’s like, if this is what I can do with that kind of budget, what can I do if I had grant money or I didn’t have to work full-time?

KELLY: Right.

DIESA: I just feel like the past four years I set the foundation and built credibility for what we do so now I feel like I have to get to that next level to get bigger donations and more sustainable funding to make this organization grow.

So that’s kind of where I’m at.

KELLY: What is your ultimate vision for UIP? I mean, where do you see it going? Like some organizations are all about…like disease-related ones, a lot of times they’ll say a cure or cures, education or awareness or whatever. Some are like, where they have such a specific mission that if, once they get there, it’s done.

DIESA: Yeah.

KELLY: There’s no more of their organization or whatever. So what ultimately…what do you envision? Does UIP live past your retirement? Or…?

DIESA: Yeah, right. That’s definitely what I hope. I hope this can go on indefinitely as like a legacy. And, I mean, yes, like awareness, bringing awareness to the general public about the importance of equality, gender equality and women’s rights…that’s like a small step, but I like more proactive programs that are actually influencing the demographic that I’m trying to empower.

I think when you empower and you provide services, unique services, for girls that have such limited resources or opportunities or are so easily overlooked, then I feel like you’re touching lives that people forgot about or that, you know, it just would never have happened. And I guess from an organizational perspective, now that I’m here in San Diego, I think we can really grow this so that we can start having a full-time staff and then grow from there.

But then once we have our G.R.A.C.E. graduating classes locally, then they all of a sudden become part of the UIP network. And then they continue to help out with future G.R.A.C.E. programs so that they’re always connected. So to keep them actively involved. And then as funding allows, once these girls go through the G.R.A.C.E. program, then they can come on board as interns, and we can give them experiences working for a non-profit. And you know, give them other opportunities to travel with UIP to other countries and help facilitate G.R.A.C.E. programs to other communities.

And then, ideally, open other branches in other countries, and then those G.R.A.C.E. girls are the ones that sustain it. You know, it doesn’t cost much to do that. You open a P.O. box for a mailing address, and then every month you send them funding to do a small project in their community. And they have us as a reference and a resource to help them, and then it just expands from there.

But it always comes down to funding. It’s not that hard to get volunteers to commit for a week or a few months to help with a campaign or something, but it’s harder to get bigger sponsorships or on-going grants, things like that that are really going to sustain an organization.

KELLY: Right.

DIESA: But…yeah. But I feel like we’re at the cusp of getting to that next level.

KELLY: Yeah, yeah.

So would you say funding is the biggest challenge for you?

DIESA: Yeah. For sure, for sure. ‘Cause also just like a lot of grants that I’ve tried to apply for or read about and wanted to apply for, they always have all these clauses like, “Give us a list of your current donors.” I’m like, “Oh, like my mom? They like give us $10 a month. Is that what you want?”

Or you already have to have an operating budget of over $250,000 a year. Well, okay, how am I supposed to get that if you’re not going to give me any money? So I always feel like I’m stuck between not qualifying for the grant because I don’t have enough funders….I mean it just doesn’t make sense. I’m asking for money.

So, yeah, funding is tough.

KELLY: Knowing what you know now, would you still decide to start your own non-profit?

DIESA: Absolutely. (laughs) There’s no turning back.

KELLY: (also laughing) Well, that’s not the question.

DIESA: I know.

No, absolutely. ‘Cause I think when you create something yourself, it’s very personal. So then you put in your own talent and your own creativity, your own ideas. It’s like this, this template for you to express yourself to serve the greater good. So it becomes very personal so then it’s just so much fun, and it’s so rewarding to do it. Versus you’re on somebody else’s agenda.

KELLY: Right. Okay.

What advice would you give someone considering starting their own non-profit?

DIESA: Um. My only “disclosure” would be that, it costs money to start a non-profit. I think, out of my own pocket, I spent three or four thousand dollars in the very beginning, just with like paperwork and legal fees and…

KELLY: Getting your 501(c)(3)…

DIESA: Getting my 501(c)(3). And this is for something that I’m not making money off of. But you’re doing it because it’s your passion, and it’s that social responsibility that you decide to make part of your life. So if you’re dedicated, and that’s what you want to do, then go for it.

So tap into your professional network of who can help in that process, but I think if you want to make it successful it has to be a priority in your life.

KELLY: Yeah.

DIESA: And I think it’s good that it’s not free to start it ‘cause then it weeds out anyone who’s not serious about it. But I think the rewards are measureless.

Definitely.

Just go for it.

If you enjoyed this post, check out Part I and Part II about the various programs UIP delivers all over the world.  

Follow UIP on Facebook and Twitter.  Or make a donation through their website.  UIP is currently raising money to build a basketball court in Uganda in partnership with Gulu GO! and to deliver a G.R.A.C.E program in Trinidad this summer.