33: Leaving corporate to lead a non-profit (Hispanic Heritage Month)

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I speak with Charlotte Castillo, managing director of Poderistas, a non-profit founded by Latinas that focuses on building a digital community to inspire civic engagement among Latinas.

In this episode of Career Switch Podcast, Charlotte tells us how she first got involved with Poderistas as a volunteer and how she used her marketing and brand strategy expertise to help launch the organization in 2020. She shares the initial hesitation she had about leaving behind her corporate career when she was offered the opportunity to run Poderistas, how she worked through her doubts, and how she’s adjusting to her new non-profit world.

Episode Highlights:

• Volunteering after getting laid off
• Volunteering while working full-time 
• When a career opportunity doesn’t fit your plan
• Working through your doubts about switching to non-profit
• Achieving work-life balance
• Adjusting to the non-profit world
• Switching from corporate to non-profit work, such as fundraising and grant writing
• How to use your marketing skills in non-profit
• Asking for help with new job duties
• How to deal with impostor syndrome

Learn more and get involved with Poderistas at:

Website: https://poderistas.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/poderistas

Twitter: https://twitter.com/poderistas

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@poderistas

Facebook: www.facebook.com/poderistas

YouTube: www.youtube.com/poderistas

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/poderistas

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Transcript

Lixandra: Hi, everyone. I'm Lixandra Urresta, and this is Career Switch Podcast. This show is here to encourage you to take action with whatever career change you're considering or working on. Maybe you're trying to switch industries or professions or break out on your own and start a business. In some episodes, I talk to people who've made their own career switch, whether by choice or circumstance. They share the good, the bad, and the truth about their journey, including what worked for them and what didn't. In other episodes, I speak with experts who offer their best career advice on challenges that can come up during the process of making a career change. After all, it takes guts to switch things up, and it's not easy. However, it is possible. 

So, I hope you hear something in this episode, an idea, a suggestion, a piece of advice that'll spur you into action with your own career switch, whether it's taking that first bold step or trying something new. Welcome. I'm glad you're here. 

Welcome to the last episode of Season 2. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I speak with Charlotte Castillo, Managing Director of Poderistas, a nonprofit started by Latinas that focuses on building a digital community that encourages civic engagement among Latinas. In this episode, Charlotte tells us how she first got involved with Poderistas as a volunteer and how she used her marketing and brand strategy expertise to help launch the organization in time for the presidential election in 2020. She shares the initial hesitation she had about leaving behind her corporate career when she was offered the opportunity to run the nonprofit, how she worked through her doubts, and how she's adjusting to her new world. 

Today, Charlotte leads all day-to-day operations, including brand management, strategy, planning, fundraising, and partnership development for Poderistas. Hi, Charlotte. Thanks for joining us today. Let's dive in. What were you doing before your career switch from corporate to nonprofit?

Charlotte: So before my career switch, I was working at Viacom Inc. So I was there for 14, almost 15 years. So a long career in media and entertainment. I'm one of these people that stays in a company for a long time before Viacom. I'd been at Latina Magazine for about eight years.

Lixandra: What did you do at Latina Magazine and then Viacom?

Charlotte: So at Latina, I was a marketing director. So I did everything from, you know, the B2B, uh, working with our potential advertisers, current advertisers, developing integrated marketing platforms, doing all the trade campaigns. And then the B2C, working on any consumer-facing initiatives, events, and sponsorships. Where I moved from Latina to Viacom, I went into the channel's ancillary business and their consumer products business. So I was doing brand management and marketing for their consumer products group within the preschool portfolio. So I worked with Dora, The Explorer, and Diego. and other kind of preschool brands and did marketing, but marketing for the products. So it was very, you know, different in a way from what I was doing at Latina, but connected.

Lixandra: So after 14 years at Viacom, what led up to your career switch?

Charlotte: I was at a point where I was kind of looking around and thinking, you know, I think I need to try something new and, and kind of test again, whether the skills I have, I can kind of do this somewhere else. Right. You know, you get settled in somewhere and you think that I can only do it here. No, I wanted to try and do it at another big entertainment company or something, maybe one of the streamers. So that was fall of 19, uh, February of 2020, I was laid off. And frankly, it was welcome. You know, I was okay. It was a little shocking. Again, you've been somewhere for about 14 years. And when it happens, even though you may want it, you may want to change. It's almost like, wait, what does that mean for me? I was like, okay. what do I want to do with my time now? And I felt like, you know what? I need a break. I'm going to take a break. And I had a severance package, so I was lucky and privileged enough to be able to say, I'm going to take a break. I'm going to take photography classes. I'm going to travel. I'm going to do yoga. Two weeks after my last day at Viacom, the pandemic, right? Like, everything shut down. I remember, it was the end of February, and literally two weeks later, I remember that Sunday, we were like, we're not sending our son to school. And the next day, Schools were closed and never opened again. And that really changed everything. It was kind of like, well, what do I do now? All these plans that I wanted to do kind of went by the wayside. So it was an interesting time. So what happened next? You know, fast forward, you know, a few months, I got a call from a former employer who's become a friend and a mentor. and asked me to volunteer with a new organization that she was helping launch along with nine other Latinas. The idea of wanting to harness Latina power to get us in our community, be more civically engaged. And at the time, definitely, you know, we were leading up to the presidential election to get more Latinas to vote, to be engaged and to vote and to maximize and leverage the power of their voice and their vote.

Lixandra: So what did you say to volunteering?

Charlotte: I thought, well, I have time. Thankfully, because of my severance, I have money. So sure. It's a nonprofit. I've never really thought about going into nonprofit world, but it kind of connected my interests. You know, I, like I said, I had a history working at Latina Magazine and helped kind of build that brand. And I love working with the Latino community. You know, I love media and entertainment, so this was a nonprofit, but the plan was to use content. to work with the community. So it kind of bridged my interest and I thought, sure, why not? I'll do some volunteering. And that was August of 2020 of 2020.

Lixandra: So how did your volunteer experience go? What did you like about it?

Charlotte: I got the call early August and they were like, we want to launch at the end of the month. But I enjoyed being able to apply my skills more kind of directly. you know, my other job, it was more brand strategy. So I was pulling together plans, putting together a strategy, building some marketing kind of campaigns and initiatives, but definitely handing it off to the world, really, because I had a global role. So like all the different markets here do this. Here's what we recommend. So I was removed from kind of the execution of the actual plans. I actually realized I like both. I like to build the strategy, but I like to be a little bit more connected to the execution. And Puerto Rico has allowed me to do that. I really love working again with the Latino community and working specifically for Latinas, and it really harkened back to my time at Latina. It feels like Latina with an additional mission, and being a nonprofit obviously is different, but it still felt like when we were launching, when we were just building it, it had that energy, which I really love. And I really like building brands. At the end of the day, I like the idea of building brands like I had done for Latina, I like thinking about, so how do we continue to build this brand? How do we create additional kind of extension? How do they connect? And sometimes you start something, and you go down a path, and you're like, oh, that doesn't really fit. And the audience tells you, that doesn't really fit. And I'm enjoying that connection and gratification that the audience gives us because it's real time, right? And yeah, I love that combining what I did at Latina, what I did at Viacom, kind of combining it all. Plus working with these amazing women, you know, like it just all was like a lovely mix, you know?

Lixandra: Okay. So Poderistas launched in September, 2020, and you volunteered from that August through December. What happened next for you?

Charlotte: They were like, you know, you've done such great work. Thank you. We'd love for you to step up and, you know, take a leadership role. We know it'll be interim, right? Cause they, you know, I was very upfront about the fact that I was looking at the time for another role. So I took on this kind of interim CEO at the time. We didn't know what to call it. They called it that, you know, it was just an interim head of kind of role.

Lixandra: What did you think of their offer? Did you have any hesitations?

Charlotte: At first I thought, okay, I'll do this until it was always like, until I find the real job, because being at a nonprofit, leading a nonprofit really wasn't part of my plan. I was an SVP at my former role, and I thought, oh, I'll go somewhere, be an SVP, take a lateral move, and continue. And maybe, I always thought years ago when you put little plans on a piece of paper and kind of hide it away, it's like, oh, I want to be CMO somewhere, CMO in a media company. That's what I thought. So Poderiza didn't fit that. It didn't fit my plan. And I think that's what it is. It didn't fit the plan. I'm a planner by nature, so I was like, wait a minute. Something doesn't fit the plan. What do I do? You start like, what is that, you know, in cartoons when the little, the steam comes out and the, you know, it's like, ah, what do I do? Malfunction, malfunction.

Lixandra: Did anything else make you think twice?

Charlotte: Frankly, also salary. I mean, you know, the salary was very different. I mean, I worked at Viacom, a global company, thousands and thousands of employees, and I'm working, you know, for a nonprofit now. So I was like, whoa, that's a big difference. But despite that difference, I still was like, wait a minute, can I do this? Right? Like, can I do this job? I'm not sure. I've never run a nonprofit. Am I really qualified? I wasn't sure I had the right skillset to take on the job.

Lixandra: So how did you work it out in your head and accept the position? Did you ask anyone for advice about taking the job?

Charlotte: I have a really strong circle of friends that I turn to and They're like my sisters. So I talked to a few of them and, you know, kind of talked it out and said, Hey, here's how I'm feeling. I'm like torn. I'm not sure. What do you think? And no, it helped to talk through it with people and ask you and push you and know your triggers. But then there was that moment last September. My husband was ill, very ill. And it was that moment when I was like, how can I do this? I can't do this. Like I can't go and jump into a corporate role. given what's happening in my personal life. Plus, I'm really enjoying what I'm doing here. And I feel like I have more work to do here. There's still more to build here. Yes, it's way less money than you used to make. Yes, it's not some fancy title, whatever. You're not traveling. You don't have all these perks. But you're enjoying it. You're enjoying the work. You're doing good work. You're working with incredible people. You're learning and growing every day. And you have a great work-life balance. That, to me, was like, it Like, well, what am I, what more do I want? This is magic right now. It's magic and kind of making that transition and stating it and actually telling the founders, Hey, by the way, I made a decision. I'm here. I want to build this with you. And everybody was like, wonderful. We've been waiting for you to say that. Thank you. Yay. It was important for me to make it official in my mind and also to them so that it felt like I had a stake, you know, like it wasn't like I always had one foot out the door.

Lixandra: So it's been two years since you started volunteering for Poderistas and you're now the managing director. How are you doing today?

Charlotte: You know, it's going well. I mean, you know, it's different, definitely different. Like I said, still learning every day, but I feel more confident in the work that I'm doing and in the, more on the nonprofit-y stuff, like the fundraising and the grant writing. Like I'm feeling more confident in the conversations with foundations, just, you know, a little bit more confident about that. Whereas before I was a little like, this is not my thing. You know, there are days that I'm like, Oh, I don't know how to do this or, Oh, this is not my expertise, but I am very transparent. And I, I know what I know and I know what I don't know. And I usually know people who do know what I don't know. So I just reach out and ask, Hey, we're trying to do this. I don't know how to do this. I'm not quite sure how to go about it. I think this way, what do you think? What do you recommend? And that's, what's wonderful about having, you know, these amazing founders because they all have. You know, these different backgrounds and in particular, you know, we have a board and we have women. These Latinas that have run organizations that have started and launched organizations that are now super successful, that have the experience in the fundraising. So when I have a question, I get stuck, I go to them and I ask, and they are gracious and wonderful and always willing to help and answer questions. And even when they don't know, they're like, oh, but I have a friend who does. So I think, you know, I, for me, it's been an exercise in humility and being okay with not knowing everything, you know, because, you know, sometimes we feel like you're the boss, you have to know the answers, but nobody does really. And you just have to be comfortable with not knowing all the answers, but knowing enough to ask the right question and knowing enough to reach out and be okay with reaching out. Because by the way, there are other things that I know, and they don't know. There are things that are my expertise that aren't necessarily their expertise. And that's why it's a good balance.

Lixandra: What else are you doing to adjust to this new world for you?

Charlotte: I just signed up for some kind of bootcamp thing that's around nonprofit leadership. I'm like, Oh, I can pick up some, some tips. Why not? And it's a community that you can ask questions that other nonprofit leaders. So I'm, I'm doing more of that. I'm just trying to kind of immerse myself in the world again, not Whereas before it was just kind of like, well, I'm just doing this. I'm not a nonprofit person. Now I'm like, no, no, this is my world now, right? This is my world. Let me embrace it. Let me understand it more. Let me kind of get under it. That's how I am. I like to kind of get under it, understand it. Let me build my network and hear from other women and other people who are running organizations. And I'm sure they have some wisdom to impart, and maybe we can share resources, time, energy, advice, input, et cetera. So I'm trying to do that, working on that.

Lixandra: And looking back, what would you tell yourself about those doubts you had about taking a leadership role for a nonprofit?

Charlotte: I would tell myself, remind myself to keep looking back, right? Because I've had certain situations in my career where I have taken a leap, where I've been offered opportunities that don't necessarily fit the path that I thought I was on. And I have taken the leap. And usually that leap has led to really good things. So it's just a reminder, like, hey, always take the leap, because the leap, even though there's fear in the leap, you learn and you grow. And sure, sometimes you stumble, but you'll be fine. Like, you know, have the confidence in yourself that others have in you for offering you the leap, right? Because that's the thing. Sometimes you're like, why are they offering me? I don't know how to do this. I'm like, clearly somebody's seen things in you that they think you can do it. And sometimes you have to convince yourself that you can do it. It goes back to that whole imposter syndrome, right? It's true. It's the reality. It's like you're always doubting, or I should speak for myself, doubting and questioning, can I do this? Am I the right person? Should it really be me? And it's like, well, they're not lying. People are asking you and saying that you're doing a good job. Something must be going well. So I think it's just about believing in yourself, believing in what people are telling you and the feedback that you're getting, and also remembering. That's what I would tell myself. Remember to go back. Look back at the leaps you've already taken and how you've come out of them and have grown and have taken you to places that you didn't think. Approach this leap in the same way.

Lixandra: Okay, great. So tell us about Poderistas, which encourages Latinas to vote and to take action.

Charlotte: So Poderistas, like I said, is a nonprofit founded by 10 amazing Latinas from the worlds of like entertainment, media, advocacy, politics, Two of our founders are America Ferrer and Eva Longoria. So we're building, you know, this platform, building this community of Latinas. You know, we're highlighting their work. We're highlighting all the amazing things that they're doing around the country. We're informing them of different things, whether it's issues, whether it's how to take care of themselves and mental health, because we believe that to be powerful, you kind of have to have it all, right? Like, it's not just about go vote. It's about, well, if you don't feel good about yourself, if your mental health isn't in order, If you're struggling with how to pay a bill, you're struggling how to get a new job, the last thing you're thinking about really is voting, right? You need to focus on your life. You need to make sure your life is secure. And then you can think of kind of like the greater, the greater community and the greater good. So that's why, you know, our platform is what it is. It's lifestyle plus civic engagement, which we believe we need to really focus on the entire kind of holistic life of Latinas. for us to feel powerful and motivated and inspired to take action.

Lixandra: And how can listeners get involved?

Charlotte: We just launched a civic engagement campaign, Voice plus Action equals Poder. We have a lot of activities going on, but really important, people could check out our website, Poderistas.com, and get all the voting information they need, including a heat map of the United States, where you click on your state And it tells you exactly on your dates, what you need from voter ID perspective, what's on the ballot. Plus we have some fun initiatives, including a voting kit that we're promoting.

Lixandra: Okay, Charlotte, as we wrap up, what advice do you have for a career switch from corporate to nonprofit?

Charlotte: I think definitely meeting other nonprofit leaders and joining, you know, there's organizations. I belong to a professional women's network, so now I've been Looking in the membership database for women who lead organizations, because again, I'm like, yeah, there's lots of corporate women in this group, but I'm looking specifically to connect with other women who are doing similar work. Similar to media or whatever, nonprofit, there are certain things that we all have to do. Grant writing, fundraising, volunteering, all that stuff. So I think you have to do that outreach and kind of surround yourself with other people doing that kind of work because you can bounce ideas off each other. And it's helpful. It's helpful to have people to talk to.

Lixandra: And what overall advice do you have for making a career switch?

Charlotte: Be okay with not knowing all of it, right? Like you're not going to be the perfect person for any job. There's always a gap. I believe there's always something that you probably don't do as well. I think the magic is finding the job or the career that the things that you do well are the things that they need the most. And then sometimes the other lower kind of skills or things that are just like ancillary. You learn and you'll kind of apply and you reach out to mentors, you reach out to your network, you lean in, you reach out to your team.

Lixandra: Do you recommend volunteering like you did?

Charlotte: I was lucky that I was able to do it because of my circumstances with the pandemic and because of my severance, frankly, that I was able to volunteer. I was able to try working on this opportunity, you know, with Poderistas. I was able to give my, you know, give my time, frankly, because I I didn't have to worry. You still can do it. It depends on what type of work you're doing. You can work your full-time job and then do some volunteering on the side for a particular industry or a particular organization that you're interested in, because it's a good way to learn. But I understand that not everybody has that ability to do that, but it's definitely something you should consider if you can. It definitely offers kind of a window in to that new role or career.

Lixandra: Thanks to Charlotte Castillo for being our guest today. Check out the show notes to learn more and to get involved with Poderistas. This is the last episode of season two, so thank you for listening and for your support. Stay tuned for season three. 

You can find links to the resources mentioned in this episode and more helpful information in the show notes and on our website, careerswitchpod.com. So what's your career switch? Are you motivated to take action after listening to this episode? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. We'd love to know, along with any feedback you have about the show. Let us know too, if you'd like to be a guest. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn at careerswitchpod. And please rate, review, and share with your friends and colleagues. It'll help get the show out there. Thanks for listening today. Till next time.