MNSights - Spring 2012 - (Page 7)

WHO INSPIRES US: Minnesota Philanthropy Partners President and CEO Carleen Rhodes talks to two shining stars in the Twin Cities philanthropic community about how their shared passion for giving has enhanced their lives—and their marriage. Edited by Heidi Pearson John & Nancy Lindahl we could inspire others by giving publicly and saying, “Yes, we stand behind this.” CR: How are you passing your passion for philanthropy on to your children? Carleen Rhodes: The two of you have been married 44 years, and you’ve been so active in the community all those years. Do the two of you think about philanthropy differently? John Lindahl: Nancy thought about it initially—I did not. I spent a tremendous amount of time traveling for work, and I think that precluded me from being active in the community and philanthropy. Nancy took that as an opportunity to become involved in a plethora of organizations, and she drew me into many of them. Nancy Lindahl: It’s really been the fabric of our lives for the last 20 years. And John’s being modest: He’s really taken this and is running with it, too. CR: The University of Minnesota has beneﬁted a lot from your philanthropy—you were co-chairs of the TCF Bank Stadium campaign, and you’ve endowed professorships. Why is the university so important to you? NL: I believe you lead by example. I’ve sat on 26 boards, so through the years our daughter, Megan, and son, Peter, have been touched by the mission and outreach of the organizations we’ve been involved with. But more than anything, we believe in passing on our good fortune. We’ve decided to start two donor advised funds through Minnesota Community Foundation for our children to start doing their own philanthropy. CR: One of your ﬁrst experiences co-chairing a philanthropic campaign together was the United Way Tocqueville Society in 2005. What was that like? THERE’S MORE! To watch more of the Lindahls’ interview, go to get.neoreader. com on your smartphone to download the free app, then snap this tag. Or visit youtube.com/ mnpartnersvideo. NL: We were at the university in the ’60s. Three of our four parents were employed by the university. We’ve always been involved with Gopher athletics, but it was a great awakening about 20 years ago to realize the university is the catalyst for so many things in the Upper Midwest. We really fell in love with it again. We were giving privately, and a great Twin Cities philanthropist told us, “Get your name out there. Say you’re going to do something and achieve what you say you’re going to do.” We walked away from the meeting quite stunned but realizing that perhaps JL: Outstanding. We complement each other really well. To be able to work with your spouse is a special experience. NL: What was the best for me was to watch John bring his business expertise to the table, since I see things from the notfor-proﬁt side. I would absolutely recommend it, but I think couples need to ﬁnd out what their shared passion is. John and I talk strategy. We talk fundraising over dinner. It’s become part of who we are. CR: Nancy, you’re co-owner of Creative Strategies Plus, which helps nonproﬁts with strategic planning. What are some of the key issues facing Twin Cities nonproﬁts today? M N SIGHTS S PRIN G I 2 012 7 http://get.neoreader.com http://get.neoreader.com http://www.youtube.com/mnpartnersvideo http://www.youtube.com/mnpartnersvideo

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MNSights - Spring 2012

MNSights - Spring 2012
Contents
Helping Local Veterans
Who Inspires Us: John and Nancy Lindahl
How to Boost Minnesota’s Workforce
Fun Ways for Kids to Give

MNSights - Spring 2012