080: How Rotary Makes The World Go Round

by | Sep 29, 2019 | Podcast | 0 comments

Change It Up Radio - Episode 080: How Rotary Makes The World Go Round with guests Laura MacKinnon and Luis Carranza

 

Today we’re talking about rotary and how its members solve community problems and make the world a better place.

 

“Rotary is a family that covers all the world, and it’s an opportunity for people within the communities where the clubs are located to make a difference, come together, build leadership, and help their community.” – Luis Carranza

 

“Rotary can be summed up in one quick phrase… “Service above self.” That really encompasses what the mission of the foundation is.” – Laura MacKinnon

Luis Carranza, past President of the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club, and Laura MacKinnon, President of the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Foundation Board, join me today to discuss what Rotary is, what kinds of things Rotarians do for their communities, and what can be expected at the upcoming 7th annual Taste of Rancho Santa Fe event.

 

We Discuss:

  • What can help us cope when working through loss, pain, and upheaval in our lives
  • What Rotary is and how Rotarians come together, build leadership, and help the community
  • What makes the annual Taste of Rancho Santa Fe such a special fundraising event

 

“It is a full-time job running this event, but when you see the difference that it makes in people’s lives and the family that you have behind you as Rotarians, it’s worth it. It’s absolutely worth it.”  –  Luis Carranza

 

About Luis:
Image of Luis Carranza

Luis Carranza, an expert Mortgage Advisor with twenty-two years of experience with PrimeLending in San Diego, has built his career on three simple principals. Constant honesty, endless support, and open communication.

Luis is a lifelong music lover, former 1st violinist of the San Diego Youth Symphony, Past President of the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club, and current Chairman of the 2019 Taste of Rancho Santa Fe fundraising event.

Known for his persistence and ability to think outside the box, Luis attributes much of his success to product knowledge.

Having worked at both large banking institutions and boutique brokerages, he has a talent for assembling creative financing solutions and connections to dozens of private investors. Reviews from numerous Real Estate Agents reiterate Luis’ gift for finding niche programs and qualifying buyers with unique needs.

Additionally, Luis has been a volunteer in different charitable causes with the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club for 15 years and is currently Assistant District Governor for Rotary International District 5340.

 

About Laura:
Image of Laura MacKinnon

Laura MacKinnon expressed a passion to make a difference in people’s lives at an early age. At just fourteen years of age, she volunteered at the Special Olympics and played piano concerts at the CECUT- Centro Cultural de Tijuana to help raise funds for children and under-served families.

Laura received an education through an academic and athletic scholarship for soccer at Notre Dame de Namur University and pursued a double major in Political Science and History.

In 2006, she co-founded and became the Chief Financial Officer for a small wealth management firm focused in the San Francisco Bay area. In 2010, Laura returned to her roots and for the past six years has dedicated her career to helping non-profits in the San Diego area. Specifically focusing on children and military families.

She formerly served as the Chief Development Officer for SYEVF, an educational nonprofit, where she assisted Retired Admiral William Rodriguez in building a foundation. Her responsibilities included developing and implementing financial strategies to build sustainable primary and ancillary revenue streams to support growth and innovation.

Laura was responsible for the relationship management of grants and donations and created transparent annual budgets with yearend reports so donors, board members, and managing partners were aware of the progress and program implementation.

She assisted the grassroots nonprofit in more than doubling their budget attaining both government, local, and statewide grants from community partners such as SDG&E, WalMart State Giving, Esperanza, Wells Fargo, San Diego Foundation, etc., and creating effective programs to assist both the youth and the San Ysidro School District.

Similarly, Laura served as Director of Development for Support The Enlisted Project. She oversaw the organization’s development for grant writing, communication, and marketing strategy. Her duties also included organizing fundraising events, including but not limited to golf tournaments, gala events, and friend-raisers, which build awareness and strengthened the foundation’s brand.

Laura oversaw and requested millions of dollars’ worth of grants, assisted the foundation in attaining grants such as Neighborhood Builders grant by Bank of America (invitation only), Patriots Connection (invitation only), and hundreds of others.

She lead the assimilation of communication and fundraising content and used marketing avenues such as Social Media, content marketing, and other strategies to broadcast the message.

In addition to Laura’s dedication to nonprofit organizations, she is also involved in community organizations throughout San Diego County and currently is a member of the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club, in which she serves as the President of the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Foundation Board.

Previously, Laura served as Vice President of the RSF Rotary Board and Chair for the Grant Committee for the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club. She also serves on the board of Coma Survivors Foundation and is a member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

It is Laura’s passion as a single mother to see families and youth reach financial independence and it is her goal that by building strong relationships with community partners, it will empower those to give back and make a positive social impact.

 

“We work hand in hand, where it’s like Rotary is one body, one arm is our foundation, and the other arm is our club. All of our members are really parts and members of both.”  –  Laura MacKinnon

 

Resources Mentioned:

 

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