If you think you’ve done enough research on your organization’s name, you haven’t. Keep digging. Ask others to dig too! If you’re not going to hire a lawyer to vet the entire globe for you, be diligent to do what you can to protect yourself. In hindsight, while I love our Bad Bettie brand, Denver Sad Girls Club garnered more attention and loyalty. But I wasn’t about to compete with another non-profit, Sad Girls Club, when they had massive success in NY. I had to bite the bullet and change our name, resulting in us sitting on a lot of old name merch.
As part of my series about young people who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lauren Carter.
Lauren Carter has been dedicated to change since elementary school, founding her first organization — The Trash Club — amongst her peers with one goal: clean up recess. Since then, she’s participated in and led other non-profits eventually leading to the founding of her own — Bad Bettie Project. Bad Bettie Project was started in 2016 and Carter serves as Executive Director, ensuring food and warmth are on the table for everyone.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I was born and raised in Texas in a loving family. My parents provided me and my siblings with anything we’d ever need, a major disconnect from the rest of the world around me. I noticed at a young age that my privilege was nearly limitless and honestly, it gave me a lot of guilt. Why didn’t my friends have the same benefits? What could I possibly do? This manifested itself into a dance-mom like support towards my friends, forcing them to take their SAT’s and “build towards a better future,” but I was so naïve. Now, I understand poverty isn’t solved with a degree.
Is there a particular book or organization that made a significant impact on you growing up? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
There really was no book or one particular organization that impacted me more heavily than my college professor, Mindia Whittier, and my post-college mentor, Krista Nightengale. These two women showed how powerful the right words in the right presentation can be. Activists and philanthropists themselves, I grew into my own service-based heart watching them work.
How do you define “Making A Difference”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Making a difference isn’t about how much money you donate or how much time you devote volunteering (though those things certainly help, that’s what they are — help) — it’s about the impact you have on others to make change, too. While helping is great, changing other’s perspective on life and caring for others through an empathetic approach is what creates a legacy of change and ultimately, actually makes a difference in the world.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. You are currently leading an organization that aims to make a social impact. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
My organization, Bad Bettie Project, was born out of a need for community in a city that really didn’t have much. What started as an online community turned into a non-profit that has served dozens and dozens of people in a financial capacity and thousands in a resource capacity over the years. We started our mutual aid fund in 2017 after many of the members of our community spoke up about wanting to assist other members with things like food, medicine and shelter — homelessness and functional poverty are huge issues in Denver. For me, the fund was created to offset financial despair. That could crop up in a number of ways, maybe you lost your job and can pay your bills but it doesn’t leave you with enough for groceries — we pay up. Or maybe your pet unexpectedly passed away and you can’t afford the cremation, we step up. It’s never been black and white for us, cause financial despair isn’t black and white, it’s all grey. We aim to be a relief in those times of despair by stepping in to keep the lights on, food on the table and a roof over their head.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
Honestly, I grew up never having to worry about money. I had supportive, well-off parents and I got my first job at 15 so my needs were met and my wants were always within reach. It wasn’t until I became heavily involved in our community, reading story after story of women in Denver having to choose between food or electricity that I was able to really understand this isn’t a single person issue, this is a societal issue. Jane didn’t get in this position because she made poor financial choices, Jane got sick and missed a week of work where she gets no paid leave and now is short $600. But that means heat OR food? I couldn’t make it make sense and I knew I couldn’t keep Venmo’ing women every extra dollar I had, so we looked for a better way and found it via the Emergency Bettie Fund.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. We don’t always get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
Up until mid 2017, we were primarily functioning as a support group with in-person events to encourage friendship and bonding. During that year, one of our members went through an incredibly traumatic experience and someone suggested we pool funds to help her out. We’d already been in the process of becoming a non-profit as a support group, but seeing how quickly our members stepped up to help someone in need in a big way made a light bulb go off in my head. If they are willing to help a total stranger during a crisis, why not foster that? The Emergency Bettie Fund was born. We could step up to help people during moments of financial despair while also incentivizing others to do good by giving back, knowing their funds are being put to great use.
Many young people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
I think a lot of people are terrified of the non-profit process and automatically assume they have to hire a lawyer or consultant to get through it. If you can afford to do that, definitely do it. I could not afford to hire anyone on my 40k a year salary, so I did a lot of research and discovered that if your non-profit isn’t going to bring in a certain volume of income per year in your first three years (as well as a few other parameters) you can do an EZ style form that, while still lengthy, is not too hard to do on your own. So I did it, paid the $300~ in fees to register, and about 6 months later we got our approval letter from the IRS. Bad Bettie Project was official!
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
The most interesting thing I’ve had happen to me was being selected to attend Facebook’s 2019 Community Summit. This experience was like no other. Myself and our marketing director were flown out and put up by Facebook for a weekend as insiders. We not only got to connect with a hundred other Facebook communities making a difference in the world, we also got to sit in on wildly informative sessions with social media leaders, Facebook staff and more. During this time, our community was named a Women’s Org to Watch by Facebook. Since then, we’ve had a special relationship with Facebook that gives our org first-access to new tools and capabilities.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or take away you learned from that?
The funniest thing to happen when we first started may actually go as far back as when we had our original name, Denver Sad Girls Club. As I mentioned earlier, the majority of our community really resonated with “sad girl culture” and that alternative vibe. I recall when I took over leadership, I was trying to set up a group event for us at a Rockies baseball game. I went to the box office to pick up our tickets and the woman behind the counter wouldn’t hand me the envelope until I empathically assured her we aren’t actually sad. At the time I thought it was kind of funny (I think it’s hilarious now) but it was ultimately the final straw for me to change our name away from the “sad girl” vibe. I didn’t really realize the mistake I was making at the time by keeping our old name, but her comments opened my eyes– not everyone gets we’re being ironic!
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
Bad Bettie Project has so so so many long-term supporters, but one that stands out is Cara Costik. She was one of our first members in DSGC, came to every event, was wildly supportive of anything I needed help with and despite living hundreds of miles away from us now — she still supports us! I honestly think I would’ve given up somewhere along the way if it had not been for her bright, motivating energy.
Without saying specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
Our organization primarily helps people on an individual basis, having helped dozens of people over the years with their financial needs. I already touched on our member who was in crisis that really motivated us to get the non-profit ball rolling, but I think one of the more incredible impacts we’ve had on the community is happening rght now. We’re still dealing with the aftermath of the super destructive Marshall Wildfire that started on 12/31/21. As families were getting ready to celebrate the New Year, tens of thousands of people in Colorado were literally fleeing for their lives as the wildfire consumed more than 700 homes and 200 businesses in just a matter of hours. I was actually getting on a flight back to Denver when this started, as I flew in I could see the glow from the fires. When I landed, we went into immediate action trying to help whoever we could find lodging, food and supplies. The devastation after the fire was brought down is insane. More than 1000 homes burnt to the foundation overnight. Many orgs quickly went into action to help, but the beauty of ours is the immediate assistance we’re able to provide. While families began the application processes for larger assistance, we could get them squared away in a hotel room with food and any medicine they might need so that they were safe. We’re still helping families get what they need, people didn’t just lose their homes — their cars were destroyed, all their belongings, for some — their careers. We raised about $8,000 in a week for families affected by the fires and plan to keep raising funds and distributing them through March.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Abso-freakin-lutely. There’s so many things that leaders could be doing, but I won’t pretend to have the answers. Our state desperately needs to be focusing on sustainable housing solutions for low-income and homeless residents as well as our environment. However, I will selfishly focus on one thing our organization is trying to lobby for in 2022. One issue we’ve come across in our years of aiding others is medicine issues. Whether it’s because the individual cannot afford their medication or they have (typically expensive) medication they’d like to donate to others. It’s currently illegal in Colorado to distribute previously prescribed medication, but it’s not illegal everywhere. We want to work with our local representatives to put forth legislation that would allow for participating pharmacies/doctors to accept previously prescribed medications and essentially re-prescribe them out to low-income individuals for free. We know that this isn’t a solution to poverty or hunger, but it is a solution for keeping people healthy at their baseline.
Fantastic. Here is the main question of the interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each).
Here are the 5 things I wish someone would have told me when I first started:
- If you think you’ve done enough research on your organization’s name, you haven’t. Keep digging. Ask others to dig too! If you’re not going to hire a lawyer to vet the entire globe for you, be diligent to do what you can to protect yourself. In hindsight, while I love our Bad Bettie brand, Denver Sad Girls Club garnered more attention and loyalty. But I wasn’t about to compete with another non-profit, Sad Girls Club, when they had massive success in NY. I had to bite the bullet and change our name, resulting in us sitting on a lot of old name merch.
- Money matters — and by that I mean, if you don’t hire a bookkeeper/accountant right away to keep your situation sorted, you should at least have a treasurer to help. Since I was bootstrapping a lot of this in the beginning, I heavily relied on PayPal and our bank to deliver me reports and that’s really just not the best method. I would’ve saved a lot of time and headaches if I’d gotten a finance person involved sooner!
- Choosing your team wisely is also super important. In the beginning, it was really hard to find a group of people that were not only on fire to build community but also had a truly altruistic, empathetic heart. We have had plenty of people want to join our staff for clout or a sense of purpose, I don’t judge those things — but it’s resulted in them being burnt out or not fully plugged in in the first place. I know now to pick the right people based on their skills, not whoever is willing to volunteer at the time.
- It’s your organization — you are in control. I still struggle with this one, because I always want to put the members first. But reality is, sometimes the masses don’t know what’s best because they don’t have the same birds-eye view you do. In the past, I was incredibly forgiving and gave everyone the benefit of the doubt that maybe they were just having a “bad day” but now I don’t mess around. It’s easy to see who is going to try to stir up problems in our community group or try to take advantage of our Emergency Bettie Fund, so I nip that in the bud immediately. No questions answered.
- The last thing I really wish someone had told me in the beginning was to bake in self-care. In the first few years of running the organization, I was so exhausted and depressed. There were not only several times I felt like ending the org, but ending it all to be honest. I did nothing to separate myself from the org, so I was feeling it all the time. I’ve since put in place a much more well-rounded support system and boundaries between me and the community so that my energy can be useful.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Listen, if you’re anything like me you’ve probably already had a brush with your school’s leadership for organizing a protest or something similar. You’re a go-getter that sees issues and wants to solve them. One day, you won’t be able to solve it. Even more so, you won’t even be able to address the issue and it’s going to make you feel hopeless. My suggestion? Just pivot, baby. I grew up wanting to save the world from itself, I was (and still am) so ridiculously obsessed with the environment I gave up my recesses for trash pick-up around the school yard. As I got older, I realized there’s nothing I could do to save the world and it crushed me. But that crush made room for other issues and ultimately, other solutions. I know that Bad Bettie Project isn’t going to solve any statewide issue, but we can help fill the gaps. We can keep people’s lights on, food on their table and a roof over their head — it doesn’t solve poverty, but it does solve immediate needs. When you start to feel discouraged, just figure out the gaps and focus on them.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Going to be a little selfish again and say Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod! Leslie is incredible and has been monumental in helping put forth much needed legislation on police brutality in our state. She thinks big and long-term about the state’s needs. We hope to work with Leslie on a statewide medicine give-back program and I think our organization can be another tool in her box, too.
How can our readers follow you online?
If you’d like to get in touch with me or see how you can get involved with Bad Bettie Project, you can find me everywhere online @currentlycolorado as well as director@badbettieproject.com. If you want to keep up with our org, you can find us on Instagram & Facebook @badbettieproject. Lastly, if you’re a woman or femme-identifying consider joining one of our chapters on Facebook in Colorado, Maryland and New York: www.badbettieproject.com/local-chapters
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Young Change Makers: Why and How Lauren Carter of Bad Bettie Project Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.