3 Questions with Lisa Stachula

Over the next year, we’re rolling out 3 Questions, a series that introduces to you—or in many cases, re-introduces to you—our Quad Cities Community Foundation team. They’re the women and men behind the work, partnering with donors across our community to transform the region through the generosity of our donors. Today, we continue the series with one of the newest members of our Community Foundation team, Lisa Stachula.

Name: Lisa Stachula
Hometown: Bloomington, Indiana
Position: Grantmaking Specialist

You joined the Community Foundation team this fall. What attracted you to the mission, and how have you seen the mission lived out in the first few months of your new job? 

I love that our mission is to support the mission of others. I was attracted to the fact that it was a funding source that supports the entire Quad Cities community. There are so many people, nonprofits, businesses, and municipal entities doing really important work to make the Quad Cities a great place. The Community Foundation understands that if any one of them is to be successful, they must have support from the others. 

The work we do here proves that we are all more connected than we realize. I’ve witnessed this in the grant applications I have read through in the past two months alone—the majority rely on multiple community partners, working together, to make their project successful.  

What has been most surprising about the work so far? 

Simply, that we do so many different things, and play so many different roles in the Quad Cities. We are a grantmaker, convener, community organizer, knowledge broker, endowment builder, coalition builder, and more. In order for me to be effective in my job as a grantmaker, I must learn about and be aware of all the various roles we play in order to achieve our mission.

The holidays are nearly upon us. What gives you hope as you look to the New Year? 

It’s been humbling to see how much devotion those working and volunteering in our nonprofit sector have for the work they do and the people they serve. Before I came to the Community Foundation, I had no idea there were so many organizations working for so many different causes.

On a very basic level, nonprofits are a group of people who have organized to address a need. At first, it was a little overwhelming to see how much need there was, right here in our community. But, as I am learning about all the people who commit their time and energy to try and address those needs, I am truly inspired by the opportunities that exist to support fellow Quad Citizens. Every day at work, I witness people helping others—complete strangers, really—and that gives me hope.