Welcome back to the Lead with Heart Podcast. Today, I have Lacey Kempinski as my guest. She's a CFRE and the founder and owner of Balanced Good, a company that focuses on changing the way our sector supports parental leave and working parents. We talk about what parental leave really looks like and how employers can develop some more responsibility around it. This conversation will be helpful to you, whether you are an employer or a parent. And I am so excited to dive in, especially now as I have a newborn and three kids under four. In this episode: [05:30] What parental leave looks like[08:38] How employers can provide psychological safety and support for working parents[14:10] What employers can do to anticipate the gap that occurs from parental leave[18:28] Empowering organizations to be a part of fundraising efforts[21:41]What Balanced Good does to help execute work that needs to be done while parents are on leave[24:30]The ROI of working parents NOTEWORTHY QUOTES “The challenge with [long parental leave] is stepping away from a role for 12 to 18 months leaves a huge gap for your organization. It also really disconnects you as a career-focused person from your career for that period of time.” “Employers need to be ready at all times, even if you don't have an expecting parent on your team right now, to say, ‘Here's our parental leave policy. Here's how we support you beyond just the time you're taking away for your parental leave.’” “People show up when they are given the flexibility to do so.” “So often, I think we do such wonderful things in our sector for all of the clients and program users that we serve. But sometimes we fail to recognize that our staff also needs support. ” CONNECT WITH LACEY Lacey is a graduate of McMaster University in the Georgian Colleges Fundraising and Resource Development Program. She is a mission-driven fundraiser with nearly 15 years of experience, filled by a passion to make an impact for the cause she is championing. As an entrepreneur and business owner of Balance Good, she is now focusing on changing the way our sector supports parental leave and working parents. Lacey is also a mom of three kids, ages seven, five, and two, a lover of all things outdoors, and has a really long list of books she wants to read, but never gets to. Instagram: @balancedgood Email: Nonprofit leaders are often faced with the challenge of intense year-end giving campaigns and the pressure to meet their organizations' goals. Join us on October 17th for an enlightening webinar where we will explore practical strategies to help nonprofit leaders prevent burnout by prioritizing their mental, emotional, and spiritual health. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/preventing-nonprofit-leader-burnout-during-year-end-giing-tickets-723701930957?aff=oddtdtcreator  CONNECT WITH HALEY Haley is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), Certified Stress Management Coach, and Certified EmC train the trainer. She is the Founder of The Savvy Fundraiser, a nonprofit consulting and coaching business. She has worked in both small and large nonprofit teams in the human services, homelessness, and youth sectors; and she specializes in the EmC process, nonprofit leadership, board development, and fundraising. Haley is a passionate, impact-driven, experienced nonprofit professional whose mission is to empower, elevate and engage nonprofit leaders to build healthy, thriving organizations. Instagram: @thesavvyfundraiser LinkedIn: Haley Cooper, CFRE Website: thesavvyfundraiser.com