Meet Patty Breech | Nonprofit Consultant & Rugby Player

We had the good fortune of connecting with Patty Breech and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Patty, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
There are so many incredible nonprofits in the world doing truly important work. The people who run these organizations are experts in their fields. Whether it’s rehabilitating donkeys or fighting human trafficking, they know their work inside and out. But that expertise doesn’t always translate into being able to talk about their daily accomplishments in a succinct, compelling way that resonates with audiences.

This is completely understandable! It’s incredibly challenging for anyone deeply invested in their mission to summarize their life’s work in just a few sentences. But in order to continue their valuable mission, it’s vital they communicate their message in a way that connects with people. That’s where we come in. Our goal is to translate these meaningful, complex, stories into clear, emotionally resonant messages that inspire people to support a cause.

We want nonprofit organizations to focus their energy on building schools, removing plastic from our oceans, rescuing animals, fighting poverty, and being the change we want to see in the world. If we can lift the burden of marketing or database management off their shoulders so they are better equipped to do just that, then I feel like we’ve contributed to their cause in some small way.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I did not graduate college knowing I wanted to be a nonprofit digital marketing consultant. What I did know was that I wanted to take some time to explore the world and try a variety of experiences. I biked across the country for Habitat for Humanity, spent some time in Australia, moved to a ski town in Colorado for a while, and lived on Catalina Island, where I worked at a summer camp. After a year of hopping from place to place, I decided to put some roots down with a friend of mine in Boulder.

There, I landed a job as a green building consultant. I stayed in that role for five years, becoming a LEED Accredited Professional. I loved the work and the mission behind it! My job included running a nonprofit focused on bringing more recycling programs to elementary schools. Working with schools and contributing to the green building movement gave me a sense of purpose. I felt like my work was meaningful and that I was making a positive impact.

Although I was connected to the work I was doing in the world of sustainability, it became clear that it was time for me to exercise a new skillset. I took a job as a PHP programmer at a web design firm where a rugby friend was working. I had picked up coding as a hobby, so I gave it a shot. While I lasted only eight months at the job, I was grateful that the experience helped me understand something significant about myself: I need to feel like I’m making the world a better place in order to be truly committed to my work.

Looking for my next step, I reached out to a former roommate who had a connection to Maggie Doyne, the founder of BlinkNow, a nonprofit organization that provides education to the children of Nepal. I thought I might go to Nepal for a short time to help in some way, like cleaning the bathroom or painting the kitchen. It just so happens that Maggie and her team were working on launching a new website and building a new green school at that very moment. This short volunteer trip turned into a full-time job for me for five years, including two and a half years living in Nepal.

I wore many hats there, including serving as the lead for the organization’s communications team. Since the nonprofit was primarily supported by US and European donors, we had a unique challenge: how do we get people to care about a place they’ve never been and people they’ve never met, and the only tool we have is the internet? I learned a lot about how to tell compelling stories that evoke emotion from thousands of miles away. We created funny social media posts about that one student who could only ever find her left shoe when it was time for school (the right one was once spotted on the roof), and we wrote heartwarming blog posts about mothers who learned how to write their own names for the first time in their 30s. It was a life-changing experience.

After 5 wonderful years with BlinkNow, I felt ready for a new challenge. Thanks to some encouragement from a trusted friend and mentor, I decided to start my own business, hoping to take the same successful marketing strategies to other nonprofits. I’m happy to share that the Purpose Collective is going strong and is now in its 6th year. Each day is a new, exciting challenge, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Boulder is filled with delicious places to eat and beautiful places to go. If someone was visiting, I would suggest the following options:

BREAKFAST

* Le French Café: This place makes incredible crepes. The savory ones are my favorite.

* Snooze, an A.M. Eatery: A classic! You can’t go wrong.

* The Village Coffee Shop: A true Boulder institution. If it’s your first time and the staff finds out they might yell out, “We’ve got a Village Virgin!” It’s a greasy spoon with great food.

* The Parkway Café: This spot is a hidden gem. Tucked away next to an auto body shop, this local spot serves amazing Mexican-style breakfasts.

LUNCH

* Bartaco: Ok, this is one of my ultimate favorite places to go. I LOVE friend plantains and this place has some of the best.

* Avanti & Rosetta Food Halls: These two food halls both offer stunning mountain views from their rooftops, and a wide variety of food options.

DINNER

* Pizzeria Alberico: If you want some of the best pizza in town, this is the place. Cheaper than its Michelin-star rated sister restaurant next door, but just as good.

THINGS TO DO

* Tube down Boulder Creek: This is a quintessential Boulder summer activity! Rent a tube and float down the creek for an unforgettable experience. Save this for hot days only; the creek is snowmelt, and it’s COLD.
Boulder Reservoir: Great for a relaxing afternoon. You can swim or just lounge by the [much warmer] water with a good book.

* Boulder Reservoir: Great for a relaxing afternoon. You can swim or just lounge by the [much warmer] water with a good book.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
A BIG Shoutout to the whole group at Consultants 4 Good (C4G), and especially its founder, Lauren Andraski, for the role they’ve played in my consulting career. Being a solopreneur can often feel isolating, but C4G has built a community that offers the type of support and guidance I need. This group is filled with like-minded professionals who are on similar paths and eager to help one another, so I know I always have a network of hundreds of people to tap into for questions big and small. Their community and support has made a meaningful difference in both my work and my sense of connection within the field.

Website: https://www.the-purpose-collective.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.purpose.collective/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/purpose-collective-llc/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purposecollectivellc/