KC Cares, Edelman & Thompson On Giving Back

KC Cares Podcast speaks to James Thompson about the Edelman Thompson Charitable Foundation and its philanthropic efforts to support area non-profit organizations in Kansas City.

 

Here’s the transcription of the video:

Transcription:

Ruth: [00:00:00] Welcome to KC cares, Kansas city’s non-profit voice. We’re telling the stories of Kansas City nonprofits and the people behind them. And we’re the nonprofit and the profit communities intersect to make Kansas City a better place to live, work and play I’m Ruth bomb. Biggest KC cares is proudly sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman foundation.

Law firms are busy places, whether they’re handling corporate litigation, high profile, personal injury, or criminal cases, mergers and acquisitions, or family law issues. People are really busy between the attorneys and the paralegals and all the support staff, but there’s another side to these legal Eagles being engaged in helping the community.

And today we have an organization, a law firm that’s doing just that. It’s the Edelman and Thompson law firm. And we’re going to talk about their charitable foundation and we’re welcoming James Thompson. Who’s a founding partner. Welcome James.

James Thompson: [00:01:07] Well, thank you very much. It’s great to great that you can have us on today.

We’re looking forward to visiting with you again

Ruth: [00:01:15] Shannon Wallace, the marketing director behind this big law firm, that many people may know you all from a little bit of television. I was so excited to, to meet the man behind the camera, those commercials that I always see. So, it’s so great,,, it’s so great to have you up.

Well, let’s talk a little bit at first about the firm itself, what you all are focused on in terms of as a business.

James Thompson: [00:01:42] Sure. The firm started in 1994. So, we’ve been around the block a few years now.  Ron Edelman and I started the firm – back then just the two of us.  We had done    primarily insurance defense work representing insurance companies when their insureds were sued.

And at least to both of us in our background, that wasn’t as rewarding a career as we had hoped in terms of having a little larger, compassionate side to things. So we made, both of us made a decision over about a year, to go out on our own and start representing people who were injured either in, you know, basic personal injury things like auto accidents, but also in medical device litigation.

And for some time I did a lot of asbestos litigation where people had gotten sick because of exposure to toxic substances and things like that.  And currently the firm’s business mix is it’s all exclusively personal injury of one kind or another. So we don’t represent insurance companies. We don’t represent corporations. We represent people which is where I think Ron and I have really always wanted to end up.  So it’s gone from just the two of us in a small office, down on the Plaza to a much, much larger firm.  One of the larger firms in Kansas City – certainly one of the larger firms doing personal injury in Kansas City.

So, it’s been a rewarding journey and we still love what we do.

Ruth: [00:03:30] Well, I know when I drive downtown on the loop, you can’t miss the building that’s for sure. And I bet the growth that you’ve seen over the years is incredible. I love the fact that you are working with people. Let’s bring Shannon in.

Shannon. I thought law firms were just their lawyers and the people behind them who do the research. So, what’s a marketing person doing with a law firm. Yeah.

Shannon Wallace: [00:03:59] I mean, I think there, especially in this day and age, you know, my main goal is just to connect with folks that as James was describing that need to find an attorney that genuinely cares about their needs.

That’s part of my job, you know, is to make Edelman and Thompson at the forefront and to make, you know, people aware of us and, you know, to make it as easy as possible. Well to get ahold of an attorney when they most need one. So, there’s a lot of marketing and community outreach that goes into that working at a law firm.

So, it definitely more than I was aware of previously. So I learned a lot since working here and I think marketing is a big component of what we do. Prior to working here, I know that Ron and James have, you know, have had commercials that have been on television for a long time. I’m sure many of the folks listening have heard those.

But we’re trying to do more and more, to just continue to connect with people and to make people aware of all the great things that we’re doing here.

Ruth: [00:04:55] That’s wonderful and more and more people know about you. All right. Now we’re going to switch to beyond talking about just the law firm and we’re going to myth bust. So, I think having been married to a lawyer, I can fairly say there is the run of jokes about how lawyers are tough, that they’re not compassionate. You know, they’re going to squeeze money out of you, but that’s not been the case for you.

You have a foundation, let’s talk a little bit about where that came from James. You know, why did the firm decide they wanted to get involved in philanthropy?

James Thompson: [00:05:34] Well I think it really goes back to the personal backgrounds of Ron and myself.

I mean, both of us came from families that emphasized public service and community involvement.  I actually grew up in the New York area originally. I moved to Kansas City about 37 years ago.  But just like Ron, even as kids, we were involved in things – Our parents had us involved in community projects and community awareness and having an understanding of issues.

And really understanding that, as blessed as we have been, there are so many other people who aren’t as blessed and really at different junctures in their lives. They need assistance and need care in terms of someone reaching out. So, I think it started with both of us having that DNA, so to speak, so that when our business got up and running, we both felt that was an extremely important part of being there.

Well, part of this community, we both love Kansas City and Kansas City has been so good to us. Our clients have been wonderful to us. And so overall, it came from just wanting to give back and carry on kind of what we had been taught as early as our childhoods.

Ruth: [00:07:04] So how far back does the idea of a foundation versus, “Oh, we can write a check and, you know, just give it personally”?

I mean, you made this as part of your organization.

James Thompson: [00:07:15] Yeah, absolutely.  You know, originally involvement was both personal involvement and financial involvement in the future unity  and it was, and the financial aspect of that really was writing a check and giving  monetarily when we could, and when we felt it was appropriate to do assist folks or assist community organizations, and it got to a point where from a practical standpoint – for instance, with a foundation  you don’t have to  you don’t have to drain your charitable budget at the end of the year. You can carry it over. It gave us a little more autonomy.  In terms of how we could assist community organizations and folks in our community.

So it just, it made sense in terms of where we were headed in and how much larger the giving aspect had become – to have some more flexibility. That’s really where the idea of it came from obviously tax advisors and legal advisors. You know, you’d be better off doing this. It would give you more freedom and an ability to probably broaden the scope of what we could do.

Ruth: [00:08:37] When did you establish them the foundation and how did you go about it?

James Thompson: [00:08:43] Well, I may not be the best person to ask about that. We talked about the benefits of setting it up, and then there were signatures involved, but in terms of the legal aspect and the filings, that really was beyond me. But I think we set this up about 10 or 12 years ago; that’s my best recollection. So, it’s really worked out very well.

Ruth: [00:09:14] So how does the foundation then get its funds? Is it just going down the hallway and asking everybody to kick in? Or how do you go out and ask folks to support what you do? Or maybe you don’t go outside.

James Thompson: [00:09:30] Well, at this point, most of the funding is through the firm.

So, there’s not a fundraising component of the foundation other than from the firm. There’s obviously involvement from people; we encourage people to get involved. We encourage both own employees, as well as sometimes our clients, to get involved in situations and opportunities to help in the community, whether they be walks or harvesters or other aspects of our footprint.

But from a monetary standpoint, it’s funded, at least currently, one hundred percent by the firm.

Ruth: [00:10:21] Well, thank you. On behalf of all the organizations you help, we’ll go dive deeper into some of those organizations and how you make those decisions. Shannon, what’s your role with the foundation? How are you involved?

Shannon Wallace: [00:10:33] So, because you know, the attorneys that work here are so busy with practicing law, where I come in is – I am pretty much the direct point of contact for the organizations that we work with. So, when there are charities and different groups from the Kansas City community that reach out to us, whether there are, you know, long standing partners like  Harvesters, or if it’s a new organization that we haven’t worked with in the past, I am responsible for communicating with those individuals listening to their cause and what types of different things that they’re trying to find funding for or different events that they’re looking to find support for.

I speak with those individuals and learn a little bit more about what they’re trying to do, and then from there I work with Ron and James to determine what our involvement will be, whether it is a financial, sponsorship or something like that, or if it’s, just helping to raise awareness across our own channels – for an organization, especially some of those smaller organizations, just kind of getting the word out for those.  That’s definitely where I come in because I do manage our marketing channels as well.  We’re able to really connect with those nonprofits in the area on social media to use our assets that way as well to, to support them.

Ruth: [00:11:55] Well, they’ve got somebody with a whole lot of energy behind that whole thing. That’s just great, James. I wanted to take us down the road to talk about how you make decisions on what you’re going to support. There is so much out there – organizations doing good work, so how do you put a lens on that?

James Thompson: [00:12:16] Well some of the organizations are in some ways born from relationships we have with our clients.  For instance, we’ve had situations where clients have had a very significant personal tragedy in their lives. And they’d been able to at least hold some of the folks that may be responsible for that tragedy – legally responsible and taking some of what they have recovered from a monetary standpoint and started court, started organizations to help people. I don’t really want to walk into a lot of the details of that; what organizations those are.

So there’s a, sometimes there’s an actual connection that arises out of our business where clients have chosen to really try to give back and make a difference, usually from a safety standpoint  whether it be  you know, child welfare  in terms of safety in the home or in other aspects, They’ve paid themselves have started foundation that they themselves have started organizations.

And so that’s kind of an easy action. In other situations, it’s really a function of working with Shannon and Ron, developing a relationship with whether it be harvesters when there’ll be Royals charities.  

I think a lot of foundations probably agree with this: We don’t want to be just writing a check. We want a connection.  We want a situation that allows either our clients or our employees to become involved.  You know, it used to be earlier on, we would try to do social events and things like that with our employees. From a team building standpoint, we have found that the most significant team building where everyone really feels good about things is when we do things with a charitable organization; like Harvesters is a great example. I mean, it’s just such a great organization, but it makes it very easy to have people actually hands-on involved. That makes a huge difference in terms of building a team atmosphere within the firm which so, so I don’t mean to go on, but there’s, you know, there’s that intangible. That’s way beyond the monetary component that really enhancements even our business internally based by participating outside with outside organizations.

Ruth: [00:15:06] So it sounds like you really like it when there’s an opportunity for the whole Edelman and Thompson team to become involved and engaged.

James Thompson: [00:15:14] Absolutely. We’ve sometimes we brought those things in house and sometimes we go out to a site or a facility for a day and participate with that organization in hands-on helping, as opposed to being done when you drop your pen after putting your signature on a check.

Ruth: [00:15:39] Getting your hands dirty, so to speak.

James Thompson: [00:15:41] Getting your hands dirty. I think most of us really want to feel that there’s that connection. There’s a connection between what we’re doing and the impact that, that it can have.

Ruth: [00:15:56] Shannon. I’m going to throw this hard ball at you. Okay. It’s a pandemic that we’ve been living through. It’s been a really fun ride for a whole bunch of people. How has the foundation pivoted or how did you manage that in this year? There’s still a lot of organizations needing a lot of help.

Shannon Wallace: [00:16:18] Yeah, it was definitely a challenge, not just for us, but for so many organizations in the community.

I think on our end, we just found that it was even more important to be involved and to show these organizations support. So, we were basically just kind of impacted by the way that the organizations were impacted.

Some of the different health organizations that we support, they typically run a variety of different walks and run events that are fundraising events, in person throughout the year, whereas in 2020, they were not able to do so. So that directly impacts their funding. That directly impacts people’s awareness because there aren’t these large-scale events taking place in the community. So, a lot of those organizations took a big hit in terms of what they were able to raise with their funds.

Some of them were able to make their event a virtual version of events. So, I applaud all the different nonprofits throughout Kansas City. Now we’re able to, you know, pivot exactly like you say, and make the best of a situation that was difficult on all of us. I certainly was impressed seeing that and was very glad that we were able to still contribute in that way.

Probably in a year that it was needed the most, with Harvesters community food bank, there were families facing food insecurity that never had dealt with that issue before. They were seeing higher numbers of people coming through that needed support. So, we felt very inclined to want to be able to continue to value that partnership and contribute to that organization through that year.

Ruth: [00:18:00] Has the pandemic changed in any way the lens the foundation has or how maybe you operate.

James Thompson: [00:18:13] As Shannon alluded to, what the pandemic has done is opened up needs that were always there, but not as great and new people coming in who need assistance. So, I think what the pandemic is cause a slight shift to only supporting organizations that are providing basic necessities and basic needs. Hopefully that will not be a permanent shift, but I think in terms of resources, we’ve tried to address kind of the most basic needs that have come up through this pandemic; whether it be food insecurity or clothing or other areas.

So, if there has been a change, that’s been it.  The other thing is we’ve I think in some situations we’ve tried to our financial contribution because as Shannon said, I mean, these organizations, as, as creative as they have been to try to make that.

Kind of paradigm shift. There, you know, it’s really hurt them from a funding standpoint. A virtual walk isn’t going to be as financial beneficial to the organization as a real walk.  So, we’ve tried to fill in some of the gap there in some of these organizations.

Ruth: [00:20:01] Well in having some conversation with some other nonprofits over the course of several months, what we’re hearing is that demand has gone up and while things are slowly changing, hopefully, for the better, a lot of that demand is continuing and that struggle for a lot of people is still going to be there.

Tell us a little about your employees and their involvement with your activities. I think it’s an interesting relationship; you know, there are the bosses and then there are people who report to bosses. So how about that recruitment and that involvement? Maybe you have motivators that others can learn from?

James Thompson: [00:20:48] We have an absolute great group of employees.  If you’re looking for someone with the most creative ways to organize getting people involved, we really haven’t had to do that with our own employees. They are a great group of people who give freely when given the opportunity for an environment other than the office, feeling like they’re making a difference. It   has always been, in some ways, my favorite aspect – seeing how our employees and very often our clients act in how important giving is to all of them.

That’s my long-winded way of saying that we haven’t come up with any creative motivational strategies necessarily because we haven’t needed to.  But expanding participation is one of the things I’d like to do and with Shannon’s help is to find ways to broaden our client’s involvement because we have such a large client base now after twenty-seven years, it’s a massive client base that Shannon helps us keep in contact with. I think including them more, when things open up a bit and giving them a platform and an avenue to participate is a goal that probably we should be moving on.

Ruth: [00:22:59] Shannon, you’ve got a big job there to make those connections and decide what’s the right project, what will resonate with bringing clients in, to be part of a whole different relationship? I would think.

Shannon Wallace: [00:23:16] Right. It is a big job, but I think it’s great that we work with such really wonderful people who are compassionate and who truly care.

I’ve not always worked or lived in Kansas City, but I feel like people genuinely do care very much about this community. People are proud to say that they’re from Kansas City. I think that translates to wanting to be involved and wanting to give back as well.

Yes, it’s definitely a big task to try and get folks involved and make people aware of all the different things that are going on that and different opportunities to give back. I think that the community that we live in does make it a little bit easier because people are quite engaged already and quite willing to get involved where they’re able to.

Ruth: [00:24:09] I don’t want to lose sight of some of the great things that you all have done in the community.

And I wanted to go ahead and let you have a moment to talk about what you’ve done with Royals Charities. Can you elaborate? I mean, you’ve helped raise significant funds for that organization.

Shannon Wallace: [00:24:26] Yes, absolutely. Royals Charities is one of our longstanding partnerships that I know we are very proud to be involved with.

They do wonderful work. With Royals Charities, they do a wonderful job of not just giving back to one specific area within the community. They contribute to children’s charities, to charities that are dedicated to education, youth sports, and military families. They spread their efforts across a wide variety of great causes.

So that’s one of the reasons too that I know that we’re drawn to them.  One of the biggest aspects of our partnership with the Royals is that we are sponsors of the 50/50 raffle.  So that, If you’ve been to a Royals game or even if you haven’t, you’ve probably heard of their 50/50 raffle.

But particularly this year, the Royals have done a great job with changing ways that people can get involved.  Because the stadium is at reduced capacity, folks can scan and participate in the 50, 50 raffle from home. If they would like to try accessing the MLB ballpark app on their phone so that’s another great way that, you know, if individuals want to get involved and donate to that, that overall jackpot for that raffle, a great portion of those proceeds goes toward one of the great charities that the Royals Charities do support.

So, we definitely advocate for that and encourage folks, you know, if they want to get involved themselves in a really fun way that is. And on a personal level as well, too. They can certainly access that whether they’re going to the games in person this year or whether they’re watching from home. So that’s definitely a great way to get involved

Ruth: [00:26:04] Any tips or suggestions for other organizations that might consider giving back in the community, now that you’ve been doing it a while?

James Thompson: [00:26:31] Sure. I mean, I think it’s an absolute win-win. From a business standpoint it’s helpful. Obviously it is putting a face out there that you care. And I think as Shannon said, Kansas Citians are a community of people who care. And I think they want to see others who care.

So, when you have the opportunity and the platform to basically, and in some ways the publicity to show that face and pay it forward, so to speak, you know, it is, it’s a good thing to do from a business standpoint. And also it’s an extremely good thing to do from a moral standpoint.

I think businesses that take positions and take a strong stand in the community in terms of being a part of that community, not just taking out of that community. I can’t see a downside to the business in participating in that way. So, I would, I mean I would encourage any business that, and you don’t have to wait until you think you’re at a size where you know, you can make a massive difference all at once. Starting a family. If I had to do it all over again, we probably would have started a foundation earlier than we did. And I would encourage others to do that because it gives an opportunity, like I said by having a foundation, you have a little more autonomy, a little more freedom in terms of how that money can be spent and when it can be spent.

And I would encourage other businesses who haven’t thought of going down that road to do it. It’s not hard. At least it wasn’t hard for me, but that’s because maybe I didn’t understand the workings of it. But you know, I think it’s extremely important. And as I said at the start, it’s a win-win it really is a win for the organization. It’s a win for the comradery and team building within the organization. And obviously it’s a win for the community and it’s a good face to have out there.

Ruth: [00:28:44] Shannon, how about from your perspective, getting to do the backend stuff? 

Shannon Wallace: [00:28:49] I think honestly, I think for me, both professionally and personally, it is just, you learn so much about just the wealth of organizations that are in our area.

So, I think it’s absolutely worthwhile, like James said it is a win-win there’s no downside. And while it might be some added work to your plate, it’s work that is good to do and is meaningful. So, it definitely just makes you feel like you are a part of something greater.

So, I would absolutely recommend it. You know, anyone who’s involved in marketing for a business of any kind of corporate business, if you’re able to introduce a non-profit component and just get involved with community outreach, I think that there is no downside at all whatsoever. From a marketing and advertising standpoint it also puts your business on the forefront and get that much more in tune with your own community.

Ruth: [00:29:42] Well, thank you both for spending time with us and sharing with us what your foundation does being part of Kansas City. I loved what James said, you know, show that KC cares. Thanks for that little plug. That was wonderful. And that’s what we’re about is trying to share what great people like you are doing to make Kansas City the great place it is to live, work and play again.

Thank you so much for your time and sharing your story.

James Thompson: [00:30:07] Well, thank you so much, Ruth, for having us.

Ruth: [00:30:10] You bet. And thank you for listening to KC Cares, Kansas City’s non-profit voice. We’re produced by Charitable Communications, also a nonprofit, and we’re proudly sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman foundation.

If you’d like to be a guest on KC Cares or our underwriting opportunities, please visit our website at KCCaresonline.org and spread the love. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter at KC Cares radio and on Instagram at KC Cares Online and don’t forget, and you can catch us on ESPN 15, 10:00 AM and 94.5 FM Saturday mornings at 8:00 AM.

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