TCF So Far, So Good podcast debuted September 17
"I am always surprised at the raw goodness of the humans in our community,” said Sarah Gillenwater, co-host.
“Every grant has a story and every story takes us farther.” That tagline both commences and culminates each of the brand new “So Far, So Good” podcasts hosted by Tipp City Foundation (TCF) board members Jim Ranft and Sarah Gillenwater in their attempt to demystify a community foundation.
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“The Foundation is the connector, not the story,” said Gillenwater. “The people are the story and without the people, the Foundation wouldn’t have a future. We want to peak curiosity in our listeners so that they want to continue to learn more about what is happening in our service area.”
TCF’s podcasts debuted Sept. 17 during the foundation’s 83rd birthday party that celebrated the money at work in the community and recognized local and corporate donors. Gillenwater likened it to a “live annual report” of sorts.
In short, the launch of the platform new to the Foundation is its attempt to communicate across different generations.
“The podcast exists to connect people, celebrate community partners and strengthen philanthropy throughout our service area,” said Gillenwater.
Recording two to three, 20-25 minute episodes a month, the duo hopes to release two episodes monthly moving forward.
Episodes are recorded at Clock Tower Media, located in the cozy, subterranean depths of the historic Dolly Packaging building, with décor best described as garage sale chic that creates a “homey” aesthetic.
Each podcast is also accompanied by a folksy, bubbly music intro/outro paying homage to Miami County’s little ‘burg titled “My Tipp City,” that as legend has it, was written by New York City resident James Keppel in the 1950s after having visited family in Tipp City. The hope is that the infectious little ditty resonates across the generations as a compliment to the podcasts themselves.
Most recently, Ranft and Gillenwater sat down with Deb Tschirhart, Senior Director of Education, and Rodney Veal, community liaison, of ThinkTV in a role reversal that had the guests acting as interviewees as opposed to being the interviewers, in an episode titled “Building Ohio’s Workforce – One Story at a Time.” ThinkTV broadcasts local Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations Channels 14 and 16. The guests took to their unfamiliar roles naturally as the session swimmingly unfolded.
According to Veal, whose familiar face may be recognized by many loyal PBS viewers from his having hosted several local broadcast programs, the organization to trying to make greater inroads in the northern Miami Valley region.
“We want the station to be connected and engaged with all communities,” he said. “And we are going to make a concerted effort to connect with Tipp City.”
A partnership between the TCF and ThinkTV coalesced during a recent event sponsored by the broadcast group.
“We realized that the Tipp City Foundation had never received a grant request from ThinkTV even though we are in their broadcast area,” Ranft said. “We just started talking about ways to connect the northern viewing area more closely with ThinkTV.”
Admittedly, Gillenwater and Ranft launched their foray into the world of podcasting flying somewhat blind. Buoyed by their individual strengths, the pair have relied on one another in their concerted effort to make things work.
“With no past background (for either of us) in anything like this, it was hard to know what to expect,” said Gillenwater. “I think Jim and myself hold to very different perspectives. He is a seasoned board member, and I am new to the organization. Because of that, it has become easy to roll with the interviews organically. He has background knowledge that I don’t have. I have the ‘new kid’ curiosity that asks questions he may not think to ask.”
Although interview questions are meticulously scripted for each episode prior to recording, improvisation still manages to prevail throughout as slight deviations from what is scripted allows for some extemporaneous interplay between the hosts and their guests.
Looking ahead, some future podcast topics include: strengthening philanthropic partnerships, corporate sponsors as community partners, future donor stories, grant recipient conversations, why donors choose to create endowments, what 45371’s future looks like with foundation grants and community history.
Judging by their completed work product to date, it appears the neophytes to podcasting may have just found their niche.
“I think I can speak for Jim as well here, these interviews have been an absolute joy to do,” Gillenwater beamed. “It’s one thing to read about grants in action, it’s another thing to talk with the people and hear the actual stories. I am always surprised at the raw goodness of the humans in our community.”
TCF podcasts can be accessed at: https://so-far-so-good-presented-by-the-tipp-city-foundation.captivate.fm/listen and with this QR code.
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