Gretchen Wahl: if you're going to join a board, go all in. Take on a leadership role. Don't just sit there and be a bystander, because people want to learn from you.

Christina Kahler: Welcome back to The Vault. I'm your host, Christina Kahler. And today we're talking about something that's at the heart of who we are at FNBO — community involvement. Whether it's serving on a nonprofit board, volunteering for a local cause, participating in a professional organization, or supporting economic development through your local chamber of commerce, community engagement creates opportunities that benefit everyone involved.

Joining me today is Gretchen Wahl, FNBO Regional Vice President in Colorado. In her role, Gretchen works closely with businesses, organizations, and community leaders across our markets, giving her a unique perspective on the impact that community engagement can have on individuals, organizations, and local economies. Gretchen, welcome to The Vault. Thanks so much for being here.

Gretchen Wahl: Yeah, I'm excited to be here. It's a meaningful topic.

Christina Kahler: Absolutely. So, before we get started, would you tell us a little bit about your background?

Gretchen Wahl: Sure. So, I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. After college, I decided it was time to move to Colorado. And I got into banking right away when I came to Colorado. And in a way to meet people, because I wasn't from Colorado — Colorado Springs to be specific — I started to get involved in the community. I started to join boards. I got involved in Habitat for Humanity builds. I manned tables to tell people about the bank I was working for and things like that. So, I jumped in with both feet right away and eventually started to take on leadership roles within the boards that I was on.

Christina Kahler: Yeah, that's fantastic. And I know you've been super engaged in the community recently and have received some awards. Did you want to tell us a little bit about those?

Gretchen Wahl: Thanks, Christina. Yeah, I've been fortunate to be recognized for the work I've done in the banking industry, as well as the work I've done in the communities that I serve. And the one that I think I'm most proud of is an honor I received through the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. It's called "A Woman Who Lights the Community." And that award is for women that have done meaningful things to contribute to the success of the community and things like that. So, that was a special one for me.

Christina Kahler: Yeah, very special. And I know you were among very accomplished people, so really neat to receive that — and well-deserved.

Gretchen Wahl: Thank you.

Christina Kahler: Yeah.

Gretchen Wahl: Thank you.

Christina Kahler: So, as we jump into it, we're thinking about community involvement and how we define that. I think as people think about engagement, involvement, they immediately jump to volunteerism, which is a very important part of all of it. But it's broader than that. So, I'm wondering, how do you define community involvement?

Gretchen Wahl: Yeah, the volunteering part is very important to these organizations and is really how the work that nonprofits do gets done in the communities, because they don't have the funds for the staff to be everywhere all the time. So, they rely on us to be a part of it. But the financial component is where I think businesses can really contribute a lot.

In addition to that, your talent is critical. So, if you, like me, are in the financial services industry, it's the financial piece that is important for me to contribute to that organization. It's really important that we give our talent to them, not the other way around. I mean, we get the feeling of making a difference by being involved in these communities, but they need our skills. So, if finance is your skill, be a treasurer on the board. If your skill is real estate, be involved in the organization in a capital campaign or something of that nature.

Christina Kahler: Yeah, there are so many ways to engage and so many needs. So, it's fun to see people plug in in ways that are really meaningful. Oftentimes, people think about getting engaged in the community and they think maybe of a nonprofit board role or something like that that's a bit more significant. But there are small and large ways that people can engage. You know, what are opportunities for people that you see?

Gretchen Wahl: Well, there are very small ways you can get involved. One that I think about is a Precious Child — they do Fill a Backpack. You can go and help fill the backpack with the things kids need to be and feel like they can be academically successful every single day when they go to school.

You can join a campaign, a capital campaign that we talked about a little bit earlier. It's a finite period of time. You're raising money for an organization to start a new project, buy a building, something meaningful. Or, you know, the longer-term, multi-year commitment of joining a board.

Christina Kahler: Yeah.

Gretchen Wahl: One of my community managers, John Schwabach, takes his entire family over the holidays to an organization to feed the homeless. It's a few hours. They feed 60 to 80 people. I mean, there are very simple ways that have a huge impact. And you can bring your whole family, your whole team to do those things.

Christina Kahler: Yeah, absolutely. Do you think that involvement in the community and service can help improve your leadership skills? Have you seen any of that?

Gretchen Wahl: In every board that you're on, most everybody at the table is a leader in their own right. Whether it's in their community, in their life, things that they've accomplished. And sitting on the board with all of those people, you learn so much about how to approach problem solving, how to approach strategic thinking. And your leadership skills improve just based on the people you're around and what you learn from them. And you take that knowledge and you take it into your own organization, which then translates into career opportunities that you might not have had had you not learned those skills from others.

Christina Kahler: Yeah. All engagement in boards and board service can be so beneficial.

Gretchen Wahl: Yeah, and my recommendation — if you're going to join a board, go all in. You know – take on a leadership role. Don't just sit there and be a bystander, because people want to learn from you. People need to know what you know because you come from a perspective they don't have.

Christina Kahler: Right, that's why you're there. And the diversity of thought and opinion is so incredibly important and helpful to nonprofit organizations.

As regional vice president, you see communities from a very unique perspective. Why do you think community engagement and involvement matters so much?

Gretchen Wahl: Because that's how things get done in the communities — by the people that live there. The organizations are small by design. They only want to have so much overhead because the money they raise, they want to go back into the community to meet the needs of the community.

And one of the organizations that I've gotten very involved with is Boulder Together, which is a community-focused program of the Boulder Chamber. It galvanizes the business community together to meet the needs of the community and those exciting things that are happening within the community. What they've done is brought businesses together to identify and create programs that make sure that the workforce within Boulder County can meet the needs of the businesses in Boulder County.

They created a program through Front Range Community College that, you can go and as a high school student, if that's where you wanted to go, you go into that program and you come out with a certification and can go to work.

They've created apprenticeship programs for specific industries that have a lot of need within Boulder County. The most significant part of that, it was the healthcare industry professionals that did this work. Boulder Together helped guide it and brought the people together to convene to determine this stuff, but it was the professionals in the community that created the roadmap.

Christina Kahler: That's fantastic. One thing we hear often is, "I'd love to get involved, but I don't know exactly how to get started." What's your recommendation?

Gretchen Wahl: Determine what your interests are. You know, start there. What are you passionate about? And then find an organization that aligns with that interest. We have individuals within our company that volunteer for the Greeley Stampede and Cheyenne Frontier Days. We have Taste of Loveland.

Christina Kahler: So fun — all of these things.

Gretchen Wahl: Yeah, it all depends on where your interests lie, because every organization needs the help.

Christina Kahler: So true. Why do you think it's so important that companies embrace and have a culture of giving and serving?

Gretchen Wahl: So, for us at FNBO, all of our loans and deposits come from the community — businesses, individuals. So, it's imperative that we give back to our community because we get so much from it.

You know, where I grew up, there was a lot of need, but I didn't grow up with a lot of means myself. I wasn't able to give back. As a company, we have the ability to show our employees, "Hey, here's a way you can give back to your community and truly be involved in a way that maybe you haven't been before."

Christina Kahler: Yeah, absolutely. And in a way that's so much bigger than yourself.

Gretchen Wahl: Yes. Because so often I see employees get involved and then take another step.

Christina Kahler: Almost every time.

Gretchen Wahl: Almost every time.

Christina Kahler: Yeah. Sometimes there are barriers that prevent companies or employees from getting involved. What do you see those barriers as?

Gretchen Wahl: I think it's time and access. I think, you know, many employees don't know where to begin. And at FNBO, we have an impact portal, which one, we can provide opportunities for people to get involved in the community that they're in. And a way to do that is through team building. The one that comes to mind is Habitat for Humanity — and you can take your whole team and go help build a house. Not only are you doing good for the community that you're in, but you're building a stronger team that's more cohesive and collaborative.

At FNBO, we have Own Your Eight. And Own Your Eight is a program where every employee, every year, is given eight hours to volunteer during the workday. It's amazing.

Christina Kahler: Our employees absolutely love those moments together.

Gretchen Wahl: They do, yeah.

Christina Kahler: Are there any moments or stories that you could share about community involvement making a lasting impact?

Gretchen Wahl: I have an incredible example. So, Mark Driscoll —

Christina Kahler: Yes, dear to us.

Gretchen Wahl: Yes. President of the Colorado market for FNBO for many years. Prolific community engager.

Christina Kahler: Yes.

Gretchen Wahl: Involved in so many organizations. And honestly, still today in his retirement, so involved in the community.

Christina Kahler: It's amazing.

Gretchen Wahl: And he called me one day and wanted to introduce me to Kelly Evans, the executive director of Neighbor to Neighbor. Neighbor to Neighbor was in the middle of a capital campaign to raise funds to renovate an apartment building that they've owned for a number of years. And they weren't quite at their goal. So, Mark and I and my community manager, Greg Harrell, all went to meet with Kelly and her team to talk about the capital campaign and talk about what their needs were. And from that meeting, we were able to help them kind of get to the end of their capital campaign. And it was so meaningful and so special to just know what an impact we are making in homelessness in Northern Colorado.

Christina Kahler: That's a tribute to Mark's leadership and your leadership and a wonderful organization in Neighbor to Neighbor.

Gretchen Wahl: That's right.

Christina Kahler: Really special.

Gretchen Wahl: Very special.

Christina Kahler: Before we wrap up, we wanted to do a quick lightning round. One cause that's super important to you?

Gretchen Wahl: Economic vitality.

Christina Kahler: Best leadership lesson you've learned through community involvement?

Gretchen Wahl: Listen to all the voices in the room before you take action.

Christina Kahler: Good one. Something that surprised you most that you learned through volunteering?

Gretchen Wahl: How much need there is in our communities.

Christina Kahler: And what's one word that sums up what community means to you?

Gretchen Wahl: Stewardship.

Christina Khaler: If there's one thing that people take away and do after today's episode, what would you recommend that they do?

Gretchen Wahl: Get started, get involved, volunteer, and have fun with it.

Christina Kahler: Love that. Gretchen, thanks so much for joining us today. I think your comments really help people think about how they can take a first step and also help us see how engagement and involvement makes a real impact in our communities.

And to our listeners, thank you so much for joining us on The Vault. We'll see you next time.