Meet Joe Brandi | founder of Unity 4 Orphans

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

Hi Joe, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am from Sonora, California near Yosemite. My mom is from the Bay Area, Santa Cruz. In my mind, I was raised in both Santa Cruz and Sonora, and those smaller towns shaped me from a young age. I think both those places are characterized by long-lasting relationships, which really impacted me. I really value deep, authentic relationships, and I’ve infused that into our organization.

When we first started visiting Mexico, we went to like 20 orphanages in a year. The question became, what’s the right way to do this? How many orphanages should we visit and how often? I chose to commit to two orphanages that we can visit every month. Relational consistency is important to me and I want my life to be dedicated to a small, intentional community. The kids deserve to know that we will continue to return, and not just at Christmastime. Because of this, we get to know the children at the orphanages, become friends with them, and often continue that relationship once they age out of the system.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our relational consistency is what sets us apart. We are the only nonprofit in San Diego that visits orphanages every month. Because of our geography, we have the ability to do that. Also, we have a holistic approach to supporting vulnerable children. We do this by employing local team members in-country that can teach and counsel them, and help them strive toward a better life and brighter future.

Getting to this point has not been easy. I thought I’d still be sleeping on my friends’ couches. I believed so much in this that I gave up my steady job even when I didn’t know how to do anything else. Now, our model is strong and we have momentum. We got here by being consistent, and that makes our brand. Our consistency builds credibility and allows people to attach to something they believe in because they see the long-term benefit of what we do through the stories of healing and hope in the children’s lives.

Our story is centered around Jesus, who modeled what it was to be rich and become poor. He sacrificed himself to provide abundant life to people. What I do is not simply because I’m a good person. Our main undercurrent is the love of God and the sacrificial love of Jesus. If our organization grows even more, the underpinnings are the Lord. That can turn some people off, or limit us from business opportunities, but He is our motivation.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I like tacos and surfing, so I’d take them to Rosarito to enjoy the local cuisine and introduce them to Mexican culture. There’s a sense of friendliness south of the border that everyone should experience. After that, we’d hit the beach for an evening surf session. There is magic in that moment when the sun sinks into the horizon at the edge of the water and you’re sitting on your board chatting with a friend. That is a perfect day for me.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people I would love to shout out! I’ll do my best to limit it, but I can’t pick just one!

The first two are members of our board: Keem Schultz-Fares and Paul Polakowsi III.

I call myself “Captain Kirk” and Keem is “Spock.” I’m a visionary, relational person, I lead the trips, etc., and she is so detailed, and rational, and can develop systems and methods. Until she came into my life, I didn’t even know how to do the tax return for our organization. Keem has helped our organization take a quantum leap in professionalism and systems.

Paul used to run a successful nonprofit and has become instrumental in our fundraising. I’m generally the main fundraiser, and I don’t even like to fundraise. Paul offered to help us raise funds, and has been instrumental in that necessary aspect over the past year. At our spring gala last year, he helped raise $85,000 in one night! This year it was $126,000. Paul has the boldness, experience, and a strong “why” for this work.

If we did not have Keem and Paul on our board, we would be like “Little House on the Prairie.” They are both business people and know how to do business better, and have been huge power players for Unity 4 Orphans.

Finally, I’d like to give a shout-out to Shannon and Ayham Skaf. They are the key to making our biggest annual fundraiser so successful. They invite friends into their circle of influence and capitalize on their own deep relationships for our organizational benefit. They set the stage for us to be able to ask for donations. Without their partnership and backing, we would not have been able to double our program’s budgets this year and I am just blown away by their generous hearts.

Website: https://unity4orphans.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unity4orphans/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unity-4-orphans

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Unity4Orphans

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Unity4Orphans/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfI8JFIq7L3aX0JPyJQBa0g