Inspiring People to Bring Joy to Those in Need with Leslie Koppel of Rise

May 8

Leslie Koppel is Executive Director of Rise, a social services nonprofit in central New Jersey on a mission to assist local families and individuals in recovering from setbacks and achieving their full potential.

In this episode of Let's Talk Limbic Sparks, Leslie reveals how inspirational it is to bring joy to those in need. She talks about why it's so emotionally motivating to help people feel relief and happiness, and how the one-on-one connections between the families in need, and Rise staff, volunteers and corporate sponsors, fuel an ever-increasing amount of community support.

Leslie shares how the Rise brand has evolved in recent years by simplifying how it conveys its impact. We discuss how Rise has shifted from focusing on facts, figures and long explanations, to using imagery and words designed to spark emotional responses for the joy and connection people feel when they're helping others and showing kindness. For Leslie, it’s all about inspiring other people who just want to be a part of something that's intrinsically good.

Key Takeaways and Soundbites:

“I have the privilege of helping people with a nonprofit. So I am one of those rare people where work and play and life and joy get combined.”

“There's this absolute joy I get from helping others be successful.”

“The volunteers that we have are so powerful. When you talk about Limbic Sparks or talk about things that motivate and accentuate the little pieces of joy that we have in our every day life, if we give that to our volunteers, they keep coming back.”

“In your own back yard, you can make a difference. That's where I've seen the shift. This realization that where you live, people may need help and that even if you feel powerless in the larger sense, when you look around right where you are there are things to do.”

“The way I think about the brand is simplicity. Before we had to explain why this is valuable, but we don't need to do this. We look a how it's going to make you feel, and how it makes other people feel, very simply. And often it's just a sentence or two. It makes such a bigger impact than words and explanations.”

“What we've been able to create (for our Rise brand) is something that we just know is intrinsically good... It sparks joy.”

“It's an emotional response for the joy and connection that people feel when they're helping people and interacting with people and showing kindness. And what we've been able to develop through brand.”

“It's really easy to get stuck in the numbers. As impactful as giving 64,000 bags of food is, when you have someone stop into your place and actually hand someone a bag of food, and they look you in the eye and say thank you... Seeing the smiles and the relief that you're bringing to individuals, that's what it comes down to.”

“That's really the key to our success, it's really that one-on-one interaction that so many of our volunteers, and staff, and local corporations, and national corporations have when they come and visit. They get to have that opportunity. You can't replicate often that human interaction. I think that's what our branding brings together.”

“Realize and think about what is motivating the people around you to actually work there, because we all have choices in what we're doing, why are they actually there, and what keeps them going every day.”

“I enjoy working with others to figure out what is going to make them happy.”

Here are some fun facts about Leslie…

Thanks to Executive Director Leslie Koppel’s leadership, Rise has been making a significant impact in eastern Mercer County, New Jersey for the past decade. This locally based non-profit organization brings together various non-profit, for-profit, governmental, and faith-based organizations to address the area's most critical human service needs. Koppel has been instrumental in leading this collaboration, and her dedication to building stronger communities and improving lives has earned her recognition as a valuable asset to the region.

Leslie’s leadership skills extend beyond her role at Rise. She also serves as a Middlesex County Commissioner, appointed in 2017 to fill a vacancy. Koppel was re-elected twice, in 2017 and 2020, thanks to her advocacy for county residents with helpful programs and services at a cost they can afford. Her experience at Rise has allowed her to bring her expertise to the County Commissioner role, where she has successfully improved the quality of life for all regional residents.