Jeff Rasley, President - Basa Village Foundation USA Inc.
Jeff Rasley is the President of BASA Village Foundation, a nonprofit in the US with a partner foundation in Nepal. He co-founded it in 2006 after a conversation with Niru Rai during a mountaineering expedition .
The foundation helps develop infrastructure in the remote Basa area of Northeastern Nepal. Since starting, they’ve added school grades and brought electricity, water, smokeless stoves, and a medical clinic to the area.
Jeff’s approach is different: the villagers decide what projects they need and do all the hard work. This way, they can grow without changing their culture too much.
At first, Jeff’s friends who visited Nepal were the donors. Now, the foundation has more donors from his personal networks. Jeff believes in being open with donors and keeping strong relationships with the people they help, even from far away.
In this episode:
- 00:00 – Introduction: KRM Podcast & Jeff Rasley
- 00:35 – The BASA Village Foundation in Nepal: From Mountaineering to Improving Education & Infrastructure
- 04:33 – The Evolution of Donors & Fundraising Trends
- 06:47 – Best Practices for Building & Strengthening Key Relationships: Donors and Beneficiaries
- 08:48 – Communication Evolution Over the Years: The Impact on Villagers’ Lives & Personal Connections
- 11:29 – Advice for Other Nonprofit Directors: Having Both Your Heart and Mind Involved
- 12:37 – Final Thoughts; See You In the Next Episode
"Having your heart and love in it is what makes it really meaningful to you, and the people that you're affecting will feel that. And that makes a real difference."
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The KRM Podcast takes you behind the scenes in real-time. Every episode is packed with tactical advice, hilarious screwups, compelling conversations, and the tools and inspiration you need to create a better life.