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For over a decade, Susan Singer has been a driving force behind the growth of startups and nonprofits in North Carolina. Susan Singer's leadership was key in the turnaround of the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh (CAM Raleigh). As Executive Director, Susan Singer implemented strategies to secure sustainable funding and establish CAM Raleigh as a leading platform for emerging art. Recognizing the need for increased civic engagement, Singer created the YAP app (Young Americans Protest). This interactive platform, currently under development, aims to empower young people through fun and engaging tools.
Prior to their entrepreneurial ventures, Singer honed their skills as a Creative Director at McDonald's advertising agencies. Singer founded Field Trip Factory. This company, built on the innovative concept of utilizing retail spaces for educational field trips, transformed into a multi-million dollar international success story.
Finding Your Gifts to Give Them Away: Meet Susan Singer, Ad Exec and Social Entrepreneur
What is your personal/professional story?
“The Meaning of Life is to find your gift."
"The Purpose of Life is to give it away.” - Picasso
These words have guided me on my life’s journey. We all wonder why we are here, don’t we? I did. It wasn’t so much that I had a specific career in mind, but more so that I had a desire to matter, to help leave the world a better place than I found it. I wandered around, followed my inner voice, and found my path. The journey wasn’t straight, but it was interesting. I had a degree, but not really any specific skills. I was creative. I was offered a job at an ad agency and I took it. The rest is history.
What key moments in your life led you to where you are today?
The Agency world was exciting, creative, and fast-paced. I became the “idea person”. Clients and superiors took notice. My ideas drove business and impact behavior. Soon, I was running my own group. Then, I was asked to create a new group bringing the creative and client service staff together under one lead. It was called a business unit. Our goal was to bring creative and strategic solutions to clients. I was the first “Business Unit Director”. I served in that role at several top agencies in Chicago. We had many successful campaigns and won awards and praise. It was great, but not really making a difference in the world. I left the agency to find a product or service that I could market and really make a difference. I knew that once I found it, my experience and knowledge could make it successful.
Once I left the agency, my clients continued to ask me for ideas. I provided ideas that proved effective and moved the needle towards actions that improved the human condition. One of the ideas focused on education and building a sustainable funding link between education and business. An idea that really benefitted education and the funding business.
The Problem: Education needed money, and Businesses needed consumers. Why couldn’t the exchange be good for both?
The Solution: Field Trip Factory. A business that turned the community into a classroom. Field Trip Factory offered free, educational field trips that taught valuable life skill lessons in real-life environments. To execute educationally relevant field trips we had to teach the retailer’s staff about the real value the products and services they were hired to sell had for their customers. Nutrition in grocery stores, financial management in banks, animal welfare in pet supply stores, literacy in book stores, fitness in sporting goods stores, art in art supply stores, and on and on. We worked with large retailers with national footprints like PETCO, Michaels, Sports Authority, Chase Bank, Ahold USA, Kroger, Microsoft and more.
Where does your passion to serve come from?
Role models. I had the good fortune to live and work around humans who add value to our world. Making a difference was more important than making huge amounts of money. Success in delivering valuable ideas, products, and services. These were people who were and are concerned with more than just themselves.
I created FTF. It went international and I sold it in 2011. I got sick of being asked if I was retired. My response was; that I wasn’t tired and I am not retired. I am refocused. We all have so much to give.
How can GlobalMindED help you reach your goals?
As I understand it, GlobalMindEd provides a forum for those who want to do more, be more, and live a full life. Being in their company would be inspiring. Sharing my experiences with them would be rewarding.
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