Small Donations Big Impact Shashana Kaplans Game-Changing App PIFster

In this episode, Amy and Nancy Harrington, founders of The Passionistas Project, interview Shashana Kaplan, the visionary behind PIFster, an app dedicated to making charitable giving fun and impactful. Shashana shares her inspiring journey from being a successful makeup artist to creating PIFster with her husband during COVID. She discusses her deep passion for supporting smaller nonprofits, explaining how the app allows users to donate $1 a month, vote for their favorite charities, and see transparent results. Shashana provides heartwarming success stories of how PIFster has helped various causes, from providing heart medication for a child to rescuing horses. She emphasizes the importance of community and mutual support within the nonprofit sector, aiming for a future where PIFster can support multiple organizations every month.

Listen to the full episode HERE.

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ON THIS EPISODE

[00:19] Meet Shashana Kaplan and PIFster

[00:38] The Inspiration Behind PIFster

[01:18] How PIFster Works

[02:44] Shashana's Background and Career

[04:18] Experiences in the Film Industry

[07:12] Dancing with the Stars Journey

[11:05] Impact of COVID on the Industry

[16:44] Creating the PIFster App

[20:28] The Power of Community Support

[20:38] How the PIFster App Works

[21:21] Ensuring Charity Integrity

[22:13] The Voting Process Explained

[26:22] Success Stories: Making a Difference

[36:04] The Vision for PIFster's Future

[36:51] Join the PIFster Movement

[40:15] Empowering Women and Leaving a Legacy

[41:07] Join the Passionistas Sisterhood

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Passionistas: Hi, we're sisters, Amy and Nancy Harrington, the founders of The Passionistas Project, an inclusive sisterhood where women find support, purpose, and empowerment. Each episode, we share stories of passion driven women breaking barriers and redefining success.

Today, we're talking with Shashana Kaplan, the visionary behind PIFster, the app that makes giving back fun, easy, and impactful for local nonprofits.

We are so excited to talk to you today and share about your amazing organization. Shashana.

Shashana: Thank you so much for having me.

Passionistas: What are you most passionate about?

Shashana: Oh, many things. Um, right now, you know, it's these smaller nonprofits, these people who have such a steadfast heart to help their community. Without them, I think our communities would fall apart.

And they, these people are just amazing. And nothing stops them. They're just tenacious and out there. And they just don't let anything stop them. And I love them. And I want to give them a voice and a platform so that people know who they are. You know, we all have these small nonprofits right in our backyard and we just don't know.

Passionistas: So tell everybody what that platform is that you have created for them.

Shashana: I would love to. So, um, it happened during covid when we, my husband and I realized that there were so many people in need. And I remember saying to my husband, and I'm sure many have said this before. If I had a dollar for everybody that cared, we wouldn't have these problems.

And my husband said, you know, I think we should do something with that. And I had no idea what that was going to take us into. So for two years, we worked together and we created an app, and it's called PIFster, the Pay It Forward app. And we are a 501c3, but what we do is we crowdsource 1 a month donations, and then we pay it forward every single month to charities and neighborhood causes that are suggested on and voted on by our users.

Then we make a video showing your money doing what you voted it to do, because transparency is everything. We have been going for 26 months, and we have done some amazing things. We helped a little boy in Oregon get heart medication that prepared him for heart surgery. We helped a horse rescue in Kansas.

We helped veterans in San Antonio get counseling. We helped people in North Carolina from the floods. We helped people in Palisades with the fires. I mean, it just goes on and on and we get the money directly in the hands of the people who need it, which is. So important and...

Passionistas: Absolutely. So let's take a step back. Where did this passion for helping people come from? Have you always been passionate about that? Like, what was your childhood? Like, tell us a little bit about that.

Shashana: Well, you know, it's funny that you say that, um, because I think I only realize now I'm 58. I only realized. Um, as you know, well, you two know, I was a makeup artist in the film industry for four decades and what made me a good makeup artist was that I really cared and nurtured and sort of coveted my client, you know, I, I really, and I, I didn't realize, oh, my gosh, I've always been this compassionate person up until maybe just maybe a year ago. I realized, oh, my gosh, it's always been there. But when I was younger, my house, I can remember in high school, all my friends would come to my house and I would do their hair and makeup before we go to school, you know, or we would all change clothes and I would be their stylist and not because I was good at it, but just because I had a heart.

You know, I love seeing women confident. There's nothing more beautiful than that. And so that sort of carried through right out of high school. I started doing makeup immediately and I was very successful for 40 years and I loved it. I loved it because again, I was able to facilitate that confidence in a woman and it was just, you know, it's not eye shadow.

It's, it's, it's just a perception of you feeling good. And that really just enabled them to transform into characters or to just feel beautiful. So I'm a caring person. Sorry. Go ahead.

Passionistas: No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you. Um, so did you go straight into film and television makeup or did you work in salons first? Like how did you get into the entertainment industry?

Shashana: Well, I was very lucky. Um, I met somebody who, uh, took me under their wing and I immediately started as their apprentice and I, um, I did like, um, Joe Blasco and I did a few days on, um, uh, the Hal Linden show and then, um, Abe Vigoda took a liking to me.

So I went to Fish. Um, which was, he was amazing. So, I mean, I, I started really young and I was able to be an apprentice at that time. And then I went into films. More, more films than TV because I felt there was more of a character transition. So I loved, I loved doing films. I mean, where else can you be on a team of 300 people all working towards one vision? It is powerful.

Passionistas: What are some of the films you worked on that we might know of?

Shashana: House of Sand and Fog. Um, uh, oh my gosh, I should pull my resume. Um, House of Sand and Fog, Cradle to the Grave, um,

Passionistas: Pearl Harbor.

Shashana: Pearl Harbor, thank you. Yeah, as I said, I was 58. So yes, it's hard to remember everything. Yeah, oh my gosh, so many great movies. Yeah, for four decades. Yeah, many movies.

Passionistas: It's interesting what you said about, about the makeup, you know, about nurturing people because we've interviewed for the Television Academy, we've interviewed a number of people who have worked in, in the makeup department or, you know, hair and makeup or the wardrobe departments. And it always comes back to the fact that like those two spaces are the sanctuaries.

Shashana: Yes.

Passionistas: For the actors. Oh, absolutely. All the chaos going on outside that room. That's where they can go and and really the connections that we have noticed that the those crafts people make with the on screen talent are so powerful.

Shashana: Yes, I can see that in the morning. You know, at 4:45, 4 o'clock in the morning, we are the first person that they see. So how we are is how they're going to be. If we are not nice people in the morning, the actor is not going to be pliable or workable. That's, that's just the basic, but we really become their therapists because we're with them 12, 15, 16 hours a day.

Passionistas: Yeah.

Shashana: I mean, we literally give them toothbrushes to brush their teeth after lunch. It's like, it's a very nurturing thing, you know, because we have to make sure that there's no food in their teeth when they go back to work. But, you know, simple things like that. I loved it. I loved it. And again, just being a part of a team of 300 people all working towards one vision just is an amazing feeling. Yeah…

Passionistas: it really is an incredible collaboration. So one of your most recent credits was you were the makeup department head on Dancing with the Stars. Yes. So tell us a little bit about your experiences on that show.

Shashana: Oh, that was a great show. Uh, we had a lot of fun. So when I started, it wasn't union and, um, I was head of hair and makeup, which was a huge job, huge job. I had about 30 people under me and I took the job very serious. When I found out what dance they were doing, I would research the dance and find out the history of the dance. You know, if it's Spanish or if it's, you know, American, it made a huge difference in how you did the hair and makeup. It wasn't just making people pretty or throwing glitter on people, which I think people don't understand.

I mean, it was, you know, El Diablo is very different than the tango. Mhm. And so I would do a lot of research and I loved it. The dancers were incredible. And when you would do the actors and you would see how they progressed, and this is probably why I had a hard time with this job, I would cry. just to see their progression, which meant I was way too emotionally invested in the job.

And I was, I was, but man, it was great to just see how they just progressed and they loved it. And there's just so much expression and dance. It's just, you could tell such an amazing story. So to see them grow and learn and become these storytellers with not just their words in their mouth as an actor normally does, but with their bodies and their costumes and their hair and makeup, it was.

It was a highlight of my whole career.

Passionistas: And so many of those people, I mean, there's always, there are always those few people every season that are like, it's their big comeback. They've been, you know, they were a child star in the seventies. So to, as a, is a viewer, I can't imagine as someone who gets that intimate with them, seeing their moment to shine again and to.Have a chance to show people how hardworking they are and...

Shashana: Well, and they they're, you know, they're rehearsing all day long All day, sometimes five six days a week all day long it because and it's, it's unbelievable I remember we had an actress on and now I can't remember her name because of course I just thought of her And she had just had a baby.

She just what is her name? I wish I could remember Um, she had just had a baby and she lost almost 30 pounds in our season Yeah, yeah, and it wasn't healthy, but I mean that's when you're dancing all. Oh Tia Carrera, Tia Carrera. Yes Yes, could I knew if I didn't think of it?

All those hints my mom gave me when she got older they're actually working Yeah, she lost a lot of weight and the doctor was like, you know, you've just got to be careful but I mean, what can you do when you were doing high kicks and dancing all day long? You know, that's just how it happens, how it happens, but man, the first time she did a high kick.

I remember us all in the makeup department applauding her and just being so happy because it's, it's monumental for them to like be so refined in their movements. You know, it's just great. It's great. Yeah. And when I left, I left my assistant there. Her name's Xena. She does the Academy Awards. Xena is, she took over the show and she's amazing.

She's a great, great makeup artist and a great person. And I'm so proud of her. It's so great to leave something like that to someone and just see them blossom.

Passionistas: So now how was the show impacted by COVID?

Shashana: Uh, well, the show, my, well, there wasn't COVID during Dancing with the Stars. I was on Westworld when COVID hit.

Yeah, I was on Westworld and I could tell you that they had us in hazmat suits, booties. Gloves, masks, a shield, and it was challenging to say the least that, you know, they bind you up and then they say, okay, go create magic. And it was. It was hard. It was hard to make a connection for one, you know, and then it was just hard to, to work.

I mean, you couldn't breathe. And, you know, if you pulled your mask down to take a bite of a sandwich, the COVID police would come around and tell you to put it back up. And, and then you'd see producers walking around without a mask. So it was very hard and very confusing and very challenging, challenging.

I mean, I, I'm glad that as time went on, we were able to do the mask or a shield because um, and I'll be honest for me personally. I was just ending menopause. So I was like, I was dripping under my, my hazmat suit. It wasn't good.

Passionistas: When you're wearing a mask, you got the force on your upper lip.

Shashana: I went into the hair department and begged them for their hair dryers just to dry off a Oh, yes.

Yes. Yeah. And those things don't breathe. I can tell you those hazmat suits do not breathe. Yeah. So it was challenging, but you know, we, we, we made it through. And, um, you know, I think also the hard part was, is that we talked about all these studios being separate, you know, they would require you to take a test.

The problem was, is that Disney didn't take Warner Brothers tests results. Warner Brothers didn't take Paramount's. So every show that you worked on, you were running around getting tested at all these different places because every studio had their own testing facility. So now I understand that because they were being repaid by the government.

I understand that now, but at the time it was very hard because, say, in 1 week, I would be on Westworld and then I would be doing like the Lakers. There was a and then I would be doing something for Netflix, you know, while working 16 hours a day. I had to run to these other places. you know, at the 18th hour, 19th hour of the day to get tested.

So that was, that was hard. That was really hard. And then having the covid police come around and tell you to, you know, to after you take a sip of water to put your mask back up. I mean, that was, you know, but it's over now and it's all good and You know, we survived. We survived and Westworld was magical. So

Passionistas: I can't imagine how cool it would have been to be on that set.

Shashana: Yeah. Well, the set's amazing the set just a little energy because you know that you're doing something that is. Different and futuristic and hasn't been done before. And yeah, it was fun. It was a lot of fun.

Passionistas: You also get to like do the throwback to the Western and do you know what I mean? Like the different time periods.

Shashana: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. And we'd get these big graphs or these big charts of like, okay, so before lunch, we're doing this look, you know, and again, like you said, we'd be in the Western world, you know, and then after lunch, we'll be in Japan. So we're going to be doing this look. And it was like, Oh my God, this is a blast.

You know, it's not often that you get to do all that expression in one day. Dancing with the Stars is the last time I was able to do that kind of expression because you had all the different dances, you know, but. Yeah, so it was, I loved it. I loved it. It was a blast and I had a great department. The department was so encouraging and so lovely and they were under so much stress because you were running all over the place and they had 1st unit and 2nd unit and then, you know, 3rd unit and it was It was amazing.

And weirdly enough, amazingly, I'm so proud to say this. A hairdresser, Jose Zamora, was the head of hair on Westworld and I hired him. That was his first job in the industry on Dancing with the Stars.

Passionistas: He's a regular hairdresser, right? Why do I know his name?

Shashana: Because he's a huge hairdresser now. And now, I mean, he was so talented. I knew if I didn't scoop him up, I would lose a gem. So I, he, I hired him and he did the judges for the first five years. And then after that, he's the head of hair and makeup on Westworld. And I just am, again, I'm so proud of some of these people that I've worked with a long time ago to see their success.

Passionistas: But that's not surprising in relationship to what you've built, because you are so clearly a pay it forward person in life, in addition to the organization you've built, like, the way you talk about other people succeeding. You're even more fired up than when you talk about your own personal successes.

Shashana: Yeah. Well, my success is other people's success. You know, we're all a team, you know, and I think that when you invest in people and it pays off, what, what better payoff is that? I mean, there is, there is no better payoff. Than that, you know, I just, so that makes me proud and I'm, yeah, thank you. I like that.

I'm glad that you noticed that, but yeah, I love, I love other people's success again with you guys, even with The Passionistas Project. I mean, it's just kudos, kudos, kudos. It's hard work, you know, and there's challenges, but you know, you remain tenacious and steadfast and you just keep going and, and here we are. And it's beautiful.

Passionistas: And it's so it is so gratifying when you see it pay off. It really is. Yeah. So let's talk more about this. You alluded to this... during COVID. You started PIFster. Yes. You told us a little bit about the seed of the idea. So how, what was that process like? How did this happen?

Shashana: Well, so this is interesting. I, if anyone was ever to build an app, I highly suggest that you sit down and design your app before you take it to an app designer, because if I had not sat down with Chris and said, okay, what does page one look like? And where does page one? What is page? How does page one lead into page two? It would have taken us years and hundreds of thousands of dollars because you just don't know what you don't know.

You know, so my husband and I, we sat down and we thought, okay, well, what is the end result? What do we want? You know, and we did some research on nonprofits as we were donating our time around our neighborhood. And we realized that there are 1.8 million nonprofits in America and people only know of the top 10 and those top 10 get billions of dollars from our government and all of the others.

just don't have a voice in this vast pool. And so as my husband and I started to donate our time, which we did anyway, but this became a full time job as we were thinking, okay, how can we support them? We realized that these smaller nonprofits, as I call them, are usually run by someone who suffered a trauma themselves and vowed that no one else would go through what they went through.

And they opened up a 501c3. They have no idea how to run a business. They only know that they want to care for people and prevent them from going through what they went through. And those are the people that my husband and I really wanted to give a voice to and give fundraising and, you know, a platform.

So not only do we raise money, But we promote them on social media, and then we keep them on the app so that people know that these nonprofits have been vetted and that every Christmas when you come around to your donations, these people have been vetted, and they are a neighborhood cause that really depends on these donations. They don't get these big grants. You know, it cost thousands and thousands of dollars to hire a grant writer and some of these people just can't. They can't do it. You know, they don't know how to run a business. They only know how to care for people. So now they're caring for people running a board and fundraising and like me.

And I'm one of those people. I opened up a nonprofit. I don't know how to run a nonprofit. You know, I'm learning like them. And that's what I thought. If we could all pull together and help each other. Just like we do in the makeup department, you know, if we all come together, then we make each other better and and it's been working for 26 months.

It's been getting better and better and we're raising more and more money. And, you know, and we're helping these amazing neighborhood causes. And these people really need it. They need it.

Passionistas: Yeah, it's so true. Um, how do you, you know, you said you're, you're running a nonprofit now too. So how much time do you spend focusing on being a nonprofit versus helping, like, you know, Reaching out and finding these other nonprofits to support. It seems like that must just be an overwhelming amount of work.

Shashana: Um, it is, it is. And, and there are times where I'm like, I can't do this, you know, and luckily I have friends who run other nonprofits and I call them and they're like, you know, encouraging. I mean, that's what I mean about like a department, you know, like we encourage each other.

So there, thank God there are people that I can lean on who I call or they call me. And that has been. Life changing. So on our app, you can always suggest a nonprofit that you care about because we help nonprofits all across America. And I can't tell you what's happening in Alabama. If I have an a PIFster who an Alabama, sorry, a PIFster who's in Alabama, they know what's happening in their neighborhood and they hopefully will have something they're fond of.

So they could go onto the app and suggest a charity. So that's how we've helped people all over America is because we have PIFsters from here to Hawaii, New York, Texas, Oregon. I mean, it's Yeah, it's amazing. It's amazing. And all of those people have obviously gone on the the app and have suggested a charity.

And I spend my day vetting these charities. You know, and making sure that you know that they are who they are, that there's consistency that, you know, at least 85 percent of the money coming in gets used on the cause because you'd be surprised. How many people only donate 20 to 30%. I can't, I can't, I'm not here to help you make money.

I'm here to help you with your cause. So, I mean, the nonprofit world is kind of tricky, you know, anyway, so 85 percent of the cause and then also to make sure that there's no fraud in their history to make sure that, you know, their board is on the up and up and, you know, and that they're good people doing the right thing. And luckily, I've had more of those good people than others. Yes. Yes.

Passionistas: So tell us about the voting process and how that works, how you select the four every month and then how the voting process works.

Shashana: So, um, wow, that's funny. Um, that is my biggest challenge. Now we have so many suggested charities. So, right now, it's just kind of like, whoever I finished vetting goes up next month.

Um, and that's last month. We kind of pushed people a month because we have the unexpected fires and I really wanted to help people with the fires. So everyone sort of got pushed down a month. And I had to rush to vet those charities every month. We have 3 new charities and a runner up from the last month.

Because I want to give somebody a second chance because they work hard to get people to get on the app and to vote for him. So I give them a second chance. So we have three new charities that go up and every month you can go onto the app. You join, you become a pifter and you can vote every month. And whomever has the most votes at the last minute of the month gets the monthly dollar pot.

Passionistas: That's great. I didn't know you, uh, you gave, I didn't notice that you gave the second chance. Because we've been going on every month and voting, but it didn't register to me.

Shashana: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, again, that's me because I mean, people work so hard to get people to get on the app and vote and God bless them. You know, I want to help everybody. So we give them a second chance and or third chance Adopt Me Rescue has been up for three months because they've come close so many times.

Passionistas: Fantastic. Yes. Um, and and when I don't know that we've been clear to say that to become a PIFster and to become someone that gets to nominate people and gets to vote is $1 a month.

Shashana: Yes. Just 25 cents a week. $1 a month. I don't it's the best dollar you'll ever spend and we need dollar donors so that we could help these smaller nonprofits and causes. Yeah. Yes. So please, anybody listening, go to pifster.org or app.pifster.org and become a PIFster. It's the best dollar you'll ever spend.

And you actually see your dollar working because we make videos showing your money doing what you voted it to do. Even though they're gut wrenching the videos and heart wrenching, but they're, they're, it's great to see. People take the money and really make it work.

Passionistas: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, I think we all know there are people who are like, it's only an extra 20 a month.

It's only an extra, you know, it's a dollar. And I have to say, like. Even for people that are struggling, I, you know, I don't have a ton of expendable cash right now. I always feel good about my dollar every month. I feel like, oh, and I vote every month because it's like, oh, okay, I get to be part of this decision.

I get, you know, sometimes I know the charity or I am real feeling really connected to what their mission is for some personal reason. And it's really. You know that they're going to get way more than a dollar, you know, that all you had to do was give a dollar and your time. And I also love that you allow people, you give people a mechanism to make donations beyond the dollar if they want to.

Shashana: You can always make a direct donation and no matter who gets the most votes, they will always get that direct donation always. Yes. Because sometimes people are fond of two things. They're like, Oh, I love this one. I love this one. You can always donate to both and then vote however you want to go. But I really, I think that's what really got me with this app is that there was never.

I couldn't find any nonprofit or any way to donate my money and dictate what I wanted it to be used for. You know, like, like, you know, your 20 a month and I'll just say ASPCA, I can't dictate where, what I want my money to be used for. You know, I want it to be used for the shelters, not media, not the commercials, even though those commercials make me cry.

Yeah, you know, and so this is the only app where every voice, every vote, every dollar makes a difference and it's up to you.

Passionistas: You mentioned a couple of couple of the recipients briefly, but can you give us a couple more success stories of people that you've helped through PIFster?

Shashana: Yes. Oh, my gosh. Where do I begin? So, um, oh, gosh. So there is Max, the little boy that I told you, um, he was on our app twice and my mother in law found him and apparently, uh, This boy was born with bacterial disease, which is no esophagus and no anus.

So he was a million dollar baby within the first five minutes of his life immediately into surgery. And they created all this and they predicted that he wouldn't live to be more than a toddler. And he's now seven years old. But my mother in law found him. He was very ill and he takes his allowance, buys top ramen and gives it out to the homeless in the streets of Oregon.

And my mother in law met him that way and said, Shashana, you've got to meet this little boy. And, um, his name is Max Dollarhide and this kid's incredible. So he needed heart surgery and, um, it was very expensive. Just the prep. He needed a special diet, a special system, special medication, and that medication was almost 800.

And so we put him on the app and, um, we raised 804 for him. And then we found out that. They didn't have enough money to get the whole family to Cincinnati to get surgery. His mom could go with him, but we thought, you know, that you are going to respond better to a health crisis when you have your loved ones around you.

So again, we put him on the app and we got his mother and his father all to Cincinnati for the heart surgery. And that was, that was amazing. Amazing. There is, um, a horse rescue in Kansas that became aware of Some farms that were buying horses and taking them to Mexico to be slaughtered. And so we put them on the app and we raised enough money for her to not only buy the trailer that they were using to transport them, but she bought the horse farm.

So all of those horses were saved. Little things like that that are amazing. Yeah, it's just, it feels so good. We've helped the people in North Carolina. We helped, uh, heal corporation. We helped them install, you know, when, when they were flooded, all the water. Um, what are they called? Uh, water filters, everything was destroyed.

So all that bacteria that lives in the water, all of that was, they were having a hard time filtering out everyone. Everything had to be boiled. So we were able to get. Uh, water filters out there so that they could run their water through the systems so that they had cooking water, drinking water, you know, I mean, little, little things and we raised, I mean, it was still less than a thousand dollars and that it made a huge difference for them.

I could go on, I could still go on. There are many more, many more. We helped last year. We helped an amazing nonprofit called She is Hope LA, which supports single mothers. And last Thanksgiving, we were able to get 35 turkeys for women who couldn't afford large turkeys. And we got them, thank God it was the month of November, so we got them Thanksgiving turkeys, 35. Can you imagine 35 families that weren't able to get turkey? I mean, I just, I don't know where extravagance, and then you see people who just need just a little. Just a little. So, so yes, so a turkey was what we got them. We helped project pop drop, which is another amazing organization that organizes schools to get hygiene kits and food and we help them.

They just show up at a homeless shelter and pass out. food and hygiene kits and little notes of encouragement, which is, you know, I know it's hard, but keep your chin up, you know, here's some shampoo, take a shower, you'll feel better. I mean, not as blatant as that, but, but little things like that. We helped, um, there's a thing called showers of hope.

We paid for them for a month to travel around to different parks and to give homeless people showers. Yes. Which costs a lot of money. I didn't realize like the gas, the money. And they also give you, they gave everyone little hygiene kits. So that was really great. We helped seniors. We helped a place called maps, which is the mission to assist and provide for senior citizens.

There were senior citizens that were choosing between paying their electric bill and mobility because they had an electric chair. So, we were able to help a couple seniors pay their utility bill off for where it was at the time so that they could actually have mobility. Yeah, just these little, little things, you know, but it's amazing to pay it forward.

It's just, honestly, it's the most blessed thing I've ever done in my life. And every single month it's the gift that I get to do. So it's a gift to so many.

Passionistas: And I also want to say you have helped Passionistas last year. You You're welcome. Also supported Aaron's Coffee Corner and Carolyn which it was so dear to our heart. Carolyn is a dear friend and a long time Passionista. So to see that that worked out, we're so grateful to you for that.

Shashana: She is an amazing, strong woman. You know, I don't, again, another woman who sees. Something and says, okay, that's it. No one's gonna go through this. And I don't know if people know she has an ill son who is constantly in the hospital, and she noticed that the nurses that work 12, 15 hour shifts had to leave the floor to get a cup of coffee. which is just, it's ridiculous that a nurse who is so devoted, can't get a cup of coffee where she works. So she started Aaron's coffee corner and she got coffee machines and coffee right on the floor. So those amazing dedicated nurses could have coffee during their 12, 16 hour shift. While they're caring for these people. Yeah, it's amazing.

Passionistas: Yes, she got the family members, the family members who, you know, you don't think about this till you're living it like she Carolyn can't take the elevator ride down to the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee when she's caring for Aaron in the hospital. So the family members don't have to go down.

So it was such a gift to all of us in the Passionistas community who love Carolyn so much for you to do that. And I think that's one of the amazing things about paying it forward the way you do it is it impacts so many people. And the other thing I love about you and what you do is you reach out to each of these people directly.

It's not, I think people hear the word app and they think technology and cold and a process. But you really get to know each person that created this organization and why they do it, and you do it with such heart, and it's really beautiful, and I think that, um, that's something I really want people to understand about what you're doing.

This is, this comes from such a loving place.

Shashana: These people, again, um, these are our warriors, our neighborhood warriors. And I think without these people, the world would be a really cold place. You know, these are the people that are walking down our streets that say, Hey, how are you doing? They keep our communities together.

And Carolyn, especially, boy, she Yeah. Yes, I do. I do want to know about these people because I want to give them a voice and a platform so that other people can have hope and to see that like you can do it. You yourself, if you see something that needs to be done, you can do it too. Like, look what Carolyn's doing.

You know, or if this is something that's important to you, you can continue to help Carolyn because even though we just helped them for a month, they need continued support. Yes. And we continue to support them and we continue to promote them. And thank you. Yes, I, I, these. These people are, um, important to us, you know, and important to the world.

Passionistas: Absolutely. Absolutely. If they weren't doing what they're doing, so many more people would suffer.

Shashana: Yeah, you know, it's funny, I close my eyes and I think, wow, just in L. A. we have 10 million people. Just 10 million people. If, if everyone would donate a dollar, even if one hundredth Donated a dollar. That's so much money that could resolve some of these problems and really put these caring people on a, on a, on a trajectory trajectory that could really do a lot of good, you know, I can't do what they do.

I would be a blubbering mess. I mean, you know, I rescue dogs and I, and I'm still crying, you know, and it's like I say to my husband, if I gave a dog rescue 10, 000, they're not going to go to Hawaii on vacation. They're going to rescue more dogs. You know, and I can't do what they do, but, but I could give them a dollar to do that and I can support them in what they do.

You know, and I hope that other people can do that, too, because we need these people. We need these caring warriors in our neighborhoods. They really, they give people hope, you know?

Passionistas: Absolutely. So what's your vision for the future of PIFster?

Shashana: Oh, my goodness. More dollar donors. More dollar donors. Yeah. No, if we could get up to amount where we could start dividing the amount and helping two a month, three a month.

That that's my dream. That would be my dream where we could vote on three different organizations so that again, because there's 1. 8 million nonprofits in America, you know, if I'm just going to do one a month, it's going to take me a while to help. You know, so I would love to get to a financial place where we had so much money coming in that we could give, you know, 20, 000 here, 20, 000 there, 20, 000 this one that that's my dream.

Passionistas: You'll get there. Oh, you'll definitely get there. Oh, yeah. So to help you get there. How can people support you? Where do they find you? And how do they become PIFsters to donate? And also, how do they nominate other people?

Shashana: So there's two things you can do. Uh, you can suggest a charity that you're fond of or a neighborhood cause, um, right on our app, which is PIFster. org and to become a PIFster, you'll go to app.pifster.org and you'll, um, there's a tutor that will take you through how to donate your dollar and then you could start managing your subscription and then you can start right away voting and, and, uh, suggesting.

Passionistas: And can people suggest their own organization?

Shashana: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes. Because again, some of these smaller nonprofits are again run by someone who suffered that trauma and said, no one's going to go through this. So yes, yes, please. We, we love that. We love that. And I look forward to getting to know each and every one of them because the goal is also, you know, on our website we have something called Pifter pals and also not only to financially offer support and fundraising and a voice, but I would love and this is a bigger dream than just the fundraising.

I would love for mental health Nonprofits to be able to work together, you know, because a lot of times a lot of the training comes from the top down and they have to wait for that information, but there are so many people who could come together and learn from the bottom up, you know, and so we've done this thing called pifter pals, where we're having all of these nonprofits join, and then they start to get to see, Oh, look, there's another mental health organization.

I'll get to, I'll get to know them and it's working like new horizons is now working with. would task the adult skill center and they're learning from each other. At first it was kind of interesting cause they were like, Oh, I don't know if we want to share in the fundraising. And I'm like, well, you need to get over that right now.

Because listen, the goal is to help these people and it doesn't take money all the time. It's not always money. I get that money is how you help people, but really. Let's start with the basics. And so now task is working with New Horizons and there's some senior centers that are working together and that just that is that's the best part.

That's the best part when you see them working together because now they're going to do fundraisers together.

Well, in awareness, you can't put a price tag on awareness. Of an organization, but also of an issue like it's so hard. There's so much noise. There's so many issues. It's like the more we amplify, you know, what the charity is about what the organization about why they're doing what they're doing, the more people understand what other people are going through.

Yes. Yes. And cause I know what my ladies like Tisha from she is hope and Nikki from project pop drop. I know what support those ladies have been for me. I wish that upon all nonprofits that they have other nonprofits to lean on and to encourage them and to educate them and to share in their experiences because that's how we grow.

Passionistas: Absolutely. All right. I can't believe our time's almost up, but we have one last two part question for you, which is what is your dream for yourself? And what is your dream for women?

Shashana: Wow, that's big. That's big. Um. Well, of course I go back to my makeup artist self for my women. I, I, I want women to know that they are perfect.

Just the way they are that, um, especially with makeup. Um, nothing makes you better. It just enhances. The perfection that you are, that's what I want to leave for women. And for me, personally, I would love to get PIFster to where it is self-sustaining so that I could leave it as a legacy to continue to support these smaller nonprofits.

Passionistas: Thanks for listening to The Passionistas Project. Since we're not only business partners, but best friends and real life sisters, we know how unique and truly special our situation is. We know so many solopreneurs, activists, women seeking their purpose and more who are out there doing it all on their own.

They often tell us they wish they had what we have. So we've created a space for them and you to join our sisterhood. Where trust, acceptance, and support are the cornerstones of our community. By joining, you become part of our family. We'll give you all of our CIS tips on building meaningful relationships through the power of sisterhood, and all the tools you need to thrive in three key areas — business growth, personal development, and social impact. You'll learn from our panel of Power Passionistas who are experts on topics like transformational leadership, letting go of perfectionism, the power of community, and so much more. You can connect with like-minded women and gender non-conforming, non-binary people.

Who share your values and goals in chat spaces at online pPassionistas pajama parties and virtual and in person meetups. And you can register for our exclusive series of online courses designed to help you tap into your intuition, find your purpose, bring your mission to fruition, and integrate diversity, equity, inclusion in every aspect of your plan.

Be sure to visit thepassionistasproject.com to sign up for our free membership to join our worldwide sisterhood of passion driven women who come to get support, find their purpose, and feel empowered to transform their lives and change the world. We'll be back next week with another Passionista who's defining success on her own terms and breaking down the barriers for herself and women everywhere.

Until then, stay passionate.