Adversity to Advocacy: Rachel Miller - Pivoting Purpose to Amplify Impact

Future Nonprofit

“At that time, I really thought that money was the biggest issue. What I soon realized was that actually, not having money was not the biggest issue. The biggest issue was that the adults in my life were struggling so deeply, and there were severe mental health issues taking place. And so it was this shift from trying to eliminate adversity, to trying to pull a lever that actually could be pulled, which is just to get mental health resources into these high-need environments." - Rachel Miller

Have you ever set out to tackle one problem, only to realize there’s a much deeper, underlying problem that needs to get untangled first?

Meet Rachel Miller. She’s the founder and CEO of Closegap, a nonprofit dedicated to improving students’ mental health by addressing untreated trauma before it turns into a long-term, debilitating issue.

Believing money to be the big problem for students, Rachel set out to close the gap between immediate needs and resources. But as she reflected on her own devastating childhood trauma, she realized that the real demand was for life-saving mental health support that navigates students through the trauma that far too many kids have to face. With a strategic pivot, she turned CloseGap toward addressing the growing mental health crisis unfolding in our schools.

In this episode, Rachel shares how her own childhood struggles led her to the nonprofit she’s leading today with incredible courage, compassion, and commitment. We unpack Closegap's innovative, transformative approach to improving student mental health. We also explore unconventional nonprofit funding strategies and what it takes to foster a team dedicated to championing your cause. Tune in for an episode packed with inspiration and insights on building trust and persevering to make a greater social impact.

Contents

1 - Rachel’s upbringing and teenage struggles

2 - Closegap’s origins, and how its mission evolved

3 - History of mental health resources in schools

4 - Closegap’s model and revenue streams

5 - Power dynamics and donor relationships in nonprofit work

6 - The importance of strong teams and culture

Links

• Historic Agency
• 988 Mental Health Crisis Line
• Rachel Miller on LinkedIn
• Closegap
• Culture Built My Brand

Mentioned in this episode:

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