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Lisa Heussner Young volunteered through Grameen Foundation’s skillanthropy program, Bankers without Borders (BwB) where we connect thousands of skilled volunteers with high potential social enterprises and nonprofits around the world. Lisa’s story below captures her journey as a volunteer and highlights how this project gave her the chance to dust off skills she doesn’t use every day and lean into her network to make a difference.

Over the past 10 weeks, I had the privilege of working on a Global Fellows project with the Wyoming Housing Network (WHN), a nonprofit based in Casper, Wyoming, that’s tackling affordable housing challenges across the state. Our goal was to help WHN prepare for major growth—doubling its staff and launching an in-house property management company—all while navigating an uncertain funding environment.

When I first joined the project, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I met five other Wells Fargo colleagues from completely different parts of the company, and none of us had worked together before. What impressed me right away was how much knowledge and experience each person brought to the table. Honestly, my biggest lesson was that leadership isn’t about having all the answers it’s about giving people the space to use their strengths.

That’s exactly what happened. I didn’t need to micromanage; I just needed to create an environment where everyone felt empowered to share ideas and leverage their networks. And wow, did they deliver. Together, we assessed WHN’s current HR and payroll processes, identified gaps, and built a multi-generation project plan to support their growth. We developed job descriptions for future roles, explored HR systems, and even outlined a change management plan to help WHN maintain its culture as it scales.

What made this experience so rewarding was seeing how quickly a group of strangers could come together and make a real impact.

In just 10 weeks, we helped make life easier for an organization that plays a critical role in its community.

That’s something I’m proud of.

This project reminded me why I love opportunities like this—they push you outside your comfort zone, teach you new things, and connect you with incredible people. I walked away feeling grateful, energized, and more confident in the power of collaboration.