Lisa Romkema will begin her new job as CEO of Sioux Empire United Way (SEUW) at the end of this month. She sat down with Sioux Falls Simplified to talk about the importance of philanthropy, her experience in the nonprofit sector and how giving goes far beyond money.

Answers are edited for length and clarity.

How did you “get smart” about the world of philanthropy? What in your background led you to your current role?

I grew up in a small town, so philanthropy from the lens of time, talent and treasure – from all angles – was engrained in me from a young age.

Fourteen years ago, I joined the team at United Way as a campaign director – where I started my career. That was really where I learned about giving more from the lens of "treasure" and giving back financially.

• I feel like I was so lucky because I was getting to see people at all levels of income and all levels within the community, individually and businesses giving back for this collective impact.

I was there for five years, then joined the Sanford Health Foundation team and worked in major gift fundraising for about five years – then Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons as chief development officer.

I've been at Maximizing Excellence since then, and when United Way was looking (for a new CEO), I decided to go back.

We're all about simplicity here. Can you describe the role Sioux Empire United Way plays in our community in one sentence?

SEUW unites individuals and organizations to create lasting, positive impact in the community.

What is something you’ve observed people misunderstand about philanthropy, and can you help us set the record straight?

People don't always understand that philanthropy really is for everyone, and there's a place for everyone in philanthropy.

I talked about time, talent and treasure. We have so many people in the community who give within all of those categories.

Even if you look at the side of giving money, gifts of any size can help to impact organizations. So it's good to understand that and the role you can play no matter which stage of life you're in.

What most excites you about your new role at United Way?

What excites me most is the opportunity to continue to build awareness for what the organization does and to continue to partner with the organizations, individuals and nonprofits that we have partnered with.

I also hope to find ways that we can expand partnerships and just continue to make a really big impact in the Sioux Empire communities that we serve.

What’s the Sioux Falls-i-est thing about you?

I am unapologetically supportive of giving back to our community. It was ingrained in me from the day I set foot in this town of (the culture of) giving back, people being so generous with their time and what they have to give, as cheesy as it sounds.

Anything else you want the good people of Sioux Falls to know about you, Sioux Empire United Way or your new role?

Stay tuned.

We'll be kicking off our annual campaign in September, and we have a lot of really fun activities for kick-off week. You can learn more about those here.