Thirty-five years ago, a good friend introduced me to philanthropic work. She was seven months pregnant and dealing with health complications, but remained active in her work for The Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence (now The Center for Family Safety and Healing) and the Children’s Defense Fund.
Inspired by her passion and commitment under difficult circumstances, I began my own philanthropic journey that would change who I was as a person and as a CEO.
Broadening reach
Early on, I gave in the most traditional sense — individually contributing to nonprofits that mattered to me personally. Whether time or money, my work with the Coalition Against Family Violence, Children’s Hunger Alliance, Faith Mission, Mid-Ohio Foodbank and Nationwide Children’s Hospital remained personal and private.
Over time, however, my philanthropy grew and became less private as I incorporated it into my professional life. I tapped into philanthropic opportunities connected to what I’d experienced and learned throughout my career, and as a woman and an Iranian immigrant.
I established the Majidzadeh Family Scholarship at The Ohio State University in 1998, which supports a “female athletic individual with preferred education objectives of engineering.” I also created the Majidzadeh Family Scholarship in 2006 at Otterbein University to help minority graduates pay off student loans.
Through the International Road Educational Foundation, I raised $2.5 million to bring engineers, affiliated with third-world country transportation departments, to the U.S. for one year to attend a master’s program at the college of their choice. Upon completion, they return home to educate their peers and contribute to their country’s development.
For my own place of birth, Iran, with no relationship with the International Road Federation, I set up my own scholarship.
A stronger team
Today at Resource International Inc., we work to ensure that kindness is embedded in our corporate culture. Employees understand that if we’re having a comfortable year, we must take time to help others who may be struggling. We donate to individual causes that employees share, but we also donate collectively, such as our holiday toy drive or raising money for the Hunger Alliance.
In my life, for the many times someone frustratingly tried to close a door because I was a woman, had an accent or my business was just starting out, what I love about philanthropy is that anyone can get involved. There are no requirements in terms of ethnicity, gender, wealth or status. If you believe in something and want to help, you’re welcomed, regardless of what it says on your passport, resume or balance sheet.
At Resource International, we are a better company because of it and quite frankly, it’s fun. We work as a team for causes that mean something to us and inevitably it strengthens our team professionally as well.
Charitable giving, fundraising and toy and food drives help bond us and instill a shared sense of pride. It reminds us to care for each other as we care about things bigger than all of us. We are united by a desire to do something meaningful and there’s something awe-inspiring about that.
Farah B. Majidzadeh is the CEO and chairwoman of the board of Resource International Inc. Farah has received numerous awards for her 43 years in business, including 15 years as an unprecedented chairwoman of an International Joint Venture (Highway Maintenance Associates) in Saudi Arabia.
