Some of the most meaningful work in our communities happens when people come together, choose to trust one another, and commit to something bigger than themselves. At Encircle, we see every day how powerful that can be. Building a stronger, more connected community begins with relationships, and relationships begin with trust.
That’s what makes Building Bridges, a gathering created and hosted by Kristin Andrus, such a meaningful event.
Each year, Kristin brings together people representing nonprofits across Utah, creating space for connection, collaboration, and shared purpose. It’s an opportunity for leaders who spend their days serving others to learn from one another, strengthen relationships, and find new ways to make a difference. This year, I had the privilege of delivering the keynote to approximately 200 attendees, exploring a subject that sits at the heart of effective leadership and meaningful community impact, trust.
Drawing on the work of Dr. Brené Brown, we explored what it takes to build trust, how it grows through our everyday actions, and why it matters so deeply in the work of bringing people together.
Trust is easy to talk about, but it takes intention to build. It grows when our words align with our actions, when we show up for one another, when we honor our commitments, and when we make space for honesty, vulnerability, and accountability.
For nonprofit leaders, trust isn’t simply a nice-to-have. It is essential.
The work of serving our communities is too important to do alone. It requires organizations to collaborate, leaders to listen, and people from different backgrounds and perspectives to find common ground. It asks us to recognize that we may not have every answer ourselves, but together, we can accomplish far more than we could individually.
When trust exists, collaboration becomes more meaningful. Partnerships grow stronger. Resources reach further. And the people who depend on our organizations benefit from a community that is more connected, compassionate, and committed to their well-being.
At Encircle, trust is central to our mission. Building spaces where LGBTQ+ youth and their families feel seen, supported, and loved requires us to cultivate trust every day with the people who walk through our doors, the families who turn to us, the volunteers who give their time, and the donors and community partners who make our work possible.
Trust is not built in a single moment. It is built through consistent care, shared commitment, and the willingness to keep showing up.
Kristin is a respected and influential community leader whose voice carries weight because of the way she shows up for others. When someone with her experience, credibility, and commitment to Utah’s nonprofit community invites you to contribute to a gathering like this, it means something.
Her invitation reflected more than confidence in a keynote speaker. It represented a belief in the importance of the work Encircle is doing and in the role we can play in building a stronger community.
That kind of trust is both an honor and a responsibility.
Leadership is rarely a solo endeavor. We all benefit from people who see what is possible, encourage us to take the next step, and create opportunities for our work to reach further. Sometimes, that belief gives us the confidence to share a message with a room full of people. Other times, it opens a door to a partnership that changes what an organization can accomplish.
And sometimes, the greatest gift is simply knowing that someone understands your mission and believes deeply enough in it to stand alongside you.
Kristin has been that kind of supporter to Encircle from the beginning.
Kristin and the Andrus family have supported Encircle since its earliest days, making a lasting and deeply meaningful impact on our work. We are profoundly grateful for their generosity, their belief in our mission, and the care they have shown our community over the years.
But what makes their support especially meaningful is how they approach philanthropy.
For Kristin, generosity is not limited to writing a check or lending her name to a cause. She gives her time, energy, leadership, and attention to the daily work of serving others. She gets involved. She builds relationships. She looks for ways to help people do their work better and reach even more people in the community.
She understands that meaningful change takes more than good intentions. It takes people willing to roll up their sleeves, ask thoughtful questions, share their experience, make connections, and help others succeed.
Kristin consistently looks for ways to empower the people around her. She recognizes that when a nonprofit leader has the support and resources to do their job more effectively, the impact can extend far beyond a single organization. It can strengthen an entire network of people working toward a common purpose.
That is philanthropy at its best, not simply supporting a mission from a distance, but actively helping bring it to life.
And the impact of that approach reaches well beyond any one event or organization. It creates a ripple effect of generosity, collaboration, and possibility throughout our community.
Kristin and her family exemplify what it means to put love in motion.
Their support reflects a deep understanding of Encircle’s mission and a genuine trust in the work we do. They recognize that helping LGBTQ+ youth and their families feel supported and connected is not the responsibility of one organization alone. It is a shared commitment that requires a whole community to participate.
Their generosity has helped strengthen Encircle, but their example also reminds us of something bigger. The way we give matters.
We can give money. We can give our time. We can share our expertise, open doors, build relationships, and help others find their footing. We can use our influence to elevate important work and our leadership to make it easier for others to lead.
When those forms of generosity come together, they create something lasting. They build trust. They strengthen communities. They help good work reach more people.
And they remind us that love becomes most powerful when we put it into action.
As I reflect on this year’s Building Bridges gathering, I keep coming back to the importance of people who are willing to bring others together.
Kristin created a space where nonprofit leaders could connect around a shared purpose. She invited us to learn from one another and recognize the strength that comes from working together. And through her longstanding support of Encircle, she has demonstrated that building bridges is not just something we do at a gathering. It is a commitment we live out over time.
I am grateful for Kristin’s trust, for the Andrus family’s enduring support, and for the many people across Utah who dedicate their lives to serving others.
The challenges facing our communities are too complex for any one person or organization to solve alone. But when we lead with trust, give generously, and approach our work with a genuine desire to help one another succeed, we create opportunities for change that none of us could achieve on our own.
That is how stronger communities are built. That is how trust becomes action. And that is how we put love in motion.
At Encircle, we are honored to be part of a community that continues to show us what is possible when people believe in one another, and then do the work to prove it.
Thank you, Kristin, and thank you to the Andrus family, for helping us build bridges, strengthen our community, and make more room for love.