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Brad Smith
Founder & CEO of Rootstock Philanthropy - Working towards a better world.
Professional Background
Brad Smith is an esteemed leader in the field of philanthropy, known for his impactful work as the Founder and CEO of Rootstock Philanthropy. With a wealth of experience in major gift fundraising, philanthropic leadership, and campaign management, he has dedicated his career to empowering philanthropists and mission-driven professionals. Through his innovative approach, Brad aims to democratize access to world-class advancement counsel and advocates for building a more resilient and mobile philanthropic enterprise. In addition to his role at Rootstock Philanthropy, he also founded The Philanthropy Network on LinkedIn, a platform designed to foster connections among philanthropic professionals and enhance collaborative efforts.
Prior to his role at Rootstock, Brad played a pivotal role in various esteemed organizations including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he served as Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center and held multiple senior fundraising positions over his career at MIT, responsible for leading important initiatives that significantly advanced the university’s philanthropic efforts. His strategic vision for cultivating major gifts and elevating the impact of donations has not only benefited these institutions but has also set a standard within the industry, demonstrating the profound impact that effective fundraising leadership can have.
Brad has also held key positions at other prominent organizations such as The Jackson Laboratory and the American Technion Society, where he achieved remarkable success in overseeing development and driving fundraising strategies. His roles have included former Executive Director of Development, where he played an integral part in advancing the missions of these organizations through strategic philanthropic initiatives.
Education and Achievements
Brad Smith's academic background uniquely equips him for his roles in philanthropy and leadership. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Classical Civilizations from Colby College, where he developed a strong analytical foundation and a profound appreciation for historical frameworks that influence modern economic conditions and societal structures. He later pursued a Master of Education in Administration and Supervision at the University of Virginia, where his studies focused on the skills necessary for effectively guiding educational institutions, which complement his philanthropic endeavors by instilling a robust understanding of how to lead organizations towards impactful objectives.
Additionally, Brad has expanded his expertise with studies in Economics at The University of Edinburgh, further broadening his understanding of economic principles that govern philanthropic and fundraising landscapes.
In his professional journey, Brad has been recognized for his visionary approach to philanthropy, consistently pushing the boundaries to inspire others and enhance the field. His commitment to fostering partnerships that propel organizational missions forward speaks to his dedication as both a leader and an educator in philanthropy.
Notable Achievements
- Founder & CEO of Rootstock Philanthropy: Instrumental in launching a consultancy that provides philanthropy-focused strategies and support to various organizations, helping them optimize their fundraising efforts.
- Philanthropy Advocate: An influential voice in promoting the importance of philanthropy at all levels. He actively educates and inspires others in the sector, sharing valuable insights gained from years of experience.
- Successful Campaign Manager: Led numerous capital campaigns and major fundraising efforts that yielded significant contributions, benefiting various educational and charitable organizations.
- Community Leader: Engaged in various initiatives that enhance the philanthropic landscape, including founding The Philanthropy Network on LinkedIn, which serves as a pivotal resource for peer engagement and collaboration.
- Diverse Experience in Major Gift Fundraising: With roles spanning from leadership gifts officer to senior director of development, Brad's trajectory showcases his ability to adapt and thrive in various fundraising environments, amassing expertise that brings value to potential philanthropic opportunities.
Personal Life
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Brad is a proud father, devoted husband, and enthusiastic orchardist who enjoys nurturing fruits of his labor from the land. He is also an avid sneaker aficionado and finds joy in riding as part of the Original25 on Peloton, showcasing his dedication to fitness and well-being. His commitment to family and personal passions harmonizes with his professional aspirations, reflecting a well-rounded individual who values connections both at home and in the philanthropic sector.
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Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.