Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Siefken.
Hi Daniel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey to my current reality began during college, when I spent two weeks traveling Costa Rica and Panama with a few friends. What I thought would simply be a short-term volunteer experience helping with a construction project resulted in a life-long passion for social and community impact work in Central America and with Latino’s everywhere.
After graduating from university with a Spanish degree (Spanish degree….what??? Why???), and a short-term stint leading university students abroad for volunteer experiences, I moved to Guatemala as a 24 year old to run a nonprofit that provided health care services and other community development programming to low-income communities. It was here that I began began building skill-sets and experiences necessary to lead nonprofit organizations towards growth. That organization tripled its impact during my 2 year tenure and gave me a taste for deep and impactful work within communities. A few years later, and after finalizing my masters in sociology, I found myself at the University of Texas at Austin leading faculty-led study abroad programs, while also building national platforms and systems for undocumented students to gain access to higher education and study abroad under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program. I spent five years actively pursuing equity for underrepresented students in higher education.
From there, I spent two years in Costa Rica running a study abroad program for US university students, teaching courses on Latin American Perspectives, Religion and Community Development. The program was losing money for 10 years prior to my arrival and within 2 years was break-even with projections for revenue and an increase in student participation for the first time in a decade. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic hit at that time, and our entire organization shut down operations across the globe as they weren’t able to weather the storm.
What seemed a disaster was a blessing in disguise, as my departure from that organization led me back into community development, where I transitioned into my current role with the Abundant Life Foundation (ALF), a 501(c)3 social impact organization based in Austin that provides community development, affordable housing and educational opportunities for low-income communities in Roatán, Honduras. Founded by David and Brenda Dachner of Lakeway, ALF has been serving families and youth for nearly 20 years in Honduras. Our most notable programs are an affordable housing community with a library, computer lab, park/playground, agricultural farm, school and church; a literacy training program that supports English training for more than 300 children each year, and a community engagement program that serves over 2000 people annually through events, library programs and sports.
As the executive director, I am passionate about ensuring that families and children on the island gain equitable access to the same opportunities that have defined generations of success for people in the United States. What separates the two realities is not intellect, innate capacity or desire; it is simply access to educational and economic opportunities. Our goal as an organization – and my personal goal – is to build the platforms that give people a hand up, not a hand out, so that they can invest into their own future through access to opportunities. Our team of 20+ Hondurans lead the charge, investing into their own communities and helping to ensure a secure future for thousands of people in Honduras.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
While there’s no such thing as a smooth road, I am grateful that it has been a road with few major challenges. Working in Latin America also taught me that challenges are simply things to be overcome, not things that stop one from accomplishing their goals. Challenges are also the greatest teacher in the world, building within us persistence and tenacity to overcome the next.
My greatest challenges typically involve foreign governments, which tend to be highly bureaucratic and sticking points for progress. In my current role, the organization has spent the last 8 years building affordable homes, with 34 homes built to-date. It took us over 6 years of paperwork to get these homes approved by the government prior to residents moving in, meaning the homes sat for approximately 5 years before we could offer them to low-income communities. High-quality, affordable homes sitting empty for years awaiting paperwork. These types of challenges are standard for the type of work, but with persistence and a commitment to the people we serve, they can be overcome.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an executive leader for nonprofit/social impact organizations. I have 20+ years of experience in the field and my speciality is international organizations and community engagement. What separates me from others is threefold. After years of living and working in international/intercultural settings, I am very adept at navigating cultural nuance and making things happen in a foreign context. Secondly, I am a skilled leader of people, including remote leadership and inspiring performance from a distance, including my current role as an ED of an international nonprofit where my team is scattered between two countries. Finally, I lead with integrity and build teams that are values-driven. I am most proud of the way in which every team I have led is characterized by integrity, honesty and transparency. I instill in my teams the belief that even the greatest achievements earned through corruption or dishonesty are a loss to the people we serve.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
You can learn more about the organization Abundant Life Foundation by visiting our website, www.abundantlifefoundation.org. I’m extremely proud of the way in which we are caring for the marginalized populations of Roatán, Honduras through our work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.abundantlifefoundation.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abundant_life_foundation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ALFRoatan
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/abundant-life-foundation/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@abundantlifefoundation9694
