An Army of Normal Folks - The Contribution Gap…. And What We’re Doing About It

Episode Date: December 12, 2025

For Shop Talk, we dive into the reality that only 33% of Americans are contributing in their community at the level they’d like. And what we plan to do about it.Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premiumSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey, everybody. It's Bill Courtney with an army and normal folks. Welcome to Shop Talk number 81. All right, what players were number 81, Bill? Oh, gosh. An 81. Was there a famous one I should know? Yeah, there's a couple. 81. I don't know. Randy Moss.

Oh, gosh. Terrell Owens. Wow. Tim Brown. Wow. Kobe scored 81 points in a game, which I forgot about and is crazy. Yeah, and it was real late in his career, I think. I think he was...

I forget, but yeah. I don't know. All right, well, there's 81. We're going to keep doing that. He also became Catholic before he died. He also, what? Became Catholic before he died. Proud Catholic moment.

Really? Actually, we should tell Kobe's story. It would be a good shop talk, his turnaround story. Okay, well, now we got three upcoming shop talk. His redemption story is pretty wild. I do want to hear that. You don't know it? No.

Don't blow it. If you know, he was, like, shooting on his wife, like he... Oh, I know that. I don't know the redemption. Oh, yeah. I only know the Black Mamba bad part. Yeah. Oh, yeah. There's a good story there.

Okay, well, we'll hear it. Let's do a shop talk on it. It's never too late. It's never too late. Today, Alex is going to talk about the contribution gap and what we're doing about it. So you're going to have the distinct pleasure of Alex's voice. Gosh. Right after we return.

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Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, Boone County, Kentucky. For more on Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, please visit gentleman's cut bourbon.com. Please enjoy responsibly. Hey, everybody, it's Chuck and Josh from the Stuff You Should Know podcast, and it's that time of year again, and we knuckle down to do our annual holiday episodes. We collected our best past classic holiday episodes

and compiled them into a 12 days of Christmas toys playlist that the whole family can enjoy. That's right. Maybe you missed it the first time we detailed the history of Beanie Babies, Monopoly, or Yo-Yo's, and a whole lot more. So listen to the 12 Days of Christmas Toys playlist on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Have you ever listened to those true crime shows and found yourself with more questions than answers? And what is this? How is that not a story we all know? What's this? Where is that?

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Dad had the strong belief that the devil was attacking us. Two brothers, one devout household, two radically different paths. Gabe Ortiz became one of the highest-ranking law enforcement officers. in Texas. Thirty-two years. Total law enforcement experience. But his brother Larry, he stayed behind and built an entirely different legacy. He was the head of this gang, and nobody was going to tell him what to do.

You're going to push that line for the calls. Took us under his wing and showed us the game, as they call it. When Larry is murdered, Gabe is forced to confront the past he tried to leave behind, and uncover secrets he never saw coming. My dad had a whole other life that we never knew about. Like, my mom started screaming my dad's name, and I just heard one gunshot. The Brothers Ortiz is a gripping true story about faith, family, and how two lives can drift so far apart and collide in the most devastating way. Listen to the Brothers Ortiz on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Okay, everybody, welcome back. Shop Talk number 81 in honor of, I think we're going to make it honor Terrell Islands. He was a bad, bad man. That guy could play. I loved him. In just a second, you're going to get your fill of Mr. Cortez as he discusses the contribution gap and what we're doing about it. We still cannot discuss who we've been acquired by, but when we do discuss it, will be exciting. And with these people who have acquired us, I've spent a lot of time with this new team thinking about the future. And they work with this great researcher called Todd Rose from this group called Populous. And he's got this fascinating research that 70% of people say they want to contribute in their communities, but only 30% feel like they actually are.

So that is a massive contribution gap in the country. I think you've talked about that before maybe with maybe with you i don't know how much we've talked about it on the show or not but yeah but basically everybody wants to do something but very few do or feel like they can yep and so ultimately that's what we are trying to solve against with an army normal folks and kind of our two future strategies to solve against it is to number one build the leading entertainment platform about service which is a crazy vision and so how i kind of talk about it these days is if you're familiar with Cody Sanchez. She's kind of the boring businesses person and she's completely crushing that space. Arthur Brooks is well known as the happiness guy and owns that space.

People like Jocco Willink and David Goggins are kind of the discipline as freedom type people. And yet surprisingly, there's no one who really owns the service space and the public consciousness. So there is a big opportunity there for us as an army of normal folks to achieve that. And it's not ultimately just to achieve it for that end. The real end of it is to make contribution easier for people in your community. and then the second one is to build the leading service club in America what to build the leading service club in America the local chapters so we want to

overcome the kwanis the optimist and all those guys well i don't know if you want to say we overcome we can work with all these people yeah i mean come on bill so it's not competition no we're doing it i was doing it up for you i was i know that i was just letting you speak to it god you're just so politically incorrect whatever comes out of your mouth yeah that's what you say but actually on that point um like rotary's lost 100 000 members in the last 20 years kwanis lions jc's and even outside of that like church membership has declined you know massively like this whole space of associating with other people i recently spoke at a rotary in jackson

tennessee or a friend of mine that he's member and it reminded me of how valuable you know it's once-a-month meeting, they get together, but they do try to do good things for the community. But the point is, they are community. You know what I mean? I mean, they're catching up with each other. They're, you know, I mean, they're, it's sad that so many people have fallen,

have fallen out of those social networking clubs that seek to do stuff in their communities. And they're doing great work. Like, I don't know if we've mentioned this in a shop talk, but the listener the other day, who emailed us, who's part of a Kiwanis Club, Louisiana and he heard the sleeping heavenly peace story and then they built 33 beds for kids you know in their community without them so I mean a lot of these you know chapters are doing

incredible I think it's important remember that the Rotary Club was instrumental in stamping out polio yeah childhood polio back long ago I mean their goal was to eradicate polio from the world and they pretty much achieved it what's that they pretty much achieved it yeah so why wouldn't it be something we continue to invest our time and effort in but but But the point is, we will have, hopefully we're working hard to grow organizations like that, too. Yep. So those are our two strategies, and those strategies are both working against what we've outlined is the three barriers to contribution. So the first barrier I call disillusionment.

So right now, 52% of Americans say we can't solve our country's problems. And so if you believe that, what you do is we withdraw from the public square. You watch Netflix, you go on vacation with your family, you go to the old middle, game you go if you could play golf all these things like hey if we can't solve our country's problems might as well go do what i want to do i've got mine and even if i did this beautiful thing for one kid who cares because we're still screwed in mass right so it's very understandable that people feel disillusion right now you know with where we're at but what i've always loved about your original you know message bill when i interviewed you is the message of an army of normal

folks if each of us just do what we can together we can actually solve almost all of our problems and so that message has an opportunity to transform that disillusionment into empowerment so obviously we're doing that through the show each week the second barrier to contribution i call the high cost of service and so people feel like they're too busy i can't make a weekly commitment to do something in my community i can't make a weekly commitment at the exact same time another example i love is there's 12 000 nonprofits in memphis how is anybody supposed to sort through that and figure out what to do? There's 12,000. And even just take a smaller example, like Oxford, Mississippi, there's about 20 effective nonprofits there. Most people... But see, that speaks to the fact

that there's a bunch of bloody do-gooters, as Mike Roe would say. But how effective are they as a bunch of disconnected, you know, veins? What would it look like if it became this United Army? well and so take those 12,000 bloody do-gooters they don't have most of them don't have enough of an army of normal folks behind them right so if you look at that big contribution gap you know of 40 points right imagine you're able to close that contribution gap and you have an army activating behind these nonprofits how different would things look yeah and so how we're we're trying to lower the cost of service and so the way we're doing it through the storytelling each week to inspire people like people like you are doing interesting stuff like this you can do this too they're no different from you and that i really love your line that honestly has become the basis of a lot of our work is magic happens when your passions and your skill sets meet an opportunity and so even outside of the models that's a pretty good line in it yeah i made that up except you like that except you keep screwing it up still i'm trying to convince you you got stuff saying discipline because then you got to define discipline which is a waste of time

but discipline is the correct word i know but the cleaner way to say it is your passions and your skill sets or maybe people should learn what's your dictionary you know but they think about the other discipline that's why you got to define it passions and skill sets okay maybe skill sets i don't like skill sets that's too skill set feels passions and very millennial passions and abilities skill set yeah we'll figure it out okay okay but go ahead but i'm glad you like it so much that you sit here and pick it apart what a bottle it's so important we got to figure out the best language for it you're right we do go ahead come on you take things seriously in your business i don't take things seriously go you don't build an 80 million dollar business by not taking things seriously uh got lucky go

okay go on oh yeah we're gonna wrap soon so um even outside of the stories that we're telling you know we've told probably a hundred twenty five different models that's not going to tell everything and so people can reflect on their own of what are your passions where your skill sets and where can you take action in your community and then too the local church chapter as much of this work is designed to lower the cost of service so the idea of a giving circle right if you don't feel like you have a lot of time you can still join the giving circle you don't feel like you have a lot of time you still show up on a Saturday once a month and serve with us building beds for kids without them or with habitat for humanity and helping build houses you know for low-income people

and what's cool about that is they're actually involved in the building too and have sweat equity in it and then the easy buttons you know so we're that's the last component of the chapter of giving people vetted service opportunities so if you basically take that 12 000 number in memphis what if we can winnow it down to 100 you know the most effective non-profits and i don't think we've had an opportunity to talk about this i've started using some new language what if our local chapter leaders can act as a service concierge you have that's interesting you have a hotel of concierge you know we have travel agents all these other kinds of you know concierges but what if you know the local chapter leaders can meet with the army members and members of the chapters and ask them,

hey, what are your passions? What are your skill sets? And then here's one to five opportunities that you can serve your community using those. That's interesting because a lot of people have passion. A lot of people have abilities slash skill sets, discipline. And a lot of people have the desire, but they don't know how or where. And if they could go to a place that has vetted different opportunities and help match ability, interest, passion, and skill set with vetted opportunities, that could be, that concierge's work could be a catalyst to really exploding engaged service. We should be trying to make service as easy as possible for people. It is kind of the goal.

And so honestly, I think I've fallen into this trap and maybe you have built to, when we started the podcast and this movement, like, we want to stay successful and we want it to grow as much as possible. And it's easy to lose sight of, like, who are we actually serving? Like, that's the point of this all. And everything we should be doing, whether it's the storytelling or the chapters, should really be designed around how are we going to make service easier for people and make sure we're really serving the customer, you know, well in that way. And so the final barrier to contribution is competing priorities. So we're competing with everything else. You're competing with the old miss game and you're competing with the concert and you're competing

of the vacation you're competing with golf and Netflix and all these things and i think life yeah and so i think especially with the chapters if we can build an in-person family-like tribe that makes service just as rewarding or more rewarding those other activities i don't like the word tribe but i get it yeah tribe feels tribal no it feels i don't know weird but i get what you're saying yeah so anyway that's what we're doing That's the plan. This is how we are trying to close the contribution gap and make service easier for people. Who we?

An Army and normal folks. Me, you, the team. Okay. And we invite you to join in this effort. When do we get to talk about the team? I don't know, probably in like a month. Cliffhanger. Yeah.

There's a big team, but we can't talk about the team yet. Whatever. Well, I want to talk about the team. I think it's exciting. Yes, it is. Honestly, I think it's exciting for you. it's an exciting thing for all of us and so yeah anyway this is meant to be to the one person listening us right now right for each individual listener listening this is an invitation to be involved in

helping to build the leading service club in america and help build the leading entertainment platform about service and the bottom line is Alex there is a contribution gap the data shows that we've recognized it but instead of just sitting about it we really are trying to do something about it. And we're trying to do something about it in a well-thought-out, fashioned way that does not feel artificial or forced and is enjoyable and easy to join in on. So stay tuned because an army of normal folks, shop talk, me and Alex, and the unmentioned team that you get to find out about one day down the road, not too distant future, are very, very serious about understanding the contribution gap and closing it so we can grow this army and normal folks and change our country.

That's it. We got a wrap. That's it. We got to wrap. That shop talk number 81. 81. And on Earth, Trell Owens, you said. That's right. Our Trail owns. If you enjoyed this, please rate, review it. Shout from the mountaintops, how cool we are, and tell everybody about us. if you have ideas for shop talk or an army of normal folks please write me anytime at bill at normal folks dot us subscribe to the podcast do all that stuff and join us that shop talk number 82 81 81 82's coming up really appreciate you join us we'll see you next week

I know he has a reputation, but it's going to catch up to him. Gabe Ortiz is a cop. His brother Larry, a mystery Gabe didn't want to solve until it was too late. He was the head of this gang. You're going to push that line for the cause. Took us under his wing and showed us the game, as they call it. When Larry's killed, Gabe must untangle a dangerous past, one that could destroy everything he thought he knew.

Listen to the brothers Ortiz on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Stefan Curry, and this is Gentleman's Cut. I think what makes Gentleman's Cut different is me being a part of developing the profile of this beautiful finished product. With every sip, you get a little something different. Visit Gentleman's Cut Bourbon.com or your nearest Total Wines or Bevmo. This message is intended for audiences 21 and older. Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, Boone County, Kentucky.

For more on Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, please visit gentlemen's cut bourbon.com. Please enjoy responsibly. Hey, everybody, it's Chuck and Josh from the Stuff You Should Know podcast, and it's that time of year again when we knuckle down to do our annual holiday episodes. We collected our best past classic holiday episodes and compiled them into a 12 Days of Christmas Toys playlist that the whole family can enjoy. That's right. Maybe you missed it the first time we detailed the history of Beanie Babies, Monopoly, or Yo-Yo's, and a whole lot more. So listen to the 12 Days of Christmas Toys playlist on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever. wherever you get your podcasts.

Have you ever listened to those true crime shows and found yourself with more questions than answers? Who catfishes a city? Is it even safe to snort human remains? Is that the plot of footloos? I'm comedian Rory Scoville, and I'm here to tell you, Josh Dean and I have a new podcast that celebrates the amazing creativity of the world's dumbest criminals. It's called Crimeless, a true crime comedy podcast. Listen on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get. your podcasts.

Malcolm Gladwell here. This season on Revisionous History, we're going back to the spring of 1988 to a town in northwest Alabama where a man committed a crime that would spiral out of control. And he said, I've been in prison 24, 25 years.

That's probably not long enough. And I didn't kill him. From Revisionous History, this is The Alabama Murders. Listen to Revisionous History, The Alabama Murders on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human.