Volunteering Consumes Madwire’s Farra Lanzer

Bringing Business Home is a new series between Townsquare Media and the Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce to highlight local business people and their impact in the community.

Volunteering consumes many of Farra Lanzer’s hours both on and off the clock.

Madwire’s Director of PR & Community Relations handles all of the interaction with nonprofits for the Fort Collins-based marketing company. She organizes donations, fundraisers and helps set up pro bono work for the nonprofits on the tightest of budgets.

When Lanzer clocks out, giving back remains a top priority.

She serves as the Co-Chair for the Membership and Events Committee for WomenGive, an organization that helps single mom students find affordable childcare. She’s the chair of the Board of Directors for Colorado Kids Create, an organization that helps fund local art programs.

Lanzer also frequently volunteers for Good Dog Rescue — an organization she previously served as a dog foster mom for. She eventually adopted two dogs in Bella and Oliver.

“I’ve always had this desire to give back to my community,” Lanzer said.

Volunteering was instilled into Lanzer from a young age. Her mother was a social worker and some of Lanzer’s earliest memories were stocking shelves while volunteering at a food bank with her younger brother.

“My mom worked in nonprofits as long as I can remember,” Lanzer said. “It definitely contributed to my involvement in my community and philanthropy.”

Lanzer was born in Long Island, New York — she didn’t get the accent like her parents — but mostly grew up in Colorado. 

She attended UNC in Greeley before transferring and graduating from Colorado State University.

Here’s a Q&A with the woman highly involved in Northern Colorado’s nonprofits:

Name of business and how long have they been here?

Madwire. The company was founded in 2009.

Favorite restaurant in Northern Colorado?

I recently went to Cacciatore at Jessup Farm. I also really love Chimney Park Bistro in Windsor.

Last place you volunteered at?

Pretty much all the time. The most recent was I volunteered (Feb. 22) at a food packing event for Feed My Starving Children.

Tell us about your customers?

We do have customers all over the country. The majority of our customers come from outside of the state of Colorado. Our target client is small- to medium-size businesses. We aim to work with small business owner across all industries —  you name it, we have a client.

Last time you saw live music in Northern Colorado?

Newswestfest this past summer.

What one thing sets Fort Collins apart from other towns and communities?

I feel like you really get the best of both worlds in Fort Collins  — it’s a city but also a small community. We have anything that anybody could ever need with all the resources but we also have a big sense of community here. I haven't found another place that feels like Fort Collins.