Let’s Hear It

Latest Episodes:

A bonus edition of Let’s Hear It – ComNet 19 Preview with Carrie Clyne and Tristan Mohabir Sep 25, 2019

Show notes

We couldn’t resist – ComNet 19 is next week and we’re so excited that we’re bringing you a bonus edition of Let’s Hear It!

Eric spoke with two of the staff from the Communications Network who are helping to make it all happen this year - Carrie Clyne, Deputy Director of Events and Community, and Tristan Mohabir, who is Director of Operations and Editorial.

Carrie and Tristan talk about how they are helping everyone make connections and make the most out of this year’s ComNet – from first-timers like Carrie to seventeenth-timers like Eric. If you’re coming this year, this show is a great primer on how to make the most out of the conference. If you were one of the many who waited too long only to see the conference sell out yet again, Tristan and Carrie will inspire you to make sure you don’t miss out next time!

David Morse – A Giant Among Foundation Communicators Sep 18, 2019

Show notes

If you worked in foundation communications in the past thirty years, chances are that David Morse helped you – directly or indirectly. At the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and then the Atlantic Philanthropies, David helped advance the field of strategic communications like few others. Many of the modern concepts of communications strategy were born in his office or through the work of his consultants.

David sits down with Eric to talk about the legacy of Frank Karel, his predecessor at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, how the field has developed over time, and he’ll give you a chuckle when discussing the freedom that working for a limited life foundation affords.

We recorded this conversation earlier in the year, so if you want to buy him a drink to ask him about the old days, you’ll have to go to Norway to do it – David has hung up his flak jacket and now sips aquavit on the fjords.

ComNet 19 - The Most Exciting Event of the Year! Sep 04, 2019

Show notes

If you are interested in using communications for social change, the Communications Network Annual Conference is the single most exciting event of the year. From October 2-4, over a thousand foundation and nonprofit professionals will gather in Austin, Texas to learn from each other about how to use communications to make a difference.

Stefan Lanfer of the Barr Foundation and Jade Floyd of the Case Foundation are chair and co-chair, respectively, of ComNet, and they spoke to Eric about their lives, their work, barbeque, Lycra, Spiderman, Pose, and why they’re so excited about this year’s event.

Hunter Johansson of Solar Responders Makes His Famous Twin Sister Proud Aug 14, 2019

Show notes

Hunter Johansson could have easily traded on his twin sister Scarlett's fame for all kinds of rotten purposes. Instead, he co-founded a nonprofit to put solar panels on the roofs of first responder stations in Puerto Rico to save lives and protect the planet.

Hunter sat down with Eric to talk about why he co-founded Solar Responders, he speaks about the opportunities and challenges of having shared a womb with one of the planet's most recognizable people, and he explains the deep rewards that await people who are interested in dedicating themselves to the service of others.

Hunter is earnest, humble, and he’s a walking, talking cure for cynicism. Hear for yourself.

Fred Blackwell of the San Francisco Foundation Talks About Equity, Optimism, and Trying to Pass his Grandmother’s “Smirk Test.” Jul 31, 2019

Show notes

In five years as CEO of the San Francisco Foundation, Fred Blackwell has emerged as one of philanthropy’s foremost leaders dedicated to advancing racial and economic equity.

As a community foundation, the San Francisco Foundation is able to raise money, make grants, and do the kind of political advocacy that private foundations cannot. Fred and his colleagues have used these tools to focus on housing, jobs, protecting communities, and a host of related issues.

If all that responsibility seems intimidating, you’d never know it from talking with Fred, who never seems to break a sweat. With one of the easiest laughs in the business, Fred sits down with Eric to discuss his work, his hopes for the future, and how he has drawn upon generations of family wisdom to guide his decisions. It’s a terrific conversation in which Fred shares his optimism about how he thinks the country can emerge from these proverbial “challenging times” stronger and more connected.

Doniece Sandoval Might Just Change the Way You See – Taking “Radical Hospitality” to the Streets Jul 17, 2019

Show notes

Doniece Sandoval took a bit of time off from her career as a marketing and communications leader to take stock of her life and her future. Little did she know that she would be soon leading one of the most extraordinary social service organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, and that she would use her many skills to find new ways to connect with that region’s unhoused population.

Doniece launched an organization called Lava Mae, which provides mobile showers for some of the Bay Area’s most marginalized residents. By giving people a chance to feel clean, she is restoring dignity and providing hope to thousands of people in the San Francisco Bay Area and now Los Angeles. Even more than that, she is providing essential lessons to all of us about how to make deep meaningful connections through the power of stories.

Keep a hankie handy - these stories are amazingly powerful and deeply moving.

Cronies in Bars Having Cocktails - Alfred Ironside, Ford Foundation's International Man of Mystery Jul 02, 2019

Show notes

By the time Alfred Ironside arrived at the Ford Foundation in 2006, he had already had a career that most of us could hardly imagine – from leading disaster communications at the Red Cross to media relations at UNICEF, with stints in advertising in Bulgaria to a newspaper in Jerusalem to boot – Alfred Ironside may be the James Bond of communications.

As the Vice President for Global Communications at the Ford Foundation, Alfred is rolling all those skills and experiences into one exciting, strategic bundle. Alfred and Eric sit down at Mollie’s Pub in New York’s Gramercy Park neighborhood (where Eric’s grandmother used to drink) to discuss his career, what he’s learned, and the joys and challenges of running communications for one of the biggest and most complex foundations in the country. We REALLY think you won’t want to miss this one.

Who Wants $100 Million? MacFound's Kristen Mack and Common Pool's Jaison Morgan Discuss 100&Change Jun 19, 2019

Show notes

In June of 2016, the MacArthur Foundation announced that it would award a single $100 million grant to a single organization that was making a difference on a specific solution. They opened up a competition to allow organizations to vie for the award in a campaign they called 100&Change. The winner was the Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee, which created a project to help refugee children living in conflict areas in the Middle East.

Now, MacArthur is back with its second competition. In this episode of Let’s Hear It! we speak with Kristen Mack, Senior Communications Officer at MacArthur, and Jaison Morgan, CEO of Common Pool, the company that helps to design and conduct the competition.

Kristen talks with Eric about how she came to this field and about how MacArthur integrates communications throughout its work and especially into such a visible campaign (and the drinking habits of journalists.) Jaison talks about how competitions need to focus on transparency and feedback, and about the significant benefits that clear communications can have (and how he uses competition strategies in his parenting).

Join us for another fun and illuminating episode of Let’s Hear It!

The re- re- re-invention of Beth Kanter Jun 05, 2019

Show notes

Beth Kanter became a nonprofit social media phenomenon because she used a new technology – blogging – to take and share notes about her work. She became an expert on what makes a healthy workplace because she wasn’t feeling 100% and decided to write a book about how feeling good contributes to better functioning organizations. She was scared by math, so she wrote a book about how to measure results to slay that dragon and help others learn. Some people play Angry Birds on their phone in their spare time, and some people write best-selling books.

Let’s face it, Beth puts most of the rest of us to shame. It is no wonder that she is one of the most sought-after speakers, trainers, and authors on non-profit effectiveness anywhere.

Beth talks with Kirk (yes, Kirk!) about the fascinating contours of her career, the important steps that organizations need to take in order to thrive, and the seven stages of grief in measuring effectiveness.

Join us for this terrific conversation with one of the most colorful and interesting leaders of our field.

Jim Canales, President of the Barr Foundation - Need We Say More? May 22, 2019

Show notes

It’s hard to talk about Jim Canales without getting a little gushy. He’s generous, funny, and way too modest for someone who has spent more than two decades as an amazing leader in our field. And as the president of the Irvine president from 2003-2014 and the Barr Foundation since then, Jim has established himself as one of philanthropy’s very best communicators. Oh, and he’s also just incredibly nice.

Jim sits down with Eric (in a very fancy studio, we might add) to discuss his journey from high school English teacher to foundation executive, how he uses communications to advance the goals of the Barr Foundation, and his theory on who robbed the Gardner Museum in the greatest art heist in history (okay, not so much on that last bit).

We really think you’ll enjoy this episode with Jim, one of the best and brightest minds in philanthropy.

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