The Nonprofit Leadership Podcast discusses important issues facing nonprofit leaders in our community and features real stories from real leaders about what strategies and practices have made them successful. Enjoy the show!
How nonprofits can help change the odds for individuals in their community
Jun 02, 2024
Show notesTomi Hiers
To affect significant change in the community, a nonprofit leader must be willing to collaborate and engage with the community they serve. Today’s guest, Tomi Hiers, believes we can make a meaningful impact in our communities through collective action and data-driven solutions.
Rob’s guest, Tomi Hiers, is the Vice President of the Center for Civic Sites and Community Change at the Annie E Casey Foundation. The Annie E Casey Foundation is a private national philanthropy that creates better futures for the nation’s children by strengthening families, building economic opportunities, and transforming neighborhoods into safer and healthier places to live, work, and grow.
Tomi explains the mission of the Annie E Casey Foundation, which aims to promote the well-being of young people and families and advance racial equity. She shares insights from the foundation’s “Changing the Odds” report, highlighting both the progress and the disparities facing families, especially in Atlanta. Tomi believes these issues must be addressed through collective impact and collaboration among nonprofit leaders, government, and the private sector. She encourages nonprofit leaders to understand their community landscape, collaborate with other organizations, and use data to measure and tell their impact stories. Finally, Tomi shares examples of successful initiatives in Atlanta to demonstrate the power of cross-sector collaboration and community-led solutions.
How Habitat for Humanity is developing creative solutions to our housing crisis
May 26, 2024
Show notesJonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 and is one of the strongest nonprofit brands in the United States. Many nonprofit leaders can learn valuable lessons from this impactful organization that has changed lives all over the world. Rob’s guest, Jonathan Reckford, shares some of his insights on a variety of topics that affect nonprofit organizations.
Jonathan is the CEO of Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in approximately 70 countries. Habitat’s vision is of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
Jonathan explains how existing trends were made worse due to the COVID pandemic and why he thinks things will continue to remain complex for the nonprofit sector for years to come. He also shares the two biggest leadership lessons he was taught due to the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Jonathan believes that community service is the antidote to polarization in our world. He describes ways in which Habitat for Humanity is being more intentional in building bridges between people of different backgrounds. Jonathan also explains that unrestrictive giving is critical due to the impact nonprofits can have through these kinds of donations. Finally, he discusses the initiatives that Habitat for Humanity is focusing on, in order to alleviate the current housing crisis.
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What leading with courage looks like
May 19, 2024
Show notesAdrien Lewis
To affect big change in the world, a nonprofit leader must be willing to take risks and must be willing to fail along the way. To put it simply, it takes courage. Today’s guest, Adrien Lewis, explains what is required to be a courageous leader.
Rob’s guest, Adrien Lewis, is the founder and President of CarePortal. CarePortal is a technology platform that drives action for local kids and families in crisis all over the US. They do this by connecting people who need help with people who want to help, through their care-sharing network.
Adrien explains what his platform, CarePortal, is about and why he and his wife started the company. Through this care-sharing network, families across the United States can receive the help and hope they need to move forward. Adrien shares that the road to starting CarePortal was paved with lessons and failures, yet they didn’t give up on their mission to help children in need. He wants nonprofit leaders to know that courage is not the absence of fear, but it means pushing through your fears and failures. In order to establish a culture of courage, Adrien believes you must acknowledge the courageous actions of those you lead. He also believes that true courage requires a heart of humility. Adrien shares examples of leaders he admires who are both humble and courageous. Finally, Adrien describes a wonderful collaboration between CarePortal and the Stand Together Foundation and how they are making a difference on a national level.
How to manage conflict better
May 12, 2024
Show notesDavid Dye
Conflict happens in the workplace, whether we like to admit it or not. According to a recent survey, 70% of people worldwide report experiencing the same or worsening levels of conflict in the past few years. Today’s guest, David Dye, describes the factors contributing to increasing levels of workplace conflict and how to manage it effectively.
David is an author, podcaster, and nonprofit consultant. He also co-authored the new book, Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Workplace Conflict, a guide to mastering workplace conflict with confidence and ease.
In preparation for his newest book, David and his co-author Karin Hurt conducted a worldwide survey to understand the current workplace conflict trends. David lists the factors currently contributing to these trends, including overwhelm and poor management practices. He believes not all conflict is destructive and that there can be healthy, positive “conflict” if we are intentional about how we go about it. David explains the four dimensions of healthy conflict listed in his book. He also offers examples, directly from the book, of a few powerful phrases to help foster collaboration. David offers practical advice on how to say “no” without creating conflict and suggests what to do if you feel ignored at work. Finally, David encourages us to speak up and avoid staying silent, since it deprives everyone of the opportunity to make positive change.
How do we recruit and develop the board we need
May 05, 2024
Show notesErik Hanberg
We often discuss topics related to fundraising, branding, and culture. While these are all important areas of discussion, there is another critical topic we must focus on as nonprofit leaders. This topic is board governance. Today’s guest, Erik Hanberg, shares how nonprofits can effectively approach board recruitment and development.
Rob’s guest, Erik Hanberg, is a consultant who works with nonprofits in board governance and fundraising. He is also the author of various books, one of which is called, The Little Book of Boards: A Board Member’s Handbook for Small (and Very Small) Nonprofits.
Erik believes many nonprofits need to pivot their recruiting process for their boards because the typical process is inefficient. He lists the steps involved in the process, including how to find potential members, how long the process should take, and the most important traits they should look for in a board member. Erik understands that not all board members can be high achievers. He believes that as long as they establish a strong system based on rules and culture, having lower-level members on the board is fine. He also shares how a nonprofit should approach a situation where a toxic member must be let go. Erik believes it is essential to start training new members before their first meeting with the board, and what the onboarding process should look like. Finally, he explains why he is in favor of term limits, and why he does not advocate for specific job duties for members.
How you can become a changemaker through “micro-leadership”
Apr 28, 2024
Show notesAlex Budak, professor at University of California, Berkeley and author of “Becoming a Changemaker.”
Are you a leader at a nonprofit who wants to bring about change, but you don’t think your idea will be welcomed by the rest of the team? Are you struggling to get everyone on board with this new mission and feel your efforts are futile? Today’s guest, Alex Budak, explains that you don’t need everyone on board before bringing change and how you can become a more effective change maker.
Rob’s guest, Alex Budak, is a professor at University of California, Berkeley as well as the author of “Becoming a Changemaker.” His book is a fresh, inspiring and research-backed guide to developing the mindsets and leadership skills needed to navigate, shape, and lead change and to make a positive impact in our lives, career, and communities.
Alex explains why resistance to change is normal in an organization, and what leaders can do to effectively overcome that resistance. He shares that he had an epiphany moment while living in India, that greatly influenced the work he is doing now as a professor. Alex describes a new concept called “micro-leadership” and how each one of us can put this into practice everyday. He goes into what the common traits are that change makers have and what it actually means to be resilient. Alex shares why action is necessary if a leader seeks to have an impact. He explains the initial steps leaders should take when trying to influence their team to come on board with change. Finally, Alex explains the one area that nonprofit leaders are leaning too heavily on and what they need to do to be successful.
Leadership Insights from The Bridgespan Group
Apr 22, 2024
Show notesAnum Qadir
It’s no secret we appreciate hearing insights from The Bridgespan Group on the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast. We invite two more voices from their organization to speak on relevant topics in the nonprofit space. Today’s guests, Anum Qadir and Christian Celeste Tate, discuss current trends in giving, how to improve retention and leading with intention.
Christian Celeste Tate
Anum and Christian are managers at The Bridgespan Group. The Bridgespan Group is a global nonprofit that strives to make the world more equitable and just, by using rigorous research to gain insights that help clients solve problems and achieve their goals. Anum and Christian are also the co-hosts of season three of Dreaming in Color, a podcast by The Bridgespan Group and Studio Pod Media.
Anum and Christian share insights about changes they are seeing in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. They offer advice to nonprofit leaders dealing with the downward trend in giving. Christian encourages leaders to pay attention to trends within the individual context of their situations, so they don’t get lost in details that don’t pertain to their organization. For leaders struggling with recruitment and retention, Anum invites them to focus on creating an internal organization that people will want to stay in. Christian believes if you aim to develop a culture of resiliency in your team, you as a leader must first demonstrate resiliency by living it out. Then it will become the culture of your organization. Anum and Christian also describe their exciting new roles as co-hosts of Dreaming in Color, and the emphasis of leadership in the current season of the podcast. Another major focus of the podcast revolves around equity and social change. Anum urges nonprofits to recognize that DEI cannot be an isolated component; it must be rooted in every part of the organization’s strategy. Christian offers examples of approaches nonprofits can adopt to establish strategies rooted in equity. Finally, they both emphasize the importance of deep introspection and why a great leader isn’t afraid to step back and truly reflect on who they are and what they do.
How to successfully transition from the for-profit to the nonprofit sector
Apr 14, 2024
Show notesColleen Kelly
Many of those working in nonprofits, often started in the nonprofit space. This doesn’t mean of course that someone in the for-profit sector cannot transition over. In fact, it is becoming more common. Today’s guest, Colleen Kelly, did just that, switching to the nonprofit sector after working for 30 years in the for-profit world doing marketing and advertising.
Rob’s guest, Colleen Kelly, is the CEO of the US branch of Concern Worldwide, Ireland’s largest humanitarian organization. Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organization that works to transform the lives of the world’s poorest people.
Colleen explains why she decided to leave her amazing career in marketing and advertising, and how she became CEO of Concern Worldwide. She shares what surprised her most about her transition to the nonprofit sector. Colleen describes the differences in approach when leading for-profit organizations versus nonprofit organizations. She also shares some of the biggest lessons she has learned as a leader, one of which is the importance of delegation. Colleen believes leaders can only level up if they delegate to their team members and help them grow. She describes the mission of Concern Worldwide and shares why they are such a unique nonprofit organization. Finally, Colleen offers practical advice to those looking to transition into the nonprofit sector.
The power of generous leadership
Apr 08, 2024
Show notesJoe Davis
When you hear the term “generous leader” you may automatically think of financial generosity. Being a generous leader means more than that. Today’s guest, Joe Davis, explains that a generous leader is someone who shows vulnerability, supports inclusion and seeks to understand individuals at a deeper level.
Rob’s guest, Joe Davis, is the Managing Director and Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group. He is also BCG’s Chair for CIE (Center for Inclusion and Equity.) Joe is also the author of The Generous Leader, 7 Ways to Give of Yourself for Everyone’s Gain.
Joe explains what it means to be an empathetic leader and lists the positive outcomes of leading this way. He believes the best leaders are wise enough to realize they don’t hold all the answers. He offers specific suggestions on ways these leaders can incorporate deeper communication, by asking the right questions. Joe shares how leaders can measure whether or not they are leading generously. For leaders who feel vulnerability is a weakness, he offers reasons for why being vulnerable is powerful and how to start. Joe describes how small acts of generosity can have a big impact on the team and what these acts can look like. He also explains how generous leaders effectively increase employee engagement through intentional inclusion efforts. Finally, Joe shares that when it comes to navigating a team during a time of crisis, the willingness to be vulnerable can bring a sense of relief to the whole organization.
Why your culture determines your brand
Apr 01, 2024
Show notes
What kind of brand and what kind of culture do you have? Is there a gap between how you see your brand and how your community sees your brand? Rob’s guest, Ted Vaughn, explains why so many nonprofits inadvertently develop a “brand gap” by failing to integrate their culture and brand strategy. He also shares how you can avoid making this mistake.
Ted Vaughn, is the co-author of the recent book, Culture Built My Brand, along with Mark Miller. Ted is also a Brand and Culture Strategist at Historic Agency. Historic Agency helps organizations build a brand that matters through brand strategy and design.
Ted Vaughn, co-author of “Culture Built My Brand” and serves as Brand and Culture Strategist at Historic Agency
Ted explains how many times nonprofits create their brand in a way that is disconnected from their actual culture and performance. He also believes that many nonprofits are not being intentional about their culture, which can lead to creating “mission drift.” Ted points out that clarity and organizational health are the two drivers to an overall healthy culture. Ted discusses the five pillars of a brand, and how nonprofits can create a strategic roadmap. He also shares why a “brand gap” is harmful to your organization and offers ways to fix it. Finally, Ted explains why branding is so important for nonprofits to get right, and offers advice to leaders as to how they can start to develop a brand strategy.
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