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!
Is Your Leadership Culture Stifling or Encouraging Progress and Innovation?
Feb 01, 2021
Show notesJohn Lehr, President & CEO of the Parkinson’s Foundation
When was the last time you evaluated your leadership culture? Every organization has a culture, a “DNA” that is unique to that organization. Typically, most experts say that the CEO or Executive Director of a nonprofit has a disproportionate impact on the culture of their organization.
Rob’s guest today is John Lehr, President and CEO of the Parkinson’s Foundation. John has over twenty years of experience in nonprofit fundraising and management experience, specifically in the voluntary healthcare and medical research sectors. He has watched multiple organizations adapt their programs both before and after COVID by finding innovative ways to carry on.
John explains why leaders must focus on excellence over perfection and why unity should be a top priority. He understands leaders must find a delicate balance between skepticism, realism, and optimism, and recalls his favorite examples of successful leadership. John also shares the benefit of diversifying your revenue streams and fundraising campaigns, and the value of listening to your community to ensure you’re in alignment with what they truly need.
What Does Magic Have to Do With Nonprofit Leadership?
Jan 19, 2021
Show notes
Imagination, storytelling and living with a sense of wonder may not be the first skills that come to mind when describing a nonprofit leader. However, a leader that leverages all three of these unique elements might just be what’s needed to turn a nonprofit’s dream into a reality.
Harris III, illusionist & storyteller
Rob’s guest today is Harris III, a professional illusionist and storyteller, who has performed for more than two million people on five continents. After becoming a millionaire at 21 and losing it all by the age of 22, Harris began his decade-long journey to understand the stories we tell ourselves and how they drive our behavior. Today, his live experiences, training, and consulting is sought out by numerous brands, nonprofits and influential leaders.
Harris explains what surprised him the most from his personal experiences and what led him to realize that wonder is both powerful and contagious. He talks about how the same deception used in magic tricks is actually the root of the deceptive stories we often tell ourselves that keep us from living with wonder and using our imagination in a hopeful way. Thankfully, Harris details the 3 biggest lies to avoid and how leaders can recapture wonder and lead with hope.
How Has COVID Impacted Global Nonprofits, Particularly Those Serving Refugees?
Jan 10, 2021
Show notes
The current Pandemic has certainly affected all of us, but there’s no denying that it has affected nonprofits quite deeply, throwing into question how foundations can best support them.
Steve Gumaer, founder and president of the global NGO Partners Relief and Development
Rob’s guest today is Steve Gumaer, the founder and president of the global NGO Partners Relief and Development. For decades, Steve has served women, children, and families in impoverished, war-torn areas all over the world. Partners is working to address the ongoing global issues of food shortages, human trafficking, COVID19 and more by providing resources in areas of conflict, specifically where children are highly susceptible to poverty and hunger.
Steve shares the “why” behind Partners’ mission and how it all started with a promise to one little girl, which then grew into an organization dedicated to helping children trapped by circumstances out of their control. He explains how COVID19 created a challenging shift from providing face-to-face services to offering only online support meetings, and other ways Partners is adapting to provide sustainability for education and healthcare to those who need it most. Steve believes that being personable and grateful as a leader is more important now than ever.
If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at rob@ccofpc.org To be added to the monthly email update, go to http://nonprofitleadershippodcast.org/
How have the giving priorities of the Walton Family Foundation and other large Foundations changed because of COVID-19?
Dec 23, 2020
Show notes
The current Pandemic has certainly affected all of us, but there’s no denying that it has affected nonprofits quite deeply, throwing into question how foundations can best support them.
Caryl Stern, Executive Director of the Walton Family Foundation
Rob’s guest today is Caryl Stern, Executive Director of the Walton Family Foundation. Previously, Caryl worked for 14 years at UNICEF seeking funding and recently transferred to “the other side of the desk” where she manages giving out funding. The Walton Family Foundation, which is dedicated to providing opportunities for people and communities especially through K-12 education and the environment, has been trying to support its grantees throughout COVID by truly listening to their needs.
Caryl discusses what she’s learned during the Pandemic, including that it’s important for organizations to remember to stay in their lane to do what they do best, and then help support others in doing what they do best. Nonprofits and the organizations that support them need to retool some of their fundraising and fund-giving strategies due to the Pandemic, especially because so much of fundraising is about relationships, which are trickier to maintain right now over Zoom. Humor, optimism, and going the extra mile to ask how folks are doing has proven key!
Hear From Internationally Known Fundraising Expert Kathy LeMay on the State of Philanthropy for Today’s Nonprofits (Part 2)
Dec 17, 2020
Show notes
Kathy LeMay is back for part 2 of her interview about the state of philanthropy for today’s nonprofits.
Kathy LeMay
As a published author and sought-after speaker, Kathy has the expertise to address today’s fundraising problems for nonprofits. With more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit industry and connections with nonprofit leaders all over the world, Kathy has raised over $100M in her career.
She shares in this episode about how organizations that are relationship-driven, lack a sense of entitlement, and bring their full humanity to every conversation are setting the right example that other nonprofits should model themselves after. Kathy also talks about how for now, in-person events have been canceled and online events will have to suffice. As nonprofit leaders try to find their way through this most challenging time, Kathy provides some clear guidance and strong encouragement.
Hear From Internationally Known Fundraising Expert Kathy LeMay on the State of Philanthropy for Today’s Nonprofits (Part 1)
Dec 13, 2020
Show notes
Development and fundraising for nonprofits are always a challenge. Perhaps one of the hardest things we face. Now, COVID-19 has made development even more challenging. So how are we as nonprofits to respond to these challenges? What do we do now that most of our regular means of fundraising have been shut down by COVID? Is it time to completely retool our fundraising strategy?
Kathy LeMay
Rob’s guest today is Kathy LeMay, an internationally known fundraising expert for more than 25 years, and currently the author of “The Generosity Plan”. Today, Kathy is here for Part 1 of her interview about the state of philanthropy for today’s nonprofits. Though she can’t leave the country right now, she still remains in contact with nonprofit leaders all over the world.
Among other things discussed, one of the topics she covers is how initially there was a surge in giving to nonprofits after COVID hit, but that has changed. For example, around 26% of nonprofits surveyed across Utah do not think that they will make it through the end of the year, and that sentiment stretches all over the country. Right now, many nonprofit leaders all over the world are innovating and collaborating as to how to respond to the downturn in giving, while at the very same time having to serve more and more people who are needing their services. Kathy will explore how to manage this tension.
Is Servant Leadership the Best Form of Leadership for Today’s Nonprofits?
Nov 28, 2020
Show notes
Servant leadership is a style of leadership that makes the primary goal of leadership to serve those around oneself. A servant leader is one who is focused on serving one’s colleagues and organization. The question in this episode is whether or not servant leadership is the best form of leadership for today’s nonprofits.
Dan Berger, author, economist, and the President and CEO of the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU)
Rob’s guest today is Dan Berger, an author, economist, and the President and CEO of the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU). You probably didn’t know this, but the NAFCU is actually a nonprofit organization. In fact, all credit unions are nonprofits and separate themselves from banks, in that the members of the credit union own the institution. Credit unions are cooperatives. Whether it’s for-profit or nonprofit organizations, Dan is a firm believer that servant leadership is the right way to go regardless of the sector.
As a servant leader himself, Dan works for his staff, making sure that they have everything they need to make their job as simple as possible. Over the years, he has learned that one of the best ways to do this is to ensure that he never under-communicates with his staff. Lately, COVID has been especially difficult for servant leaders like Dan who fuel great company culture through face-to-face interactions. At the end of the day, leaders like Dan know that the better you treat your colleague’s in the work environment, the better they will treat the customer.
What Are the Greatest Challenges Facing Nonprofits Today?
Nov 15, 2020
Show notes
Nonprofits are always facing unique challenges, but since COVID-19 hit the world, they are facing financial challenges like never before.
Rob’s guest today is David O’Brien, the author of Building Smart Nonprofits: A Roadmap for Mission Success. In his book, David interviews over 60 leaders in the nonprofit industry, gathering input from leaders, funders, service providers, and more. David has seen first-hand that nonprofit leaders are facing financial challenges unlike any that they’ve faced before. He knows that it’s time for the entire sector to make a change with how it structures its funding model.
As the trends of charity-giving have steadily dropped over the last few years, the nonprofit sector has hit a point where it needs to be restructured, and David believes it has already started. Many of the problems that nonprofits face today require input from multiple perspectives in order to find the right solution. All that being said, as a result of his research, David is very confident that the nonprofit sector will find its way through these challenges to success.
The Impact of COVID-19 Internationally and What One Nonprofit is Doing About It
Nov 04, 2020
Show notesDr. Mohamed Ashmawey, the CEO of Human Appeal
Maybe the most unfortunate part about COVID-19 has been its reach. This pandemic is a global one and because of that, people all over the world are feeling the effects.
Rob’s guest today is Dr. Mohamed Ashmawey, the CEO of Human Appeal, a humanitarian development charity that is working to provide aid to those who need it all over the world. With a background in corporations all over the world, Dr. Ashmawey can see from a plethora of different perspectives which helps him when working with a wide variety of different cultures. He knows that both the corporate and nonprofit sectors can learn from each other and that the need for effective and efficient leadership skills is more important than ever. If Dr. Ashmawey could teach leadership around the world one lesson, it would be that change is inevitable, so do not fear it. Instead, adapt to that change.
Launching in 1991, Human Appeal is an international humanitarian and development charity that started in Manchester, England. With 29 years’ of experience, working in 17 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East to alleviate poverty, they have become highly respected for working in some of the most dangerous and hostile places in the world; from Yemen, to Syria and Somalia. They also provide services in Macedonia, Sri Lanka and South East Asian, Myanmar, Iraq, Sudan, Bangladesh, Palestine, Kashmeer, Lebanon and Turkey.
How One Nonprofit is Effectively Transitioning In-Person Events to Online and Hybrid Events
Oct 15, 2020
Show notes
COVID-19 has wrecked the main source of donations for many nonprofits, that being, in-person fundraising events. How are nonprofit leaders meeting this challenge head-on?
Doug Ulman, President and CEO of Pelotonia
Rob’s guest today is Doug Ulman, the President and CEO of Pelotonia, a 3-day cycling event that aims to raise funds for cancer research. Doug was diagnosed with cancer when he was in college, and like most, he was caught off-guard. That life shift led him to aim his efforts at making a difference for those affected by cancer because everyone is in one way or another. Just like other nonprofits and businesses around the world, COVID-19 has brought new challenges to Pelotonia that Doug is currently working to battle right now.
Founded back in 2008, Pelotonia has been able to raise over $207M in only it’s first 11 rides. This event gives communities a chance to mobilize, volunteer, and fight cancer together. Right now, Pelotonia is working on transferring its fundraiser to an online one while simultaneously planning for an in-person event next year. Now more than ever, leaders in the nonprofit sector must become innovative with how they plan their traditionally in-person fundraising events to continue to help those in need!
If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at rob@ccofpc.org To be added to the monthly email update, go to http://nonprofitleadershippodcast.org/
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