Nonprofit SnapCast

Latest Episodes:

An Open Invitation Jan 28, 2021

Show notes

Hello! This is Mickey Desai, your host for the Nonprofit SnapCast, here with just a little bit of bonus information for you. We're going to run something of an experiment with the SnapCast. I'm inviting both consultants and nonprofit leaders, nonprofit managers, staffers, etc., to come to the table with their case studies or their questions. If you're a nonprofit professional with questions about your nonprofit, or you've always wondered how to do something differently with your nonprofit, I'd love to talk to you. I'd love to try to get you partnered up with me and possibly a third party consultant on a recording to discuss what's on your mind regarding your nonprofit. Or I'd just like to hear your questions so we can tackle them by way of doing something like "listener mail" with the Nonprofit SnapCast. I'm thinking we're going to try to do this maybe once a month. Similarly, I’m looking to consultants to bring to the table, maybe with some of their clients who can talk about their work as a potential case study with the Nonprofit SnapCast. My goal here is to bring more real-world data and real world questions to the kinds of things we talk about on a day to day basis. This will be something of an experiment that I hope you can join me on. I'll have more information on my website, that's NonprofitSnapCast.org. Otherwise, I hope you and yours are staying safe. We'll have another episode for you in a few days. Take care.

We welcome support of the Nonprofit SnapCast via Patreon. We welcome your questions and feedback via The Nonprofit Snapshot website.

It Landed On My Head Like a Piano, with Sarah Symons Jan 26, 2021

Show notes

Mickey speaks with Sarah Symons, Founder and Director of Her Future Coalition](https://herfuturecoalition.org/), their work, and the risks and challenges of working in two continents, especially during COVID-19. Sarah’s book, Standing In The Way hit the shelves on January 11.

We welcome support of the Nonprofit SnapCast via Patreon. We welcome your questions and feedback via The Nonprofit Snapshot website.

Measuring Organizational Culture, with Matthew Martin-Hall Jan 19, 2021

Show notes

Matthew Martin-Hall returns to the SnapCast to talk about organizational culture and the work he's doing with Issac:Culture. Matthew writes:

"Culture, as difficult as it can be to define, is amazingly malleable. Given the right level of openness and communication, organizational culture alignment can be leveraged into positive results for any organization of people; and the data proves this. "Culture succeeds in defining the aligned values and mores of any organized group of people, and it is beneficial to always look at any organization as suffering from a culture problem. Culture is always changing and tends to ebb and flow with every aspect of the ever changing and chaotic business environment. It’s important to understand that what we think of now as being okay for the workplace, may not be considered such, in the near-to-distant future. Organizational culture is crucial to define early on, because this is what will establish the rules of operating functionally in a group. No matter what that group is. "It is absolutely crucial to not just understand that the most prevalent constant pertaining to culture, is change. The only manageable way to deal with this reality is to constantly change with it. Culture shock is real and to be expected, for better and for worse, given any impetus, big and small in any organization. This could manifest by hiring a new employee, changing a communication standard, onboarding a brand-new project, or having to change general mores to adjust to a worldwide pandemic. Big and small splashes make ripples that can become monsoons without proper management. "Standardizing and normalizing an open communication policy that fosters a collaborative and egalitarian environment is the best way to navigate these changes, as it’s what one doesn’t feel comfortable saying that can cause a festering sore that leads to outright derision."

We welcome support of the Nonprofit SnapCast via Patreon. We welcome your questions and feedback via The Nonprofit Snapshot website.

Talking Volunteer Management, with Corina Sadler, CVA Jan 12, 2021

Show notes

Corina Sadler, CVA, talks with the SnapCast about running a local government volunteer program that had capacity for up to 10,000 volunteers a year, and the circumstances that led to taking the volunteer effort down to 0 volunteers, overnight. Among the topics we touch on:

During pandemic and downsizing, it's a mistake to get rid of volunteer managers.
Volunteer managers should be more valued within their organizations.
Volunteer managers should be using social media to tell their unique, professional stories.
When COVID hit, the volunteer management community turned on their computers and said “Help!” in every language and the global network has responded with loads of online support for volunteer engagement professionals.
How professional associations need to pivot themselves to keep members and provide relevant benefits through COVID.

We welcome support of the Nonprofit SnapCast via Patreon. We welcome your questions and feedback via The Nonprofit Snapshot website.

Finding Common Ground During Divisive Times, with Jessica Graham Jan 08, 2021

Show notes

Jessica is a co-founder of Impact100 Houston. We talk about her work and perspectives using philanthropy as a means of bringing people together during divisive times. We cover:

Using philanthropy to find common ground during a divisive year.
Collective giving as a way to empower women and build connection.
Establishing trust and investing general operating support.
Uncomfortable and critical conversations about race with nonprofit leadership.

We welcome support of the Nonprofit SnapCast via Patreon. We welcome your questions and feedback via The Nonprofit Snapshot website.

Getting 2021 Started, with Robin Cabral Jan 04, 2021

Show notes

Robin Cabral returns to the SnapCast to talk about things nonprofits may keep on their minds as we enter 2021. As the new year gets started:

What is the current stewardship strategy and donor retention strategy?
How to bring lapsed donors back into the fold and keep them?
Thinking beyond the regular stewardship strategies to keep donors engaged.
Getting to know your donors better.
Is it time for a donor survey?
What is a donor persona?

We welcome support of the Nonprofit SnapCast via Patreon. We welcome your questions and feedback via The Nonprofit Snapshot website.

Governance and Ethics, with Dave Paule Dec 29, 2020

Show notes

Dave Paule visits again to talk about Board Governance and Ethics. Among the topics we touch on:

Board seats are more valuable left empty than they are if filled with poor directors.
What separates a good director from a bad director?
What are board members legal duties and ethical obligations?
Being a nonprofit is not a license to lose money.
Getting board members to understand the difference between management and governance.

We welcome support of the Nonprofit SnapCast via Patreon. We welcome your questions and feedback via The Nonprofit Snapshot website.

Fundraising Myths, with Jack Silverstein Dec 24, 2020

Show notes

Our second episode with Jack Silverstein, Founder at YUCKS Enterprises. We talk about fundraising myths, sponsorship philanthropy. Jack maintains that “Doing more with less is insulting,” and we discuss why development offices should be sacrosanct during the COVID-19 crisis.

We welcome support of the Nonprofit SnapCast via Patreon. We welcome your questions and feedback via The Nonprofit Snapshot website.

What If Our Charity Disappeared Tonight? With Jack Silverstein Dec 22, 2020

Show notes

Mickey visits with Jack Silverstein, Founder at YUCKS Enterprises. We discuss the perhaps inevitable amalgamation of some charities precipitated by COVID19. The conversation comes back to the importance of stewarding relationships with individual donors and putting the donor first.

We welcome support of the Nonprofit SnapCast via Patreon. We welcome your questions and feedback via The Nonprofit Snapshot website.

Recruiting For Board Diversity, with Jim Taylor Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

Mickey visits with Jim Taylor, BoardSource Vice President of Leadership Initiatives. We talk about his experiences being recruited to boards and what makes for disrespectful recruiting endeavor vs something more fulfilling for all parties involved.

Expanding and diversifying your network of potential board candidates
Building an inclusive & welcoming board culture
Being intentional about inviting new board members of color to share their perspectives and opinions—opening the door to different ideas and conversations in the boardroom.
Acknowledging the value of the perspectives of new board members of color by leveraging their input to develop enhanced strategies and action plans that advance our mission by more directly addressing the needs of those we serve.

We welcome support of the Nonprofit SnapCast via Patreon. We welcome your questions and feedback via The Nonprofit Snapshot website.