Social Good Instigators Podcast

Latest Episodes:

NLN44: Creating an Environment for Controlled Growth & Happy, Committed Staff with Nick Arquette Jun 06, 2017

Show notes

In this podcast, we are talking with Nick Arquette, Founder and Executive Director of Walk With Sally. We discuss topics relating to integrating your mission into a fundraising event, how to grow your board and staff at the right pace for your organization, how to recruit and keep a strong core team, and more.

After attending both the American Conservatory Theater and Boise State University, Nick moved to Manhattan Beach, California, 25 years ago to pursue a career in the film industry. With an entrepreneurial spirit, Nick created and founded a series of companies. In 2006 with a new passion for aiding the aging population, he co-founded Adia In-Home Care, support services which enhance the quality of life for the aging, and recently started Assisted Preferred, a local information site and customer support service for placement services, quality senior care referrals and ongoing support.

Walk With Sally was founded by Nick Arquette in 2005, naming it for his mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer and after many years of treatment, died when Nick was sixteen. He never forgot how challenging and isolating the years of his mother's illness and loss had been for him as a child. Nick searched for mentoring opportunities in the community only to discover that no organization was filling this critical support gap. Walk With Sally's core mentoring program has expanded, having served hundreds of families throughout the South Bay over the past 10+ years and today is actively serving 63 children, boys and girls ages 7-17, with trained volunteer mentors.

The key points covered in this podcast discussion are: 1. Integrating Your Mission into a Fundraising Event 2. From Volunteer-Run to Staff Organization: Growth as Needed 3. Intentional Board Growth 4. Recruiting and Keeping a Strong Core Team 5. Avoiding What You Don't Understand Could Be a Recipe for Disaster

Visit www.SocialGoodInstigators.com to find the podcast, transcript, and full guest bio. Episodes are also available via Stitcher, iTunes, GooglePlay, and iHeartRadio.

NLN43: Formalizing A Foundation – Finding Focus & Building A Strategy with Sherrie Deans May 16, 2017

Show notes

In our podcast discussion this week, we are chatting with Sherrie Deans, Executive Director of the NBPA Foundation, the charitable arm of the NBPA – the Union for the nearly 450 current professional basketball players in the NBA. We discuss topics relating to her challenges as the first executive director for a foundation that had been in existence for 20 years. There was no real focus or funding priorities before she was hired so this had to be developed. She also had the not-so-common challenge of dealing with the non-monetary assets of the star power and influence of the players and the fact that these players were very young with little to no charitable experience.

Deans brings highly regarded C-Level expertise in celebrity philanthropic engagement as well as global financial services, having held posts with Living Cities, AIG, MBNA, and American Express. She holds a B.A. in economics and political science from Columbia University. Currently, she lives in the Bronx with her husband and son. The NBPA Foundation provides strategic funding and support for players' community engagement while also communicating their work to the world in order to accelerate and maximize its impact. The players' work is global and collectively spans a wide range, from critical charitable initiatives to social entrepreneurship.

The key points covered in this podcast discussion are: 1. Formalizing a Foundation: Shifting Funding to Priorities and Focus 2. Recognizing – and Making the Most of – Non-Monetary Assets 3. Changing the Conversation: #EverydayDad 4. A Recurring Question: What Difference are You Making? 5. Never Get Comfortable: The Value of Innovation

Visit www.SocialGoodInstigators.com to find the podcast, transcript, and full guest bio. Episodes are also available via Stitcher, iTunes, GooglePlay, and iHeartRadio.

NLN42: Small Steps Add Up to a Big Impact with Lauralee Lindholm Apr 27, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to Episode 42 of the Nonprofit Leaders Network podcast series. Our guest is Lauralee Lindholm who, along with her husband, have been involved with rural community development in Ethiopia for over 28 years. In this podcast interview, we discuss topics relating to starting small, letting the experts direct program direction, connecting your board to your program, and striving for self-sufficiency so your cause can go on and grow without you.

Lauralee spent 18 years in Africa with her husband doing rural community development as a missionary. When they returned to the United States, they were overwhelmed with how much is wasted in the U.S. and how much is needed there. Ten years ago, they organized Heart for Ethiopia as a nonprofit, started selling donated books on their Heart for Ethiopia eBay store, and soon needed help with shipping as the sales rolled in. From their bookstore proceeds, they have sent over half a million dollars to Ethiopia for rural development in the last ten years. Heart for Ethiopia focuses on helping rural education and development through churches out in the countryside, where there's almost no other type of help. There, with a little money, they make a big impact.

The key points covered in this podcast discussion are:

• Funding a Ministry: Starting Small • Letting the Experts be in the Driver's Seat • Connecting Your Board to Your Program • Striving for Self-Sufficiency – and Putting Yourself Out of Business • Find a Cause You Can Believe In

Visit www.SocialGoodInstigators.com to find the podcast, transcript, and full guest bio. Episodes are also available via Stitcher, iTunes, GooglePlay, and iHeartRadio.

NLN41: Leading – and Managing – a Board Through Change with Susan Warshaw Apr 04, 2017

Show notes

In our podcast this week with Susan Warshaw, Executive Director of Grades of Green, we discuss the importance of preparation for a smooth leadership transisiton, not rushing into making changes, making the most of a failure, keeping donor goals realistic, and important traits of nonprofit leaders.

Susan is an experienced leader in the education non-profit sector. She previously held the position of Executive Director at the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation, where she raised millions of dollars annually. She recently raised funds for the El Camino College Foundation. Her career began in Washington, DC, consulting to EPA and state environmental agencies. Warshaw holds a master's degree from the University of Southern California, and a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University. She is the Vice President of Philanthropy at the Neptunian Women's Club in Manhattan Beach. Grades of Green began in 2008 at Grand View Elementary in California by four moms wanting a better world for their children. The founders created a non-profit so other schools would have free and easy access to the tools and information they have developed to empower and inspire students to care for the environment.

The key points covered in this podcast discussion are:

The Importance of Preparation for a Smooth Leadership Transition
Take Time Before Rushing into Changes
Leaders Learn to Turn Lemons into Lemonade
A Realistic Assessment of Board Relationship Bandwidth
Important Traits for Nonprofit Leaders: Persuader, Motivator and Consensus Builder

Visit www.SocialGoodInstigators.com to find the podcast, transcript, and to sign up to receive notifications as new episodes are released (every two weeks). Episodes are also available via Stitcher, iTunes, GooglePlay, and iHeartRadio.

NLN40: Leveraging Partnerships to Create Successful Programs with John Marshall Mar 14, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to Episode 40 of the Nonprofit Leaders Network podcast series. Our guest today is John Marshall, President and Chairman of the Board of the Johnny Mercer Foundation. Our conversation includes topics relating to a shift in focus, overcoming pushback to change, the evolution and development of a program, and using partnerships to extend the impact of your nonprofit.

The mission of The Johnny Mercer Foundation is to support the discipline of songwriting in the tradition of the Great American Songbook as exemplified by the life and work of Johnny Mercer: lyricist, composer, performer, collaborator and producer. The Foundation continues Johnny's legacy by partnering with individuals and organizations dedicated to celebrating and nourishing the disciplines he mastered, and the causes he and Ginger Mercer championed.

The key points covered in this discussion are:

Deciding on a Shift in Focus
Overcoming Pushback to Change
The Evolution of a Program: From Site-Based to Equipping
Extending Nonprofit Impact Through Partnerships
Letting Go, and Growing Impact

Visit www.SocialGoodInstigators.com to find the podcast, transcript, full guest bio, and to sign up to receive notifications as new episodes are released (every two weeks). Episodes are also available via Stitcher, iTunes, GooglePlay, and iHeartRadio.

NLN39: Equipping and Empowering Board Members and Community Leaders to Make a Difference with Megha Desai Feb 22, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to Episode 39 of the Nonprofit Leaders Network podcast with our guest Megha Desai who is the Director of the Desai Foundation. Topics we discuss include the transition from a family foundation to a public foundation, an innovative way to effectively get the word out about your nonprofit, connecting your board members to the mission, and building trust and long-term relationships with those you serve.

The key points covered in this podcast discussion are:

Raising Visibility through Targeted Events
The Evolution of a Board: From Family to Formal
Connecting Board Members to the Mission
Accomplishing Goals by Staying Behind the Scenes
Overcoming Distrust by Getting to Work

NLN38: Maximizing Your Budget & Staff by Applying Lean Concepts to Your Nonprofit with Paddy O'Brien Jan 30, 2017

Show notes

In our podcast this week with Paddy O'Brien, author of "Lean for the Nonprofit: What You Don't Know Can Cost You," we are discussing how applying Lean concepts can greatly benefit your nonprofit organization by streamlining processes, maximizing use of funds, and even increasing income as was done with one zoo.

The key points covered in this podcast discussion are:

Using Lean to Improve Customer Experience at a Zoo
Adopting Lean Concepts to Fit the Nonprofit Sector
Benefits of Analyzing Processes: Reducing Wait Times
Thinking Through – and Mapping Out - Processes
Believe in the Process

Visit www.SocialGoodInstigators.com to find the podcast, transcript, and to sign up to receive notifications as new episodes are released. Episodes are also available via Stitcher, iTunes, GooglePlay, and iHeartRadio.

NLN37: How to Build an Outstanding Board Through Mentoring & Staff Involvement with Lisa Woll Jan 09, 2017

Show notes

In our podcast discussion this week, we are chatting with Lisa Woll, CEO of The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment and the US SIF Foundation. We discuss topics relating to building an effective board by doing such things as changing how you evaluate your candidates, changing bylaws as needed, and methods for developing good board members including helping them build self confidence.

The key points covered in this podcast discussion are:

Adding Board Members – Expertise vs. Proven Traits
The Crucial Role of a Board Chair
Changing the Bylaws to Better Meet Current Needs of the Organization
Building the Board as a Partnership Between Board and Staff
Ways to Develop Good Board Members (and Build Self-Confidence)
Trust Your Gut

Visit www.SocialGoodInstigators.com to find the podcast, transcript, and to sign up to receive notifications as new episodes are released (every two weeks). Episodes are available via Stitcher, iTunes, GooglePlay, and iHeartRadio.

NLN36: Developing as a Leader with Charles A. Archer Nov 07, 2016

Show notes

Today we're talking with Charles Archer, Co-Founder and CEO of the THRIVE Network. We discuss topics relating to ways to develop as a leader including how to invest in yourself, how to lead through consensus, the differences between older and younger staff members, and when it is necessary to make staff changes.

The key points covered in this podcast discussion are:

Ways to Develop as a Leader
Leadership Through Consensus: Being Present, Messaging and Accountability
Don't Wait to Make Necessary Staff Changes
Generational Conflict: Immediacy vs. Intentionality
It's Your Responsibility to Invest in Your Learning

NLN35: Managing Program Expansion in a Nonprofit with Mark Eddy Oct 24, 2016

Show notes

In our podcast discussion this week, we are chatting with Mark Eddy, Executive Director of Leadership Southern Indiana. Topics discussed include knowing when it is time to expand, handling those who oppose change, funding an expansion, and personal growth as a leader to facilitate growth in your organization.

The key points covered in this podcast discussion are:

Knowing When It's Time to Expand
Your Biggest Detractor Can Become a Great Advocate
Growing Funding Doesn't Always Mean a New Approach to Raising Funds
Failure = Learning, And That's a Good Thing
Letting Go Allows Others the Room to Grow

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