Through the Noise

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#279 Women in Government Relations - Emily Bardach Jun 15, 2017

Show notes

Emily Bardach is the Executive Director of Women in Government Relations and we were lucky to get her on the show today between some of the 200 events her organization coordinates every year for their 1200 members. They work to advance and empower women who work with the government and to encourage more women to become involved. Join us for this conversation as Emily, Blake, and Ernesto delve into some of the issues facing micro organizations that are experiencing growth.

Emily Bardach has managed associations for over 20 years including Women in Government Relations (WGR) which she has been involved with since 1999 and currently serves as the Executive Director. Emily is employed by Association Management Group of McLean, VA.

WGR is the premier, non-partisan professional society for those who have responsibilities and interests in the field of government relations and/or public affairs.

#278 Crossbow Strategies - Mark Frieden Jun 12, 2017

Show notes

Today we're pleased to welcome Mark Frieden, President of Crossbow Strategies to the show to give us some pointers. Don't worry, we haven't changed our focus -- Crossbow Strategies is not what it sounds like. We're still here for the nonprofits and associations and Mark Frieden is too. His company Crossbow Strategies helps for- and non-profit companies adopt strategies and policies to operate more sustainably. Instead of focusing simply on the profit (which most of you don't anyway!), he works with companies to help them become certified B-Corps -- companies and organizations that are certified by a third party that they have expanded the scope of their operations to also consider the well-being of the environment and people in their decision-making. If you've thought about making your nonprofit or company more sustainable, you won't want to miss Mark Frieden's insights!

Mark Frieden, of Alexandria, Virginia, is a native to the DC area. After more than 20 years of advertising sales, he completed his MBA at George Washington University with a concentration in Environmental Policy and Management. It was here that he learned how companies can be profitable and have a positive social and environmental impact. He is the president of Crossbow Strategies, a corporate responsibility consulting business that helps for-profit companies develop sustainability strategies and become Certified B Corporations.

#277 Peace Corps - David Fields Jun 08, 2017

Show notes

Our listeners are certainly familiar with the Peace Corps and the National Peace Corps Association is effectively the alumni association for all Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Our guest today is David Fields with the NPCA who serves as their "Social Entrepreneur in Residence" -- bringing new ideas and models to nonprofits. There's nearly 225,000 returned Peace Corps volunteers with experience working with tough problems in often difficult circumstances and he helps bridge the gap between their experiences and people trying to solve problems from a distance. He works to help nonprofits stay relevant and limber by applying methods used for venture capital to nonprofits.

David Fields is a traditional analyst for the National Peace Corps Association by day and instigator of special projects for the association by night. Over the past 6 months his work has been highlighted in time magazine, popular science, and the guardian. The National Peace Corps Association is a membership organization that works to advance Peace Corps-inspired initiatives. Nearly 220,000 strong, the NPCA is a growing force for good.

#276 Cresa / Rec4af - Chris Crooks Jun 05, 2017

Show notes

We're happy to welcome Christopher Crooks, a principal with Cresa which is a global real estate firm with a tenant-only focus. Mr. Crooks has been with the firm for over two decades and has recently launched a program within the company to help veterans get into real estate. Additionally, he's founded a nonprofit organization to further that same goal of helping vets into the real estate practice. Real Estate Careers for the Armed Forces (REC4AF) is the nonprofit that furthers his commitment to helping vets transition out of the military and into civilian life through workforce training to enter the real estate practice.

Chris has more than 24 years of real estate experience, including over 21 years of consulting and brokerage service at Cresa and over three years of commercial/industrial real estate appraisal for major banking institutions in New England. Chris co-founded the Armed Forces Practice Group specializing in helping veteran-owned companies as well as companies that support the Armed Forces in their real estate needs.

Cresa is the world's largest tenant representation only firm with a mission to provide customized solutions exclusively for corporate space users by offering fully integrated services that align their real estate needs with their business plans, delivering maximum cost savings and exceeding expectations.

#275 National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association - Michael Johnson Jun 01, 2017

Show notes

Ernesto and Blake are reunited! Blake has been away preparing podcasts for some nonprofit clients (yep... you do need one too), but he's back to welcome Michael Johnson to the show. President and CEO of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, Johnson is in the association world because it's the best way to help industries cut "through the noise" (ding ding ding!) with policy makers. This informative conversation delves into the decrepit state of infrastructure in the United States and the need for more investment to move the economy forward. If you don't like the idea of driving to work across a crumbling bridge that is scored a "D+" by the American Society of Civil Engineers, don't miss this episode and support infrastructure investment.

NSSGA President and CEO Michael W. Johnson serves as the chief advocate for the stone, sand and gravel industry. He is responsible for the strategic development and execution of the association's advocacy mission in the areas of industry promotion, membership advocacy and advancing public policies that protect and expand the safe, environmentally responsible use of aggregates. In this role, he continues to successfully energize and focus the association's resources to best serve aggregates industry. NSSGA is the leading voice and advocate for the aggregates industry. Our members – stone, sand and gravel producers and the equipment manufacturers and service providers who support them – are responsible for the essential raw materials found in every home, building, road, bridge and public works project and represent more than 90 percent of the crushed stone and 70 percent of the sand and gravel produced annually in the United States. Production of aggregates in the U.S. in 2015 was more than 2.25 billion metric tons at a value of $21 billion. The aggregates industry employs approximately 100,000 highly-skilled men and women.

#274 Advocacy Tree - David Lusk May 29, 2017

Show notes

David Lusk, Founder, and CEO of Key Advocacy joins Ernesto on the show to talk about how he helps nonprofits and associations become more effective advocates. Planning a lobbying day on the Hill? Try to bring your members and not just your professional lobbying staff. Hearing directly from constituents (the ones who can vote them out of office) is the most effective. Don't miss this episode to grab some more insights from a professional who has been helping organizations advocate for themselves for two decades. Both Jefferson and David Lusk say "we don't have government by the majority, we have government by the majority that participates" -- do you need help participating?

#273 Americas Charities - Jim Starr May 25, 2017

Show notes

Today we're excited to welcome back a guest from the early days of the show -- Jim Starr of America's Charities. When we had him on the show previously, he was serving as the COO & Chief Business Development Officer but he's recently been put in charge of everything and now runs the show as the President and CEO. America's Charities is kind of like a fundraising agent for nonprofits. They help nonprofits raise money through coordinated workplace giving campaigns. Since people are more likely to give more when they have the money taken directly from their paycheck than if they have to do it each time out of their wallet, America's Charities helps facilitate that. People support nonprofits when they are asked to do so -- it's important to make sure that you DO ask and that you ask in a way that registers with the person. Check out this episode to find out if targeted workplace giving could help your organization -- it certainly won't hurt to find out how you could earn more for your cause, easily.

As an accomplished leader with more than 25 years of experience and a proven track record in the nonprofit and healthcare sectors, Jim has served in national and field executive leadership roles with multi-million dollar revenue and expense targets. He has led efforts to bring corporations and nonprofits together in meaningful and impactful ways. He also brings a wealth of experience in strategic planning, business development, and partnerships.

America's Charities, a mission-driven organization, connects public and private sector employers with nonprofit organizations to engage employees in greater charitable giving. America's Charities is one of the preeminent organizations working to connect nonprofits with donors from the private and public sector to increase their reach and grow the funds available to achieve their mission.

#272 DCA Live - Douglas Anderson May 22, 2017

Show notes

Your friendly association podcast Through the Noise won an award! As part of the Trending 40 series honoring people making a difference in the Washington, DC region. Ernesto and Blake were recognized as Association and Nonprofit Innovators and so we invited Douglas Anderson, CEO of DCA Live that runs the program to speak with us on the show today. With decades of experience in media and events planning, Douglas has been using his skills working behind the scenes to elevate those who have been in the shadows and amplify their message. Join us for a conversation on the changing nature of business and associations.

#271 BrightKey - Nicole Araujo May 18, 2017

Show notes

Blake is back! Ernesto and Blake are together in the studio again and recently won a "Trending 40" award for businesses contributing to the Washington, DC area and that's how they originally connected with today's guest -- Nicole Araujo, Director of Business Development for BrightKey. BrightKey is a company that makes other companies (and associations) look good by taking care of some of the more mundane aspects of running an organization. Need to spiff up your membership? Or send out a ton of materials? BrightKey can handle that for you. About 85% of their clients are associations so they're well-versed in membership conversion and retention. Give this episode a listen and find out about the vast possibilities to make your organization run more smoothly.

Nicole Araujo is the Director of Business Development for associations at BrightKey, leading outsourced services and support company, providing a full range of association services, including call center and outbound telemarketing, warehousing and fulfillment, strategic marketing, mail processing, onsite mailrooms, and more.Nicole brings two decades of experience matching BrightKey's skills and best practices to a wide variety of association needs. Her consultative, goals-driven approach begins with the strategy phase and continues through project launch and implementation. She finds the best approaches to address the specific needs of data integrity, membership, publications, certification, meetings, and marketing. She understands the different capabilities of all major (and many proprietaries) AMSs, all systems that are supported and utilized by BrightKey.

#270 Code of Support Foundation - Kristy Kaufmann May 15, 2017

Show notes

On this week's episode of Through the Noise, host Ernesto Gluecksmann is flying solo as he talks to returning guest Kristy Kaufmann, Executive Director and co-founder of the Code of Support Foundation. One year after her first appearance, Kristy has a lot of great new stuff to share about all things non-profit.

Join Ernesto and Kristy as they talk about the US military veteran services provided by the nonprofit Code of Support Foundation. Kristy talks extensively about the Foundation's coordinating of veteran support services, as well as what it means to help military families in times of need. She also discusses the growth and sustainability of a large-scale nonprofit, public perception and transparency, as well as treating a nonprofit like a business with employees, investors and product.

Kristy has served as an advocate for military and veteran families for over 12 years and is a subject matter expert regarding the mental health impacts of war on military families. Her publications and media appearances include the Washington Post, New York Times, NPR, CNN, NBC and ABC. Kristy has been a speaker and panelist at numerous conferences across the country, and has addressed congress about the gaps in military mental health challenges facing military and veteran family members.

The Code of Support Foundation (COSF) provides essential and critical one-on-one assistance to those struggling service members, veterans and their families (SMVF) who have the most complex needs. We are dedicated to leveraging the nation's full spectrum of resources to ensure all members of our military, veterans and their families receive the support services they need and, through their collective sacrifice, have earned.

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