Nonprofit Leadership Podcast

The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly forced most nonprofit leaders to reexamine their infrastructure and future viability. Rob’s guest in this episode will explain how nonprofits can navigate through these current turbulent challenges facing us all. Matthew Zachary, “Cancer Rebel” and founder of the nonprofit Stupid Cancer Rob’s guest is Matthew Zachary, “Cancer Rebel” and founder of the nonpro...

Racial equality and social justice are nothing new however they have become one of the most prominent conversations we are having now when it comes to nonprofit leadership and growth. Rob’s guest today is Kishshana Palmer, CEO of Kishshana + Co., and founder of The Rooted Collaborative. She is a national speaker, trainer, and coach with a 17 year background in fundraising, marketing, and talent ma...

Ian Morgan Cron, speaker, author, and pioneer in the contemporary Enneagram movement Personality tests have existed for centuries, yet many leaders are still surprised by how insightful and beneficial understanding your personality type can be to the work you want to accomplish.  Rob’s guest today is Ian Morgan Cron, speaker, author, and pioneer in the contemporary Enneagram movement. His book “Th...

John 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...

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 illusionis...

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, Ste...

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...

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 he...

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 gu...

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 Nationa...

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 se...

Dr. 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 bac...

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 col...

Ask yourself this question: do I consider a company’s stance on various issues before I decide to purchase its product or service? Chris Marquis, the professor of Global Sustainable Enterprise at Cornell University Rob’s guest today is Chris Marquis, the professor of Global Sustainable Enterprise at Cornell University and author of Better Business . In his book, Chris outlines how B Corporations a...

 Brittany Hebert Franklin, Founder and CEO of Sky High for Kids In the midst of a world pandemic, it is more necessary than ever for nonprofit leadership in the United States to be creative with how they go about their fundraising. Rob’s guest today, Brittany Hebert Franklin, is the Founder and CEO of Sky High for Kids, an organization that works to save children from childhood cancer and oth...

Becoming an advocate for the most vulnerable often means that you will have to get out of your comfort zone. Rob’s guest on this episode has done just that. Rob’s guest is Shane Clairborne, an author, speaker, community activist, and founder of The Simple Way . For 25 years, Shane has been motivated by an unwavering commitment to those that need the most help. Shane Clairborne, author,...

Lisa Marsh Ryerson, CEO of the AARP Foundation, the foundation that supports the AARP. As we all make our way through this pandemic, it has been quite obvious that those hardest hit have been our seniors. Rob’s guest today is Lisa Marsh Ryerson, CEO of the AARP Foundation, the foundation that supports the AARP. Lisa and AARP have been able to fund studies centered on the root causes and effects of...

Right now, everything seems to be in a constant state of fluidity. How are nonprofit leaders supposed to guide their organizations through these constantly changing conditions? David Langiulli, certified professional coach, leadership trainer, and nonprofit board member Rob’s guest today is David Langiulli, a certified professional coach, leadership trainer, and nonprofit board member. He speciali...

There are so many challenges in our world today, whether they be economic, social, political, or otherwise. Additionally, there is a growing divisiveness in our own culture today. So what are we to do with our divisive environment? My guest on the show believes it starts from within. My guest is Tim Shriver, who has been both CEO and Chairman of the Special Olympics for 25 years. He works to promo...

What happens when your company takes off but your rise to success is so rapid that it threatens to blow up your life? Michael and Kathryn Redman Rob’s guests today are Michael and Kathryn Redman. Michael and Kathryn have offered marketing and consulting services to small businesses and nonprofits for the past 18 years. In the process of growing their business, they grew so fast that success starte...

Eduardo Sanchez, Chief Medical Officer for Prevention and Chief of The Center for Health Metrics and Evaluation for the American Heart Association. Advocacy can be somewhat of a mine field in the nonprofit sector. There are many questions about how much an organization can do and what kinds of advocacy it should take part in. Rob’s guest today is Eduardo Sanchez, Chief Medical Officer for Preventi...

The landscape has shifted under our feet over the last three months. First the global pandemic of COVID-19 has directly impacted both donors and nonprofit organizations. Then, on the heels of this pandemic, in the US, we have had a huge uprising and unprecedented response to racial injustice in our society. Kris Putnam-Walkerly, founder of Putnam Consulting Rob’s guest today is Kris Putnam-Walkerl...

Shannon Henry. Shannon, President and Founder of SASS GO On average, there are 20 victims of physical violence every minute by an intimate partner, which equates to over 10 million women and men in the US. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Furthermore, in just one day, physical violence hotlines receive over 20,000...

Though most states around the country are beginning to reopen, we are in a time as a country and as a world where we are still far from “normal”. Now, more than ever, we need solid leadership. Rich Harwood, President and Founder of the Harwood Institute One of the effects of this pandemic, has been the renewed awareness of the pre-existing disparities that have been present in our coun...

The world is ablaze with COVID-19, and that seems to be all that we see on the news. It’s easy to forget about the other areas of need in the world, such as the foster care system in the United States. Rita Soronen, CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption There are over 400,000 children in the foster care system at any time in the United States, with 125,000 of those children permanently se...