Nonprofit Lowdown

What a week it's been.  For those of you looking to take a break and find a moment of calm, I invite you to listen to this interview with Phil Weinberg.  Phil, a lifelong teacher, principal and, most recently, the Deputy Chancellor for Teaching and Learning at the NY Department of Education, shares his thoughts and philosophies about leadership.  By taking an educator's approach to...

Join me and the Charity CFO, Tosha Anderson, to talk about all of the finances.  Though this may not be the most thrilling topic, being responsible for fiscal oversight is one of the most important jobs for a board member.  Tosha and I talk about the differences between for-profit and nonprofit accounting, how to get the board focused on the right things and at the right level and how to...

Ah, strategic planning...a generative process an exercise in frustration or a little bit of both?  Join me on today's pod as we talk with expert strategic planning consultant Carol Hamilton about her perspectives on strategic planning.  What are some of the most common mistakes she's seen?  How do you know when an organization is ready for it?  How do you pick the right consult...

Full confession: my personal pet peeve = clunky, TMI nonprofit websites.  Everyone trying to tell their whole life story complete with annoying pop-ups asking for my email, bad photography and hard-to-read fonts are just NO BUENOS.  Websites are like dating profiles--providing just enough to invite engagement.  Join me and website expert Chijo Takeda as we talk about ways to improve...

This episode comes with a warning label: Could trigger flashbacks of bad funder memories!  Join me and Kris Putnam-Walkerly, philanthropy advisor, to talk about her new book Delusional Altruism.  In this episode, we get into the minds and behind the scenes of funders.  Surprise!   Philanthropists: they're just like us!  We discuss how fear and scarcity hold philanthro...

Founder's syndrome is a thing, y'all.  As many of us have seen, founders can struggle once their organizations grow and scale because the skills set and mindset of starting an organization is different than managing it.  Join me and Elizabeth Green, CEO of Chalkbeat , to share how she grew her passion project into a multi-city, multi-million dollar national nonprofit.  She's one of...

I've been a long-time fan of Guadalupe Nickell since Day One.  Lupe is a master fundraiser, fellow Californian and high school classmate (Go Toads!) who has found her calling in fundraising.  In this episode, we talk about how she found her purpose in fundraising, how to masterfully manage a relationship between EDs and Directors of Development and advice she would give to her younger se...

You know you want to...it's whispering to you...start your own business...be your own boss...On this week's pod, I'm talking with Nakeia Drummond, founder of NLD Strategic and the WELL, a group of Black womxn entrepreneurs.  In this fascinating and fun chat, we talk about getting paid, how to overcome your fears of being an imposter and being homeless by the side of the river, and the joys of...

The best part about having a podcast is all the learning I get to do with new friends and colleagues.  Join me and my new friend Khafre Jay , ED of Hip Hop for Change , about how he grew his organization from scratch to a $700K organization with grassroots canvassing as the backbone.  He has about 18,000 small-gift donors who he met on the streets of San Francisco and Oakland.  Lear...

I loved, loved, loved this conversation with Marvin who is an Annual Giving Officer at MIT Sloan School of Management.  We talk about the mental shifts he has made to be an effective fundraiser, how his job is more "philanthropic advisor" than "salesman" and what it's been like for him to be the  "only" in many rooms.  Marvin's wise, generous and insightful take on fundraising and h...

Holy moly!  It's my 100th episode!  Thank you so much to everyone who has listened.  When I started this, I never thought we would be at 100 episodes or that I would be talking to the One and Only Beth Kanter.  Beth, nonprofit goddess, talks about her long career in nonprofit and nonprofit tech and her recent book The Healthy, Happy Nonprofit.   We talk about how to take c...

Join me and Northstar Fund's Executive Director Jennifer Ching to discuss decolonizing philanthropy.  In this hugely important conversation, Jen shares how the work of the Northstar Fund is actively working towards dismantling white supremacy and power and centering the work and decision-making of BIPOC activists.  By recasting our own relationship and assumptions about money, we can eng...

It's the first solo show in a while.  In this show, I walk through my 5 M framework to building an effective fundraising program.  The five elements are: mindset, message, market, methodology and management.  Take a listen to figure out how to tighten up your nonprofit program.  Also, I've just launched my group coaching program for folks who want to do a deeper dive on these t...

Erica Hamilton: mother, wife, social justice warrior, leader.  For those of you who missed Erica's previous podcast episode, I'm thrilled to interview her again as she kicks off her newest adventures.  Erica is passionate about social justice and supporting BIPOC womxn who may struggle to thrive in environments that were not created for them.  In this interview, we chat about some b...

Hey.  So, my pal, Emily wrote a book called Obsessed .  She also happens to be the branding genius behind household brands like Casper, Boxed, and Allbirds.  So, yeah, she knows a thing or two about branding.  Listen in to this episode where Emily drops huge value bombs like: 1) How to simplify and streamline your message (literally, NOBODY needs to know about the mind-numbing...

What a treat this interview with my dear friend and soul sister Maureen Yusuf-Morales is!  Mo and I worked together at Breakthrough New York and she has gone on to become an expert educator, school founder and principal and DEI trainer.  In this interview, we talk about examining and unpacking the racist practices of schooling in America, how to be an anti-racist parent and what educators and pare...

Join me and my long-time pal Jenn David-Lang to discuss how to start and run a mastermind group.  In this podcast, you'll learn: 1) What is a mastermind and how can I use it to up my game? 2) Tactical tips on how to run the group 3) How masterminds are effective in reinforcing learning and adopting new behaviors. 4) How to deal with that pesky Imposter Syndrome For more about Jenn, check out:...

Join me and CPA Chyla Graham to talk about how to deal with your nonprofit budgeting and money management during this crazy time.  Chyla drops a ton of value bombs like: Why women of color may shy away from the finances. How to train your board at the appropriate level of financial oversight. Benefits of zero-based budgeting How to align your budgets with the stuff you care about and value. C...

Oh, our boards.  In this time of BLM and the broader conversations around racial equity, it can be hard to know where to begin with your board.  Boards are often more conservative, wealthier and less diverse than our staff and clients so how do we get them on their DEI path?  In this really important conversation with DEI consultant Martha Haakmat, we talk about 1) How to get boards...

Today my guest Vanessa Wakeman, founder of the Wakeman Agency, discusses PR in the nonprofit sector.  Why do we need it and how do we demonstrate an ROI?  We also discuss how to elevate the voices of women and folks of color as experts and thought leaders in the field.  Vanessa shares a step by step playbook on how to be recognized for your ideas, how to show up as your whole self u...

In this tumultuous time, we are all asking ourselves what we can do to support racial justice and equity (and if you're not, why are you even listening to my podcast?).  Join me and Karen Fleshman, founder of Racy Conversations, to learn about the history of white women's role in holding up white supremacy in America, how you can start to have hard conversations about race with white family a...

Hot off the press!  Join me and today's guest Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, New York State's ONLY Asian-American female Assemblymember representing Lower Manhattan (Lower East Side, Chinatown, Financial District, Battery Park and South Street Sea Port). In this conversation, we discuss the recent protests, how Asians can be allies to the Black community, what the impact of Asian under-represe...

In the midst of a pandemic, there has never been a better time to think about starting that side-hustle or that full-hustle.  Join me, Kishshana and Brooke to talk about making the leap from nonprofit executives to small business owners.  We talk about what is hard and what is joyful about owning your own business, how to feel the fear and do it anyway and how to stop comparing yourself...

My friend Dianne Morales is running for Mayor of New York.  She is the first Latina to ever do so and the very first woman in this mayoral race.  Listen in as she shares her platform positions on racial equity and justice, access to mental health and how her brand of female leadership would transform New York for the better.  Dianne is aligned with many of my personal values and I h...

The documented rise of racist attacks against Asian-Americans is real and hits particularly close to home for me.  Join me, Dr. Peter Keo of UCLA and Carlyn Cowen of the Chinese American Planning Council to explore the historical roots of anti-Asian racism in the US, how to avoid upholding racist stereotypes of the "model minority myth" and how to be an ally.  This is a really deep and t...