Nonprofit Mastermind Podcast

This week’s episode is very very special to me. It is a tribute to my sister, Darcy Richie, who passed away at the age of 40 in April of this year.  Darcy Richie was the Chief Program and Impact Officer at Generation Citizen.  Last Spring, I invited her to join me to talk about two of her many superpowers: the how and why of communication and team-building.  I called Darcy the communication whispe...

This week, I get to introduce and celebrate South Asian SOAR, an organization working to build a national movement to end gender-based violence in the South Asian diaspora.  South Asian SOAR, led by Amrita Doshi, is helping to create a bridge between the urgent, incredibly necessary direct service, and systems-level change. SOAR’s mission and work are rooted in the idea that these types of work -...

This week, I’m thrilled to shine a light on an organization that is truly walking the walk when it comes to living its values. The New Harmony Project - led by Lori Wolter Hudson and David Hudson cares for and nurtures writers to give them the space, time, energy, and inspiration to create works that change our world by interrogating the complexities of hope.  There’s a lot there -- what it means...

I have so many conversations with organizational leaders about how social media strategy - especially when it comes to fundraising - can feel opaque - at best. At worst, it can feel like a time suck or even a waste of time - a misuse of limited capacity.  The truth is, not getting smart and savvy about your digital footprint means that you’re leaving money on the table. And when we’re talking abou...

Welcome to our first Mastermind Spotlight! In this series, I’ll be showcasing and celebrating organizations in my Accelerator program - lifting up their mission, their work, and their personal stories of leadership.  It means a lot to me to kick off this new part of the podcast by shining a light on a truly phenomenal organization - STEM From Dance, and a truly inspirational leader - Yamilee Tousa...

Christal Cherry is a board whisperer, founder and CEO of The BoardPro, and a children’s book author!  She is a nationally recognized nonprofit executive and professionally trained fundraiser - she’s spent the past 2 decades in the sector, raising millions of dollars and getting buy-in from multiple stakeholders for big missions and projects. Along the way, one thing that has always been part of he...

This week I’m talking with Lakimja Mattocks, Chief Equity and Learnig Officer at Non[profit NY, Fundraising Consultant at Cause Effective, and visionary, powerful leadership coach.  This conversation has a different origin than some of the others on this podcast - I was inspired by a very specific event. Lakimja posted on LinkedIn about what she calls her personal board of directors. We talk a bun...

Recently, there’s been an increased focus - in earnest not just talk - on the importance of making sure that people who are most directly impacted by experiences and issues are an authentic and meaningful part of addressing those issues.  There are so many ways to go about that, and one of the most powerful is actually also one of the simplest -- make sure that people have the information they nee...

At its core, organizational design is about the intentional choices you make in designing your organization’s structure, culture, and processes. You can organize the building blocks in different ways to address different challenges, ask different questions, and position yourself for growth and stability in the future.  The idea is that we don’t build our organizations at 30,000 feet. Instead, we d...

For this week’s episode, I reconnected with an old friend from graduate school, Adriana Dakin,  and her business partner, Abigail Ahoude. I’ve been excited to talk with them about ImaginePod, the company that they co-founded to help social impact organizations and movements use cutting-edge marketing strategies and tactics to drive more impact.  Anyone who does social impact work knows that in ord...

Trish Tchume is the Director of Liberatory Leadership Practice at the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, and Ericka Stallings is the co-ED of the Leadership Learning Community. Together, they co-facilitate the Liberatory Leadership Project, which works to explore, define, and support approaches to leadership development and organizational capacity building that prefigure a world where all of us can...

In this episode, I'm talking about Mastermind Groups - or more generally, the why and how of building a structured network of support and accountability.    I feel really strongly about this topic.  Creating intentional systems of support may feel like a "nice to have" for so many people,  but it’s actually so, so deeply important and impactful.  So often, when I talk to the Executi...

This is an encore presentation of a wonderful conversation I had with my friend and colleague Ana Polanco last Spring.   Ana is an intuitive, international coach, storyteller, and wisdom keeper who helps culturally diverse women and social change organizations find new ways of leading. She is a beautiful case study in how to do and lead deep social change work in a way that is aligned with one&apo...

This week’s conversation is with LaFrae Sci, a friend, colleague, and superstar in my Impact Accelerator! LaFrae is an accomplished musician, imaginationist, and Executive Director at Willie Mae Rock Camp, where she created the innovative and transformational Willie Mae Future Sounds STEAM-based curriculum. I’ve been excited to talk with LaFrae on the podcast for a number of reasons. First, I thin...

This week’s conversation is with Payal Beri, CEO, and Founder of RK Empathy. Payal has worn many hats over the course of her professional life - clinical psychologist, leadership coach, and now advisor, consultant, and coach to start-ups and Fortune 500 companies alike - all around this beautiful concept of empathy.  That has been the throughline that ties her many journeys together, and that is w...

I wanted to start off our year on this podcast with a brief overview of what I call the Architecture of Impact. It’s the framework around which all of my teaching and coaching is built.  The basic idea is this:  We talk about impact in so many ways, and ultimately,  this impact is our organization's north star.  It is what guides us programmatically and organizationally. If we’re doing it rig...

In today’s episode, I have the absolute delight of talking with Jennifer Ching, Executive Director of the Northstar Fund here in NYC. Northstar is a social justice fund that supports grassroots organizing led by communities of color building power in New York City and the Hudson Valley. I was excited to talk with Jenn about the report that they released, in partnership with the New York Foundation...

The Transformative Power of A Truly Engaged Board, with George Suttles Want to work together? Apply for the Next Level Nonprofit Mastermind , a high-touch coaching and training accelerator for established organizations with $1M+ budgets that are ready to design for impact sustained at scale.   Budget under $1M? Join Elevate and get proven step-by-step playbooks + coaching support to build each of...

Many of you have an organizational vision - the broad statement (end world hunger) that helps give shape to your mission and values and culture.  I argue that the annual vision is in many ways more important as a tool for intentional planning and growth.  Creating an annual vision lays the foundation for your goal setting and your budget. It transforms the process from one that is iterative and in...

This week I get to talk with Vanessa Luna, co-Founder and Director of Programs at ImmSchools. ImmSchools is an immigrant-led nonprofit organization that partners with K-12 educators to transform schools into safe and welcoming spaces for undocumented students and families. I had a hard time deciding what to call this episode, because Vanessa and I talk about so many great and important things, and...

This conversation was such a delight for me! I got to talk with a friend I’ve known for 20 years, from back in our graduate school days at the Kennedy School -- Jennifer Anastasoff. Jennifer is a serial entrepreneur who has spent the past two decades identifying gaps, breakdowns, and inefficiencies in our social systems, and responding by building real, lasting solutions.  Her superpower is bringi...

In this week’s episode, I’m talking with Don Waisanen. Don is a Professor of public communication in the Baruch College, CUNY Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, as well as an adjunct lecturer at Columbia University and New York University. He teaches seminars, courses, and workshops on topics ranging from communication strategy and leadership to storytelling and improvisation.   I’v...

Starting this month I’m doing something new!  It’s something I’ve been super excited about, and heading into the final stretch of the year felt like a great time to start. Each month, one show/ month will be a solo show where I take a look at some topic, specific to growth stage nonprofits, exploring some aspect of mindset or strategy.  This Month's Topic: Nonprofit Life Cycle Assessment As A...

This is the fourth and final installment of my short series revisiting some of the incredible conversations I’ve had with folks as part of my Next Normal series at the beginning of this year. I’ve been struck, as we head into yet another phase of this pandemic, by just how different so much feels different, and yet oddly familiar. It’s like my favorite book from growing up - 100 years of solitude....

This is the third installment of my short series revisiting some of the incredible conversations I’ve had with folks as part of my Next Normal series at the beginning of this year. As so many of us continue to grapple with the implications of COVID for how we work and how we lead,  I wanted to revisit the idea of leadership in this next normal that’s being created.  I call it the next normal becau...