Nonprofit Mastermind Podcast

In this week’s episode, I’m talking about 3 courageous infrastructure shifts to make if you want to set yourself up for sustainable impact in 2023.  I say “courageous” because these small changes can require real bravery when put into practice. They can require investing in a vision - and leaning into practices - that are completely new and different from your current reality. But I make the argum...

In this week’s episode, I’m walking through a simple yet powerful activity that’s designed to create clarity about where and how to get more time in your leadership. I’ll walk through each step, but pay close attention to the last one - that’s where the greatest leverage is hidden.  We talk about why and how to remove yourself as a bottleneck in your organization, and how to begin to see where you...

In this week’s episode, I’m talking about an important - and top-of-mind - question for so many people:  The what, why, and how of Liberatory Governance.  I got to have a thoroughly enjoyable and meaty conversation with Natalie Bamdad and Ananda Valenzuela, of Change Elemental, an organization that partners across sectors to disrupt and transform systems of inequity and create powerful vehicles fo...

In this week’s episode, I talk about one of the deep underlying beliefs (or hopes) that lies at the core of so many of the staffing challenges and frustrations leaders find themselves navigating. I offer a concrete framework leaders can apply to get to the heart of what’s really going on with their staff, and to begin to craft solutions that will last.  In this episode, you will learn:  The role t...

There is a common and pervasive myth about what fuels the sustainable, non-overwhelming expansion of impact and budget. So many of our decisions and priorities and actions as we grow are driven by this myth: That the key to growing to $1M+ is simply more and better fundraising. In this episode, I work to dispel this pernicious myth by showing that once you hit the mid-six figures, growing your org...

This week I’m sharing a wonderful conversation with Lana Kleinman, the ED of Charleston Legal Access. I have a special place in my heart for this conversation because Lana and I got to bond a bit over the mission of her organization - expanding access to legal advocacy and justice to those who can't afford it. They are a nonprofit law firm and, as Lana describes, their unique and powerful foc...

This week I’m sharing a wonderful conversation with Josie Whittlesey, founder, and leader of Drama Club. Drama Club is one of those truly transformational organizations that when you learn what they do, and the real and lasting changes they bring about in the lives of young people, you feel inspired in the true sense of the word.  Drama Club goes deep into the worlds and lives of young people in t...

This week, I’m doing a quick strategy hit about something that is the underpinning of your growth - organizational playbooks. I want to make the case for taking the time to create standard operating procedures (SOPs) and an organizational playbook.  As you grow, it’s important to begin to document what is working so that you can repeat the good and let go of the bad. In this episode, I walk throug...

Today I’m showcasing the True Star Foundation, based in Chicago. It’s the brain child of an incredible duo - DeAnna Sherman and Na Tae Thompson. True Star Foundation’ brings young people deep into the world and business of media production, using media as a platform for giving young people a creative outlet, a belief that their voice matters, and a professional toolbox that can be leveraged their...

A gear shift moment is what I call that phase of your org when you’re between where you were and that next impact horizon for your organization. You’ve reached the end of one growth stage but you haven’t settled into another one.   It’s like when you’re riding a bike and you shift gears -- everything feels just a little chaotic for a few moments before the new gear catches.  Nonprofit growth is ju...

Today I talk about a fun cultivation activity that’s easy to pull together and can be done in the waning days of summer to set the stage for deeper engagement and activation this fall.  What is this magical activity? It's called a Brain Trust. I t’s a stylized and facilitated gathering of experts and advisors that’s brought together to offer strategic guidance and advice in response to a spec...

Untapped capacity can hide in plain sight. In this case, it’s in the form of our informal networks. The dozens - sometimes hundreds - of people that are floating around in your world that you know but aren’t connected to the organization in any structured or concrete way.  These are people you’ve met at conferences, friends of board members with whom you’re loosely acquainted, people you sit on wo...

The Architecture of Impact is the framework around which my teaching is organized.  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 right, it serves as a foundation for our strategic vision, our fundraising, our hiring, who we partner wit...

Today I'm spotlighting an incredible, high-impact organization -- Global Health Council, a national organization that sits in a really unique intersection within the global health world. They don't just bring together stakeholders around and across specific health issues -- they address cross-cutting issues that really go to the core of strengthening and supporting all of the many indivi...

In today’s episode, I’m getting laser-focused on how to create the kind of systems that help you claw back your time.  One of my secret obsessions has always been about how to best leverage systems to make work more efficient - what systems and tools can simplify my work, how I can move things off my plate to free up my time for bigger-picture thinking and planning… I know so many of you want the...

This week, I’m talking with Jaana Rehnström, founder and leader of The Kota Alliance. At its core, Kota is about gender equity and women’s empowerment. They work both locally and globally to create synergies between organizations that serve and support women and girls.  Jaana and I talk about how Kota was founded to elevate and expand capacity and impact --  there are so many organizations doing i...

Today I'm talking with Nita Baum, leadership coach, teacher, and founder of b-free, a collective of freelancers and consultants that work together to re-envision and re-create the Workplace as HealingSpace,  where freedom, sustainability, and wellbeing happen for ALL people at and through work, not in spite of it.   Nita has spent the past 20+ years stewarding complex organizations and teams...

I’m talking with Micaela, the founder, and ED of Moreart. Moreart exists to leverage community and harness the power of art to really address social issues. They bring artists into partnership with community members, organizations, and institutions - like courts and nonprofits, and community leaders - to create space for dialog.  Micaela and I talk about the urgency of finding ways for people to w...

This is part two of my two-part mini-training series about thought leadership.   Last week, I talked about the “why”  --  Why it’s important to have a thought leadership plan, and how precisely thought leadership can move your organization's work forward.  Today I’m going to lay out my framework for thought leadership planning. Specifically, the elements of a strong plan.   I teach what I cal...

This week, I’m talking with Jessoica Sloan, ED of RaisedByUs.  RaisedByUs has a big hairy audacious goal - one that resonates deeply with me in its power and simplicity: To make the world a better, kinder and more just place.  They are literally aiming to raise as many charitable dollars as possible for global causes by mobilizing the power of individual philanthropy.  What’s super cool about thei...

I’m very excited about this episode because this is something that I’ve been thinking and talking a lot about recently. So often when we hear the term “thought leadership” and our mind goes fuzzy. The term is wonky and opaque and no one really ever says what it means or how to do it.  But here’s the thing:  having a strong thought leadership strategy is a critical aspect of growing and sustaining...

In today’s conversation, I’m talking with the co-leaders of an organization that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for a number of years:  Ragz Bruland and Michael Aryee of Flex Dance Program.  Ragz and Michael founded Flex Dance as a response to the problem of mass incarceration. They wanted to tap into the expansiveness and movement of dance as a way to help young people especially see beyond a s...

Let’s face it - numbers can be scary. As nonprofit leaders, how often do you hear how important it is to “know your numbers”? But most of you didn’t get into the nonprofit leadership game with a background in accounting. So instead, you make sure you have a bookkeeper, make sure your books get closed and you track your spending, and MAYBE you get monthly financial reports to review. But you’re sec...

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...

I talk in my workshops and trainings, and in my Accelerator program, about how important it is to be intentional about building your organization's internal capacity if you want to grow in a way that is sustainable.  By this I mean having the right people in the right roles within your ecosystem.  But what does that look like in practice?   In this short mini-training I talk about two princip...