On The Ground

Rae Martin on Building St. John Center’s Homeless Services Continuum and Doubling the Budget Rae Martin of St. John Center in Louisville shares how the organization serves people experiencing homelessness through a continuum of care from day shelter and outreach to permanent supportive housing. She also explains how careful preparation and a mix of public, philanthropic, and housing-finance suppor...

Why fractional support can help nonprofits do more with less Nicole Kirkorian Elmes, CEO of MissionWell, joins James Misner to talk about her path from Disney and DoorDash into nonprofit support work, and why fractional services can be a smart fit for organizations that need senior-level help without adding full-time headcount. They also dig into what nonprofits actually need to run well, from fin...

Daniel Drewski on Character, Collaboration, and Fundraising That Lasts James Misner talks with Daniel Drewski, president and CEO of International Leadership Institute, about developing leaders across more than 100 nations and 70 languages. They explore why character is foundational to effective leadership, how to collaborate across cultures, and what sustainable fundraising looks like for nonprofi...

Fundraising for the Long Game: Trust, Strategy, and River Conservation James Misner talks with Karyn Bryant, Director of Philanthropy at American Rivers, about building donor relationships that last. They explore how fundraisers can pair strategy with genuine care, shape conservation stories around what matters to donors, and make the ask at the right time. In this episode How Karyn’s career in fu...

Emily Nichols on building institutional fundraising that actually scales Emily Nichols, Chief Development Officer at Accion Opportunity Fund, joins James Misner to talk about how she grew an institutional fundraising function from roughly $1 million to $10 million, why relationship-based fundraising still wins, and what it takes to fund a mission-driven organization in a more donor-directed enviro...

Mary Pat King on Leading Girl Scouts of West Central Florida Through COVID, Hurricanes, and Growth James Misner talks with Mary Pat King, CEO of Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, about her journey from PR and youth programs to leading a major nonprofit through a pandemic. They discuss the organization's structure, the challenges girls face today, and the tough financial and staffing calls neede...

How Trees Helps Smallholder Farmers Build Prosperity and Restore Land James Misner speaks with Cate from Trees about how a nature-based organization uses regenerative agriculture, trees, and local leadership to help smallholder farmers in East Africa improve soil health, diversify crops, and strengthen livelihoods. They also discuss why climate work is inseparable from people, how carbon markets f...

How NeighborWorks Capital Uses Nonprofit Lending to Expand Affordable Housing James Misner talks with Jim Peffley of NeighborWorks Capital about the affordable housing crisis, how community development financial institutions work, and the power of collaboration across the nonprofit housing sector. Jim shares his path from growing up in affordable housing to leading an institution that helps nonpro...

Therese Tetzel on Building Empower Girls Camp to Change Girls’ Trajectories James Misner talks with Therese Tetzel, founder of Empower Girls Camp, about leaving a 30-year corporate career to build a research-informed program that helps shy or at-risk girls develop confidence and resilience. They also discuss why short, consistent donor updates beat broad, generic appeals. Key topics Empower Girls...

Helping Up Mission, Baltimore, and a life shaped by serving people in crisis James Misner talks with Daniel Stoltzfus, CEO of Helping Up Mission in Baltimore, about the personal calling that led him into addiction recovery and homelessness work, the mission’s 140-year history, and how it navigates changing policies while staying focused on trust, relationships, and transformation. Daniel also shar...

Building Bridges and Moving Hearts with Josh Yerkes: Stories, Funding, and Mission Impact In this conversation, Josh Yerkes Vice President of Development at Global Outreach International—shares how storytelling, unscalable donor engagement, and documentary filmmaking fuel the organization's mission to send missionaries worldwide. Discover the power of personal touches in fundraising, the challenge...

Empowering Future Leaders: Junior Achievement, AI, and the Future of Nonprofit Storytelling Join us as James Misner sits down with Kim Morgan, President of Junior Achievement of Greater Fairfield County, to talk about preparing young people for the future through financial literacy, experiential learning, and career readiness. Kim also shares how her nonprofit team is using AI to work smarter, str...

$500K to $25 Million: How Feiro Marine Life Center Funded a 13,000 Sq Ft Rebuild Discover how Melissa Williams transformed the Feiro Marine Life Center from a small community museum into a $25 million funded marine education hub. Learn the strategic partnerships, fundraising tactics, and resilience that powered their growth despite setbacks, and gain insights into making impactful organizational l...

Discover how technology and AI are transforming nonprofit work, enhancing donor relationships, and increasing efficiency in this insightful conversation with David Blyer, CEO of Arreva. Main Topics: The evolution of technology in nonprofits over 25 years Challenges with disconnected systems and integration The role and future of AI in fundraising and donor management Building trust and protecting...

How the Okanagan Science Center Leads with Community and Innovation Join us as Dione Chambers, director of the Okanagan Science Center, shares her journey from chemistry and nanotechnology to leading a beloved community science hub. Discover how she navigates fundraising, community engagement, and innovation in a small-town setting. Main Topic: Transitioning from science to nonprofit leadership Cr...

Transforming Attitudes and Building Communities: How Kupenda Promotes Disability Inclusion and Breaks Down Stigma Cynthia Bauer of Kupenda shares her journey from wildlife biology to leading a global movement against disability stigma. Learn how strategic partnerships, grassroots work, and smart measurement tools drive lasting change worldwide. In this episode: Cindy's story and Kupenda's origins...

Growing Hope Globally: Connecting Communities for Global Food Security In this episode, Kaitlyn from Growing Hope Globally shares how local farming initiatives in the U.S. create global impact, supporting farmers in developing countries and fostering international unity. Main Topic: Origin and evolution of Growing Hope Globally Community-wide farming projects and their global effects Rural-urban p...

From Nurturing Nurses to Transforming Lives: The Hopes Walks Journey Discover how a nurse’s volunteer work evolved into a global movement eliminating clubfoot disability, transforming thousands of lives across multiple countries. Join us as Scott Reichenbach shares the inspiring story behind Hope Walks, strategic growth, and the power of faith and community in health initiatives in this episode: S...

Adaptive Show Notes for "Leading with Innovation and Humanity at Easterseals" Podcast Episode Join us as Kendra Ennis Davenport, President and CEO of Easterseals, shares how the organization serves over 1 million people annually by blending tradition with innovation, storytelling with impact, and optimism with realism. Discover how Easterseals navigates funding gaps, scales care, and advocates for...

From $7,000 to $800,000: How North Bay Transformed Its Fundraising Strategy Discover how North Bay, a 17-year-old outdoor education organization, shifted from negligible fundraising to confidently raising nearly $800,000 annually. Jen Foy shares her journey, strategies, and lessons learned to inspire nonprofit leaders to rethink their funding models and systems. In this episode: The storytelling p...

In this episode of On the Ground with James Misner , James sits down with Calla Parker and Matt Soerens to unpack how World Relief mobilized a rapid, faith-driven response—raising $10 million in just 90 days and housing 3,998 refugee families. This conversation goes beyond the numbers. Calla and Matt share what it looked like to navigate sudden policy shifts, respond to urgent human need, and lead...

The podcast features a conversation with John Molineux, CEO of Love Justice International, focusing on the organization's impactful mission and efficient fundraising strategies. John shares his journey to founding Love Justice and the birth of its preventative solution. The discussion also delves into the scaling of transit monitoring, tenacity and resilience in fundraising, maximizing impact and...

In this episode of On the Ground , host James Meisner sits down with Jen, Executive Director of ANCA — the national association representing over 400 nature centers across North America. Jen shares her journey from wildlife biologist to nonprofit leader, the lessons she's learned navigating membership organizations, and why nature centers are more vital than ever in today's screen-dominated world....

The celebration is real. The impact is massive. But the mindset has changed. In this episode of On the Ground , James Misner explores Stage 5: Acceleration—the moment when success stops being the finish line and becomes the new baseline. This conversation is about what it takes to build a team that pursues excellence relentlessly and isn’t satisfied with “good enough.” Because the best teams don’t...

The conversation explores the concept of stage four in fundraising psychology, focusing on action, learning orientation, building systems and teams, and the role of metrics and feedback. It emphasizes the importance of intelligent action, learning from mistakes, involving teams, and using metrics as feedback for improvement.