The Charity Charge Show - Nonprofit Podcast

In the social impact sector, scaling an organization nationally while maintaining deep community trust is one of the hardest balancing acts to pull off. It requires an unshakeable operational foundation, a clear mission, and creative revenue models that move beyond traditional grant dependency. In this episode of the Charity Charge Show , host Grayson Harris sits down with Jen Rifkin , Executive D...

In the social impact sector, being "scrappy" is often badge of honor. Nonprofits routinely stretch every dollar to ensure maximum funding goes directly to their programs. However, when it comes to technology, this efficiency-first mindset can accidentally lead to underinvestment, disjointed tools, and missed opportunities. On a recent episode of the Charity Charge Show , host Grayson Harris sat do...

In a world where 70% of jobs are found through someone you know, "social capital" is more than just a buzzword—it’s a gateway to the future. But for many first-generation students in under-resourced communities, those networks are often out of reach. In this episode of the Charity Charge Show , Grayson Harris sits down with Heather Wathington , CEO of iMentor , to discuss their ambitious new campa...

American Humane Society protects over 1.7 billion animals annually across 91 countries. Dr. Robin Ganzert has led the organization since 2010, when she stepped in during a financial crisis and a period of mission drift. What she built since then is a case study in what nonprofit discipline actually looks like. On the Charity Charge Show , Dr. Ganzert walked through the financial reckoning she inhe...

In this episode of the Charity Charge Show , host Stephen Garten sits down with Kristina "Steen" Joye Lyles , Executive Vice President of Impact for DonorsChoose . Since its founding in 2000, DonorsChoose has revolutionized philanthropy by creating a transparent, direct-to-classroom funding model. Steen shares her journey from lawyer to educational advocate, the organization's evolution over 26 ye...

Most nonprofits rely heavily on donations to survive. The Boat Company took a different path. For more than 40 years, this Alaska-based organization has operated as the only nonprofit cruise line in the world, using earned revenue from mission-driven travel to fund conservation efforts across Southeast Alaska. In this episode of the Charity Charge Show, Executive Director Hunter McIntosh breaks do...

Child abuse is one of the most difficult and complex issues facing society, yet it remains largely hidden behind closed doors. For more than six decades, Childhelp has been at the forefront of addressing this crisis, building some of the most widely used programs, policies, and prevention models in the United States. In this episode of the Charity Charge Show , Stephen Garten sits down with Michae...

Most nonprofit leaders don’t start with a business playbook. They start with a mission. A personal story. A deep conviction to solve a problem that matters. Then reality hits. Fundraising, financial management, board dynamics, hiring, systems. Suddenly, they’re not just a mission-driven leader, they’re running a full-scale organization. In this episode of the Charity Charge Show , Stephen Garten s...

Deborah Wondercheck didn't start the Arts and Learning Conservatory(ALC) because she thought it was a good idea. She started it because she'd lived the alternative, and she knew exactly what kids lose when the arts get cut. Today, ALC serves roughly 3,700 students annually across nearly 50 schools in Southern California. Since 2004, more than 35,000 kids have encountered the arts through the organ...

Stepping into a CFO role inside a nonprofit isn’t just about managing numbers. It’s about translating complexity, building trust, and helping organizations make smarter decisions in real time. On this episode of the Charity Charge Show , host Grayson Harris sits down with Jessica McLean , CFO of the American Staffing Association (ASA). Jessica shares what it’s really like stepping into a senior fi...

Running a nonprofit that serves 1.5 million people across 1,400 sites is hard enough in a stable environment. Doing it while federal program funding is under threat, the economy is unpredictable, and your brand is underrecognized outside the disability community is a different challenge entirely. Kendra Davenport has been Easterseals ' President and CEO since 2022. In that time she led a financial...

Nonprofits often face a fundamental tension: respond to immediate needs or build for long-term impact. For many organizations, limited funding, small teams, and constant pressure to deliver results push them into short-term thinking. But what does it look like to operate differently, to design programs that last, build financial resilience, and prioritize sustainability from day one? In this episo...

Laura Hope Whitaker took over Extra Special People (ESP) as a college sophomore. The organization had a $125,000 budget, a $50,000 deficit, and a founder who had just passed away from pancreatic cancer. Twenty-one years later, ESP runs a $8 million budget across five communities in Georgia and North Carolina, employs 50 full-time and 200 part-time staff, and operates a social enterprise that emplo...

Nonprofit leaders often start with a powerful mission and a deep commitment to solving a problem in their community. But many organizations eventually hit a ceiling. After the initial support from friends, family, and early champions runs out, fundraising can stall. Growth becomes harder. Boards struggle to evolve. And leaders find themselves trying to do more with limited resources. On this episo...

Philanthropy often talks about impact. But impact can look very different depending on who holds the power. On a recent episode of The Charity Charge Show , host Grayson Harris sat down with Amanda Navarro , Executive Director of Convergence Partnership , to discuss how the organization is reshaping how philanthropy works by shifting decision-making power to communities and frontline organizations...

Youth homelessness is often invisible. It happens quietly, in cars, on couches, in shelters, or on the street, and many young people experiencing it are navigating the challenge alone. On this episode of the Charity Charge Show, host Grayson Harris speaks with Elisabeth Jackson, CEO of Bridge Over Troubled Waters , an organization that has spent decades supporting homeless and runaway youth in Bos...

In this episode, Grayson Harris sits down with Katie Collins-Ihrke, Executive Director of The Arc of Howard County , to discuss the organization’s 65-year legacy of supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the realities of operating in a challenging funding environment, and the importance of mission alignment in nonprofit leadership. Katie shares how The Arc balances adv...

On this episode of the Charity Charge Show, host Grayson Harris sat down with Teresa Stafford-Wright , CEO of the Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center , to discuss what it really takes to serve survivors of sexual violence, domestic violence, and human trafficking and what it takes to keep those services running. This is not light work. It is urgent, complex, and deeply human. And it requires...

Safe, clean drinking water should be a given. It is not. On this episode of The Charity Charge Show, host Stephen Garten sits down with Doc Hendley, founder and CEO of Wine to Water , to talk about the real story behind the organization, how it grew from a tip jar at a bar to serving millions of people, and what it takes to lead and scale a mission-driven nonprofit for more than two decades. Doc d...

Nonprofits are often described as mission-driven. But sustaining a mission for more than a century requires more than passion. It demands discipline, evolution, collaboration, and a deep commitment to community. On this episode of the Charity Charge Show , we sat down with Claudia Aguirre , President and CEO of Baker Ripley , a $700 million nonprofit organization serving the Houston region. What f...

Insurance is not glamorous. It is paperwork, premiums, and conversations most nonprofit leaders would rather avoid. But if you run a nonprofit long enough, you learn a hard truth. The moment you need insurance is the moment it is too late to start thinking about it. In this episode of the Charity Charge Show , host Stephen Garten sits down with Pamela Davis, Founder and CEO of the Nonprofits Insur...

In this episode, we sit down with Louie Nguyen, CEO of Say San Diego , to discuss what it really means to run a nonprofit like a business while staying deeply committed to mission. Louie shares his journey from institutional investor and impact investing leader to nonprofit CEO, and how that financial discipline is now shaping SAY San Diego’s strategy. The conversation covers revenue diversificati...

Global health systems are under pressure. Funding models are shifting. NGOs are closing. Communities are feeling the consequences. On this episode of The Charity Charge Show, host Grayson Harris sits down with Peter Navario, CEO of HealthRight International and professor of health economics at New York University, to discuss what it takes to deliver sustainable healthcare solutions for marginalize...

On this episode of the Charity Charged Show , we sit down with Hilary Axtmayer, Chief Program Officer of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp , to talk about one of the most meaningful nonprofit expansions happening this year. Founded in 1988 by Paul Newman , the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp was created to give children with serious illnesses something they are too often denied: the chance to simply be ki...

On this episode of the Charity Charge Show, host Grayson Harris sits down with John McDonald, newly appointed Board President of the IEEE Foundation . The conversation is a masterclass in how long-term professional communities evolve into powerful philanthropic engines, and what nonprofit leaders can learn from a global organization built on trust, consistency, and service. John brings more than f...