The ENGAGE Podcast

As part of our series on the Future of Nonprofit Finance, Blackbaud’s Sarah Curry sat down with George Werbacher, the Senior Manager for Information Security at Blackbaud, to discuss how nonprofit organizations can prioritize cyber security in 2023. George talks through how organizations can see data security as an investment and highlights how implementing controls helps the organization do more...

As part of the series Future of Nonprofit Finance, Blackbaud’s Sarah Curry sits down with Alex Wilson , the Co-Founder of The Giving Block to discuss why the conversation around cryptocurrency matters for nonprofit finance teams. They touch on some of the cryptocurrency trends and why organizations should think about owners of cryptocurrency as a donor demographic as well as a way to diversify rev...

In this excerpt of a conversation with Satonya Fair , President and CEO of PEAK Grantmaking, she encourages grantmaking organizations to rethink their relationship with risk. Instead of focusing on being responsible for the foundation, she recommends looking to how organizations build deeper relationships with applicants and grantees and be poised to be responsive to the needs of the community. Re...

For the past 10 years, the Blackbaud Institute Index has tracked year-over-year trends in philanthropy and annual giving statistics—with the goal of empowering organizations to know their sector and raise more, faster. Over this time, the Index has grown to track over $51 billion from over 8,500 organizations in the United States! To celebrate we’ve invited some of our most trusted advisors, indus...

Alex Budak, UC Berkeley faculty member and author of Becoming a Changemaker , joins Blackbaud’s Rachel Hutchisson to discuss how to develop your mindset and leadership skills to make positive change as part of our CSR Book Club Series.  Topics discussed in this episode: What is a changemaker? How to drive change Humility in Leadership Changemaker Index Leadership book recommendations Resource...

For the past 10 years, the Blackbaud Institute Index has tracked year-over-year trends in philanthropy and annual giving statistics—with the goal of empowering organizations to know their sector and raise more, faster. Over this time, the Index has grown to track over $40 billion from over 8,400 organizations in the United States!  To celebrate we’ve invited some of our most trusted advisors,...

For the past 10 years, the Blackbaud Institute Index has tracked year-over-year trends in philanthropy and annual giving statistics—with the goal of empowering organizations to know their sector and raise more, faster. Over this time, the Index has grown to track over $40 billion from over 8,400 organizations in the United States! To celebrate we’ve invited some of our most trusted advisors, indus...

For the past 10 years, the Blackbaud Institute Index has tracked year-over-year trends in philanthropy and annual giving statistics—with the goal of empowering organizations to know their sector and raise more, faster. Over this time, the Index has grown to track over $40 billion from over 8,400 organizations in the United States!  To celebrate we’ve invited some of our most trusted advisors,...

Many foundations face hurdles in creating advocacy agendas whether it be convincing a board of directors, finding the time and resources, or seeking funds from grantmakers. Chynna A. Phillips, senior director of policy and research at Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, and Melissa Levesque, senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Coastal Community Foundation, spoke with B...

The shift to remote work post-pandemic has caused many employees to feel stressed, burnt out, and out of control of their workplace dynamic. Meico Marquette Whitlock, founder of  The Mindful Techie , shares tools and strategies on how to regain control and relieve the stressors that face us. Topics covered in this episode: Major impacts of the pandemic on wellbeing How values have change...

Businesses emerged as the most trusted institutions in the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer , which also showed that people expect more from businesses in solving the world's problems. So, how can companies step up to lead the charge and maintain that position of trust? Kendra Fogarty , corporate social responsibility manager at UScellular, spoked with Blackbaud's Rachel Hutchisson about the role of C...

Employee volunteerism has become an essential component of a company’s corporate social responsibility and employee engagement strategies. In this episode, Melissa Hackmeier, global head of employee & community engagement at MilliporeSigma, joins the podcast to discuss how she launched the company's first ever global volunteer program and the best practices and lessons she’s learned along the...

Research has shown that women are more prone to burnout than men for a variety of reasons, including societal expectations and  imbalances in responsibilities across work and home. This can be further intensified for women working at nonprofits and other social good organizations, which often have higher than average rates of burnout and turnover. Today’s guest, Stacie Barber, is an integrati...

Open, honest, and transparent communication with grantee partners can help minimize power imbalances and help foster a sense of mutual transparency and accountability that is critical to our success as grantmakers. Hear from Shaady Salehi, executive director, Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, Lisa Maloney-Vinz, director of global community relations, Ecolab Foundation, Drexel Owusu, chief impact o...

Why is due diligence important in grantmaking organizations? The process of satisfying legal requirements impacts many areas within an organization— mission alignment, stewardship, duty of care, reputation, outcomes & impact, and overall effectiveness to name a few. In this episode, learn from Elizabeth (Liz) Gousse Ballotte, principal at PKF O’Connor Davies, about what the staff at grantmakin...

ESG (environment, social, and governance) is a hot topic amongst for-profit companies and investors, but is it important for nonprofits and other social good organizations too? Today's guest thinks so. Tim McClimon, principal consultant for The Celeste Group, which specializes in corporate social responsibility and nonprofit management strategies and programs, and former head of corporate social r...

Join Meico Marquette Whitlock, founder and CEO of Mindful Techie, for an interactive training that will inspire you with mindful approaches for creating sustained balance in your life. Prepare to lower your stress level, focus on getting the important things done, and be more present for yourself, your team, and your family. Click here to listen to the full webinar from the Grantmaking Thought Lea...

Rachel Hutchisson is joined by Chris Jarvis, executive director of Realized Worth, to kick off our CSR Book Club Series with an article from Stanford Social Innovation Review called “ Fixing the S in ESG .” Listen to learn more about quantifying social impact and what the future of S looks like. Topics discussed in this episode: Adapting to changes in world beliefs What does S want to be? Red...

Chantal Forster, executive director of the Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG), discusses the top areas where grantmakers can make the most impact in 2022 and how technology can help them achieve that impact.  Topics discussed in this episode: Who are the members of TAG and how do they impact philanthropy? The rise in the voices of the people we serve post-pandemic TAG’s customer expe...

As we trend towards a sense of normalcy in 2022, the convenience and cost savings of remote audits are here to stay. Whether you began remote audits out of necessity during the pandemic or have been doing them for a while, join us and Paul Preziotti, CPA, nonprofit audit expert, and Partner with Johnson Lambert, for tips on preparing for and running a successful remote audit. You’ll leave knowing...

There are a lot of ways to think about how technology impacts things, as well as how different constituent types interact with it and the relationships that it helps them build. In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing recent research on how technology improves the relationship between schools and parents. Joining the podcast today is Chuck English, of English Marketing Works, and Linda Lawrence, o...

What do you know about setting goals for yourself and your team and managing those goals? In today’s episode, you’ll hear an excerpt from the Skills UP webinar series. In it, you’ll hear Damaris Herron-Watkins discuss best practices for creating and managing your team’s goals. Listen in to hear what she has to say about the purpose of goal management, the different types of goals, and making goals...

International Women’s Day is on March 8th, 2022, and it’s a good time to think about the state of women and girls worldwide, how current events may make violence and abuse even worse than they were, and how to move forward by empowering each other.   Today’s guest is Vesna Jaric, the Interim Chief of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. Listen to the episode to learn about Vesna’s...

Many organizations are struggling to hire right now. Is there a way you can set yourself and your candidate up for success? We are highlighting an excerpt from the Skills UP Webinar Series where Deb Taft, CEO of Lindauer Global, will be talking about the dynamics of hiring and how you can achieve success in effective retention. Listen to what she has to say about the Great Resignation, the rise of...

Public policy impacts decisions made around charitable giving. These policies can influence how people give, when they give, and how much they give. So what are the likely effects for 2022? In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Brian Flahaven to learn how policies have impacted giving over the past few years and what’s ahead for the coming year. Listen in to hear what Brian has to say about his rol...