Through the Noise

Through the Noise is back with Annette Brown of FHI 360 -- a human development non-profit based in Durham, NC. Ms. Brown was one of the earliest guests on our show and we're excited to have her back nearly three years later to see how and what she's doing these days. With FHI 360, she's the Director of the Research and Evaluation Strategic Initiative and helps those involved in evidence-based rese...

"Everyone has a book," says today's guest, Howard Yoon, literary agent, and partner in the Ross Yoon Agency. That will certainly be music to the ears of many of our listeners (as well as our friendly co-host Blake who has already written a book!). The Ross Yoon agency acts as a filter for the publishers and they build the bridge between authors that have a book worth selling and the publishers who...

Nancy Burke sits down with Blake and Ernesto to talk about a segment of the large economy that occasionally goes unnoticed and is often left out of larger discussions about employment. Direct sales are a way for companies to hire people as contractors and for 20 million Americans to earn money through sales but without being stuck in a traditional retail environment. Nancy Burke is the Vice Presid...

Greeley Koch of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives answers the phone and our questions from Chicago. Greeley is a true jet-setter, but he travels the world making travel easier, better, safer, and more convenient for travelers, primarily business travelers. Sounds like a pretty sweet gig! ACTE hosts 60ish events around the globe in 20 different countries, and he gets to lead the indust...

Tracy Todd and Jillian Bashore of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy join us on Through the Noise in their respective roles as Executive Director and Communication Manager. Tracy Todd brings 20 years of experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist to the role of Executive Director and brings a critical understanding of the profession to the association that works to...

Richard Tracy and Amanda Brondy of the Global Cold Chain Alliance join us to talk food (and flower) cooling and preservation. They are part of the "industry that is feeding the world" and the Alliance is comprised of four different associations involved in refrigeration, shipping, and transport of the food that makes it to your plate and the cut flowers that make life a little more beautiful. You...

Close your email, turn off your phones, and get ready to take some notes. Author Chris McGoff joins us on the show and offers countless invaluable techniques that can transform your personal life and work life. He's the founder of The Clearing, Inc, a strategic management firm that utilizes his 33 years of experience helping companies of all sizes around the world. Who are your customers? What do...

Though there are a few different organizations known as the Knight Foundation, we're pleased to be joined by Anusha Alikhan, the Director of Communications of the prominent John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Founded by two brothers who were newspaper publishers from Akron, OH, the Foundation is the leading funder of media innovation in the United States and supports organizations, people, and...

Bryan Fratkin of SparkInfluence is one of the most popular guests we've had on Through the Noise so we've brought him back in to talk shop, advocacy, and building relationships. One of the main ways that people use the SparkInfluence software is to connect with legislators and to do so in a way that helps build those meaningful relationships necessary to stand out from the crowd. Anyone can sign a...

Today's guest Alison Teitelbaum wears many hats and she is an Associate Vice President with MCI USA, the US branch of an international firm with offices in 60 countries that helps companies and associations engage their target audiences and grow strategically. Through her work with MCI, she's worked with seven different associations focused on health-care and she joins us in her role as Executive...

Despite the "non-profit" nature of the work most of us do, we cannot do any of that work without money and JP Moery and Patty Leeman of The Moery Company join us on Through the Noise to talk about the ways they help organizations generate revenue. Over the past seven years, The Moery Company has worked with organizations across the DC area to increase their operating budgets through strategic plan...

Blake and Ernesto are joined by two women from the National Communication Association. Jenna Sauber represents the organization as their Media Relations & Public Outreach Manager and Dr. Paaige K. Turner who joined the National Communication Association about six weeks ago as their Executive Director after three decades in communications academia. NCA is more of a "scholarly society" than a standa...

We're pleased to welcome Jeff Lenard of NACS, the National Association of Convenience Stores, to the show today. NACS mission is in their tagline, "Advancing Convenience & Fuel Retailing," and they represent convenience stores and their operators -- comprising fully 4% of the GDP! There are nearly 155,000 convenience stores across the United States serving 160 million people each day and NACS stri...

Today we step back into the charity realm of our nonprofits but our guest "Dad in Chief," David Simpson of All Our Kids says that their organization is not a charity as much as a family. With their regular 28 people Thursday night dinners, it does seem like more of a family than a charity and we'll dive into what it means to approach an organization in that nontraditional way. They offer food, she...

If the intro surprises you, stick with us -- we're welcoming Ken Jaques and Julie Johnson from the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) -- one of the podcast clients of Human Factor Media. They're now up to their 65th show with 7000 listeners! CIPE works to encourage democracy with the aim of making the countries safe for private businesses. The organization is currently working on 1...

Emily Bardach is the Executive Director of Women in Government Relations and we were lucky to get her on the show today between some of the 200 events her organization coordinates every year for their 1200 members. They work to advance and empower women who work with the government and to encourage more women to become involved. Join us for this conversation as Emily, Blake, and Ernesto delve into...

Today we're pleased to welcome Mark Frieden, President of Crossbow Strategies to the show to give us some pointers. Don't worry, we haven't changed our focus -- Crossbow Strategies is not what it sounds like. We're still here for the nonprofits and associations and Mark Frieden is too. His company Crossbow Strategies helps for- and non-profit companies adopt strategies and policies to operate more...

Our listeners are certainly familiar with the Peace Corps and the National Peace Corps Association is effectively the alumni association for all Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Our guest today is David Fields with the NPCA who serves as their "Social Entrepreneur in Residence" -- bringing new ideas and models to nonprofits. There's nearly 225,000 returned Peace Corps volunteers with experience wo...

We're happy to welcome Christopher Crooks, a principal with Cresa which is a global real estate firm with a tenant-only focus. Mr. Crooks has been with the firm for over two decades and has recently launched a program within the company to help veterans get into real estate. Additionally, he's founded a nonprofit organization to further that same goal of helping vets into the real estate practice....

Ernesto and Blake are reunited! Blake has been away preparing podcasts for some nonprofit clients (yep... you do need one too), but he's back to welcome Michael Johnson to the show. President and CEO of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, Johnson is in the association world because it's the best way to help industries cut "through the noise" (ding ding ding!) with policy makers. This...

David Lusk, Founder, and CEO of Key Advocacy joins Ernesto on the show to talk about how he helps nonprofits and associations become more effective advocates. Planning a lobbying day on the Hill? Try to bring your members and not just your professional lobbying staff. Hearing directly from constituents (the ones who can vote them out of office) is the most effective. Don't miss this episode to gra...

Today we're excited to welcome back a guest from the early days of the show -- Jim Starr of America's Charities. When we had him on the show previously, he was serving as the COO & Chief Business Development Officer but he's recently been put in charge of everything and now runs the show as the President and CEO. America's Charities is kind of like a fundraising agent for nonprofits. They help non...

Your friendly association podcast Through the Noise won an award! As part of the Trending 40 series honoring people making a difference in the Washington, DC region. Ernesto and Blake were recognized as Association and Nonprofit Innovators and so we invited Douglas Anderson, CEO of DCA Live that runs the program to speak with us on the show today. With decades of experience in media and events pla...

Blake is back! Ernesto and Blake are together in the studio again and recently won a "Trending 40" award for businesses contributing to the Washington, DC area and that's how they originally connected with today's guest -- Nicole Araujo, Director of Business Development for BrightKey. BrightKey is a company that makes other companies (and associations) look good by taking care of some of the more...

On this week's episode of Through the Noise, host Ernesto Gluecksmann is flying solo as he talks to returning guest Kristy Kaufmann, Executive Director and co-founder of the Code of Support Foundation. One year after her first appearance, Kristy has a lot of great new stuff to share about all things non-profit. Join Ernesto and Kristy as they talk about the US military veteran services provided by...