Episodes

Do you struggle with how best to advocate for those you serve? So do many in the nonprofit sector. Today’s guest, Joanne Goldblum of the National Diaper Bank, is here to shed light on the importance of advocacy, specifically in the context of serving those poverty in the US. In this episode, Joanne will discuss: *Why the lower class in the United States bore the brunt of the pandemic and how the pandemic revealed the disparity between classes in this country. *Why climbing out of poverty is ...

Telling your story as a nonprofit leader is absolutely critical and perhaps one of the most important aspects of your job as an Executive Director. So how best can you tell your story and what are the best mediums through which you can have the biggest impact? Rob’s guest today is John Priddy, he is the CEO and co-founder of the Windrider Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to telling captivating stories. John is an entrepreneur and Peabody Award winning film producer, and along with his brother E...

It’s been 18 months since COVID first began to sweep across America. Guests on this show have shared their insights as to what they saw from their own organizations and what they learned as they interacted with leaders around the country. Rob’s guest today is both a consultant and a podcast host, and as such he’s in a unique position to provide interesting reflections and insights as to what the state of nonprofits are today. Rob’s guest today is Dr. Patton McDowell, who founded PMA Consulting....

This is the second episode of the Emerging Young Leaders Series about young emerging nonprofit leaders who really want to invest their lives into making real change in our world. Rob’s guest shares how they’re making their world better by helping more kids access computers, get coding training and prepare them for the future. Rob’s guest today is Robbie Khazan. He is 17 years old and started Kiddo Byte, a student-run nonprofit organization based in the Boston area. They offer free computer scie...

Leadership is hard, period. What can make it even more difficult is when those in leadership positions leave and a new staff person has to follow someone who has been in that role for a long time. If that person was the founder of an organization, it’s an even bigger challenge. In fact, there’s a term for this, it’s called “founder’s syndrome”, which has doomed many nonprofits and for-profit businesses. So how does one make a healthy and effective transition in the CEO, Executive Director role? ...

Funding is absolutely critical for all nonprofits and there’s a growing group of investors who want to invest in organizations and people who are really changing the world for the better. Is it possible to both fund the mission of a nonprofit, but also give a return to investors at the same time? On the surface, this seems to be two very different and contrary purposes. However, there is one organization, a nonprofit no less, whose sole mission is to both fund social changemakers while simultane...

Good to Great by Jim Collins is a fantastic leadership book that discusses how great companies each have a common trait of finding a way to continue growing and innovating, year after year. And according to Collins’ research, one of the key ways these companies achieve greatness is by preserving the core while stimulating progress. How can you do the same so that you might have a great organization? Rob’s guest today has successfully implemented this into her leadership experience at the Ronald ...

Almost everyone is familiar with the YMCA, especially because of the Village People’s infamous song. But many don’t know that the Y, with all of its nationwide affiliates, is actually one of the largest nonprofits, not only in the US, but in the world. Rob’s guest today is the current but retiring President and CEO of the YMCA of the USA, Kevin Washington. After 43 years of service, Kevin is handing off the baton to the next leader to take the YMCA to the future. YMCA of the USA is a federated ...

Diversity, equity and inclusion are on the hearts and minds of every nonprofit leader today. After the events of last year, we started having conversations about these topics like never before. Rob’s guest took the helm of an organization that for the last 25 years, has made equity and inclusion the very focus of their mission efforts. Lysa Ratliff, CEO of Kaboom Rob’s guest today is Lysa Ratliff, the new CEO of Kaboom. Kaboom brings kids and communities together to design, imagine and dream ab...

The relationship between a nonprofit’s board and a nonprofit’s staff can often become the demise of many nonprofits. To start a healthy relationship for any nonprofit board, it’s crucial to have a solid and clear relationship between the CEO or Executive Director of a nonprofit, and its board, especially the Board Chair. Rob’s guest addresses how to turn a dysfunctional board into a healthy one. Rob’s guest today is James Mueller, who’s had extensive experience in the nonprofit sector and is th...

Eric Linssen, Demand Generation at Community Boost Marketing is an area nonprofit leaders tend to underestimate when it comes to the impact effective marketing can have. What is the best model for growing your nonprofit through your marketing, which platforms are best suited for attracting and retaining new donors, and why is the Google Ad Grant such a great way for nonprofits to inexpensively expand their marketing? Rob’s guest is here to answer all of these questions by providing key learnings...

Just like the US, Brazil was hit really hard with COVID, and the Lemann Foundation was instrumental in forming a coalition of leaders to figure out how they could develop and distribute, what became the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine that now has been deployed throughout the country. This foundation has been particularly successful at building coalitions of leaders from a wide range of sectors, including the government, for-profit and nonprofit sectors in order to address some of Brazil’s biggest ch...

Every little swimmers’ goal is to stand on that podium at the Olympics, but it all starts with that first jump in the water and someone to show you how. Elizabeth Beisel, three-time olympian swimmer and 2016 USA swim team captain Rob’s guest is Elizabeth Beisel, a three-time olympian swimmer and the 2016 USA swim team captain. During her career, she won two Olympic medals and multiple world championships. Jumping into the pool for the first time at the age of five, it only took Elizabeth ten ye...

You may have noticed a slow return to normal occurring, and with that return comes the opportunity to reflect back on this past year to see what we’ve learned from it. As you reflect, consider this question: What was one weakness in your organization that the COVID pandemic exposed? Or, on the flip side of that question—what was one strength that really stood out about your organization during the pandemic? Mark Hrywna, Senior Editor for The NonProfit Times Rob’s guest today is Mark Hrywna, the...

Social enterprises are surging, more B Corps are being formed and many large corporations now have a social impact arm. All of this has had a lot of nonprofits wondering, “What is the long term impact on nonprofits going to be with all this new ‘competition’?” Rob’s guest has started a network of leaders from across sectors that includes for-profit, nonprofit and cultural organizations, all with a perspective that has come from years of working with some of today’s largest companies with the goa...

2020 skyrocketed the move to online giving for all donors who give to nonprofits. Organizations who already had a clear and robust process for donors to give online really benefited—those who didn’t, really struggled. They struggled to keep their giving on par with previous years. Now, the question for all nonprofits of how to “future-proof” fundraising is constantly on our collective minds. So how does your organization go about doing that? Rob’s guest shares some fascinating data points gleane...

Ever wondered who makes sure your nonprofit’s website works as it should? Or who makes sure that when someone types in your nonprofit’s web address into Google, that they actually make it to your website and not to a site that explains all of the many languages Tolkien used in the original Lord of the Rings? Public Interest Registry (PIR) Rob’s guest today is Jon Nevett, President and CEO of the Public Interest Registry or PIR. In short, the PIR is a nonprofit organization created to manage the...

When you hear the phrase “healthy work-life balance”, what goes through your mind? That it’s impossible or possibly just a myth? Or perhaps you know first hand how the pain of your work has negatively impacted your marriage, your family or your personal life. This topic is certainly not new, and with our new “work from home, zoom-calls, always online world” that we are living in now, the hard edges between work and home have become even more difficult to define. Megan Hyatt Miller, Author of Wi...

There is no doubt today, especially after this last year, that the first place people find out about your organization is through your website. Unfortunately, many smaller nonprofits often don’t have the budget to create and maintain a quality website which then directly impacts their ability to both fundraise and get more volunteers to support their work. This is where 48in48 comes in. Sima Parekh of 48in48 Rob’s guest today is Sima Parekh, who currently has a full time job in the for-profit w...

Ever wondered how philanthropy and charity first began? The answer may surprise you! The Greek roots for the word “philanthropy” refer to the “love of humankind”. Rob’s guest today is author Paul Vallely who has written a new book that serves as an encyclopedic review of the origins and history of philanthropy and charity over the centuries. Paul argues that today, too many people and organizations have lost the true purpose of charity and he offers a way back to the roots of good philanthropy....

Ursula Price, Executive Director of the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice (NOWCRJ) Although racial injustice and social equity issues have existed in our country for years, it seems as if 2020 was the year where we as an entire country started having these urgent conversations and discussions about racial injustice and inequality like never before. Rob’s guest today is Ursula Price, Executive Director of the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice (NOWCRJ) and she will explo...

Everyone knows Google by name, but not many people are aware of its social impact through its philanthropic arm, Google.org. Rob’s guest shares how Google.org’s crisis response has evolved since the pandemic all while staying laser-focused on creating a lasting impact in communities that need it most. Rob’s guest today is Alex Diaz, Head of Crisis Response for Humanitarian Aid for Google.org. Alex manages Google.org’s response to global crises, and helps provide funding and volunteers to innova...

The newest feature of the show aims to highlight young leaders making a difference in their world. Rob’s guest shares what inspired her to launch a nonprofit focused on neurodiversity and a social enterprise centered on children with autism—all while being a high school student! Isabella He, founder and president of the nonprofit SN Inclusion Rob’s guest today is Isabella He, a junior at Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, California. She’s an entrepreneur and the founder and president of ...

In 2015, Comic Relief US launched the Red Nose Day campaign to raise awareness and end child poverty. Rob’s guest explains how COVID impacted Red Nose Day and how Comic Relief’s team adjusted its strategy while staying true to its mission of keeping children safe, healthy, and educated. Alison Moore, CEO of Comic Relief US Rob’s guest today is Alison Moore, CEO of Comic Relief US. Though the Red Nose Day campaign started in the UK, the US branch of Comic Relief has raised over $230 million and ...