Episodes

Our world continues to change in so many areas, particularly in regards to technology, and specifically, smart tech. Smart tech is not just changing how we use technology, but it’s actually changing the way people make decisions. Rob’s guests today are Beth Kanter and Allison Fine, co-authors of the upcoming book entitled The Smart Nonprofit. They point out that smart tech and other advanced digital technologies are actually now making decisions for people instead of just being used by people. ...

Jocelyn Wyatt, CEO, Alight When we hear about the growing number of people being displaced from their home countries, we often assume it is conflict related, due to war or other political reasons. Did you know that weather related events are causing 21.5 million new displacements each year? It’s actually more than twice the number of displacements due to conflict or violence. Today’s guest, Jocelyn Wyatt, describes the effect climate change is having on the global displacement problem and how or...

When you think about the nonprofit sector, are you looking at it with a “scarcity mindset” or an “abundance mindset”? Do you feel like you have already tapped out all your resources when it comes to finding new donors? Rob’s guests, Jon McCoy and Becky Endicott, believe that we need to be asking ourselves different questions as nonprofit leaders. They also share insights into wonderful opportunities that nonprofits are facing and how to take advantage of them. Becky and Jon are the founders of ...

Did you know that on average, most nonprofit leaders and organizations are only tapping into 13% of their current donors’ potential? In other words, 87% of your current donors are not being fully connected with your mission, which could in turn generate an exponential increase in their support of your organization. Rob’s guest today is Bob Westfall, Founder and Chairman of Westfall Gold, a donor fundraising agency with a program that moves donors from transactional giving to transformational gi...

Paul Martinez, Chief Leadership and Human Capital Strategist, W.K. Kellogg Foundation The breakfast food innovator, Will Keith Kellogg, started the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in 1930 to ensure all children have an equal opportunity to realize their full potential in life. Rob’s guest, Paul Martinez, explains the history of the foundation, its mission, and also offers important insights on leadership for nonprofit organizations. Paul is Chief Leadership and Human Capital Strategist at the W.K. Kell...

Timothy Higdon, President and CEO, Hearing Health Foundation Many nonprofit leaders don’t discuss the topic of planned giving, yet it can be a critical strategy for building a sustainable and robust nonprofit. Planned giving includes fundraising tools such as endowments and strategic reserves. Today’s guest, Timothy Higdon explains the differences between the two and the important things leaders need to consider when incorporating these planned gifts into their development strategy. Timothy is ...

Today’s episode is Part 2 of a discussion on the biggest challenges that are facing the nonprofit sector. This discussion includes five, successful leaders in the nonprofit sector, who continue to discuss how nonprofits can improve and thrive. Rob’s guests are Gayle Smith, Joan Garry, Alison Moore, Tony Martignetti, and Sara Lomelin. Gayle is the CEO of The ONE Campaign. Joan is the founder of Nonprofit Leadership Lab. Alison is the CEO of Comic Relief US. Tony is the host of Tony Martignetti N...

When we think about the nonprofit sector as a whole, it’s important to know what challenges we are up against, so we can come up with solutions. With that said it is also important to recognize the successes we have experienced, in order to keep us motivated to keep moving forward. Today, we are honored to welcome five, successful leaders and thinkers in the nonprofit sector to discuss the current state of nonprofits. Rob’s guests are Gayle Smith, Joan Garry, Alison Moore, Tony Martignetti, and...

Amy White, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Issues Communications, Adobe Many of us are familiar with the multimedia software company, Adobe, and its popular products such as Photoshop, Acrobat Reader, Premiere Pro, and many more. In addition to all these creativity tools, Adobe is dedicated to philanthropy and maintains a division of Corporate Responsibility. Today’s guest, Amy White, gives us insight into Adobe’s corporate philanthropy goals and their newest initiatives. Amy...

Rachael Grail, Senior Consultant for Interaction Associates Did you know that employees are five times more likely to perform their best work if they believe their leader is truly listening to them? If you want to be a leader that establishes a culture of trust in your organization, then you need to make the skill of listening, your ally. Today’s guest, Rachael Grail, talks about why listening is such a vital attribute to building trust, and how you can improve your listening by raising your lev...

Allyson Fryhoff and Sarah Wilber You will remember that we had previously spoken to Allyson Fryhoff of Amazon Web Services, who explained how AWS provides many tech tools to nonprofits. Today, Allyson is back along with Sarah Wilber of the Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center was the winner of the 2022 AWS Imagine Grant Award. Sarah shares how winning this grant and working with AWS has made an impact on her organization. Rob’s guests are Allyson Fryhoff and Sarah Wilber. Allyson is the Managing ...

Preeta Nayak, researcher and partner, The Bridgespan Group When it comes to making the best decisions for the future of your organization, you need to go about this strategically. Two very essential factors necessary for strategic planning are “intended impact” and “theory of change.” Today’s guest, Preeta Nayak, explains what these factors are and why they are necessary to the success of your nonprofit. Rob’s guest is Preeta Nayak, a researcher and partner at The Bridgespan Group. The Bridgesp...

Michael Lamb, F.M. Kirby Foundation Chair of Leadership and Character at Wake Forest Have you considered the importance of character and virtue when it comes to leading? For many, these terms are either assumed or may seem old fashioned. Either way, they can often be disconnected to their impact on leadership. Rob’s guest, Michael Lamb, explains what character and virtue mean as they relate to leadership, how they together are directly related, and the strategies we can use to cultivate our char...

Maryanne Dersch Is your Board on board with your ideas? Do you find it difficult to keep your team focused on the organization’s mission? What is the most effective way to resolve conflict? Today’s guest, Maryanne Dersch, explains how you can influence your team by getting out of your comfort zone, welcoming conflict, and releasing any attachment you may have to your desired outcome. Maryanne is a nonprofit coach who helps nonprofit leaders master the art of influence so they can raise more mon...

Jacob Harold, author of The Toolbox: Strategies for Crafting Social Impact and Co-founder of Candid Nonprofits are driven by the desire to create social change in their communities and in the world overall. Today’s guest, Jacob Harold, explains why creating a map of your intentions, developing storytelling, and using mathematical modeling are all great tools to bring about social change. Jacob is the author of The Toolbox: Strategies for Crafting Social Impact and Co-founder of Candid. In 2019...

Dr. Sheila Ohlsson Walker Today’s episode is Part 2 of a conversation with guests, Dr. Jim Loehr and Dr. Sheila Ohlsson Walker. In Part 1, they discuss why the skill of decision making is essential for the trajectory of our lives. In today’s episode, Jim and Sheila dive deeper into how important your inner voice is and how you can train it to be better at helping you make decisions. Jim is a well known performance psychologist and Sheila is a behavioral geneticist. They both are co-authors of t...

Dr. Sheila Ohlsson Walker You may be surprised to learn that we humans make on average 35,000 decisions in a single day! Some decisions are fairly inconsequential, while others greatly impact our lives. Today’s guests discuss why this skill of making decisions is imperative for the trajectory of our lives, as well as how to make the best decisions possible. Rob’s guests are Dr. Jim Loehr and Dr. Sheila Ohlsson Walker. Jim is a well known performance psychologist and Sheila is a behavioral genet...

Holly Rustick Getting funding in the form of grants is essential to many nonprofit organizations. Today’s episode is all about grant writing. Today’s guest, Holly Rustick, dives into this topic and shares what nonprofits are doing wrong when it comes to grant writing and how they can improve their grant funding process. Holly is an author, podcaster, and grant funding expert who creates effective systems for grant writers, so nonprofits can grow capacity, increase funding, and advance their mis...

Mark Gauthier, Vice President and Executive Director, U.S. for Cru We can’t discuss the topic of leadership without coming across the age-old question, “Are leaders born or are they made?” Rob’s guest, Mark Gauthier, answers this complicated question and also explains what leaders need to focus on in order to develop their leadership skills. Mark Vice is President and Executive Director of the U.S. for Cru. Cru is a faith-based, college student-focused, nonprofit organization. Cru sends people ...

Darren Isom, partner, The Bridgespan Group When it comes to leadership attributes, what are the top attributes in your opinion? Is it motivation? Is it vision? Is it integrity? Most often, the answer to that question emerges from our own experience, or what we have already seen. Rob’s guest today is Darren Isom and Darren explores various aspects of leadership based on his interviews with 25 leaders of color. Darren discusses topics such as: assessing leadership competency, the importance of sel...

Scott Jeffrey Miller, speaker, bestselling author, and podcast host Are you familiar with the term leadership “lids”? I first heard about leadership “lids” from author John Maxwell and these lids are self imposed limits or beliefs one has that can hold leaders back from being effective in their organizations and lives. Today’s guest will share how your effectiveness as a leader starts with your mindset, beliefs, and core values. Rob’s guest is Scott Jeffrey Miller, speaker, bestselling author, ...

Lloyd Lewis, CEO, Arc Thrift Stores Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are key issues that most nonprofit leaders are discussing. When looking at the Inclusion aspect, there is one group that sometimes gets left out of the conversation. This group is made up of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Today’s guest, Lloyd Lewis, explains that hiring people with IDD is not only the right thing to do, but doing so will benefit your organization in countless ways. Llo...

Larissa (Larz) May, founder, Half the Story. Mental health issues are a growing concern all over the world. Right here in the US, there is a mental health crisis facing our youth and one significant contributor to this growing trend is social media and related technology. Today’s guest, Larissa May, shares how the next generation can be empowered to have a healthy relationship with technology. Rob’s guest is Larissa (Larz) May, founder of the nonprofit organization called Half the Story. Half t...

Nuka Solomon, CEO, Free Wheelchair Mission When living in developed countries, we are accustomed to seeing special parking spaces and accessible ramps for those who may use wheelchairs. Unfortunately this is not the case in many developing countries. Not only do they not have these accommodations, but a large number of people don’t even have the ability to move around their homes or neighborhoods. Today’s guests, Don Schoendorfer and Nuka Solomon, share how they are providing free wheelchairs to...