Episodes

Alex Budak, professor at University of California, Berkeley and author of “Becoming a Changemaker.” Are you a leader at a nonprofit who wants to bring about change, but you don’t think your idea will be welcomed by the rest of the team? Are you struggling to get everyone on board with this new mission and feel your efforts are futile? Today’s guest, Alex Budak, explains that you don’t need everyone on board before bringing change and how you can become a more effective change maker. Rob’s guest...

Susanne Kogut, President of Petco Love Humans are not the only ones who suffer through troubling times, their pets do as well. Pets are often the only companion a person may have and they play a big role in one’s mental and physical health, especially during trying times. Today’s guest, Susanne Kogut, explains why her nonprofit is committed to the wellbeing of pets and their families. Susanne is the President of Petco Love. Petco Love was founded in 1999 and they serve as a leader and partner i...

Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 and is one of the strongest nonprofit brands in the United States. Many nonprofit leaders can learn valuable lessons from this impactful organization that has changed lives all over the world. Rob’s guest, Jonathan Reckford, shares some of his insights on a variety of topics that affect nonprofit organizations. Jonathan is the CEO of Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing or...

Hal Donaldson, founder & CEO of Convoy of Hope Change. Some people avoid it, while others thrive in it. Tension can sometimes rise when leaders of nonprofits seek to bring about change to their organization. Rob’s guest today is Hal Donaldson who offers his insight into how leaders can bring positive change to their organizations and how individuals can bring positive change to the world. Hal is the founder and CEO of Convoy of Hope. Convoy of Hope is a faith-based, nonprofit organization with ...

Julie Gehrki, Vice President of Philanthropy at Walmart We know that Walmart is a large, profitable corporation selling goods throughout the world, but that is not all they do. You may be surprised by the impact Walmart is making through their many philanthropic efforts, local and world-wide. Today’s guest, Julie Gehrki, explains the various ways Walmart is supporting nonprofits through their new social impact program, Spark Good. Julie is the Vice President of Philanthropy at Walmart. Last yea...

In order to have a successful nonprofit, sometimes changes must be made. While it may be difficult to bring change, it is necessary. Rob’s guests, Jeffrey Appell and Keith Heller explain how implementing new technology strategies can help bring positive results, and they share when it’s the best time to bring about that positive change. Jeffrey Appell and Keith Heller, Heller Consulting Jeffrey Appell and Keith Heller are the leaders behind Heller Consulting. Team Heller is commited to helping ...

We have all heard of Visa, a world leader in digital payments, but most don’t realize that the corporation has a philanthropic arm to their company. Today’s guest, Graham Macmillan, explains what the Visa Foundation is doing. He also shares key lessons nonprofit leaders can learn from corporate philanthropies. Graham Macmillan, President at the Visa Foundation Graham is the President at the Visa Foundation. The Visa Foundation seeks to support inclusive economies where individuals, businesses a...

Some people will use the phrase “the great resignation” to describe current employment trends, while others will use the phrase, “the great reshuffle.” Regardless which phrases are being used, the current trends are impacting us all. Rob’s guest today is Don Howard and he argues that there is not a worker shortage, but a quality jobs shortage. Don Howard, President & CEO, The James Irvine Foundation Don is the President and CEO of The James Irvine Foundation, in California. The James Irvine Fou...

Community foundations play an important role in the geographic regions they offer support. Today’s guest, Joel Zarrow, helps us to further understand the purpose of a community foundation and how community foundations offer resources and tools to help nonprofits accomplish their mission. Joel is the President and CEO of Park City Community Foundation in Park City, Utah. The Park City Community Foundation helps nonprofits to thrive, grows community initiatives that address unmet issues, partners...

Improving the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) of your organization in terms of recruiting, is becoming increasingly important for both nonprofits and for-profit companies. While this has become an important mission for organizations, it is not necessarily an easy process. Today’s guest, Matt Wilkerson, explains how his company is helping nonprofits and Fortune 500 companies to find qualified candidates from underrepresented populations. Matt is the Co-founder and CEO of Paragon One. Para...

Amazon is not just a place full of great products to purchase and movies to stream, but the company is also making a social impact. Rob’s guest, Allyson Fryhoff, explains how Amazon Web Services is providing tools to nonprofits, helping them to go further and faster. Allyson Fryhoff, is the Managing Director of Nonprofit and Nonprofit Health at Amazon Web Services. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. AWS provides cloud solutions to non...

Steve Creech, President of the Wyland Foundation Most in the nonprofit sector are passionate about affecting change with a particular issue in the world. Having a singular, focused mission in one’s organization is critical to having sustained impact and to avoid mission drift. Today’s guest, Steve Creech, explains how his nonprofit has been able to establish and maintain a clear focus that has led to sustained growth. Steve says the mission of your organization needs to be the “North Star”, just...

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. ...

Currently only five percent of the tech industry is made up of women of color. This figure is extremely low, but thankfully there are nonprofits who are trying to change that. Today’s guest, Bertina Ceccarelli, explains how her organization is changing the lives of so many women who are looking to launch promising careers in the tech industry. Bertina has a Bachelors in Engineering, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and is the CEO of NPower. NPower is a national nonprofit organization that s...

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...

What kind of brand and what kind of culture do you have? Is there a gap between how you see your brand and how your community sees your brand? Rob’s guest, Ted Vaughn, explains why so many nonprofits inadvertently develop a “brand gap” by failing to integrate their culture and brand strategy. He also shares how you can avoid making this mistake. Ted Vaughn, is the co-author of the recent book, Culture Built My Brand, along with Mark Miller. Ted is also a Brand and Culture Strategist at Historic...

Many nonprofit founders will see a problem in their community and decide to tackle the problem by starting a nonprofit. Today’s guest, Doctor David Nayak, was motivated by a problem and a need in his community to start a foundation to help address this. He explains the reason why he started this foundation and how he is able to maintain balance while wearing multiple hats. Rob’s guest, Doctor David Nayak, is board certified in allergy, immunology and internal medicine. Nayak is the founder of S...

Gauri Manglik, CEO & Co-founder of Instrumentl Whether grants generate a large portion or a small portion of your budget, it is important to be efficient in your grant prospecting process. Today’s guest, Gauri Manglik, explains how nonprofits can improve their fundraising and grant prospecting. Rob’s guest, Gauri Manglik, is the CEO and Co-founder of Instrumentl. Instrumentl is a platform that brings grant prospecting, tracking and management into one place. The platform uses a personalized pro...

When it comes to auditing the donations coming into your nonprofit organization, have you ever thought about where your donations are primarily coming from? Today’s guest, Vance Roush, explains why nonprofits need to offer donors more options especially the option to give from their stocks. Rob’s guest, Vance Roush, is the founder of Overflow. Overflow makes generosity frictionless by helping nonprofits, churches, and corporations easily accept stock, crypto, and cash donations on a secure dona...

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...

Despite the market being hit hard as of late, thankfully charitable giving has remained resilient. One particular tool that is fueling philanthropy is Donor Advised Funds (DAF). Today’s guest, Stephen Kump, explains the benefits of this fast growing tool and why so many donors prefer to give through a DAF. Rob’s guest, Stephen Kump, is the co-founder and CEO of Charityvest. Charityvest is a startup that simplifies the setup and management of a Donor Advised Fund. A DAF is a third-party entity s...

Brooke Pace McKenna, Executive Director of The Hunger Coalition The traditional model of having a singular Executive Director can actually be an unsustainable way to lead an organization. This model can be overwhelming for one person and often leads to burn out. Today’s guests are Brooke McKenna and Naomi Spence who are Co-Executive Directors at the Hunger Coalition in Blaine County, Idaho (Sun Valley area). They have been working together for over a decade. They explain how a nonprofit organiza...

Across the United States, nonprofit organizations are all struggling to serve their communities due to the current economic climate. Many people are having issues to afford housing and food and nonprofits need to adapt to the economic changes so they can serve their growing number of clients. Today’s guests are Brianne Snow and Sharel Lund, both Executive Directors of nonprofit organizations in their respective towns. They explain the current challenges their organizations are enduring along wit...

Today’s episode is Part 2 of a fascinating conversation with Dr. Jan Rivkin of the Harvard Business School. In Part 1, Doctor Rivkin dives deep into how the Young American Leaders Program (YALP) is solving important problems by bringing together local leaders from all over the United States. In today’s episode, he explains how one can develop the skills that are necessary to be a successful leader. Dr. Jan Rivkin is the Senior Associate Dean and Chair of the MBA program at Harvard. He is also a...