Creating Community for Good

When Ryan Oliver first stepped into the role of Regional Executive Director of the Bay Area and Los Angeles for BUILD, the organization was undergoing a national reorganization. At the time, I was a fundraising strategy and operations consultant for BUILD, and had the task of supporting Ryan’s onboarding and a regional advisory board development. His charge was to activate volunteer leadership from people genuinely driven by the mission. That body of representatives would hold the primary responsibility of advising growth initiatives, communications strategies, program expansion — and of course — fundraising. In today’s episode of Creating Community for Good, we’ll learn how Ryan assembled his team, the learnings he gathered during the process, and the principles behind creating an organization that values its members and acknowledges their unique skills and needs, while staying true to the cause.Head to CreatingCommunityForGood.com for full show notes, key takeaways and episode resources. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How are community and private foundations redirecting COVID funds for a brighter future in our communities? Philanthropy is increasing as Foundations and Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) are called to distribute money now, rather than holding them in the “parking lot”. Legally, foundations are required to distribute 5% of their assets each year in grants to nonprofits. According to Market Watch, private foundations hold an estimated $1 trillion in assets and DAFs contain $120 billion. But the ultra-high net wealth individuals and foundations are advocating for distribution now. For example, the “Patriotic Millionaires” are advocating for the next stimulus package to ensure philanthropists distribute 10% money to charities while the country grapples with the pandemic. Also, to encourage people to give more freely in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the California couple David and Jennifer Risher created the #HalfMyDAF challenge which offers matching donations to donors who pledge to empty half of their donor-advised-fund account and direct that money to charity by September 30.Fundamentally, a foundation is an investment vehicle where dividends are distributed to charity. Benefits include strategic advice on giving, ability to aggregate funds overtime to support large initiatives and, of course, tax burden reduction. A community foundation’s mission is very general: to improve the quality of life in a given area. In this episode, we chat with Jim Becker, the President and CEO of the Richmond Community Foundation of California. Jim offers a thoughtful and holistic perspective on community needs as well as strategies for funding, not just in his region but nationally.Head to CreatingCommunityForGood.com for full show notes, key takeaways and episode resources. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Transitioning from a nonprofit organization to a for-profit company can be an exciting professional change and powerful career move. After 15 years in the nonprofit work, today’s guest, Andrew Kaufteil, successfully transitioned into the for-profit space over five years ago. When he hungered for a change, he reflected on his core competencies and transferable skills to launch him into a new career — and has never looked back! He believes one can have an equally challenging, rewarding and impactful career in both sectors, when done carefully. Finding one’s sweet-spots and super-powers will open doors.Head to CreatingCommunityForGood.com for full show notes, key takeaways and episode resources. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last week we talked about micro-donations, instant gratification behavioral trends and the reality of our uber-connected world. With the great transfer of wealth, millennials are revolutionizing philanthropy. This generation is finding ways to integrate volunteerism into their lifestyle for ways to pass the time, for corporate team-building and for metric-driven PBs (personal bests). This generation sees itself as a teammate in the fight for change. They co-own hopes, goals, and visions for individuals, communities and, ultimately, the course of history. These ideals paired with rally-cries for engagement are sure to shape social, environmental, racial, and political spheres as the next wave of humanity’s majority generation.  In this episode, Lindsay sits down with her cousin Michaela Colbert— a keystone millennial engaged in doing good while having fun — for a human story. They talk about ideals, motivations and peer behaviors relating to volunteer engagement, shifts since Covid-19, corporate employee engagement and micro-acts of kindness.Head to CreatingCommunityForGood.com for full show notes, key takeaways and episode resources. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Millenials have surpassed Baby Boomers as the nation's largest living adult generation; 92% of them own a smartphone and 85% of them use social media to keep themselves informed and involved with the world's problems. So how does this group’s behavior and the concept of one-click engagement impact giving? In today’s episode, we chat with Richie Kendall, Co-founder and CXO of Cheerful (a Goodworld Company), the first Millennial-native giving platform that rounds up purchases for nonprofit causes.Head to CreatingCommunityForGood.com for full show notes, key takeaways and episode resources. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Feasibility Studies, Capital Campaigns, Major Gifts… what are they all about? Just as podcasting is about connecting with others and growing together, it is crucial to cultivate a strong relationship with your community at large if you want to bring bold ideas to life in nonprofit organizations. That is why in today’s episode, we flipped the script to have Mary Hiland interview me as a guest for her show, Inspired Nonprofit Leadership.Head to CreatingCommunityForGood.com for full show notes, key takeaways and episode resources. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nonprofit boards are charged as the highest level of leadership of an organization. Alongside the Executive Directors and CEOs, board members manage operations, envision the future, advance the mission, inspire the community, and commit to fiduciary compliances. Today’s guest, Mary Hiland PhD, has been on all sides of the sector: she went from volunteer, to staff member, to executive director, and now to serve as a consultant and coach. Mary’s biggest passion is to help leaders transform their nonprofits with the potential of boards. Tune in this conversation to learn about the power of well-selected boards, understanding peoples’ needs, and the true value of making a difference in the world.Head to CreatingCommunityForGood.com for full show notes, key takeaways and episode resources. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How can the nonprofit community stay relevant and keep evolving in the ever-changing, modern world? Artificial Intelligence tools and knowledge are more accessible than ever before, and people are starting to understand this is the future. Thus, hopping on new technologies and following the latest trends should be a common practice in the philanthropy ecosystem as well. Today, Lindsay sits down to chat with Nathan Chappell, one of the world's foremost experts on the intersection between Artificial Intelligence and philanthropy.Head to CreatingCommunityForGood.com for full show notes, key takeaways and episode resources. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What’s the heart of fundraising? Why are donors genuinely happy to contribute to a cause? Giving is human nature. By inviting a donor to invest in change through funding an organization that addresses a shared vision, you are providing an opportunity for mission fulfillment. In other words, if philanthropy is the love of humankind, then fundraisers are conduits of love in action in a symbiotic relationship. After the gift is received, stewardship is the response. Stewardship of giving is the critical element to recognizing mission fulfillment, and it will ultimately merit continued giving overtime. In this episode, Lindsay shares her expertise to discover why stewardship is intrinsically connected to the culture of philanthropy. She offers statistics, tactics, strategies and resources that are both evergreen and innovative that will be relevant during this time of social distancing. Head to LindsaySimondsConsulting.com to view the webinar and download the presentation deck. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

America is going through a social revolution. If we want to create a community for good, we must look in all directions. We have to look further and see the full picture, instead of making divisions to see the problem from the outside. This goes beyond black or white. Are we failing to see past the racial issues and condemning people that are victims of our broken systems, too? #BlackLivesMatter and the George Floyd murder is just the tip of the iceberg. What can we all do to step into action and stand up for civil rights? The allies of the BLM movement are demanding justice and equality for all minorities, and we should be supporting them. In this episode, Lindsay sits down with her long-time friends Quentin Wheeler-Bell and Liza Fox, to address the Black Lives Matter movement and the social inequality in America.Head to LindsaySimondsConsulting.com for full show notes, key takeaways and episode resources. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.