Future Nonprofit

"I think this is when it hit me there must be a lot more ideas, innovation, and startups out there that could actually make a difference and could be transforming the way we're looking at the world, but they never have a chance.” - Bernhard Kowatsch

Great ideas are only the beginning. Without the right conditions and opportunities for success, many innovative and potentially game-changing ideas never may never come to fruition. That’s what Bernhard and his team at the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator work to avoid.

His time at the World Food Programme began as the Head of Business Innovation, and after stepping away to build his start-up Share The Meal, he returned to the WFP to build and serve as the Head of Innovation Accelerator, the world’s biggest social impact startup accelerator. With a background in business consulting at BCG and successful leadership of Share The Meal, Bernhard Kowatsch leverages his extensive experience to support innovative ideas across the globe with the focus of ending world hunger. 

In this episode, Bernhard will impart valuable insights on establishing a robust startup foundation, seamlessly integrating innovation into established organizations, and crafting compelling messages to secure funding and support.

Contents

1 - BCG, WFP, and Share The Meal

2 - Building a foundation for success: Advice rapid fire

3 - How to market innovations and earn funding

4 - The WFP Innovation Accelerator’s impact

Links

• Historic Agency
• Bernhard Kowatsch | LinkedIn
• WFP
• WFP Innovation Accelerator
• ShareTheMeal
• How solar-technology enhances the livelihoods of women smallholder farmers in India: S4S India
• Culture Built My Brand

Mentioned in this episode:

Presented by Classy

Are you a nonprofit feeling the pressure of constant change and evolving supporter expectations? Are you searching for new ways to engage your community in this new era of fundraising?

At Future Nonprofit we seek out the top technology helping propel our sector forward, which is why Classy by GoFundMe is a trusted partner of ours. Classy's online fundraising platform empowers organizations to connect, engage, and grow. With Classy's latest innovation, Classy Studio, you can create personalized fundraising experiences that truly resonate. Build connections, unleash creativity, and raise more... faster!

And now, with new features like Intelligent Ask Amounts, which provide personalized donation amounts for each supporter who lands on your page, and improved embedded donation forms, which lead a donor through an optimized checkout flow without leaving your website, Classy's full suite of tools is further engineered for conversion while also allowing you to create lasting relationships. The only question left is... what will YOU build? The future of fundraising is now with Classy. For more information, visit classy.org.

"Society throws up a lot of hurdles to people really trying to do it the right way, right? We, and the rest of society, should knock down those hurdles, but also give space so that people can thrive.” - Tom Vozzo

Success has everything to do with circumstance. Tom Vozzo believes that with the right support and opportunity, everyone has the ability to do good in them. His commitment to wanting to do good for others is what drove him to the nonprofit space after a nearly three-decade career in the for-profit world. 

As the CEO of Homeboy Industries, Tom and his dedicated team focus on the rehabilitation and re-entry of gang members through transformative programs. Through firsthand experience, he has witnessed the profound effect of offering empathy and fresh opportunities to individuals facing challenges. This empathetic approach stands as a foundational pillar in Homeboy's remarkable success as an organization.

In this episode, Tom delves into the fusion of his corporate expertise with his unwavering commitment to investing in people. He shares insights on overcoming the scarcity mindset and imparts valuable advice for leaders in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. 

Contents

1 - Tom’s corporate experience

2 - Joining Homeboy

3 - Overcoming the scarcity mindset

4 - Building a supportive culture

5 - Balancing business and compassion

6 - Advice to leaders

Links

• Historic Agency
• Homeboy Industries
• The Homeboy Way
• Thomas Vozzo - Chief Executive Officer - Homeboy Industries | LinkedIn
• Culture Built My Brand

Mentioned in this episode:

Presented by Classy

Are you a nonprofit feeling the pressure of constant change and evolving supporter expectations? Are you searching for new ways to engage your community in this new era of fundraising?

At Future Nonprofit we seek out the top technology helping propel our sector forward, which is why Classy by GoFundMe is a trusted partner of ours. Classy's online fundraising platform empowers organizations to connect, engage, and grow. With Classy's latest innovation, Classy Studio, you can create personalized fundraising experiences that truly resonate. Build connections, unleash creativity, and raise more... faster!

And now, with new features like Intelligent Ask Amounts, which provide personalized donation amounts for each supporter who lands on your page, and improved embedded donation forms, which lead a donor through an optimized checkout flow without leaving your website, Classy's full suite of tools is further engineered for conversion while also allowing you to create lasting relationships. The only question left is... what will YOU build? The future of fundraising is now with Classy. For more information, visit classy.org.

• "There is a decent chance that this works, and then if it works, and that if it can be what the vision and the promise is, then for our mission, which is to pioneer solutions to end global homelessness, it's actually irresponsible for us not to try it.” - Brett Hagler

When age-old problems aren’t being solved by current practices or aren’t keeping up with the rate at which they are growing, new solutions are needed. But new solutions require innovative ideas and a perfect balance between boldness and being calculated to pull them off.

Brett Hagler and his team at New Story think they have struck that balance. Their mission is to end global homelessness. To achieve this, they've conducted a rigorous analysis of what works and what doesn't within this space currently and developed a short list of things to be reimagined through New Story. Among the innovations to come from that approach has been their groundbreaking 100% funding model.

In this episode, we're joined by Brett Hagler, the CEO and Co-Founder of New Story, as he shares insights into his "just go do it" mindset, offers advice on embracing "unreasonable" endeavors, and unveils the model that New Story has built to usher innovation into a pressing and rapidly escalating world issue.

Contents

1 - Brett’s “just go do it” origin (1:47)

2 - How New Story started (7:52)

3 - Developing New Story’s key goals (12:53)

4 - The 100% model (15:14)

5 - Listening to feedback from his team (19:01)

Links

• Historic Agency
• New Story
• New Story | "No Small Dreams" (Documentary Film)
• Innovation - New Story
• Brett Hagler - CEO, Co-Founder - New Story | LinkedIn
• Culture Built My Brand

Mentioned in this episode:

Presented by Classy

Are you a nonprofit feeling the pressure of constant change and evolving supporter expectations? Are you searching for new ways to engage your community in this new era of fundraising?

At Future Nonprofit we seek out the top technology helping propel our sector forward, which is why Classy by GoFundMe is a trusted partner of ours. Classy's online fundraising platform empowers organizations to connect, engage, and grow. With Classy's latest innovation, Classy Studio, you can create personalized fundraising experiences that truly resonate. Build connections, unleash creativity, and raise more... faster!

And now, with new features like Intelligent Ask Amounts, which provide personalized donation amounts for each supporter who lands on your page, and improved embedded donation forms, which lead a donor through an optimized checkout flow without leaving your website, Classy's full suite of tools is further engineered for conversion while also allowing you to create lasting relationships. The only question left is... what will YOU build? The future of fundraising is now with Classy. For more information, visit classy.org.

“Your leadership might be a burn victim of failed innovation, which is: we want to say that we're for innovation, but we want 99 percent of all of the things that we try to work at 10, 000%. And that's just not how it works.” - Mark Miller

Innovation is a big buzzword in the nonprofit space right now. But it doesn’t have just to be a buzzword. While the word feels new and trendy, the act of innovation has always been what drives the industry forward. And any organization can be at the forefront of that drive into the future if they’re intentional about it.

Over the past seven episodes of Future Nonprofit, we have brought you various stories of innovative nonprofits and organizations and learned from their paths, but in this episode, we’re going to slow things down and go right to the basics.

Mark Miller, producer and co-founder of Historic joins host Ted Vaughn to break down five of the biggest trends in the nonprofit space and gives you practical tips on how to move with those trends.

Trends

1 - Taking Bigger Risks Through Structured Testing (1:29)

2 - Branded Monthly Giving Programs (6:02)

3 - Taking Gen Z Seriously (10:03)

4 - Leveraging Your Brand to Diversify Revenue (13:25)

5 - Workers Leaving the Nonprofit Sector (17:31)

Links

• Historic Agency
• Culture Built My Brand
• More Insights

Mentioned in this episode:

Presented by Classy

Are you a nonprofit feeling the pressure of constant change and evolving supporter expectations? Are you searching for new ways to engage your community in this new era of fundraising?

At Future Nonprofit we seek out the top technology helping propel our sector forward, which is why Classy by GoFundMe is a trusted partner of ours. Classy's online fundraising platform empowers organizations to connect, engage, and grow. With Classy's latest innovation, Classy Studio, you can create personalized fundraising experiences that truly resonate. Build connections, unleash creativity, and raise more... faster!

And now, with new features like Intelligent Ask Amounts, which provide personalized donation amounts for each supporter who lands on your page, and improved embedded donation forms, which lead a donor through an optimized checkout flow without leaving your website, Classy's full suite of tools is further engineered for conversion while also allowing you to create lasting relationships. The only question left is... what will YOU build? The future of fundraising is now with Classy. For more information, visit classy.org.

"Still, you saw those moments of person-to-person care and outreach that really do illuminate what it means to be a Southwest Airlines warrior, and that is that we're in this together. We're going to take care of each other and we're going to figure out how to get out of this.” - Linda Rutherford

Tough times fall on all organizations. Whether it be from mistakes made within, unpredictable storms or financial events, and even pandemics… things can happen. And when they do, having a strong foundation of good culture and a committed team is going to make all the difference.

Southwest Airlines has spent its nearly six decades of existence building and maintaining a strong and healthy culture in its workplace. But the major winter storm of December 2022 put that culture to the ultimate test. When everything was going wrong, they were fortunate that their people were able to pull them through to the other side.

In this episode, Linda Rutherford, Chief Administration Officer of Southwest Airlines, shares the behind-the-scenes story of their storm experience. We'll gain insight into how their culture carried them through and we’ll offer valuable lessons on fostering resilience through culture within all organizations.

Contents

1 - Linda’s journey to Southwest (1:55)

2 - Southwest’s focus on culture (5:58)

3 - When the storm hit (7:39)

4 - How culture led them through (17:22)

5 - What they learned from the experience (19:14)

6 - How to build and maintain culture over time (22:05)

Links

• Historic Agency
• Southwest Airlines
• Winter Storm 2023
• Action Plan | Travel Disruption | Southwest Airlines
• Linda Rutherford - Dallas, Texas, United States | Professional Profile | LinkedIn
• Culture Built My Brand

Mentioned in this episode:

Presented by Classy

Are you a nonprofit feeling the pressure of constant change and evolving supporter expectations? Are you searching for new ways to engage your community in this new era of fundraising?

At Future Nonprofit we seek out the top technology helping propel our sector forward, which is why Classy by GoFundMe is a trusted partner of ours. Classy's online fundraising platform empowers organizations to connect, engage, and grow. With Classy's latest innovation, Classy Studio, you can create personalized fundraising experiences that truly resonate. Build connections, unleash creativity, and raise more... faster!

And now, with new features like Intelligent Ask Amounts, which provide personalized donation amounts for each supporter who lands on your page, and improved embedded donation forms, which lead a donor through an optimized checkout flow without leaving your website, Classy's full suite of tools is further engineered for conversion while also allowing you to create lasting relationships. The only question left is... what will YOU build? The future of fundraising is now with Classy. For more information, visit classy.org.

• "I looked into it and couldn't believe it, like I felt like a freaking chump because I had been paying medical bills for all of these people that would've been eligible for free or reduced care if I would've known about these programs." - Jared Walker

So many organizations get caught with their heads down, hyper-focused on what they’re doing, that they don’t realize there is often a better way. Sometimes being innovative just means taking a step back and putting yourself in spaces to find the answers that already exist. That’s exactly how Jared Walker took Dollar For from small community fundraising to a national medical debt-killing organization. 

Jared’s journey relied on educating himself, actively engaging in learning environments, and, most importantly, placing trust in others. These strategies led to multiple crucial and pivotal decisions that radically changed the company, and in one instance, catapulted the organization from a local to national scale literally overnight.

In this episode, Jared will recount the pivotal moment in his life that ignited his passion for the cause. He will also share how he embraced education and sought assistance from those around him, resulting in an exponential increase in Dollar For's reach. We'll also explore how embracing learning experiences and expertise from others is vital in setting organizations up on a path to success via adaptation and trust.

Contents

1 - Starting an educational journey (1:38)

2 - Dollar For 1.0: Crowdfunding (3:37)

3 - Discovering Charity Care (9:31)

4 - The TikTok video (11:17)

5 - Scaling up and trusting others (15:19)

6 - Community and the future of Dollar For (24:34)

Links

• Historic Agency
• Dollar For
• What Is Charity Care? – Dollar For
• The TikTok Video
• Jared Walker - Founder at Dollar For

Mentioned in this episode:

Presented by Classy

Are you a nonprofit feeling the pressure of constant change and evolving supporter expectations? Are you searching for new ways to engage your community in this new era of fundraising?

At Future Nonprofit we seek out the top technology helping propel our sector forward, which is why Classy by GoFundMe is a trusted partner of ours. Classy's online fundraising platform empowers organizations to connect, engage, and grow. With Classy's latest innovation, Classy Studio, you can create personalized fundraising experiences that truly resonate. Build connections, unleash creativity, and raise more... faster!

And now, with new features like Intelligent Ask Amounts, which provide personalized donation amounts for each supporter who lands on your page, and improved embedded donation forms, which lead a donor through an optimized checkout flow without leaving your website, Classy's full suite of tools is further engineered for conversion while also allowing you to create lasting relationships. The only question left is... what will YOU build? The future of fundraising is now with Classy. For more information, visit classy.org.

“You also want to avoid this culture of ‘innovation is this shiny magic bullet’. No. That's also a culture that we want to demystify. Innovation is ways of thinking, ways of doing, and of course ways of achieving concrete, tangible results (and) outcomes –impact at scale.”

Adaptation is essential to innovation. Growing up in Togo, West Africa, Laté Lawson-Lartego worked a summer job as a community volunteer, exposing him early on to the disparities happening in his backyard. As more of the industry opened up to him, he began to realize the systematic problems stifling the field’s progress. Inspired to expand his knowledge, Laté continued to travel and grow his educational portfolio, but rising political unrest in Togo unexpectedly forced him to flee his home country.

The sudden departure caused Laté to develop a new, invaluable skill: the ability to adapt and progress amid risk and uncertainty. From there, hard work, combined with his wealth of knowledge, led him to his position as Chief Innovation Officer at Oxfam, where he develops leadership strategies to best build and support innovation within the organization.

In this episode, Laté tells us more about how his work and personal experiences allowed him to find the balance between taking leaps of faith and being overly strategic in order to cultivate and grow innovation.

Contents

1 - Discovering divides

2 - Laté’s first innovations 

3 - Building Room For Innovation at large organizations

4 - Embracing failure

5 - Balancing controlled failure and pushing the boundaries

Links

• Historic Agency
• Oxfam Website
• Laté Lawson-Lartego on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

Presented by Classy

Are you a nonprofit feeling the pressure of constant change and evolving supporter expectations? Are you searching for new ways to engage your community in this new era of fundraising?

At Future Nonprofit we seek out the top technology helping propel our sector forward, which is why Classy by GoFundMe is a trusted partner of ours. Classy's online fundraising platform empowers organizations to connect, engage, and grow. With Classy's latest innovation, Classy Studio, you can create personalized fundraising experiences that truly resonate. Build connections, unleash creativity, and raise more... faster!

And now, with new features like Intelligent Ask Amounts, which provide personalized donation amounts for each supporter who lands on your page, and improved embedded donation forms, which lead a donor through an optimized checkout flow without leaving your website, Classy's full suite of tools is further engineered for conversion while also allowing you to create lasting relationships. The only question left is... what will YOU build? The future of fundraising is now with Classy. For more information, visit classy.org.

Liquid Death is more than just a beverage company. As CEO Mike Cessario puts it, their product is entertainment just as much as it is drinks. And while they are a for-profit company, their passionate commitment to the cause of “killing” plastic pollution has been vital to their success. Building a likable brand with an authentic charitable message isn't easy, but Liquid Death has mastered the art of being genuinely impactful while maintaining its cool factor. It's not just about flashy graphics and catchy ads; it starts from within and their work with others. That’s where Lance Blair comes in.

Lance is Liquid Death’s Head of Nonprofit Partnerships. In this episode, we'll discover how this incredibly successful and trendy water brand achieves their philanthropic goals, their strategy for captivating and inspiring communications, and how nonprofits can leverage the growing trend of companies giving back to make a positive impact on our world.

Contents

1 - Lance meets Liquid Death (3:16)

2 - More than just drink products (5:59)

3 - Sincerity in the cause (10:12)

4 - Maintaining a culture of passion (17:12)

5 - The future of for-profit charitable goals (22:43)

Links

• Historic Agency
• Liquid Death
• Lance Blair - Head of Nonprofit Partnerships Liquid Death | LinkedIn
• The Rise Of Liquid Death | Full Interview
• Death to Plastic
• Timewaster 5000 – Liquid Death

Mentioned in this episode:

Presented by Classy

Are you a nonprofit feeling the pressure of constant change and evolving supporter expectations? Are you searching for new ways to engage your community in this new era of fundraising?

At Future Nonprofit we seek out the top technology helping propel our sector forward, which is why Classy by GoFundMe is a trusted partner of ours. Classy's online fundraising platform empowers organizations to connect, engage, and grow. With Classy's latest innovation, Classy Studio, you can create personalized fundraising experiences that truly resonate. Build connections, unleash creativity, and raise more... faster!

And now, with new features like Intelligent Ask Amounts, which provide personalized donation amounts for each supporter who lands on your page, and improved embedded donation forms, which lead a donor through an optimized checkout flow without leaving your website, Classy's full suite of tools is further engineered for conversion while also allowing you to create lasting relationships. The only question left is... what will YOU build? The future of fundraising is now with Classy. For more information, visit classy.org.

"Whenever we're trying a new thing, if we're going into a new product, if we're going into a new marketplace, –whatever it is, we are running it through that grid; How are we being generous in this space? How are we being humble in this space? How are we being unifying?" - Michael McDonald

Truly satisfying work requires self-fulfillment. During a successful career in the hospitality industry, Michael McDonald was confronted with a welcomed opportunity to extend and challenge his work, but after a series of unplanned hurdles in his personal life, he stepped back to reevaluate what he wanted to gain from the future of his career.

Reconnecting with his past, Michael ventured into the nonprofit space to create something relatable and helpful for those with similar experiences. This endeavor would turn into The Bible Project, a digital platform that produces educational animations of Bible stories. 

In this episode, Michael tells his story, and shares the ways in which the core values he established in the hospitality industry carry over into the nonprofit space, and how they continue to influence the culture, growth, and success at The Bible Project. 

Contents

1 - International Restaurateur (1:21)

2 - Crowdsourcing at The Bible Project (4:49)

3 - Building partnerships (14:37)

4 - Building a strong internal culture (18:57)

5 - Cultivating innovation (21:26)

Links

• Historic Agency
• The Bible Project Website
• The Bible Project on Youtube
• Michael McDonald on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

Presented by Classy

Are you a nonprofit feeling the pressure of constant change and evolving supporter expectations? Are you searching for new ways to engage your community in this new era of fundraising?

At Future Nonprofit we seek out the top technology helping propel our sector forward, which is why Classy by GoFundMe is a trusted partner of ours. Classy's online fundraising platform empowers organizations to connect, engage, and grow. With Classy's latest innovation, Classy Studio, you can create personalized fundraising experiences that truly resonate. Build connections, unleash creativity, and raise more... faster!

And now, with new features like Intelligent Ask Amounts, which provide personalized donation amounts for each supporter who lands on your page, and improved embedded donation forms, which lead a donor through an optimized checkout flow without leaving your website, Classy's full suite of tools is further engineered for conversion while also allowing you to create lasting relationships. The only question left is... what will YOU build? The future of fundraising is now with Classy. For more information, visit classy.org.

"Where things fall apart is in the system design. It's in the how. It's not that the people are lazy. It's not that they're stupid, it's not that they're not trained well. It's not that the plan is flawed, –it's that we are working in complexity and there is no attention paid to how we are actually going to work differently." - Rodney Evans

Innovation comes from boldness. Too often, companies and organizations seek out innovative solutions without building the groundwork to make those ideas possible. Building that groundwork starts with workplace structure and culture.

Rodney Evans, co-host of Brave New Work, grew frustrated with corporate culture stifling success in the workplace, so she quit and started coaching businesses on how to do better.

In this episode, she shares her story, and gives us her best tips on how to create a thriving and sustainable culture of innovation in any workplace.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Quitting (1:57)

Chapter 2 - Symptoms and Solutions (10:38)

Chapter 3 - Innovation and Adaptation (13:29)

Chapter 4 - Overcoming Hesitancy to Experiment (21:01)

Chapter 5 - Budgeting Innovation (22:26)

Chapter 6 - Maintaining the Innovation Mindset (24:47)

Links

• Historic Agency
• Brave New Work Podcast
• The Ready
• Rodney Evans on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

Presented by Classy

Are you a nonprofit feeling the pressure of constant change and evolving supporter expectations? Are you searching for new ways to engage your community in this new era of fundraising?

At Future Nonprofit we seek out the top technology helping propel our sector forward, which is why Classy by GoFundMe is a trusted partner of ours. Classy's online fundraising platform empowers organizations to connect, engage, and grow. With Classy's latest innovation, Classy Studio, you can create personalized fundraising experiences that truly resonate. Build connections, unleash creativity, and raise more... faster!

And now, with new features like Intelligent Ask Amounts, which provide personalized donation amounts for each supporter who lands on your page, and improved embedded donation forms, which lead a donor through an optimized checkout flow without leaving your website, Classy's full suite of tools is further engineered for conversion while also allowing you to create lasting relationships. The only question left is... what will YOU build? The future of fundraising is now with Classy. For more information, visit classy.org.