Love Warriors: Working to Build a Better World

At North Valley Community Foundation, our clients come to us seeking a way to heal a hurt or fill a need they see in our world. When they walk through the doors the first question we ask is, "What's on your heart?" From there we start problem solving with paint brushes, crayons and innovation — the ingredients that NVCF President and CEO Alexa Benson-Valavanis say make up humanitarian work.

In our latest episode of the "Love Warriors: Working to Build a Better World" podcast, "What's on your heart?" our host Patrice Berry sits down with Alexa to discuss her values and motivators around her work at NVCF and how that translates to those wanting to do good in the world.

#LoveWarriors #Podcast #Philanthropy

We are excited to announce the reboot of our "Love Warriors: Working to Build a Better World" podcast. The podcast focuses on all things philanthropy, from who is a philanthropist to people doing good work right here in our community, as well as insights into topics like charitable gift planning.

In the first episode in our reboot, "We're back!", hosts Megan Smith and Patrice Berry reintroduce the podcast for those who haven't listened to it before and give a crash course on who we are and what we do here at the North Valley Community Foundation.

You can listen to the podcast anywhere you normally find your podcasts (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Goodpods, Overcast, etc.). You can also now watch the podcast on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@NorthValleyCommunityFoundation

2021 was a year full of learning and growing for our digital content team here at North Valley Community Foundation. We came so far in one short year, despite being in the throws of a global pandemic. Hang out with us while we recap all our favorite accomplishments from the last year as digital content creators and all that we took away from it. 

In this episode we are excited to discuss our up and coming annual event, the North Valley Week of Giving. This week-long online community-wide fundraiser will be held this year from Nov. 30 - Dec. 6. We will discuss what the event is, how to participate, what to expect and how to support. If you are interested in learning more please check out our website at www.nvcf.org/nvweekofgiving. 

One of the many tools nonprofits can leverage in their work is storytelling. Stories help the community connect to your work as a nonprofit in meaningful ways. In this episode, “Visual Storytelling and the Power of Empathy,” we are excited to discuss the Love Warriors' personal favorite type of storytelling, visual storytelling. In a twist of events, in this episode, our hosts Megan Smith and Patrice Berry will be the interviewees with our first ever guest host, Monica Wigman. Megan and Patrice talk about their work as visual storytellers, creating content for NFL three-time MVP Aaron Rodgers and the power empathy holds in visual storytelling.

Are you a nonprofit organization looking to build out your social media presence but have NO idea where to start? Don’t fear, this episode of “Love Warriors: Working to Build a Better World” is for you. Our resident social media expert and host Megan Smith discusses the basics of social media, including content creation for all skillsets, how to grow your community and what benefits come from a nonprofit organization creating a social media presence. She shares some of her personal experience and advice as a digital content creator at NVCF.

Resources discussed in today's episode: 

www.canva.com

www.facebook.com

www.youtube.com

www.twitter.com

One of the biggest challenges nonprofit employees face is the dreaded “burnout.” In this field it is easy to get caught in a cycle in which our desire to help outweighs our need to take care of ourselves. This is where burnout tends to creep in. In our newest podcast episode we sit down with health coach Katie Hubbard to discuss the ways in which we can use healthy boundaries, mindful practices and getting to know ourselves to combat the fearful burnout. 

Check out Katie’s website here at healthcoachkatie.com. 

Curious as to how nonprofits are adapting to fundraising in light of the current pandemic? We are so excited to share some resources today that might be of use to the nonprofit sector. In todays episode, "Livestreaming, the Telethon of the 21st Century" we are going to discuss just how philanthropy and the nonprofit sector can partner with the growing digital platform of livestreaming. We will discuss what livestreaming is, who is doing it, who is watching it and the ways in which it can be used to raise money for philanthropic causes. We will talk about some of our experiences here at the North Valley Community Foundation and provide resources going forward for you and your organization.

Resources discussed in episode:

www.tiltify.com

www.streamlabs.com

www.donordrive.com

www.influencerfundraising.com

We are excited to introduce a new segment to our podcast, titled "Tech Time," where we sit down with our vice president of operations and staff tech guru, Chris Hayashida-Knight, to discuss the basics of technology and systems when working in the nonprofit world. This will be a recurring segment in which we share with our listeners our experience with the tech resources we have found. You might be surprised what is available out there for free! In today's episode, "Tech Time: Where to Begin," we discuss the basics like where to start if you're a small nonprofit with little to no budget and the things that have helped us here at North Valley Community Foundation along our journey. We also break down the eternal debate of Google vs. Office365 (spoiler: they're both equally great). If you are interested in any of the applications discussed in today's episode please see the links below.

Google.com

Office365.com

YouTube.com

Podcasts like this one

Asana.com

If you have any tech questions you would like to have answered on our next episode of “Tech Time,” send us an email to [email protected]

Today's episode of "Love Warriors: Working to Build a Better World" is a bit unconventional. A few of our staff members here at the North Valley Community Foundation decided to surprise our staff with our very own Christmas album and we wanted to share that with all of you. Our very own digital content creator and cohost Patrice Berry delights us with her amazing vocals while being accompanied by our vice president of operations Christ Hayashida-Knight on the piano. We hope this episode of holiday classics fills your heart and your home with holiday cheer. So please, grab a cup of hot coco, sit back and enjoy. From our staff here at NVCF, we hope you have a very merry Christmas and happy holidays.