Talk about following your passion and making a success of it! From studying industrial engineering, to working in investment banking, starting her own businesses and now finding and managing talent for one of the leading education charities in Los Angeles - Deena Magnum has done it all. 

This is a fascinating interview and really digs into the question of not just "should I work in impact" but, if I do, what role should I be looking for? Eleanor and I were particularly excited to explore with an expert some of our favourite questions about burn-out, retention, promotion and growth in the for-purpose sector. 

Born & raised in LA, Deena is a big advocate for finding what you care about and then figuring out how you can take "a bite" out of the issue. There are now so many different models, ideas and people tackling some of the big issues out there and rather than being overwhelmed by choice, Deena has an ability to instil confidence and enthusiasm. This is a really uplifting interview and we can certainly understand how Deena is able to attract the best of the best to causes she's working on.  

This interview is jam packed with detailed analysis of fundraising in the for purpose sector. Laura generously shares a wealth of trends, data and insights about fundraising and the for-profit sector. 

One of our favourite insights is that "individuals give at the speed of trust." Historically, major gifts trust took about 40 years to develop, grow, and build, but post internet this timeline has been halved to about 20 years. 

Laura's dad was instrumental on putting her on this path as he helped her to understand that if she really wanted to change the world, that she needed to learn how to raise money. 

This interview is well worth a listen if you really want to understand what makes the for purpose sector tick. As much like the business world, deep insights come if you can follow the money and Laura is undoubtedly one of the best guides we could have on this exploration.

For more information on topics addressed in this episode, Laura shared these resources:

Nike is the Managing Director of the Civil Society Fellowship, an organisation that engages next generation social entrepreneurs to build civil discourse across ideological difference. Having begun her career in marketing at PepsiCo, Nike responded to societal and familial pain by pivoting to work in the impact space; a pivot so powerful, that she was recently named one of Anderson's 100 most inspirational alumni. 

This podcast is jam packed with what Nike calls truth-telling and there are so many takeaways that you're going to want to have a pen handy. Nike refers to her career as 'for impact,' rather than 'not for profit,' because "why would you ever define yourself by what you're not?" She also says to "double click on the listening" if you want to be an effective leader. And, if you're serving on a Board, remember "nose in, fingers out" - you're going to have to listen to find out what that last one means! 

Nike sits on numerous Boards and has had a career in the impact sector that spans 20+ years. This episode has a wealth of knowledge and experience for anyone interested in a for purpose career and, in particular, Board service.

Oxana is the Corporate Partnerships Manager of Grameen America and one of the most thoughtful people we've interviewed.

Moving from Russia, to Kazakhstan and then arriving in America when she was eight, Oxana always wanted to give back to the community that gave so much to her and her mother. 

Pre-MBA this was going to happen through the Arts, but she had a pivotal moment during her studies when she consulted to a company focused on women's financial inclusion. Oxana realized that she wanted to work on systemic issues like access to capital, which led her to Grameen America and doing the transformational work of providing micro loans to women entrepreneurs who live below the federal poverty line. 

This interview is well worth a listen for key insights into how you can consider, test and reflect on the impact career path that's a match for you. 

Julie Lacouture, Fundraising Consultant at Good Ways Inc, joins Eleanor and Amy to discuss how getting an MBA at Anderson was key to shaping how she has an impact through consulting. Also, Julie introduces us to a fantastic term called "Return on Ignoring" - a term that everyone working in NFPs and Impact needs to know!  Find out more about her work at https://goodwaysinc.com/

As always pls forgive any technical / sound issues that arise due to recording this over zoom during covid.

Ashlee George, Executive Director at Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, joins Eleanor and Amy to discuss how getting an MBA at Anderson was key to enhancing her ability to have an impact. Find out more about her work at https://charlizeafricaoutreach.org/

Bhavna Sivanand, Executive Director at Impact@Anderson, joins Eleanor and Amy to discuss her personal impact journey and how Anderson is supporting MBAs to integrate impact into their careers. Follow her on Twitter, @SIBhavna and find out more about Impact@Anderson at https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/centers/impactanderson.