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 organization can thrive with a distributive leadership model. 

Their organization seeks to build a healthy community through providing access to good food and addressing the root causes of food insecurity, in collaboration with key partners. The Hunger Coalition is not your traditional food pantry, as they seek to provide a welcoming space where people can enjoy a healthy meal, make deep connections, and share about their lives.

Brooke and Naomi explain what food insecurity is and how it is different in their region compared to a traditional urban area. They discuss why it is so difficult for unaffected people to understand the issue of hunger. They are regularly trying to communicate the real stories of people dealing with food insecurity in order to mitigate this misunderstanding.

When it comes to their Co-Executive Directors model, Naomi explains the unique ways they involve their participants in the decision making processes. Brooke explains that distributive leadership is wonderful for cross training, creating a feeling of ownership for all, and building great career paths. Naomi offers advice to other nonprofit leaders that want to adopt this type of leadership model and advises why one needs to be committed to unlearning some of what we have learned about leading nonprofits. Brooke explains the role of an effective leader and the way a leader should give feedback to those they lead. Naomi describes the benefits to the weekly staff meetings they hold and why every staff member needs to be present. Both Brooke and Naomi explain how a well rounded leader can create a well rounded organization. 

Links to Resources:

Find out more about the Hunger Coalition and their story here. https://thehungercoalition.org/about/the-story/

Here is the link they refer to with RVC https://rvcseattle.org

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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 with their advice to other nonprofits across the country.

Rob’s guests both run nonprofits that serve in resort mountain towns. Brianne Snow is the Executive Director of Family & Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC) in Summit County, Colorado. FIRC is a social services nonprofit that works to strengthen local families through education and financial resources. They offer assistance with housing, food and education. 

Sharel Lund is the Executive Director of One22 Resource Center in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. One22 is a nonprofit that was created from a merger of other organizations. They offer assistance with housing, food, language support, and financial assistance.

Brianne and Sharel share why they were attracted to the nonprofit sector and what it is like to be an Executive Director of a nonprofit organization. They both agree that it is very difficult to get funding in a mountain town, since a lot of funding goes to urban cities. Brianne and Sharel both recognize that while local governments and businesses they work with are active in giving back to the community, they believe nonprofits have certain advantages over the government and for-profit sectors. They also describe the trends they are seeing in the nonprofit sector, mainly when it comes to turnover for staffing. Brianne shares how the move to remote work has negatively impacted her community in that many city dwellers are now moving to Summit County and thus raising the cost of living for other residents. Sharel wants donors to know the benefits to donating, one of which is the opportunity to make deeper connections in the community. Brianne and Sharel share advice and encouragement for those who are considering joining the nonprofit sector. They also explain their advice for the challenges that face the nonprofit sector, in the next few years.

Links to Resources:

If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at [email protected]
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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 professor in the Strategy Unit at Harvard Business School. Dr. Rivkin is also credited with starting YALP.

Jan explains the top traits of effective cross-sector collaborators, and how successful collaborators respond to the setbacks they will encounter. He also explains that leaders need to make the most out of differences. Jan shares his concern for the lack of civility in our society and believes it is the underlying factor in our ability to solve other problems. Jan believes in order to develop leadership skills, one needs to experiment, learn, and reflect. Jan shares why the YALP leaders he gets to work with really do give him hope and helps him avoid feeling discouraged in a world full of problems.

Links to Resources:

If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at [email protected]
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Right now in the United States, 95% of the sector is being overlooked and underinvested when it comes to nonprofit donations, according to Philanthropy Together. Thankfully, the collective giving movement is growing and making a positive change in underinvested communities. Today’s guest explains how more diverse communities can get funded when there are more diverse philanthropists involved. 

Rob’s guest today is Sara Lomelin who is a philanthropist, TED speaker, and the CEO of Philanthropy Together. Philanthropy Together is a global initiative, co-created by hundreds of giving circle and network leaders, to scale and strengthen the collective giving movement through the power of giving circles. Their mission is to democratize and diversify philanthropy through the power of giving circles.

Sara explains that a giving circle is a group of people with shared values that come together to make change. They pool their time and money, and decide as a circle where it should go. Sara describes the five key aspects of a giving circle and the five valuable things that each individual member inherently brings to the circle they join. Sara shares some very inspiring examples of the impact collective giving is having across our nation. She also explains what is motivating this increase of diversity and inclusion in philanthropy. Sara also shares how one can join or create their own giving circle, with the help of Philanthropy Together and the many resources they offer online. 

To join a giving circle in your community, check out Philanthropy Together’s Global Giving Circle Directory. Or to start one, join Philanthropy Together’s Launchpad program to learn how! 

Mentioned: 

Links to Resources:

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It can be difficult to see actual change to today’s big problems, especially when starting at the federal level. Change usually occurs due to the efforts of dedicated individuals at the local level. Rob’s guest shares how a program at Harvard Business School is dedicated to solving big issues by bringing together local leaders from all over the United States.

Rob’s guest today is Dr. Jan Rivkin who is the Senior Associate Dean and Chair of the MBA program at Harvard. He is also a professor in the Strategy Unit at Harvard Business School. Dr. Rivkin is also credited with starting YALP, the Young American Leaders Program.

Jan explains his role at Harvard Business School and why he was led into academia. Jan shares that while involved in the US Competitiveness Project which started in 2011, he and his colleagues at Harvard realized the US economy was lacking shared prosperity. Jan explains that they realized sustainable change would not come from the federal level alone because of the gridlock that often occurred at this level. This prompted the Harvard Business School to create a program that would aim to solve these issues. Jan describes how the Young American Leaders Program chooses the participants each year and what the program provides to these leaders from across the United States. Jan shares some examples of the positive influence the program has made in US cities and the benefits of addressing issues at the local level. Rob gets the opportunity to share about his experience of participating in the program and adds what he found most impactful when he was a part of YALP.

Links to Resources:

If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at [email protected]
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Cryptocurrency is all the rage in many ways right now, but there still remains a lot of skepticism about the long term sustainability of cryptocurrency and just the uncertainty around it. There’s a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to cryptocurrency’s use for nonprofits and philanthropy. This is part two of our series on cryptocurrency and part one featured Robbie Heeger from Endaoment. 

Rob’s guest today is another expert in cryptocurrency, Pat Duffy. He’s the co-founder of The Giving Block, a for-profit company that seeks to help provide all a nonprofit needs to fundraise Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in order to support their missions. 

Pat gives a quick overview of cryptocurrency and why nonprofits should be more engaged and educated about it, and how blockchain technology has solved many financial issues since its inception in 2009. He breaks down crypto’s three versions of safety and why cryptocurrency is becoming a safer investment strategy. He discusses Giving Block’s mission and the many benefits they provide to nonprofit organizations, along with their secret sauce of never-ending energy to establish themselves in the crypto sector. He shares what it takes for nonprofits to begin accepting crypto from donors and scale up to crypto fundraising programs. He addresses skepticism nonprofit leaders may have around cryptocurrency and how Giving Block can save organizations not just money, but time and energy spent on trying to create something from scratch. Finally, Pat explains how his previous experience at a nonprofit inspired him to offer innovative solutions to nonprofits, why crypto is a great way to boost engagement and fundraise effectively for organizations, and his predictions for what role cryptocurrency will play for philanthropy.  

Links to Resources:

Twitter – https://twitter.com/TheGivingBlock/

The Giving Block –https://thegivingblock.com/

If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at [email protected]

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Cryptocurrency is here to stay and it’s coming to a nonprofit near you. Understandably, many of you might be very skeptical when it comes to cryptocurrency, in general, and certainly when it comes to how it might impact your nonprofit fundraising efforts. 

Rob’s guest today is Robbie Heeger, the CEO of Endaoment, a new public charity that offers donor-advised funds (DAFs) built atop the Ethereum blockchain. Their mission is to manage and encourage the charitable giving of cryptocurrencies. 

Robbie demystifies cryptocurrency and explains how Endaoment uses donor-advised funds to convert cryptocurrency donations into US dollar grants for charities and philanthropic causes. He also discusses DeFi, or decentralized financing, and Endaoment’s use of blockchain networks to recreate behaviors of established financial institutions with more transparency, interoperability and emphasis on community foundation. He addresses how they try to mitigate skepticism by using the world’s most trusted stable coin. He goes on to explain the difference between Bitcoin, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and various forms of cryptocurrency. Robbie shares tips for organizations to participate in the crypto ecosystem and sheds light on how nonprofits have the opportunity to shift into a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). He also explains how nonprofits can take advantage of Endaoment’s “end to end” donor-advised fund experience to begin receiving cryptocurrency gifts and donations. Finally, Robbie predicts what nonprofits can expect over the next few years as the cryptocurrency industry blooms.      

This episode previously aired. #ICYMI #FromTheArchives    

Links to Resources:

Endaoment on Twitter – https://twitter.com/endaomentdotorg

Endaoment – https://endaoment.org/

How to Get Started – https://docs.endaoment.org/

Robbie Heeger on Twitter – https://twitter.com/robbieheeger

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Ever wondered how philanthropy and charity first began? The answer may surprise you! The Greek roots for the word “philanthropy” refer to the “love of humankind”.

Rob’s guest today is author Paul Vallely who has written a new book that serves as an encyclopedic review of the origins and history of philanthropy and charity over the centuries. Paul argues that today, too many people and organizations have lost the true purpose of charity and he offers a way back to the roots of good philanthropy.   

Paul shares what led him to research the history of philanthropy, what surprised him most about how money moves through philanthropic organizations and who really benefits from donations. He also talks about how organizations can help recapture the missing element in philanthropy, particularly as it relates to the relationship between the rich and the poor. In short, Paul argues for having a more human and holistic vision of philanthropy that marries the head and the heart. Finally, Paul digs into why more nonprofit leaders need to focus on building partnerships by listening to and respecting the people they are trying to help and how the pandemic has actually strengthened philanthropy as a third pillar in society alongside government and the market. 

*This episode previously aired. #FromTheArchives #ICYMI

Learn more about Paul’s book here:

Paul Vallely: Website | Twitter |  

If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at [email protected]

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Almost everyone is familiar with the YMCA, especially because of the Village People’s infamous song. What many may not know is that the Y, with all of its nationwide affiliates, is actually one of the largest nonprofits, not only in the US, but in the world. 

Rob’s guest today is the retiring President and CEO of the YMCA of the USA, Kevin Washington. After 43 years of service, Kevin will be handing off the baton to Suzanne McCormick, who will be taking the YMCA to the next chapter in their storied history. YMCA of the USA is a federated organization that manages 800 federate associates as part of their national network. There are 2,700 physical YMCA branch locations across all 50 states, with programs in over 10,000 communities serving 22 million members and counting. 

Kevin recalls his own experience of how the Y found him and his journey from being a member to becoming the organization’s President. He explains how COVID forced the YMCA to quickly pivot and why collaboration with the newly formed federal coalition to support nonprofits was vital to continue providing services for communities. Kevin describes the barriers they’ve had to overcome during the pandemic and why working together is always key, regardless of political beliefs. He also highlights the importance of trust and transparency, and how long term relationships with donors helped secure unrestricted funds when it mattered most. On the same note, Kevin discusses why he believes nonprofit leadership requires significant levels of humbleness, empathy, innovation and boldness and the willingness to risk going against the status quo if it means moving your organization forward. Finally, Kevin shares the greatest opportunities and challenges the next CEO of the YMCA will face, and how the “Summer of George Floyd” and believing in our youth has bolstered his hope for the future. 

*This episode previously aired. #FromTheArchives #ICYMI

Links to Resources:

Kevin Washington

[email protected]

Meet the new CEO through this link.
YMCA Website 

If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at [email protected]
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Rob has had several guests on the show to talk about the work they are doing with diversity, equity and inclusion. Today’s guest is dedicated to this same important work. The work is particularly relevant this month, because August is Black Philanthropy Month.

Rob’s guest today is Dr. Chera Reid, the Co-Executive Director of the Center for Evaluation Innovation or CEI and she will share how we can help transform philanthropy into a force that actually advances racial equity and justice. CEI is a women-led nonprofit organization that partners with philanthropy on strategy, learning and evaluation efforts that are intended to advance racial equity and justice.

Chera shares that she was led into this work 20 years ago and was inspired by the work of Dr. Lydia English, who she later worked with at a nonprofit in Massachusetts. She explains that racial justice is a strategy that needs to be the priority for all foundations, acknowledging uncomfortable truths in order to progress. She believes the nonprofit sector is a reflection of the challenges and opportunities in our society and shares about how two Supreme Court cases have been great milestones for the diversity movement.

She also discusses a recent successful live event that CEI co-hosted with Trust-Based Philanthropy, a peer-to-peer funder initiative to address the inherent power imbalances between foundations and nonprofits. Chera explains how partnerships like these can really make a difference in closing the gap between ideas and taking action. She concludes by offering two great pieces of advice to other nonprofit leaders. First, she encourages leaders to be themselves by owning one’s experiences. Second, she talks about the importance of leaders taking some things off of their calendar. Finally, Chera shares her belief that this critical work is essentially “remaking the world”.

Links to Resources:

Center for Evaluation Innovation (CEI)
CEI LinkedIn
CEI Twitter

If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at [email protected]
To be added to the monthly email update, go to http://nonprofitleadershippodcast.org/