Jennifer Smith, founder of Black Butterfly Chicago, shares her experience of starting a nonprofit-- what to expect, who to involve and how to keep perspective. This is a great interview for people interested in starting nonprofits or in the beginning stages because there's lots of advice that you'll appreciate and/or relate to. That said, for those of you who have been working in nonprofits for a while, I think you will appreciate this one too. It's always helpful to hear a fresh take on something that is old hat to you. You never know what ideas it'll spark or remind you of from your earlier days.   You can find the show notes at www.nonprofitoptimist.com.

Speaking from the viewpoint of an active board member, Dr. Emily Richardson shares what makes the Nanubhai Education Foundation board function so well. Their board members and staff are committed to staying connected to their mission and the diverse perspectives present on their board make their discussion robust. Nanubhai changed their program offerings in the past five years and it was neat to hear how Emily felt integral to that process.    To see the show notes, visit: www.nonprofitoptimist.com.

As the chair of a relatively new Young Professionals Board, Sharon Holdvogt gave great insight into what she has learned in managing, recruiting and building this board. This is a great episode for anyone seriously considering adding a young professionals (or auxillary/associates board) to their support structure. Also, if you are passionate about a cause and want to consider forming or joining an associates board, this is a great listen!   The show notes for this episode can be found at: www.nonprofitoptimist.com.

Laura Ng, executive director of Traffick Free, shares great tips on how to get started with a nonprofit organization. From the importance of gathering information to what kinds of boards to put in place, Laura gives encouragement, realistic advice and funny anecdotes along the way! She shares how collaboration, partnership and humility have played a large role in giving their organization credibility in the community. Laura also talks about the role of filling existing gaps rather than duplicating services and the importance of giving choices to the people with whom she works.   To see the show notes, visit www.nonprofitoptimist.com.

As the only person on the Global Glimpse staff in the Chicago area, Jamelyn has found creative ways to build community and optimize her work. Intentional choices on where and how to work have led to a more efficient and fulfilling working experience. Chock full of practical suggestions that can help people in any size office, this is an interview you won't want to miss!   Show notes can be found at www.nonprofitoptimist.com.

In this interview with Anna Mayer, Executive Director of Taller de José, the Nonprofit Optimist explores how to increase your staff without increasing your budget, how to support your organization through transitions in leadership and how to include the voice of all stakeholders when structuring your boards. This is a great conversation and the first interview to be featured on the Nonprofit Optimist.   To see the shownotes, visit www.nonprofitoptimist.com.

Welcome to the Nonprofit Optimist podcast! In this first episode, I introduce the three goals for this podcast: Encourage the development of small organizations by sharing lessons learned. Increase the awareness of good that is occurring in the world. Provide a platform to showcase awesome nonprofits. The nonprofit featured in this episode is CROSO (Child Restoration Outreach Support Organization). In addition to hosting this podcast, I am the founder and executive director of CROSO. CROSO is a nonprofit that provides college scholarships for former street children in Uganda. To learn more about how (or why) this nonprofit got started and how we've slowly grown as an organization, listen to the episode! Show notes can be found at www.nonprofitoptimist.com.