Adaptive Show Notes for "Leading with Innovation and Humanity at Easterseals" Podcast Episode

Join us as Kendra Ennis Davenport, President and CEO of Easterseals, shares how the organization serves over 1 million people annually by blending tradition with innovation, storytelling with impact, and optimism with realism. Discover how Easterseals navigates funding gaps, scales care, and advocates for disability awareness with heart and ingenuity.

Main Topics:

• The evolution and ongoing innovation at Easterseals over 107 years
• Creative models for adult disability services, including the open-air PIAT center
• Fundraising strategies that humanize and elevate adult programs
• The power of storytelling and participant agency in advocacy
• Leaders' resilience in challenging nonprofit environments
• Building a national brand movement similar to breast cancer awareness
• Strategies for smaller nonprofits to scale impact and grow support

In this episode:

• Kendra shares how Easterseals combines its rich heritage with innovative service delivery
• An inside look at the open-air adult day program in Southern California
• The importance of storytelling and participant consent in advocacy campaigns
• Lessons learned from a failed gaming program and pivoting with transparency
• How to foster positivity and resilience in nonprofit leadership
• Strategies to grow awareness and support for disability issues through example organizations like Susan G. Komen
• Practical advice for small nonprofits to step out of comfort zones and expand their impact

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Easterseals and its impact on over a million individuals annually

00:31 - Kendra's background and vision for sustaining innovation over 107 years

01:56 - The juxtaposition of tradition and innovation at Easterseals

03:19 - Innovative adult day services — open-air centers and personalized care models

05:00 - The story of the PIAT open-air adult day center in Southern California

07:05 - Fundraising challenges and human storytelling for adult programs

09:15 - Engaging veteran stories to highlight resilience and purpose

11:56 - Maintaining positivity despite national funding challenges

14:49 - How Easterseals continues to evolve and celebrate long-term impact

16:58 - The importance of storytelling, authenticity, and participant agency

22:51 - Lessons learned from a failed gaming program and pivoting with transparency

22:58 - Crafting stories that balance honesty with emotional connection

28:40 - The role of personal stories in advocacy and fundraising success

33:31 - Building a national awareness movement for disability akin to breast cancer campaigns

34:00 - Advice for small nonprofits aspiring to grow impact

38:02 - Connecting with Easterseals and future leadership initiatives

Resources & Links:

• Kipos Group
• Schedule a call

Connect with Kendra:

• Kendra Ennis Davenport - LinkedIn
• Easterseals

From $7,000 to $800,000: How North Bay Transformed Its Fundraising Strategy

Discover how North Bay, a 17-year-old outdoor education organization, shifted from negligible fundraising to confidently raising nearly $800,000 annually. Jen Foy shares her journey, strategies, and lessons learned to inspire nonprofit leaders to rethink their funding models and systems.

In this episode:

• The storytelling power of cohesive messaging in fundraising
• How North Bay identified and invested in foundational partnerships
• The importance of starting small with systems and processes
• Strategies for building a community presence and recognition
• Lessons learned from failed outreach efforts
• The role of team culture and leadership in risk-taking and learning
• Practical steps to grow a donor list from scratch
• The concept of 'learning labs' for continuous improvement
• The significance of 'day in the life' visits for engagement
• Future fundraising plans and expanding donor pipelines

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction: The mission to change nonprofit funding perceptions
01:51 - Jen Foy’s background and North Bay's vision
02:58 - Challenges faced: organizational burnout and funding crises
04:09 - The fundraising vacuum: initial small donations and reliance on grants
05:32 - Entering a new era: from $7,000 to $800,000 in annual revenue
10:00 - Building foundation and corporation partnerships: starting points
11:11 - The decision to invest in fundraisers: making a strategic leap
12:46 - Overcoming fear: why investment was a necessity
13:46 - Navigating community perception and awareness gaps
15:11 - Why North Bay focused on corporate and foundation funding
16:51 - Setting up effective systems: KPIs, tracking, and iteration
18:13 - Embracing imperfect systems: starting small and scaling
19:10 - The 'day in the life' visits approach and its impact on engagement
21:37 - Lessons from failures: email campaigns and event turnout
23:13 - Reflecting and learning: debriefs and team culture
26:17 - Leadership principles fostering a collaborative, risk-tolerant team
27:14 - Next steps: expanding the donor base and future growth
28:24 - Final advice: start small, take risks, and learn fast

Resources & Links:

• The Kipos Group Website
• Book a discovery Call with James M.

Connect with Jen Foy:

• LinkedIn

Connect with James Misner:

• LinkedIn

In this episode of On the Ground with James Misner, James sits down with Calla Parker and Matt Soerens to unpack how World Relief mobilized a rapid, faith-driven response—raising $10 million in just 90 days and housing 3,998 refugee families.

This conversation goes beyond the numbers. Calla and Matt share what it looked like to navigate sudden policy shifts, respond to urgent human need, and lead through uncertainty while staying grounded in mission. They also reveal the behind-the-scenes strategy—how advocacy, storytelling, and donor engagement came together to fuel one of the most critical fundraising efforts in recent history.

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The celebration is real. The impact is massive. But the mindset has changed.

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Because the best teams don’t just win—they evolve.

The conversation explores the concept of stage four in fundraising psychology, focusing on action, learning orientation, building systems and teams, and the role of metrics and feedback. It emphasizes the importance of intelligent action, learning from mistakes, involving teams, and using metrics as feedback for improvement.

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This is the moment when fear and resentment fade, and ownership takes its place. Fundraising is no longer something that happens to you — it becomes something you intentionally lead.

Stage 3 isn’t about loving every donor meeting or becoming someone you’re not. It’s about alignment. It’s about recognizing that resourcing the mission is central — not secondary — to your role as a nonprofit CEO.

James Misner, CEO of The Kipos, explores Stage 3 of Fundraising Psychology: Acceptance — the turning point where fundraising stops feeling like an obligation and becomes an expression of leadership.

This is the moment when fear and resentment fade, and ownership takes its place. Fundraising is no longer something that happens to you — it becomes something you intentionally lead.

Stage 3 isn’t about loving every donor meeting or becoming someone you’re not. It’s about alignment. It’s about recognizing that resourcing the mission is central — not secondary — to your role as a nonprofit CEO.

You’re no longer afraid of donor meetings.
You’re just… tired of them.

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In this episode, James explores why Annoyance is more dangerous than Anxiety, how subtle resentment caps growth, and why flat results often trace back to flat energy. If your organization feels stuck — not declining, but not growing — this conversation will hit close to home.

You’re functioning. But are you thriving?