Palante Nonprofits

Nonprofit leaders are leaving money, momentum, and sanity on the table by trying to be everything to everyone. Santos Morales reveals the counterintuitive growth strategy that took Enterprising Latinas from a small mission to a $1.7 million organization—and why saying no to the wrong funding can be the smartest move you make.Dr. Andrea Ortega sits down with Santos, COO of Enterprising Latinas, for a candid conversation about what actually drives sustainable nonprofit growth, especially for organizations serving women, Latinas, and entrepreneurs. From scaling more than 1,000 entrepreneurs and supporting 300+ small businesses to leading through a leadership sabbatical, Santos shares the real operational decisions behind the organization’s expansion and impact.In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why focusing on one clear niche beats chasing every grant
• How to build partnerships that strengthen your mission instead of distracting from it
• Why funders notice capacity, clarity, and fit immediately
• How Enterprising Latinas turned collaboration into a community hub
• What it means to grow an organization without burning out your team

 Santos also explains why the organization stopped offering services outside its strengths and instead partnered with other providers. He shares how staying mission-first, listening to community needs, and creating pathways to economic mobility helped the team grow while keeping members at the center of everything they do. Andrea and Santos also discuss women-led spaces, allyship, leadership, and the realities of building sustainable impact in the nonprofit sector. If you lead a nonprofit, run a community-based organization, apply for grants, or want a smarter way to scale without losing your purpose, this conversation will give you practical ideas to take back to your work. Perfect for nonprofit leaders, social impact professionals, funders, and anyone interested in mission-driven growth. Find Enterprising Latinas at enterprisinglatinas.org and on Instagram and Facebook at @EnterprisingLatinas.

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Hispanic-led nonprofits are often doing the deepest, most trusted work in their communities—but still leaving funding on the table because their systems, messaging, and donor strategy aren’t built to match their impact. Dr. Andrea Ortega and Jasmine Carrillo break down why that happens and what small organizations can do right now to change it.Andrea, host of Palante Nonprofits Podcast, and Jasmine Carrillo, founder and philanthropic advisor at Impact Rich Media, get real about the gap between doing great work and being funded for it. If your organization is busy serving people but struggling to clearly communicate its value, ask for support, or turn one-time gifts into long-term donor relationships, this conversation is for you.In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why many nonprofits have strong community trust but weak fundraising infrastructure
• The website mistakes that quietly prevent donations, including broken buttons, limited payment options, and unclear impact language
• How to make stronger asks through donor stewardship, follow-up, and relationship-building 
• Why culturally authentic fundraising matters, from Spanish-language communications to community-centered events
• How hands-on capacity building can help small NGOs create sustainable fundraising systems
• Why engaged, diverse boards and strong governance are essential for organizational growth

Andrea also shares hard-won lessons from the field, including why boards, governance, and internal systems matter just as much as mission. Jasmine brings a global perspective shaped by her work across Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Canada, and the United States, showing how organizations can move from survival mode to long-term sustainability.If you lead a nonprofit, support one, or want to understand how real fundraising happens behind the scenes, this episode will change how you think about visibility, trust, and growth. It’s essential listening for nonprofit founders, executive directors, development teams, and anyone working to turn community impact into lasting resources.

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Most nonprofit storytelling is doing more harm than good. Dr. Andrea Ortega and Maria Bryan reveal the questions every communicator should ask before sharing a donor appeal, a social post, or a success story - because “good intentions” are not the same as consent, safety, or trust. Maria, the marketing strategist at Donorbox, brings a hard-earned framework for trauma-informed, ethical storytelling that protects the very people nonprofits are trying to honor. Andrea pushes the conversation further with real-world examples from Hispanic-led organizations, disaster response, and the pressure to show impact without turning people’s pain into marketing content. You’ll discover:

• Why a beautiful story can still put someone at risk
• The difference between ethical storytelling and trauma-informed storytelling
• The “story owner” mindset and why consent is more than a checkbox
• The questions to ask before publishing images, names, locations, or family details
• How urgency-based fundraising can create anxiety, shame, and burnout instead of sustainable giving
• Why donor agency matters just as much as storyteller agency
• How to audit your language, imagery, and donation flow so people feel safe, not manipulated

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What does it take to build a lasting Latino leadership organization without a big-city budget, a corporate pipeline, or a perfect playbook? Dr. Andrea Ortega sits down with Diana Avalos Leos, founder and director of Latino Leadership Northwest, for a powerful conversation about creating real community power from the ground up. Diana shares how a spark in 2008 turned into a 15-year mission to serve first-generation youth and families in Vancouver, Washington, and why she chose to build the program first and the nonprofit around it. Together, they unpack the realities of starting and sustaining mission-driven work in a rural and often overlooked region, where visibility, trust, and relationships matter just as much as funding. You'll discover:

• Why the "build the program first" approach can be a smarter path for nonprofits
• How to grow trust and visibility when you're not in a major metro
• Why succession planning has to start on day one
• What it really means to create multigenerational impact, not just short-term services
• How leaders can open doors for themselves when no one else is doing it

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What if the key to a stronger nonprofit isn't more funding, but better rest?

In this episode, we sit down with Brittney Frazier, a nonprofit leadership expert and program officer at Allegany Franciscan Ministries, to talk about why leader wellbeing is one of the most overlooked drivers of organizational health and community impact.

Brittney shares how she helped design and launch a sabbatical pilot program for nonprofit leaders, what she learned along the way, and why the "perfect moment" for a sabbatical never just arrives. You have to create it.

In this episode you will learn:

• Why nonprofit leaders burn out and what organizations can do about it
• What a sabbatical actually looks like in practice and how to plan one effectively
• How funders and board members can shift the culture around rest and sustainability
• Real stories from leaders who took sabbaticals and what changed for them
• How organizational culture shapes leadership, and how leaders can model the change they want to see

Resources mentioned:

• Allegany Franciscan Ministries: https://afmfl.org/
• Connect with Brittney Frazier on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittneytfrazier1913/

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Most nonprofits are overwhelmed trying to keep up with donor relationships, what if a simple, scalable system could transform the way you thank supporters and boost donations? David Wachs, founder of Handwrytten, reveals how innovative robotic handwriting combined with smart automation can help your organization save hours, deepen donor loyalty, and raise more funds, all without burning out your team. 

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Two Colombian women. Two different paths through violence, immigration, and reinvention. One conversation about what it really takes to lead in the U.S. nonprofit sector.

Dr. Andrea Ortega sits down with Catalina Spinel, Director of Partnerships at Candid, tracing a journey that began in Bogotá — where growing up surrounded by conflict sparked an early hunger for justice — through a master's in public administration, stints at the UN and NYC Department of Education, and finally to Candid after its 2019 merger of GuideStar and Foundation Center.

• Resource: https://www.issuelab.org/resources/43685/43685.pdf
• Resource: https://genderpoint.org/datawoven/ 
• Resource: Building a tool for the sector together: Co-creating as power sharing

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Dr. Andrea Ortega and Deisamar De Soto-Torres emphasize the significance of education and humility in business leadership. Deisamar discusses the need to treat everyone equally, regardless of their financial contributions, and emphasizes the importance of integrity and honesty in all business dealings.

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Dr. Andrea Ortega and Tayah Butler discuss the concept of impact within the nonprofit sector, emphasizing the importance of defining impact, activities, outputs, and outcomes. They explore inclusive leadership interventions to improve retention and belonging among historically underrepresented groups. The discussion also addresses the distinction between attribution and contribution in measuring impact, underscoring the need for clarity and focus to achieve organizational goals.

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Dr. Andrea Ortega speaks with Rosa Malagón, a community navigator and advocate for mental health and outdoor activities. They discuss the importance of community connection, the role of outdoor experiences in mental health, and the creation of Nuestra Cultura Outdoors, an initiative designed to make outdoor spaces more inclusive for the Hispanic community. Rosa shares her journey from social work to community navigation, emphasizing the significance of community care and the need for accessible resources. The conversation also touches on journaling as a reflective practice in nature and strategies for preventing burnout among nonprofit leaders.

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