What if everything you've been taught about running a nonprofit is backwards?

In this episode of Perdure, we sit down with David Schizer—Dean Emeritus of Columbia Law School, former Executive Vice President and CEO of the century-old global humanitarian organization JDC, and author of How to Save the World in Six (Not So Easy) Steps. Drawing on decades of leading complex institutions, David explores why some organizations endure through funding shocks, political upheaval, and changing times while others don't.

From why overhead is a poor measure of success to why nonprofits should be honest about failure, challenge their funders, and stop confusing activity with impact, David dismantles some of the sector's most deeply held assumptions. If you work in, fund, serve on the board of, or simply care about nonprofits, this conversation will challenge how you think about leadership—and what it really takes to save the world.

Can a nonprofit own a color?

For decades, pink meant breast cancer awareness. But what happens when a symbol becomes so successful that it takes on a life of its own? From "Save the Tatas" merchandise to pink fried chicken buckets to breakthroughs in cancer treatment, this episode explores the strange, fascinating business history of Susan G. Komen.

Can an organization own a color?

For decades, pink meant breast cancer awareness. But what happens when a symbol becomes so successful that it takes on a life of its own? From "Save the Tatas" merchandise to pink fried chicken buckets to breakthroughs in cancer treatment, this episode explores the strange, fascinating business history of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Can a nonprofit own a color?

For decades, pink meant breast cancer awareness. But what happens when a symbol becomes so successful that it takes on a life of its own? From "Save the Tatas" merchandise to pink fried chicken buckets to breakthroughs in cancer treatment, this episode explores the strange, fascinating business history of Susan G. Komen.

You've probably shaken it—an orange cardboard box on Halloween night. But that box is just the beginning of one of history's most ingenious fundraising stories. We unpack how UNICEF went from a temporary postwar relief agency to a global money-moving machine with greeting cards, parametric insurance, and bond markets. What started with seventeen dollars changed everything!

In this episode, we unpack the surprisingly complex business model behind the Girl Scouts of the USA cookie empire. From Thin Mints and local troop politics to national financial pressures and a shrinking membership base, the episode explores how a decentralized nonprofit built one of the most successful fundraising systems in history — and why that same structure now creates serious challenges. Along the way, they trace the origins of the movement in 1912 Savannah, break down how cookie money actually flows, and examine the tension between local ownership, national sustainability, and organizational identity. It’s a story about cookies, yes — but also about incentives, governance, trust, and what happens when a mission-driven institution outgrows the business model that made it famous.

In this episode, we unpack how Save the Children built—and ultimately walked away from—a 100+ year fundraising machine, and why one of the most emotionally powerful ideas in development quietly broke at scale. We dig into how child sponsorship really worked, where the money actually went, and why donors stayed anyway. Along the way, we explore a bigger question: what happens when a billion-dollar nonprofit relies too heavily on a single funder—and that funding disappears overnight? From hidden fragilities in nonprofit business models to the rise of impact investing as a potential “second engine,” this episode takes a clear-eyed look at how money moves in the sector—and what it will take to make it more resilient going forward.