Podcast – For Small Nonprofits

Nancy Bacon is the Director of Learning at Washington Nonprofits. Based on her background in education, she has created a variety of resources for nonprofits—many of which can be found for free online. We also talk about the state of nonprofits, what small nonprofits need to know, and where they can go for help.

Nancy leads the development and implementation of Washington Nonprofits’ learning programs. Weaving together her interest in education and nonprofit management, Nancy creates and supports programs that strengthen the ability of people working within nonprofits to better make a difference in their communities across Washington State. Nancy received a B.A. in Economics and German Literature from Swarthmore College and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs. She created and directed the World Affairs Council’s award-winning Global Classroom program and has worked with a range of nonprofit organizations as they developed their internal capacity and external community to better serve their mission. Nancy served on the board of the Foundation for International Understanding Through Students (FIUTS) for six years.

WashingtonNonprofits.org

“In order to be socially responsible, you have to be a good leader. And in order to be a good leader, you have to be socially responsible,” says Joe Lawless at the Center for Leadership and Social Responsibility. How can businesses be better at being socially responsible in their community? And how can nonprofits better tap those skills and expertise? In this interview we cover the importance of social responsibility in business leadership, creating better board members, and how to get your board participating in fundraising.

Joe Lawless brings over 20 years of experience in leading nonprofit and philanthropic efforts to his work as Executive Director of the Center for Leadership & Social Responsibility (CLSR). In addition to serving as Executive Director of the Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation and Director of Corporate Partnerships for Tacoma Goodwill, he has served on the boards of numerous community organizations. Joe brings this experience, along with his focus on corporate citizenship and CSR in the Milgard MBA to his work on developing the programs of CLSR.

Center for Leadership and Social Responsibility

Today’s guest is Julie Dugan of The Dugan Foundation. The Foundation came together to change how Pierce County treats its adoptable animals with the goal of a “no-kill” community. After several years of hard work, education, and approaching the issue at the level of systems change, The Dugan Foundation has reached a place that so few nonprofits ever get to experience: they are declaring victory, distributing the assets, and winding up the foundation. What’s it like to “put yourself out of business,” so to speak? Check it out.

The Dugan Foundation

Today’s guest is Erica Peterson, Board President of Friends of the Apostle Islands. The Friends group supports the national lakeshore of the Apostle Islands, comprised of 21 islands and 12 miles of mainland along Lake Superior. The lakeshore has natural beauty, sea caves, cultural treasures, and historic lighthouses that guided Lake Superior shipping for many decades. The volunteer-run Friends of the Apostle Islands raises money to support programs and capital projects at the lakeshore.

Erica Peterson is the Board President of Friends of the Apostle Islands, and has thirty plus years working in the environmental education, including time as a park ranger in the Apostle Islands.

Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Today’s guest is Mary Dunaway, Director of Development for the public radio station KPLU. Last fall it was revealed that KPLU faced an existential threat: the announced sale of its transmitters to another public radio and the layoff of its staff. A “friends” group was able to negotiate a chance for the station to “buy itself.” But they had a huge target ($7,000,000) and a short deadline (six months). How does a nonprofit, even one with the fundraising history and ability of a public radio station, go about raising such a large sum of money so quickly? Mary shares the story—even the nitty gritty numbers—of how the KPLU community rallied to save their station.

Mary Dunaway started at KPLU as a student caller when she was a student at Pacific Lutheran University. She continued to work her way up at KPLU, tackling first the annual fund, then major gifts, and eventually she became Director of Development.

SaveKPLU.org

Today’s guest is Andrew Schulman, who helps nonprofits arrange for fiscal sponsorship. What is fiscal sponsorship? A small nonprofit waiting for its 501c3 letter might want a fiscal sponsor to accept donations while waiting for their tax-exempt status. Another might choose to let a larger organization handle the back-end of the finances while they focus on their program. It’s an innovative way to set up your organization that might be attractive to many nonprofits out there.

Before starting Schulman Consulting, Andrew held senior roles at a number of small and early stage nonprofits after more than a decade in for-profit roles focused on operations, marketing and digital product development. He holds an MBA from the University of Southern California and a dual Bachelor’s of Science from Northwestern University in Communications and Psychology.

Schulman Consulting

Today’s guest is Jenny Emery-Davidson, the Executive Director of the Community Library of Ketchum, Idaho.

17 women with 17 dollars started a library in the 1950s in Ketchum, Idaho. To this day, the community library is funded privately and receives no dedicated tax dollars. It also runs the Gold Mine Thrift Shop and the Sun Valley Museum of History.

Jenny Emery-Davidson is the Executive Director of the Community Library of Ketchum. Previously, she had served as Director of the College of Southern Idaho’s Blaine County Center where she also taught Literature, Humanities, and English Composition.

As a recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, she spent a semester teaching American literature at the Universidad de Guanajuato in Guanajuato, Mexico, in 2010. She earned a Ph.D. in American Studies at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

The Community Library

Today’s guest is Jessica Thornton, the Executive Director of Camp Hertko Hollow, an organization which hosts a summer camp for children with diabetes.

“The one week a year when these kids feel normal.”

Jessica Thornton serves as Camp Hertko Hollow’s Executive Director leading its professional staff and working closely with the board on policies, planning, budgeting & finances, fundraising and relationship building. Jessica received her Masters in Nonprofit Management from Regis University.

Camp Hertko Hollow

Today’s guest is Aaron Dorfman, the Executive Director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, an organization which advocates for nonprofits to America’s grantmakers.

Aaron Dorfman is executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), a research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. NCRP works to ensure America’s grantmakers are responsive to the needs of those with the least wealth, opportunity and power. Before joining NCRP in 2007, Dorfman served for 15 years as a community organizer with two national organizing networks, spearheading grassroots campaigns to improve public education, expand public transportation for low-income residents and improve access to affordable housing.

National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy

Today’s guest is Shannon Anne Shea, the Executive Director of Tacoma Community Boat Builders, an organization which pairs young men from the juvenile court system with master craftsmen who teach them woodworking and boat building.

Before that phase of her career, Shannon worked with victims of domestic violence, with child soldiers in East Africa, and with many projects in Mexico City. She also has a PhD in Philosophy, which brings a fascinating perspective to the work she has done.

Erik’s Note: I loved this conversation so much. Shannon’s experience is wide-ranging and should provide a lot of food for thought for nonprofit leaders anywhere.

Tacoma Community Boat Builders