In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Carole Carter talks with fellow Senior Consultant Howard Cohen. They role-play a scenario where the board chair has to deliver the unfortunate news that the board member has not been chosen by the nominating committee for another term on the board. Then they offer takeaways to help real chairs navigate this and other tricky conversations.

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Dr. Lilya Wagner speaks with Dr. F. Willis Johnson about how faith-based fundraising is reimaging and impacting community.


In their discussion, Dr. Johnson addresses issues including:

• How churches and church-related organizations can engage in community activities and what impact that has on their fundraising

• The pros and cons of faith-based organizations having closer ties and relationships with a community and advice on how to proceed

• What community organizations might be most suitable for such a relationship

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Carole Carter talks with her Lighthouse Counsel colleague, Senior Consultant Howard Cohen, about creating and maintaining high-functioning boards.

In their discussion, Howard addresses topics including:

• The definition of a high-functioning board

• Signs of a dysfunctional board

• Tips for board chairs on how to shape an effective board.

In today’s episode of The Beacon Podcast, Margaret Gardner talks with Willeke van Rijn, CEO of The Resource Alliance, about how unity on various levels can increase the impact of the social sector.

In their discussion, Willeke addresses issues including:

• The power of community and what that means in terms of mission, fundraising and resource development.

• The factors that affect all organizations when it comes to uniting for change.

• Conditions within an organization that might interfere with it building a sense of community among its supporters.

The 4 Rs (and a W) of Writing Successful Grant Proposals by Lighthouse Counsel

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel’s Margaret Gardner talks with Dr. Angelo Valenti about personal happiness and how to unravel the reasons we make living in joy so hard on ourselves. Dr. Valenti is the author of the book, “You're Making This Way Too Hard: Find Your EASY Way to NJOYLFE.”

In their discussion, Dr. Valenti addresses issues such as:

• Why and how we seem to be getting in our own way when it comes to finding our joy

• How to overcome that and bring joy into or back into our lives

• How leaders can benefit personally and professionally by finding their own joy

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel President Jeff Jowdy talks with Lighthouse Senior Consultant Victor Wilson about the challenges and hurdles leaders are facing today.

In their discussion, Jeff and Victor address topics including:

• Why pressure on leaders seems to be increasing

• The biggest hurdles to successful leadership leaders face today

• A checklist of things any leader must do to be the best possible leader they can be

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Dr. Lilya Wagner talks with long-time fundraiser and volunteer Jeff Lukacsena about diversity, equity and inclusion in the nonprofit world.

In their discussion, Lilya and Jeff address issues including:

• The importance of having true diversity on your fundraising team and how that translates into deepening relationships with donors.

• The progress to that end being made in the nonprofit world

• The difference between organizational culture and representation

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Carole Carter talks with Clark Baker about board engagement. Clark retired as CEO of the YMCA of Greater Houston after more than 50 years working within the YMCA organization.

In their conversation, Carole and Clark discuss:

• The importance of making your board members your best friends

• Keeping board members active and engaged

• The biggest obstacles a nonprofit leader faces in establishing and nurturing an effective board.

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Content Coordinator Margaret Gardner speaks with Nicole Rivera, vice president of programs for Musicians On Call, about recruiting and empowering volunteers.

In their discussion, Nicole talks about:

• The different roles volunteers play at Musicians On Call and how the organization goes about recruiting volunteers and communicating the benefits of volunteering

• How Musicians On Call keeps volunteers feeling engaged, energized, valued and appreciated

• How Musicians On Call supports volunteers who want to donate money or otherwise help with fundraising.