The Beacon

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.

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel President Jeff Jowdy speaks with Marty Dickens about building powerful and impactful boards. Marty recently retired as chairman of the board of trustees of Belmont University after serving 17 years in that role.

In their discussion, Marty addresses issues including:

• The definition of a powerful, impactful board

• The key things a board chair needs to do to build and nurture such a board

• Ways nonprofit board chairs can support and empower their boards

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Content Coordinator Margaret Gardner talks with Polina Pompliano, author of the book “Hidden Genius: The secret ways of thinking that power the world's most successful people” and founder of The Profile, a media organization that studies successful people and companies.

In their discussion, Polina:

• Explains the concept of hidden genius and how it pertains to leadership

• Shares thoughts on some surprising insights she gained from her interviews

• Outlines three top takeaways for unlocking hidden genius

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Council Content Coordinator Margaret Gardner speaks with Nathan Chappell, senior vice president at DonorSearch AI, who is on a mission to reignite generosity and transform the future of fundraising through responsible and beneficial AI.

In their discussion, Nathan addresses issue including:

• The big picture – how nonprofits can use AI to deepen relationships and increase their fundraising efficiency and results

• The potential pitfalls for nonprofits using AI

• Tips for the ethical and responsible use of AI in fundraising

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel President Jeff Jowdy speaks with Marty Dickens about an aspect of board leadership that doesn’t get talked about much – being ready, willing and able to stand up and make tough calls when they’re needed.

Marty recently retired as chairman of the board of trustees of Belmont University after serving 17 years.

In their discussion, Marty addresses:

• Several challenges he has faced as board chair over 17 years and how he handled them?

• The personality traits that define a successful board chair when it comes doing what needs to be done when an organization faces challenges

• Advice for new board chairs when it comes to weathering any storms that come along.

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Dr. Lilya Wagner leads a conversation about nonprofit leadership and management and the importance of project management in fundraising.

Dr. Wagner is joined by Prof. Darryl Allen, partner and chief education officer at the Mentorship Institute.


In their discussion, they’ll talk about:

• The dangers of foregoing the best practices of project management when it comes to fundraising

• The relationship between the fundraising folks and the rest of the team at the organization and how they can support one another

• The essential elements of management that ensure the critical issues of accountability, transparency and sustainability are properly addressed