The Beacon

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel President Jeff Jowdy talks with Héctor Colón, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Héctor also is a seven-time national boxing champion and the author of “My Journey from Boxing Ring to Boardroom: Five Essential Virtues for Life and Leadership.”

In their discussion about the qualities of impactful leadership that Héctor gleaned from his boxing career, he and Jeff talk about:

• Servant-leadership, what it means and what it looks like in today’s nonprofit world.

• Hector’s five essential virtues for life and leadership.

• Héctor’s experience of transitioning organizations from struggling to successful.

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, OneCause CEO Steve Johns talks with Lighthouse Counsel Director of Business Development Ryan Woroniecki, about fearless leadership and what that looks like in the nonprofit world.

Steve, author of “Fearless: Leadership Lessons at the Crossroads,” answers questions including:

• What is fearless leadership and what does it look like in the day-to-day operations of a nonprofit?

• How has leadership changed since COVID-19 pushed society into a new normal?

• What are top takeaways for nonprofit executive directors and CEOs?

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Martha Ross speaks with Mark Stanek, head of school at Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Mark shares his experience in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic as an education leader and addresses topics including:

• The effect the pandemic has had on board and administrative team leadership operations.

• Its impact on programs, services and facilities.

• The Big Takeaway that the head of school learned along with everybody else.

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Margaret Gardner talks with fundraising guru and rabble rouser Roger Craver.

Roger is the editor of fundraising and communications blog The Agitator, which has been his main space for rousing rabble for more than a decade. So, it seemed only natural to ask, “What’s agitating you now?”

Roger shares his thoughts on:

• Direct response fundraising now and what the future holds

• The quandary of why nonprofits seem more interested in acquiring new donors than retaining current ones

• A lack of basic courtesy and common sense in the fundraising world

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Ryan Woroniecki talks with Nathan Chappell, author of the book, “Generosity Crisis: The case for radical connection to solve humanity’s greatest challenges.” 

In their discussion, Nathan explains what the generosity crisis is and answers questions including:

• What are the implications of the generosity crisis to the nonprofit world and the missions it supports? 

• What is radical connection and why is it more important today than ever?

• What is a high-level definition of artificial intelligence and where does it fit into all of this? 

• What does 2023 hold for donor retention and radical engagement?

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, fundraising icon Kay Sprinkel Grace talks with Margaret Gardner about how and why nonprofits should collaborate to increase their impact.

Kay shares experiences and words of wisdom gleaned from her decades-long career and discusses:

• How organizations retain their brand if they are collaborating or partnering with other nonprofits

• How collaborating with other organizations affects a nonprofit’s ability to fundraise for its own mission

• What happens if a successful collaboration leads to a merger

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Margaret Gardner speaks with Ted Bilich, founder and CEO of Risk Alternatives, about managing your nonprofit for resilience.

Ted talks about the current economic landscape for nonprofits and answers questions including:

• What makes this such an uncertain time for nonprofits?

• What formula can nonprofits use to stay agile and resilient during times like this?

• Should nonprofits be worried about the possibility of a recession on the horizon?

• In light of that, what should they be doing right now to prepare for that and mitigate its impact on fundraising?

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Susan Hosbach speaks with Kevin Foyle, chairman of the global board for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, about AFP and what fundraisers and other nonprofit staff can expect from membership.

During the interview, Kevin discusses:

• What AFP is, its structure and goals and how it has changed over the years

• What a fundraising or nonprofit professional can expect to gain from joining AFP

• AFP events and why they’re important to attend

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Joan Bahner talks with author and PR pro Marc Whitt about the public relations in the nonprofit sector.

Marc shares his eight habits that elevate a public relations professional to the masterful level and discusses topics including:

• The changing role of public relations in fundraising for nonprofit organizations

• How and why that role is changing

• How PR for nonprofits is different from PR in the corporate world

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Susan Hosbach speaks with Kevin Foyle, chairman of the global board for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, about maximizing the role of volunteers in a successful fundraising campaign.

During the interview, Kevin discusses:

• The board’s role in a fundraising campaign

• Specific ways to get board members engaged that they might be more comfortable with

• Helping volunteers feel connected to and excited enough about the project and the campaign to help fund it