The Charity Charge Show - Nonprofit Podcast

In this episode of the Nonprofit Spotlight Series, Grayson Harris interviews Amy Spranger, the area director of Upstate New York for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. They discuss the foundation's mission to find a cure for cystic fibrosis, the impact of recent advancements in treatment, and the challenges of fundraising in a changing landscape.

Amy shares insights on how the foundation supports the community, adapts to change, and plans for the future, emphasizing the importance of individual giving and local involvement.

About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

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About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

In this episode, Grayson Harris welcomes Laura Hines, CEO of Stanford Sierra Youth and Families, for a thoughtful conversation on the organization’s 125 year journey and its mission to strengthen youth, families, and communities across Northern California.

Laura reflects on how the organization has transformed from its origins as an orphanage into a comprehensive provider of mental health care, family stabilization supports, and community based services. She gives an honest look at the pressures facing nonprofits today, the rising need for mental health services, and the realities of leading through uncertainty. She also outlines how her team is preparing for the future with a focus on empowerment, collaboration, and long term sustainability.

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About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

In this Nonprofit Spotlight episode, we sit down with Tina Ayala, President and CEO of Chicago Youth Centers (CYC), to explore how a 70 year old organization is still deeply rooted in community while adapting to today’s realities for children, teens, and families across Chicago.

With 21 sites across the south and west sides of the city, CYC provides early learning, out of school time, teen programs, and mentoring that follow young people from 15 months through college and into adulthood. Tina shares her personal 30 year journey at CYC, how the organization has responded to shifting funding landscapes, and why collaboration, mental health, and workforce development are central to their work today.

About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

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About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

In this episode of The Charity Charge Show, host Grayson Harris sits down with Karl Thomsen, Executive Director of Hope Ignites Cincinnati, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering underprivileged youth through long-term academic and personal support.

Karl shares how Hope Ignite’s innovative approach—one that follows students from fifth grade through college or trade school—is helping young people overcome barriers, combat imposter syndrome, and build lasting confidence in their ability to succeed.

About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

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About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

Stephen Center is in its 41st year serving people experiencing homelessness in Omaha with a high-barrier emergency shelter, a residential addiction recovery program, and permanent supportive low-income housing with case management. CEO Chris Knauf explains why “shelter is not a bandage,” unpacks a recently defeated proposal to criminalize encampments, and shares how coordinated street outreach, collaboration with low-barrier partners, and new family shelter capacity are moving more people into stable housing.

Listen for

• What a high-barrier shelter is and why Stephen Center keeps campus safe and sober
• How case management and outreach drive an 82 percent positive exit rate from shelter
• The difference between affordable and low-income housing and why the latter is critical
• Why criminalizing encampments fails and how Omaha pivoted to a 6-month pilot focused on services
• The role of low-barrier partner Siena Francis House in the local ecosystem
• Stephen Center’s plan to double men’s and women’s beds and add 19 non-congregate family rooms
• A candid look at SNAP cuts, rising turn-aways (4,128 to date), and the need for system-level investment

About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

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About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

In this episode of the Charity Charge Show, we sit down with Robert Lewis Jr., President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, to explore how one organization is rethinking youth development across Boston and Chelsea.

Robert shares how the Clubs are serving nearly 40,000 young people and families through nine club locations, centered on three core pillars: academic support, health and wellness, and workforce readiness. He also explains their recent decision to make membership cost free for all youth, why they see young people as Boston’s future talent pipeline, and how bold civic leadership, strong teams, and deep community partnerships are driving real change.

About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

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About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

In this episode of the Charity Charge Show: Nonprofit Spotlight Series, we sit down with Brad McMonigle, CEO of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Cincinnati, to discuss how the organization is meeting rising community needs amidst economic uncertainty, reduced federal assistance, and the ongoing affordable housing crisis.

Brad shares how St. Vincent de Paul is stepping up to provide rent and utility assistance, food and clothing, and free medication for individuals and families on the verge of homelessness. He also dives deep into the importance of collaboration among nonprofits, the challenges of sustaining services with limited resources, and how the Cincinnati community continues to rally together in times of crisis.

About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

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About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

In this Nonprofit Spotlight, we speak with Clete Winkelmann and Sam Guillory from The Baby Fold, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building positive futures for children and families in central Illinois. They discuss the organization's rich history, core values, and the various programs they offer, including education, foster care, and adoption services.

The conversation highlights the importance of effective communication with constituents and donors, strategies for staff retention, community collaboration, and future plans for the organization. The episode emphasizes the need for nonprofits to adapt to community needs and maintain a culture of trust and transparency.

About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

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About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

In this episode of the Charity Charge Show we speak with, David Gaspar, CEO of The Bail Project, on how the organization posts bail at no cost for people who cannot afford it, then supports them with court reminders, transportation, and connections to services. He explains common misunderstandings about pretrial justice, highlights data from recent studies and The Bail Project’s own publications, and reflects on leadership lessons as the organization approaches a milestone of 40,000 clients served.

Episode Highlights

• Mission in one line: Help people fight their cases from a position of freedom and keep their lives stable while they wait for court.
• The problem: More than 500,000 people sit in jail on any given day because they cannot afford bail.
• What The Bail Project does: Posts bail for free, sends court reminders, provides transportation, and connects people to resources when and where needed.
• Why it matters: Pretrial jail time destabilizes jobs, housing, and family life. Supporting people to return to court protects stability and improves outcomes.
• Milestone ahead: Nearly 40,000 clients bailed out. About one third of those cases were dismissed, which points to significant unnecessary jail time.
• Practical proof: Simple tools such as reminders and rides reduce failures to appear and downstream warrants.

About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

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About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

In this nonprofit spotlight, we sit down with Caroline Whistler, CEO of Third Sector Capital Partners, an organization dedicated to transforming public systems to advance equitable outcomes for all. Caroline shares how her team helps governments use taxpayer dollars more effectively by centering community voices, data-driven outcomes, and collaborative partnerships with nonprofits.

This conversation explores how governments and nonprofits can align around shared goals, co-design better funding models, and foster systems that measurably improve people’s lives.

Key Topics Discussed

• Transforming Public Systems:
  How Third Sector partners with local and state governments to make public funding more responsive to community needs.
• Outcomes-Focused Approach:
  Why measuring long-term improvements in people’s lives—rather than activity counts—is the true measure of success.
• Government & Community Collaboration:
  How government agencies are learning from nonprofits and adopting human-centered design practices to improve outcomes.
• Case Study — Los Angeles County:
  A powerful example of how Third Sector worked with the Department of Youth Development to rewrite contracting processes, giving small community-based organizations better access to public funding.
• Scaling Successful Models:
  Lessons from LA now being replicated in counties like Cuyahoga (Cleveland) and Cook (Illinois), showing how philanthropy and nonprofits can drive systemic change.
• Advice for Nonprofits:
  Practical steps for nonprofit leaders to identify government partners, build relationships, and align around shared North Star goals.
• Shared Goal Setting in Action:
  How Third Sector helped the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative uncover root causes behind low college completion rates—and redesign funding to include wraparound supports like childcare and transportation.

About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.

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About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.