The ENGAGE Podcast

Research has shown that women are more prone to burnout than men for a variety of reasons, including societal expectations and  imbalances in responsibilities across work and home. This can be further intensified for women working at nonprofits and other social good organizations, which often have higher than average rates of burnout and turnover.

Today’s guest, Stacie Barber, is an integrative life coach and the founder of Stacie Barber Lifestyle. She joined host Rachel Hutchisson in a discussion about why it’s important for women leaders, and all women, to engage in self-care practices at work and at home so they are aren’t overburdened and feel healthy and productive.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Stacie’s professional journey
• Why women often burn out
• What it means to practice self-care
• How women can build support systems in the workplace
• Why it’s important to delegate
• Taking risks and seizing new opportunities

Resources:

• Stacie Barber
• Stacie Barber Lifestyle on YouTube
• The sgENGAGE Podcast Episode 187: Strategies for Avoiding Tech Burnout

Open, honest, and transparent communication with grantee partners can help minimize power imbalances and help foster a sense of mutual transparency and accountability that is critical to our success as grantmakers. Hear from Shaady Salehi, executive director, Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, Lisa Maloney-Vinz, director of global community relations, Ecolab Foundation, Drexel Owusu, chief impact officer, The Dallas Foundation, and Lauren Scott, executive director, Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund about how their organizations are embracing transparency.

Why is due diligence important in grantmaking organizations? The process of satisfying legal requirements impacts many areas within an organization— mission alignment, stewardship, duty of care, reputation, outcomes & impact, and overall effectiveness to name a few.

In this episode, learn from Elizabeth (Liz) Gousse Ballotte, principal at PKF O’Connor Davies, about what the staff at grantmaking organizations need to know to be compliant.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Due diligence models
• Grant applications and risk identification
• Governance
• Financial information, including budgets, financial statements, and IRS Form 990
• Information Technology and internal controls
• Streamlining operations and increasing productivity

Resources

• Webinar: Due Diligence Defined: What ‘Being Compliant’ Really Means for Grantmakers
• Blackbaud Grantmaking 2022 Thought Leadership Webinar Series
• Tip Sheet: 15 Questions Foundations Should Ask as Part of Their Grantee Due Diligence
• Internal Controls Resource Toolkit

ESG (environment, social, and governance) is a hot topic amongst for-profit companies and investors, but is it important for nonprofits and other social good organizations too? Today's guest thinks so. Tim McClimon, principal consultant for The Celeste Group, which specializes in corporate social responsibility and nonprofit management strategies and programs, and former head of corporate social responsibility at American Express, joined Rachel Hutchisson to discuss why social good organizations should view ESG as an operating strategy and as a way of being more transparent and accountable to their employees, donors, beneficiaries, communities, and the planet. Rachel and Tim also talked about what nonprofits can learn from companies, including Blackbaud, and how companies can help increase the focus on ESG in the nonprofit sector.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• What is ESG?
• Why ESG isn't just for companies
• Why nonprofits need to create strategies for climate and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
• Why higher education institutions have been paying more attention to sustainability
• How funders can help nonprofits adopt ESG practices
• The importance of transparency in social good organizations
• Expectations for transparency and impact from the newest generation of employees

Join Meico Marquette Whitlock, founder and CEO of Mindful Techie, for an interactive training that will inspire you with mindful approaches for creating sustained balance in your life. Prepare to lower your stress level, focus on getting the important things done, and be more present for yourself, your team, and your family. Click here to listen to the full webinar from the Grantmaking Thought Leadership webinar series.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Wellness Survey report findings
• Impact of the pandemic on wellbeing
• How grantmakers will need to adapt
• Setting boundaries

Resources:

Meico Marquette Whitlock

Wellness Survey

5 Ways Grantmakers Create Work- and Tech-Life Balance

Quotes:

"When it comes to preemption, we want to be focused on creating a culture of care (...) that we are building in strong work/life boundaries and not depending on the individual to create those boundaries."

"Addressing the organizational and institutional action of this is a longer term proposition."

"Many of us are making assumptions of what is required of us, but something that is actually not being expected of us."

Rachel Hutchisson is joined by Chris Jarvis, executive director of Realized Worth, to kick off our CSR Book Club Series with an article from Stanford Social Innovation Review called “Fixing the S in ESG.” Listen to learn more about quantifying social impact and what the future of S looks like.

• Adapting to changes in world beliefs
• What does S want to be?
• Redefining what S means to include room for interpretation
• Increased accountability puts words into actions
• How consumers change their behavior according to company values

Chantal Forster, executive director of the Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG), discusses the top areas where grantmakers can make the most impact in 2022 and how technology can help them achieve that impact. 

• Who are the members of TAG and how do they impact philanthropy?
• The rise in the voices of the people we serve post-pandemic
• TAG’s customer experience model
• Effectiveness and frequency of surveys
• Dependency of digital infrastructure
• Dashboard elements that drive success

Chantal Forster

Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG)

Webinar: The Rising Role of Technology—and the People Behind It—in Advancing Philanthropy's Mission

How to Fund Nonprofit Tech: A Guide for Funders and Nonprofits

Grant Advisor

“Imagine if the private sector only surveyed its customers every three years.”

“If philanthropy doesn’t invest in tech infrastructure, then you are enabling inequity.”

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

-Is a remote audit what your organization needs? -Plan for what an auditor will need to see -Create a strong audit trail with documentation, naming conventions, and accessible details -Gather what you’ll need and provide secure access to your auditor

Paul Preziotti, CPA

Webinar: Be Audit You Can Be, Remotely: Preparing and Running a Successful Remote Audit

Blog: The Final Step of the Nonprofit Audit: Presenting Financial Statements to your Board

"As the auditee, you have the ability to mold this relationship however you want it."

"I think [hybrid audits] are terrific and I think that could be a good solution for a lot of you that want the best of both worlds."

"If we have an audit that's beginning the first week of May, we want to be able to hit the ground running."

There are a lot of ways to think about how technology impacts things, as well as how different constituent types interact with it and the relationships that it helps them build. In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing recent research on how technology improves the relationship between schools and parents.

Joining the podcast today is Chuck English, of English Marketing Works, and Linda Lawrence, of Ransom Everglades. Listen to the episode to hear what they have to say about the key findings of the recent Blackbaud study show, the expectations that people have about the technology they interact with, and how the technology profile at Linda’s school came about.

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• Important and key findings of the study of how technology impacts the relationship between parents and schools
• Linda’s perspective of the daily experiences between parents and technology at schools
• Whether the current state of the world has made parents more willing to use this technology
• Chuck’s experience of people's expectations of the technology they use and whether that’s changing.
• How the technology portfolio at Linda’s school was developed
• The perspective that Linda is examining technology from
• The advice that Linda would give schools that have fewer technology resources, but are trying to move in that direction
• How Linda’s school leadership helped make needed technological changes during the pandemic
• A change that stands out in Linda’s mind that sticks out as something that’s here to stay
• Changes Chuck is seeing with the organizations he works with that are here to stay
• The extent to which parents drive technology offerings

Resources:

Chuck English

Linda Lawrence

Using Technology to Bridge the Value Gap in Private Schools

Moving Forward: Enriching the Parent Experience with a Focus on Technology

Infographic: K–12 Independent Schools Parent Survey

Quotes: 

“Technology has a huge impact on their experience as parents.” – Chuck English

“Parents have learned to become very nimble with what to expect, and we just find ways to ease into those situations at a moment’s notice.” –Linda Lawrence

“I think you develop alliances; you identify those super-users that can provide assistance.” –Linda Lawrence

What do you know about setting goals for yourself and your team and managing those goals? In today’s episode, you’ll hear an excerpt from the Skills UP webinar series. In it, you’ll hear Damaris Herron-Watkins discuss best practices for creating and managing your team’s goals. Listen in to hear what she has to say about the purpose of goal management, the different types of goals, and making goals SMART.

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• What A Better Chance does
• The purpose of goal management
• Why goals are important
• Creating goals for yourself and your direct reports
• Types of goals
  • Cascading goals
  • Agile goals
• What to do when you set goals for your team
• Making sure goals are motivating for your direct reports
• What SMART means
• How to make sure your goals are SMART
• Why you should create between three and five goals
• How to know if your goals are SMART
• Manager’s goals

Resources:

Damaris Herron-Watkins

Skills UP Webinar Series

5 Keys for Achieving your Organization’s Goals 

Quotes: 

“A couple of reasons why goals are important is one, they help to prioritize your work and the work of your team.”

“When we’re creating goals for our team, like I said, you have to make sure you know what your goals are for the year.”

“SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.”