The ENGAGE Podcast

International Women’s Day is on March 8th, 2022, and it’s a good time to think about the state of women and girls worldwide, how current events may make violence and abuse even worse than they were, and how to move forward by empowering each other.

 

Today’s guest is Vesna Jaric, the Interim Chief of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. Listen to the episode to learn about Vesna’s role at the Trust Fund and how current events affect the state of women and girls around the world.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Vesna’s role at the UN Trust Fund to end Violence Against Women
• The state of women and girls around the world
• How the pandemic has exacerbated violence against women
• The universality of violence against women
• How the organizations the UN Trust Fund is supporting has stepped in for women and girls
• The lagging of representation and resources for organizations that address violence against women
• How to increase resources for organizations that help women and girls
• How listeners can follow the research that Vesna is involved in

 

Resources:

Vesna Jaric

Learning from Practice: The Impact of COVID-19 on Violence Against Women and Girls

UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women

SHINE

UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women on Twitter

UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women on Instagram

 

Quotes: 

“So far, the fund has supported more than 600 organizations in 140 countries and territories across the world.”

“I would argue that violence against women and girls is probably the oldest and most persistent problem the world is dealing with.”

“Women’s rights organizations have been the first responders.”

Many organizations are struggling to hire right now. Is there a way you can set yourself and your candidate up for success?

We are highlighting an excerpt from the Skills UP Webinar Series where Deb Taft, CEO of Lindauer Global, will be talking about the dynamics of hiring and how you can achieve success in effective retention. Listen to what she has to say about the Great Resignation, the rise of freelancers and gig workers, and the remote/in-person hybrid.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Why talent is more complex than ever
• The Great Resignation
• Lack of loyalty
• Freelancers and gig workers making up more of the workforce
• 2020-21 Employee PTSD
• Reevaluation of life and work, work/life balance
• The remote/in-person hybrid recalibration
• Multiple interviews.
• Staying in communication with candidates
• Tax laws and wages for remote workers
• Pre-COVID norms have been profoundly changed
• Expect disruptions and plan interventions

 

Resources:

Deb Taft

Skills Up FREE Webinar Series for nonprofit managers

The Future of Executive Search

To Attract Talented Fundraisers of Color, Get Your House in Order

CASE xChange Podcast; President and CEO Sue Cunningham interviews Lindauer CEO Deb Taft

4 Keys for Attracting, Hiring and Retaining a Successful Major Gift Team

 

Quotes: 

“I think one of the dynamics to think about is that there is very little loyalty.”

“So, hiring is on steroids, and if you are struggling to retain and hire, you are not alone.”

“I just need people to understand, that employees will choose you, talent will choose you, or not, depending on what’s possible.”

Public policy impacts decisions made around charitable giving. These policies can influence how people give, when they give, and how much they give. So what are the likely effects for 2022?

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Brian Flahaven to learn how policies have impacted giving over the past few years and what’s ahead for the coming year. Listen in to hear what Brian has to say about his role in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and what they do, what current legislation is on the table, and whether Brian believes it will gain traction this year.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• What CASE does
• How charitable giving has been impacted by change over the past couple of years
• How current legislation can encourage donation
• Whether Brian expects legislation that positively impacts giving to gain traction by the end of the year
• Trends that CASE is seeing in giving to education
• Call to action for listeners

 

Resources:

Brian Flahaven

Blackbaud’s Charitable Giving Report

 

Quotes: 

“Having an incentive there, sending that signal, will encourage more Americans hopefully to give even more to charitable organizations during these difficult times.”

“In the tax world, it’s pretty much been a partisan game over the past few years.”

“A lot of institutions are actually creating their own giving days.”

Do you need a mentor? Do you know what kind of mentor you need, or what you’re looking to gain from a mentoring relationship? In today’s episode, Tiffany Crumpton, Vice President of Renewals and Retention at Blackbaud and active member of Blackbaud's Senior Women's Community, joins the podcast to discuss mentorship. Listen in to learn about what mentorship means and how it differs from sponsorship, the different kinds of mentors out there, and how to get the most out of a mentor.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• How Tiffany defines mentoring and what it means to her
• What sponsorship means
• The different kinds of mentors
• What to think about identifying a mentor
• How to get the most out of a mentor
• The importance of checking back in
• One of Tiffany’s experiences with a mentor relationship

 

Resources:

Tiffany Crumpton

 

Quotes: 

“When you’re identifying a mentor, be really upfront with them about why you’re asking them, why you thought of that person.”

“I also believe that the best mentors are always mentees themselves.”

“Look for the type of sponsor you want, the gender doesn’t matter.”

Giving doesn’t stay static. As things change and more innovations become available, giving changes with it, and that’s true for the upcoming year too. Today, you’ll be hearing about some of the changes and giving and how social good organizations and donors are affected.

Sonia Nigam, Co-founder and CEO of Change, and Amar Shah, Co-founder and President of Change, discuss changes in online shopping, how social good organizations are adjusting to cryptocurrencies and NFTs, and what’s going to happen going forward in 2022

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• How the online giving landscape is changing
• How the online shopping experience is changing
• What is crypto is and how it’s used
• The number of nonprofits accepting cryptocurrency
• How many donors are interested in giving via cryptocurrency
• What NFTs are and how it could be used in giving
• How NFTs can become a bigger part of online strategies
• What’s going to happen in giving in 2022
• Advice for social good organizations
• Convincing leaders and staffers to be willing to experiment
• How listeners can learn more about what’s happening at Change

 

Resources:

Sonia Nigam

Amar Shah

Change Blog

 

Quotes: 

“I feel like one of the most interesting evolutions around giving today is how it’s becoming more experience-based.” –Sonia Nigam

“Social good’s really at the foundation of this ecosystem.” –Sonia Nigam

“I think one of the biggest things that’s going to continue is the increase in online giving, either via e-commerce or even via cryptocurrency.” –Amir Shah

What do you know about cybersecurity? You’re probably aware that it’s a threat, but if you don’t know what cybersecurity threats entail or how to increase your own security, how can you really protect yourself or your organization? Listen in to this BBCon excerpt to learn about some of the basics of cybersecurity, including what the risks and threats are, steps you can take to protect yourself, and how to implement policies at the workplace that protect your company.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• What cybersecurity is and what it’s for
• The cybersecurity threat landscape
• Understanding what you’re up against
• Types of cyber threats
• Remote work threats
• Password security measures
• Multifactor identification
• Secure wifi
• Protecting your company
• Implementing security policies

 

Resources:

Cybersecurity Tip Sheet

Cybersecurity Industry Standards

Security at Blackbaud Overview

 

Quotes: 

“Additionally, 85% of the breaches that happen involve some sort of human element.”

“Bottom line, social engineering takes advantage of someone going about their usual day.”

“If you receive an email, phone call, or voicemail that feels odd, it probably is.”

Trends in giving and donor retention are an important topic in the fundraising landscape, and at this time of year, it’s a good idea to take a look at what’s been happening in the fundraising world. Looking closely at giving and donor retention now with help you get a handle on end-of-the-year giving and some clarity about what will be coming in the new year. Listen in to this episode to hear from Erica Wassdorp about current fundraising trends, how online giving has developed in different kinds of organizations, and how to handle benefits for recurring donors.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Standout trends in the overall fundraising landscape
• How picking up new donors, even at lower amounts, creates opportunities for recurring giving
• Where the focus on recurring giving has come from
• The history of recurring giving in certain kinds of organizations
• The proliferation of online giving
• Which groups to start with when it comes to moving to recurring gifting
• The benefits of recurring giving for donors
• Why you should keep monthly donation benefits simple
• Finding a driver for your goal

 

Resources:

Erica Waasdorp

Blackbaud Institute Retention Toolkit

 

Quotes: 

“We have to tell them that they can make a difference even when it’s with a smaller recurring gift.”

“I think the other piece that has really helped with that, of course, is the whole digital, online opportunities.”

“The only promise you want to make to your new monthly donor is that they’re going to get updates from you.”

Are you dealing with problems in your organizations and wondering why you can’t solve them, or why you can’t solve them in a lasting way? Listen in to this excerpt from bbcon 2021 Virtual, where Sarah Beauregard, Senior Process Engineer at Blackbaud, discusses root cause analysis.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Why some solutions to business problems don’t work
• The kinds of business problems your organization needs to solve
• Root cause analysis technique
• Definition of root cause
• Looking at the cause-and-effect chain
• Problem solving collaboratively
• Three steps to perform root cause analysis
  • Describe
  • Identify the Whys
  • Action
• Who can use this method

 

Resources:

Sarah Beauregard

Root Cause analysis document

 

Quotes: 

“If we pull up the weed by the root, it won’t come back.”

“Also as a part of this step, we identify who those subject matter experts are that could help determine why this problem might be happening.”

“The real value here comes from engaging those subject matter experts on a guided conversation to get to that root cause.”

What do social good organizations need to know about corporate philanthropy? In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Julia Beltran, partnership specialist from Double the Donation, to learn more about corporate giving programs and how to promote them. Listen to the episode to hear what Julia has to say about common types of corporate philanthropy, data points on matching gift programs, and how to boost a companies’ matching gift percentage.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Who Julia is and what her role is at Double the Donation
• Common types of corporate philanthropy
• How companies enable their employees to do good things in the world
• Employee voices in who companies support
• How consumers can engage with products
• Data points on matching gift programs
• How people are engaging in matching gift programs
• How companies can boost their matching gift percentage
• Guidance about promoting matching gift programs
• Resources to learn more about matching gifts

 

Resources:

Julia Beltran

Double The Donation

 

Quotes: 

“Over 65% of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gift programs, so quite a lot.”

“I think that people do engage in matching gift programs, but they don’t nearly engage as much as they could.”

“Engaging donors during the giving process, or like right when they’re about to give, is a great way to encourage people to submit matching gift requests.”

Volunteering is changing. Many volunteer opportunities went virtual because of the pandemic, and like other types of work, it may never look exactly like it did in a pre-pandemic world. So what does volunteering look like now? What resources are there for professionals in this space who want to learn more about how volunteering has changed and how to rise to those changes? In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Ben Sampson of WeHero. Listen to the conversation to learn more about what WeHero does, the latest trends and changes in the volunteering space, and how to provide new and different volunteer opportunities.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• About WeHero
• What trends and changes Ben is seeing in volunteering
• How the global landscape is shifting
• Volunteering as education
• Making sure there are new and different volunteer opportunities
• Resources for CSR professionals

 

Resources:

Ben Sampson

WeHero

 

Quotes: 

“Workers are going to come out of this really wanting agency in how and where they work, but also that ability to really connect meaningfully with people.”

“One of the big pros that we noticed is we saw people from different countries, different cultures, connecting over a common cause and volunteering.”

“Adobe does a really good job of building a portfolio of numerous different kinds of volunteer opportunities.”