The Idealist.org Podcasts

The Idealist.org Podcasts

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The Idealist.org Podcasts episodes

  • Net Impact's Corporate Careers that Make a Difference

    Can you make the world more sustainable by working for a corporation?


    According to Net Impact and its free, downloadable career guide Corporate Careers that Make a Difference, you can.

    Everyday, business leaders make a positive environmental and social impact in their companies — both in dedicated green jobs, as well as in more conventional job functions.


    On this episode of the Idealist Careers Podcast, Idealist’s Amy Potthast chats with Abby Davisson from Net Impact, a national nonprofit dedicated to engaging business in making the world sustainable, and Yonnie Leung, Principal of Environmental Sustainability for Shared Services at  Pacific Gas and Electric Company in California — and who is profiled in the Net Impact career guide.


    During the conversation, they also briefly mention Net Impact's Business as UNusual Guide to MBA programs that have a focus on corporate citizenship. The 2011 Guide launches this week and is available at netimpact.org.


    You can meet many of the schools mentioned in Business as Unusual at the Idealist Grad Fairs taking place across the country, gradfairs.idealist.org.

    Finally, for a look at a range of businesses working for the public good, please check out Chinook Book, our Portland Grad Fair media sponsor.

    23 min
  • Work on Purpose: Lara Galinsky on Careers with Heart, Head, and Hustle

    Lara Galinsky, Senior Vice President of Echoing Green is launching an inspiring career guide for social-impact work called Work on Purpose.

    Each chapter of Work on Purpose asks key questions for career seekers; illustrates the impact of these questions in the lives of Echoing Green community members; and offers a place for notes at the end for you to jot reflections from your own life.

    In this episode of the Idealist Careers Podcast, Idealist's Amy Potthast chats with Lara Galinsky about the central message of Work on Purpose: finding work that uses your "Heart + Head = Hustle."

    Lara shares the stories of the five people who illustrate this message:

    • Cheryl Dorsey, President of Echoing Green, who graduated from medical school and Kennedy School of Government, and chose social-justice over medicine.
    • Mark Hannis, founder of the Genocide Intervention Network and the child of Holocaust survivors, who discovered as a college student that genocide still occurs, and that he could mobilize action to end it.
    • Mardie Oakes, founder of Hallmark Community Solutions, combined her background in architecture, community housing, and finance to develop housing for people with special needs.
    • Socheata Poeuv, creator of the film project Khmer Legacies, which documents interviews between Khmer Rouge survivors and their adult children.
    • Andrew Youn, Founder of the One Acre Fund, who started out in a corporate consulting job but later used his business skills to develop a market system for farmers in a region of Kenya to prevent annual famines.

      • Learn more about Work on Purpose.

      Learn more about Work on Purpose.

      22 min
    • New Jersey Nonprofit Leader: Heather Calverase, Teach For America
      Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of
      career opportunities in the nonprofit sector. Listen to more shows in this series.


      Today’s guest is Heather Calverase, Executive Director of Teach For
      America’s Newark, New Jersey region where she is responsible for
      growing sustainable base of financial, community, and district
      awareness and support including cultivating and stewarding donations,
      building strong ties with local school districts, and recruiting corps
      members.


      Prior to her position with Teach For America, Heather worked in the
      business sector, including nearly a decade with Kaplan, best known for
      its test preparation books and classes.


      Amy Potthast chats with Heather about what is appealing about what
      Heather brings to the nonprofit sector from her business sector
      experience, as well as her background on educational issues.




      16 min
    • South Carolina Nonprofit Leader: Debbie Bower, Senior Resources
      Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of
      career opportunities in the nonprofit sector. Listen to more shows in this series.


      Today's Nonprofit Career Month podcast guest is Debbie Bower,
      Executive Director of Senior Resources Inc., a South Carolina nonprofit
      that provides seniors services, resources, transportation help, and
      Meals on Wheels so that they can live healthy and independent lives.


      Debbie started her career with a Bachelor's degree in recreational
      therapy and soon found herself working as an activity director at
      for-profit and nonprofit assisted living facilities throughout the
      Midwest. When she relocated to South Carolina, she was drawn to the
      mission and programs of Senior Resources because the organization
      allowed her to continue to working with seniors, on issues that matter
      to their lives. She started there as a volunteer administrator and
      program director and over the course of many years has worked her way
      up to the Executive Director position.


      Amy Potthast and Debbie talk about the skill sets required to lead an
      organization; the inspiring nature of nonprofit work and the passion
      it takes to sustain a career in the sector; what it means to make a
      difference in the lives of other people through your daily work; and
      Amy's grandfather who contributes his own poems to other seniors
      through Senior Resources programs.


      16 min
    • Nonprofit Leader: Elizabeth Droscher, Phoenix School
      Today's Nonprofit Career Month podcast guest is Elizabeth Droscher,
      Executive Assistant at Phoenix School. Phoenix School is a nonprofit
      charter high school in Roseburg, Oregon, whose staff works hard to see
      students realize their potential and to graduate, by offering
      alternative learning approaches and opportunities to engage in the
      community.


      As the Executive Assistant, Elizabeth supports the school’s director
      and its Board, writes grants, builds community partnerships, and
      coordinates events. She’s honed her communications and planning skills
      on the job in past county government and business work, as well as in
      the nonprofit sector.


      Amy Potthast and Elizabeth chat about the importance of volunteering
      in the lives of young people, and the ongoing need for professional
      development to gain new expertise and expand what you’re capable of
      doing in a job.




      14 min
    • Sector Switcher: Krista Kelley, a Leader in Nonprofit Development
      Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month,
      featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit
      sector.


      Today’s Nonprofit Career Month podcast guest is Krista
      Kelley, Vice President of Development at Adelante Development
      Center in Albuquerque, one of the largest nonprofits in New
      Mexico. Adelante offers community-based services for people who are
      physically or mentally disabled, who have chronic neuromuscular
      diseases, and who are disabled simply due to the aging process.


      Krista has designed and led Adelante’s development department which
      has included lobbying, government relations, media campaigns, capital
      campaigns, direct mail campaigns, donor development, planned giving,
      in-kind donation programs, special events, private foundation, city,
      state, and federal grants.


      Prior to working for Adelante, Krista worked in both domestic and
      international business development and marketing and in business and
      operations analysis.


      Amy Potthast talks with Krista about developing a new department at a
      nonprofit, the adjustment to working in a nonprofit after working in a
      business, and the family-friendly potential of many nonprofits that
      value work-life balance for their staff members.


      Listen to more Nonprofit Career Month podcasts, or subscribe to
      the Idealist podcast in iTunes.


      13 min
    • New Mexico Nonprofit Leader: Margaret Ambler Salamon, Center for Nonprofit Excellence
      Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of
      career opportunities in the nonprofit sector.
      Today’s guest is Margaret Ambler Salamon, Research Specialist and
      wearer of many other hats at the
      centerfornonprofitexcellence.org" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Center for
      Nonprofit Excellence in Albuqueque, NM. The Center for Nonprofit
      Excellence is a collaborative effort of the United Way of Central New
      Mexico and the Albuquerque Community Foundation and aims to strengthen
      the capacity of the nonprofit sector through building collaborations,
      educating donors, and increase the effective management of nonprofits.
      Margaret’s passion for nonprofit organizations began in 2000 with a
      ten-month term with Public Allies, a national apprenticeship program
      focused on building young leadership while strengthening communities.
      Amy Potthast chats with Margaret about her career path, the excellent
      work that the Center for Nonprofit Excellence and Public Allies are
      doing to strengthen the nonprofit community, and what it's like to
      work at the hub of many community organizations.



      12 min
    • Job Seeker: Abby Flottemesch, a Mid-Career Nonprofit Development Professional
      Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector.


      Today’s guest is Abby Flottemesch, a mid-career nonprofit professional and Minnesota native who is currently engaged in a job search. Abby recently completed a year-long fellowship in Bogota, Colombia, with Atlas Service Corps where she worked with the Saldarriaga Concha Foundation—a Colombian foundation that provided resources to organizations that worked with disabled individuals and the elderly.


      Prior to her Atlas Corps Fellowship, Abby worked for five years in program and fund development in Minneapolis and in Washington, DC, with The Campus Kitchens Project (CKP)—a national, student-powered hunger relief organization connected with the innovative DC Central Kitchen. Abby also served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member, organizing community development efforts in Puerto Rico.


      Amy Potthast chats with Abby about the important skills required in a fund development role at a nonprofit; her recent Atlas Corps Fellowship, and her job search strategies.


      15 min
    • Sector Switcher: Arlene Siegel Cogen Applies Financial Planning Skills in the Nonprofit Sector
      Today’s guest on the Nonprofit Career Month podcast is Arlene Siegel
      Cogen, a Charitable Gift Planner with The Oregon Community
      Foundation (OCF) in Portland, OR. At OCF, Arlene’s main focus is
      individuals, families, professional advisors, and businesses who would
      like to establish current or testamentary charitable funds or deferred
      gifts.


      Arlene entered her nonprofit career after 20 years of working in the
      corporate sector. As a Certified Financial Planner, Arlene worked for
      companies such as West Coast Trust and Allen Trust, Citibank, US Trust
      and First Union before finding her "dream job" with the Oregon
      Community Foundation.


      Idealist's Amy Potthast chats with Arlene about the process of
      changing careers at mid-life, the crucial role of networking, and
      finding work that aligns with your financial goals as well as your
      values.


      13 min
    • South Carolina Nonprofit Leader: Mac Bennett, United Way of the Midlands
      October is Nonprofit Career Month,
      a month of activities to promote the diversity of career opportunities
      in the nation's nonprofit sector. Driven by the collective
      contributions of the nonprofit community, the campaign dispels common
      myths about nonprofit work, provides you with entry points to the
      sector, and allows current and aspiring nonprofit professionals to
      share expertise.

      Launching our Nonprofit Career Month podcast series is a discussion with Mac Bennett
      who shares his experiences and insights from 30 years of nonprofit
      leadership. Since March 2005, Mac Bennett has served as President and
      Chief Executive Officer of United Way of the Midlands in Columbia, SC.

      Mac studied finance and management at the University of South
      Carolina, and then blazed a career in public service, first holding a
      variety of leadership positions with the University of South Carolina
      and then serving as Executive Director of
      the Central Carolina Community Foundation.

      Bennett is also a
      founding director of the South Carolina Association of Nonprofit
      Organizations (SCANPO). Throughout his career, Bennett has been
      instrumental in efforts to improve training and education for people
      working in the nonprofit sector.

      Idealist's Amy Potthast chats with Mac about making a difference
      while making a living; how Mac got started as a volunteer in the
      sector; the variety of ways to serve your community; and Jim Collin's
      book Good to Great and the Social Sectors.



      19 min

    About The Idealist.org Podcasts

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    This podcast tells stories of individuals and groups changing their communities in innovative ways to inspire you to do the same as well as interviews with nonprofit professionals about developing…

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