The Point

If you have worked in the nonprofit space for any amount of time, then you have likely felt the cringe-worthy word “fundraising”. It can feel daunting, discouraging, and exhausting. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. Fundraising Rebel Lisa Stueckemann joins us to share her knowledge on donor-centric fundraising and how we can invite others into a greater purpose.

She has worked with grassroots organizations as well as multi-million dollar projects. She builds on this foundation through her education by obtaining a Masters in Nonprofit Administration and she is a Certified Fundraising Executive. Currently, she is the Vice President of Philanthropy at New Life Solutions.

Find renewed passion and inspiration today by joining our conversation on how to bring others into the life-changing work you are doing.

Contact + Links

Email: [email protected]

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisastueckemann/

Stephanie Bowman: From addiction to Advocate

From homeless to head of her own nonprofit, One Heart for Women and Children.

Stephanie bowman is a force to be reckoned with. She candidly shares with us her personal story of overcoming addiction and trauma and how it has fueled her to help thousands of families experiencing similar hardships.

I truly believe that when we hear these intimate stories of real people experiencing real problems, it helps us build empathy and remember that each person we encounter is experiencing things in their lives we may not be aware of.

Stephanie unpacks these heavy topics through her charming and genuine personality. She’s the kind of person you could spend all day with having coffee and sharing stories and laughter.

Join our uplifting and enlightening conversation with Stephanie Bowman, Founder, Director, and Advocate.

Contact + Links

Website: https://oneheartorlando.org

Social: @oneheartmatters

Lauren Neal is an international photographer and writer whose 10+ years’ experience in the non-profit sector largely influences how she chooses to celebrate the beauty of family and the value of connection through her work.

Links + Contact

Social Media @lauren___neal

Website https://www.laurenneal.com

Fatima Sadaf Saied is the Executive Director of the Muslim Women’s Organization (MWO) based in Orlando, Florida.  As the daughter of Pakistani immigrants and a native Floridian, she witnessed her parents build and dedicate their lives to inclusive Islamic institutions including mosques, schools and civic organizations throughout her childhood.  Following their example, in her time at the University of Miami, she was a founder and President of a student organization that was an inclusive alternative to the existing MSA which was not open to women or diverse Islamic perspectives.  

After graduating from UM with a degree in Psychobiology, she started her family and dedicated her time to raising her five children.  Realizing that a gap existed in women’s leadership opportunities in her local Muslim community, she was one of a group of like-minded women, that established the MWO in 2010.  It is a nonprofit dedicated to building the power of and creating inclusive and welcoming spaces for Muslim women.  

Fatima is also on the Board of Directors of Eid Orlando, an organization dedicated to establishing family-friendly Muslim holiday celebrations.  She part of the inaugural cohort for Zakat Foundation Institute’s Muslim Philanthropy and Humanitarian Studies Fellowship program at IUPUI’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.  She is now completing her Masters Degree in Philanthropic studies there with the intention of building the nonprofit leadership expertise of Muslim women. She is passionate about uplifting the lives of her daughters, her team members and her community through compassionate service.

Website & Contact: https://www.mwo-orlando.org

Twenty-One Senses (501c3) was founded in 2018 by a Chicago mom struggling to raise two special needs kids in a community that consistently misunderstood them, and sometimes punished them, for taking a slightly different approach. She could relate to what her kids were going through. As a mother, she herself often felt shamed when friends, family, teachers, or even strangers were bewildered or disappointed by her children or her parenting choices. Her vision, and our vision, is for an educated and inclusive community that sees her kids––and all people struggling with difference––through a lens of humility and compassion. Humility about our own individual differences and the differences of others, and compassion for all people regardless of age, background, appearance, capabilities, or limitations.

Their mission is to teach communities to support the inclusion, dignity, and well-being of the ~17% (one-in-six)1 of their kids, customers, colleagues, and peers currently living with a sensory disability. Many familiar diagnoses such as autism, PTSD, ADHD, and anxiety are among the 20+ disorders that all affect how the brain interprets information from the senses. Despite being different neurological conditions, these so-called invisible disabilities frequently produce similar observable behaviors. For example, an autistic child and a survivor of traumatic abuse may both be easily upset by physical touch or unexpected stimuli. By accepting without judgement the slightly different approach to daily life that neurological diversity requires, an informed and empathetic community can empower its sensory sensitive families to embrace their diagnoses with self-compassion and positivity.

Website: https://www.twentyonesenses.org

Research has shown that to break the cycle of generational poverty children need long-term, relationship-based support. This support helps them to graduate from high school, remain free from involvement in the criminal justice system, and wait to parent until after their teen years, and that is exactly what Friends of the Children is doing. It is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1993 in Portland with salaried, professional mentors—and 24 children. Today they are a $33 million dollar network with over 22 locations.

Friends of the Children was founded by Duncan Campbell, a successful business entrepreneur whose own troubled childhood inspired him to found the organization. Our innovative model pairs children who are in foster care or in high-poverty schools with a Friend. Each child selected for the program has a Friend by their side from kindergarten through high school graduation—12+ years, no matter what.

In this episode, we are joined by two of these world changing individuals CEO Terri Sorensen and Executive Director Thomas Lee. They are here to educate us on foster care, the cases, the solutions and how each of us can get involved.

Website: https://friendsofthechildren.org

⚉ Join our conversation with Founder + Chief Cause Consultant Breauna Dorelus of Connecting the Cause

⚉ Breauan gives us insight into identifying and uprooting harmful volunteer practices, specifically in Black and Brown communities. She helps us unpack volunteer-centered service and shows us how we can transform it into community-centered service.

⚉ Connecting the Cause, a consultancy dedicated to helping volunteers and those that lead them identify and uproot harmful volunteer practices specifically towards Black and brown communities. Breauna is an advocate for voices of color to be heard, recognized and valued in the service and volunteerism sector and believes in keeping the community centered in all aspects of the volunteer process. Breauna's work is built on the principle that transformational service must help instead of harm.

⚉ Starting her decade plus stint in the nonprofit sector as an AmeriCorps member, she has continuously held positions in volunteer engagement, program creation, and spearheading community volunteer initiatives in the areas of humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, and ministry. She received her Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Georgia Southern University, and her Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from Georgia State University (Summa Cum Laude).

Website: https://www.connectingthecause.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connectingthecause

Instagram: https://www.connectingthecause.com/contact

Brandon has worked in the child welfare and nonprofit sectors for over ten years. Before joining 1MILLIONHOME, he led a family based care and advocacy program in Tanzania for several years. Brandon has also worked at a Tanzanian orphanage, in the Californian foster care system, at various churches and teaches on issues facing at risk children at the university level. He has his Master’s Degree in Global Development and Justice and is passionate about indigenous leadership, community mobilization and seeing global entities come together to deliver the best care for at risk children.

Join our conversation as he shares with us his personal experience and how you can get involved in the movement of giving the gift of family.

Website: https://1millionhome.com/takeaction/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1MILLIONHOME

Erik Hanberg has spent nearly 20 years working with nonprofits. In addition to serving as the director of two nonprofits, he has worked for nonprofits in marketing and fundraising, and served on boards and committees for more than a dozen organizations, often in leadership roles.

Listen to our conversation where he shares details of how small nonprofits, just like yours, can raise funds and have fun doing it! 

Website: forsmallnonprofits.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForSmallNonprofits/

Jennifer Perry has been Executive Director of the Children’s Action Network (CAN) since its inception. By marshalling the immense communications power of the entertainment community, CAN inspires the public to take action on behalf of children. CAN is now involved in a national campaign devoted to raising awareness about the 107,000 children in this country waiting for adoptive homes and improving outcomes for the more than 400,000 children in foster care.

Jennifer is a co-founder of FosterMore, a coalition of media and entertainment companies, non-profits, businesses and philanthropic organizations working to create greater understanding, empathy, and action to improve the future of youth in foster care. FosterMore shines a light on the accomplishments and potential of foster youth, while securing support for their academic success and creating a pipeline of potential foster parents.

Jennifer is a recipient of the Nancy Daly Advocacy Award from the Lewis Hine Awards for Service to Children and Youth, Raise A Child Honors and the Evan B. Donaldson Spotlight Award. Under her stewardship, CAN has received an Adoption Excellence Award from the US Department of Health and Human Services and a Television Academy Honors for A Home for the Holidays, CAN’s annual special promoting foster care adoption and been recognized as a CCAI Angels in Adoption.

Jennifer is on the Board of Governors for the California Community Colleges as well as the board of the Foundation for California Community Colleges and serves on the board of the Children's Law Center. She has served as a board member of the North American Council on Adoptable Children, an Advisor to National Center for Children in Poverty, the Major League Baseball Player’s Trust for Children and on the Los Angeles Commission on Children Youth and their Families. She also served on the board of the Mar Vista Family Center and Para Los Niños, and was appointed to the Los Angeles City Child Care Commission and the Commission on the Status of Women.

Links & Contact: 

fostermore.org

@foster_more