Your Nonprofit Life

SEASON 2, EPISODE 1: CONTENT WARNING This episode includes discussions about sex trafficking and how sustained sexual abuse impacts survivors even years after they've been trafficked. So, if this is something you want to skip, you should skip it. Listener discretion advised.

January is the official National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and this episode was released on January 11, 2021, National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

Throughout the month of January, I am interviewing nonprofit leaders—founders, ceos, and executive directors—who run organizations which are not only working tirelessly to raise awareness about human trafficking but also walking alongside victims and survivors of sex trafficking while they try to rebuild their lives.

Sidenote: This episode was recorded in late December 2020.

Vanessa Schmidt is the founder and board chair of The Wild Hope, an equine therapy ranch which provides healing, safety, and connection for survivors of sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. The Austin-based organization is currently in phase two of start-up having successfully launched their pilot program in October 2020.

During our interview, Vanessa is extremely vulnerable sharing her own life experience of childhood abuse, her incredible connection with horses, and how the vision of this organization went from a dream to reality. You will be blown away when you hear how she got Jewel, the organization's first mustang, and you will learn about the magic of horses when it comes to helping us humans heal from trauma.

I cannot wait to introduce you to Vanessa Schmidt, founder of The Wild Hope in Austin, Texas where they "hold onto hope for others until they are able to hold onto it for themselves."

https://yournonprofitlife.com/s2ep01-vanessa-schmidt

Whether from natural causes, tragedy, or the pandemic, most of us know know someone who has suffered loss this year. In the same vein, it's also possible that you know someone who is nearing the end of life and hospice has been called in to help with nursing care, medications, and other medical needs related to a terminal illness.

Today's guest today is passionate about honoring hospice patients in very practical and tangible ways at the end of their lives.

Meet Jean Rosenbaum, the founder and Executive Director of Gifted Wishes located in Oregon but serving hospice patients throughout the United States. In this episode, Jean shares how her nonprofit was birthed out of her own personal health crisis and a desire to serve those on the cusp of eternity.

Whether a precious one year old or someone who is 100 years strong, Jean's organization is ready to enhance end of life care with "gifted wishes" which could range from purchasing basic equipment to cords of wood or providing a wonderful meal with a longtime friend who otherwise wouldn't have the chance to say goodbye. Jean's mission will touch your heart, and her enthusiasm for life will inspire you to set strong boundaries and get clear on the things that matter most.

Remember, nonprofit leadership is about more than the mission itself. It's about making sure you're here for the long haul so you can move your mission forward without burning out. I think you'll enjoy this conversation with Jean Rosenbaum who might just be the only nonprofit founder you know who took a selfie in the trunk of her Tesla.

https://yournonprofitlife.com/podcast/ep034.mp3

This month, we are honoring nonprofit leaders and organizations who serve people during some of the most emotionally tender times of their lives. Whether due to natural causes, tragedy, or the pandemic, I'm sure we all know someone who has suffered loss this year.

And one of the most significant losses a person can experience is the loss of a spouse, and sometimes when you're the close friend of a widow, you swoop in to help in the short term… but how do you continue to support your friend over the long haul?

Sadly, what happens with many of us is that we don't know what to NOT say, and so rather than say or do the wrong things, we say nothing. We back off. We give space. But is the space helpful? Is it best if we don't mention the name of the spouse when we're together?

Rather than google the answer to this, how about I introduce you to my guest on today's episode. Marina Mitchell is the Founder and Executive Director of Sacred Share, an organization created to assist the burdens of our sisters and girlfriends grieving the loss of their spouse and share with others the treasure that is walking alongside these widows in their pain.

Marina comes from a humble background. Her parents were entrepreneurs and raised her and her siblings in Northern Northern California. You could say her life was sheltered, but after visiting one of her relatives in another country, Marina realized anything was possible! Listen to Marina's journey into the nonprofit sector and be inspired by this woman who learned how to walk with widows and now spends her life helping other women strengthen relationships after the death of a friend's spouse.

Show Notes: https://yournonprofitlife.com/ep33-marina-mitchell/

In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States, I wanted to interview someone whose people lived here before the country was "discovered." Someone whose people have creation traditions based on this continent. Someone who works day in and day out to preserve her own culture. Despite colonization.

The White Mountain Apache Tribe lives in the central southeast of Arizona on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. In this episode, you will meet a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe who grew up on the reservation and now serves as the Executive Director of the Fort Apache Heritage Foundation. Her name is Krista Beazley.

In this episode, you'll hear how Krista went from being a wolf biologist and ecotourism guide for the Tribe to being an Executive Director with a small staff, overseeing the restoration of 20+ buildings, and wearing a bunch of different hats at the Foundation.

In addition to hearing about Krista's journey into nonprofit leadership and the work her organization is doing to preserve White Mountain Apache culture, you're also going to learn a little more about American history when we discuss the boys' and girls' dorms and the culture when Krista shares the traditional foods served at a White Mountain Apache Thanksgiving dinner including things like acorn stew and tennis racquet bread.

Show Notes & Links to Connect: https://yournonprofitlife.com/ep32-krista-beazley/

Happy Veteran's Day! Every year, here in the United States, we observe November 11th as a federal holiday to honor our military veterans—persons who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

In this episode, you'll meet a remarkable woman who is not only the daughter of a veteran but the Deputy Director of a nonprofit organization that serves some of the most vulnerable veterans and service members in the country.

KellyAnn Romanych is the Deputy Executive Director of Veteran's Legal Institute. VLI provides pro bono legal assistance to homeless, at risk, disabled and low income current and former service members to eradicate barriers to housing, healthcare, education, and employment and foster self-sufficiency.

Show Notes: https://yournonprofitlife.com/ep31-kellyann-romanych

In this episode, you'll meet Amy McLaughry, an entrepreneur and nonprofit leader who lives and serves in beautiful Colorado. She is the owner of ADEM Bookkeeping, a nonprofit accounting firm working virtually with nonprofits from all over the U.S., and she's also a long-time board member of the Community College of Aurora Foundation.

Under Amy's board leadership tenure, the Foundation has navigated some really uncomfortable, sticky situations, and her story will remind all of us why board service is not for wimps! Like Joan Garry says, "At its best, a great board serves as the strategic partner of the CEO on long term planning and short term crisis management."

Two things to remember: Nonprofit board members are volunteers. Most have full-time job outside of the organization. And when a "crisis" arises, it's the board members who often partner with the ED (or take control if the situation requires it) and help the organization come out on the other side of it stronger than before.

Amy is a strong leader for her organization, and her case in defense of the big hearts of board members is something we all need to hear.

Show notes page: https://yournonprofitlife.com/ep30-amy-mclaughry/

With this episode, we conclude a series of four podcasts which have informed us about a variety of hot-button issues including the humanitarian crisis at the southern border, the shrinking resources available to refugees who were invited to resettle here in America, and the fight against voter suppression in California and across the nation.

Today, we're going to learn what's being done to bring healing and hope to some of the most marginalized and oppressed people in our society: black women and other women of color.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, and I'm honored to introduce you to Alana C. Brown, the founder and Executive Director of The Safe Sisters Circle—an organization founded by black women in a historically black community serving Wards 7 & 8 of the Washington DC metro area.

Alana knew from a young age she wanted to make a positive impact in her local community. She left DC to attend college in New York and then returned to DC and graduated from Georgetown with her law degree. Then, back to New York where she served as a prosecuting attorney in Manhattan.

You'd think that's it, right? Nope. Alana's dream to help women back home never dissipated, it only grew stronger, and she eventually moved back to the area where she worked and volunteered. It wasn't long before she recognized a need for representation among those serving survivors.

And, sadly, it took even less time for some people to tell her not to do it. They'd say things like "your work isn't needed here" and "you'll never make it."

Obviously, Alana didn't listen to the naysayers. She founded The Safe Sisters Circle, and she plans to grow and expand her service area. Alana talks fast, so buckle up, and get ready to meet an amazing African American woman who is making a big difference in the lives of women of color in Wards 7 & 8 in our nation's capital.

The Safe Sisters Circle is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free culturally specific, holistic, and trauma-based services to Black women survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault primarily living in Washington, DC's Wards 7 and 8.

https://yournonprofitlife.com/ep29-alana-brown/

In this episode you'll learn how this 100-year-old organization was founded by women who fought hard for the 19th amendment granting white women the right to vote and how over the past century they have advocated for voter rights and provided nonpartisan voter education for everyone.

Stephanie Doute is the Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of California.

Stephanie also shares how everything changed after her father's sudden illness and death. She re-evaluated her life and made a meaningful move.

Show notes & links: https://yournonprofitlife.com/ep28-stephanie-doute/

Like many nonprofit founders, Kristen Bloom recognized new refugees needed help learning English, and she volunteered to fill the gap…only to realize it was more like a chasm. Tossing out her plans, Kristen created a new organization to address the immediate needs of refugee families.

Kristen shares her journey into nonprofit leadership and what she's done to manage imposter syndrome. Because. The struggle is real.

Show notes: https://yournonprofitlife.com/ep27-kristen-bloom/