Successful Nonprofits Podcast

Dolph talks with Evan Marwell, successful serial entrepreneur, about his move into the nonprofit world with the creation of EducationSuperHighway. Evan compares and contrasts his experiences starting for-profit companies with the startup of a nonprofit organization.   *****Timestamped Highlights***** (2:20) The wifi problem that launched EducationSuperHighway (4:30) F.E. #1 – Learning from Bold Endeavors by Felix Rohatyn (6:00) F.E. #2 – Expanding a school’s bandwidth for technology (7:45) F.E. #3 – Bringing the tech issue center stage (White House) (9:35) America’s CTO lets Evan in on a government secret (shhh!) (12:23) How Evan ran his nonprofit like a startup (18:42) A project-oriented team is KEY! (20:56) Gauging commitment to allocate tasks (22:24) Working with a sense of urgency (23:25) You MUST recruit the people that are invested in your mission (25:39) A Big Bold & Finite Goal: Go out of business by 2020 (28:25) Preaching “planned obsolescence” to avoid mission creep (35:15) Evan’s entrepreneurial advice (38:49) “It’s better to be lucky than smart”   Links: Bold Endeavors: https://www.amazon.com/Bold-Endeavors-Government-America-Rebuild/dp/1416533133 2019: State of the State Report: www.educationsuperhighway.org Be in the know about bandwidth: www.compareandconnectk12.org  

Dolph talks with Joe Vella, former Director of Corporate Giving at Macy’s, to learn how nonprofits can position themselves for corporate gifts in an era of more restricted giving. *****Timestamped Highlights***** (2:10) A happy accident: How Joe began community engagement (4:50) Massaging the numbers fairly, judiciously, and strategically (9:36) Securing funds from a corporation by showing tangible results (11:48) Cause marketing vs corporate giving (13:32) Doing your homework BEFORE you approach a corporation for funding (17:26) Tips to increase your chances of receiving funding (18:36) Trust me, a tour can show a LOT (21:35) Appreciating every single dollar of a contribution (22:46) The icing on the cake to your ask – proposing an offer they can’t resist (25:44) Storytelling for the win! (26:53) What to do if you when a corporate funder declines (27:56) Postcards, postcards, and more postcards! Links: Joe’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-vella-9172303/ Macy’s website: https://www.macys.com/

In Part Two of his Mini Program Planning Series, Dolph outlines the steps to set goals, track program outputs vs outcomes, secure initial funding, and obtain sustaining funding. He also throws in a few out-of-the-box ideas to consider and shares a real-deal timeline for program planning.   Links: Lean more about the MVP (Most Viable Product) in episode 106   *****Timestamped Highlights***** (2:41) Outputs vs. outcomes, and examples that help you remember the difference (6:13) How will you measure outputs and outcomes? (7:13) Where are you going to put your collected data? (9:00) Look close to home for your first source of funding (10:52) An approach for sustainable funding that sets you up for success (11:47) Can you earn some income? (13:51) The long game: planned giving (15:16) O-O-B idea #1: MVP (minimum viable product) (16:00) The merits of the MVP approach   (17:14) O-O-B idea #2: test it first (18:49) O-O-B idea #3: outsource first (20:04) True expectations timeline

Flood waters of Biblical proportions have forced Dolph to go solo for a few podcast episodes! It’s all good, as Dolph kicks of a Mini Program Planning Series today. In part one, Dolph provides step-by-step check points of the crucial components involved in creating a successful program plan.   *****Timestamped Highlights***** (3:19) Dolph’s cautionary tale about program design  (8:37) Back to the drawing board (10:52) 1st step: figure out what need your program is going to address. (11:30) Identifying data sources to establish need (15:03) 2nd step: define the program or service are you going to provide. (16:22) You’ll need a program planning group, and here’s why. (19:04) 3rd step: figure out the logistics – including the who, where, when, and everything in between. (20:15) 3a: outreach (21:10) 3b: put partnerships on paper (21:59) 3c: staying on the right side of the law (23:12) 3d: put together a documentation plan (23:55) 3e: hammer out auxiliary services – what they are, who will provide them, and what those relationships will look like (24:12) And yes, your logistics will overlap! (25:00) Next week: Setting goals, tracking goals, finding initial and sustained funding, and identifying out-of-the-box ideas!

Board builder Rob Acton joins us to discuss specific strategies and tactics to optimize your board. He offers actionable tactics that you can implement today. Acton, founder of Cause Strategy Partners, discusses the three categories of tactics: making better use of board meeting, treating board members as individuals not “the board” and reshaping board culture. ****Timestamped Highlights***** (10:00) Designing board meetings that are not snooze fests (11:30) An alternative to simply reading the Executive Director’s report (13:30) The “Plus, Delta, Question” exercise every executive director can use with their board (17:00) The power of generative questions (21:40) Building the strategic dashboard your board needs (28:00) Uncovering the unique strengths of board candidates (33:15) Rob’s advice for nonprofit board candidates to consider (35:45) The amount of time a board candidate should expect to volunteer each month.   Links: Cause Strategy Partners: http://causestrategypartners.com/ Robert’s Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/robertacton Cause Strategy’s Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/causestrategy

In part one of his episode, Kevin Chase shared the importance of honing your professional development to prepare for a director-level job. In part two, Kevin discusses how resume building, negotiation skills, and your personality can help you secure the executive-level position you’ve been after.     Links: Kevin’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinscakesla/?hl=en Kevin’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-chase-8a9a23/ Kevin’s Firm, Kevin Chase Executive Search Group: www.kevinchasesearch.com See Kevin’s current searches: http://kevinchasesearch.com/current-searches/ Kevin’s Appearance on Season 1, Episode 2 of Nailedit! : www.netflix.com   *****Timestamped Highlights***** (2:26) How to stand out from the crowd (4:05) It’s all in the sauce (5:21) Kevin shares the recipe for job burnout (9:44) When Kevin knew he could not fix his fit (13:15) Do’s and don’t’s of resume writing (17:12) Pro tip: Start your resume with an executive summary (18:57) Negotiation advice - be thorough but reasonable (22:27) Take the offer for the job you want, not the one that might come (25:06) Everyone should know a Kevin Chase! (29:17) If not LA or NY, then where? Kevin answers Dolph’s hypothetical

Guess who’s back… back again! Executive Search Consultant Kevin Chase returns to our podcast for a two-part episode. In part one, Kevin walks us through how to better position yourself for an executive-level job. A tip: Start by building your skills and investing in your professional (and personal) development. Links: Kevin’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinscakesla/?hl=en Kevin’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-chase-8a9a23/ Kevin’s Firm, Kevin Chase Executive Search Group: www.kevinchasesearch.com See Kevin’s current searches: http://kevinchasesearch.com/current-searches/ Kevin’s Appearance on Season 1, Episode 2 of Nailedit! : www.netflix.com   *****Timestamped Highlights***** (3:51) Gale Goodheart wants to save the world, but how, Kevin? (6:21) There’s no such thing as a unicorn (exec), so stop hunting! (8:51) How Kevin once got world class marketing support for an organization (12:23) The 85/15 Rule – Balancing the Now and Next (15:00) The resources you need to build your skills are closer than you think (18:29) Aiming closer to home: The approach to a prospective mentor

Nonprofit fraud is the topic of this conversation with Tiffany Couch, CEO of Acuity Forensics. Sharing true stories of fraud found in her book, The Thief in Your Company, Tiffany breaks down what fraud looks like, who is likely to do it, and how to prevent it from happening to your organization. Links: Tiffany’s Book: The Thief in Your Company https://www.amazon.com/Thief-Your-Company-Organization-Financial-ebook/dp/B01NH5OH4K Tiffany’s firm: www.acuityforensics.com Stop Nonprofit Fraud: www.stopnonprofitfraud.com Link for discount code for Stop Nonprofit Fraud: https://www.acuityacademy.com/dolph   *****Timestamped Highlights***** (4:18) The emotional costs of fraud (5:23) The top 3 most-trusted individuals in the organization  (6:38) Great! You have an employee you like that well, BUT… (9:09) Ego problem or fraud? (9:52) Skimming schemes and the priest who stole from the church (15:12) How limited resources factor into fraud (16:06) Pardon my French…but review the damn bank statement! (21:58) Locking down the range with company credit cards (24:27) Even if you know the answer, ask the question (25:22) Expense reimbursement requests: the long-hanging fruit of fraud (27:10) Setting the threshold of “that’s not okay” (28:10) The BIG problem with the “$20 and under” rule (29:23) Basic and effective internal controls  (35:31) A tiara and a title

Brad Wolff, author of the bestseller, People Problems? How to Create People Solutions for a Competitive Edge, joins Dolph to deliver an important lesson: all problems are people problems. Walking us through his origin story, Brad shares the experiences and lessons that have helped him understand that solving any organizational problem starts with taking an honest look at your people – especially yourself! Links: To learn about Habit Technologies, email Brad: bwolff@peoplemaximizers.com Free ebook Maximize Your People, Productivity, and Profit: https://peoplemaximizers.com/maximize-profits PeopleMax: https://peoplemaximizers.com/ Brad’s book People Problems? How to Create People Solutions for a Competitive Advantage   *****Timestamped Highlights***** (4:18) Somewhere between birth and walking… (6:40) Doing it wrong > Doing it right: What Brad learned as a recruiter (9:05) Guess what? The most successful leaders are open to getting better! (10:53) Low turnover rates may not be a bragging point (13:28) The notable difference between a producer and a manager (14:34) Beware the Halo Effect and Horn Effect! (16:18) The dark period when Brad’s business failed (18:20) The cognitive dissonance bus runs right into Brad (22:35) Dolph finally accepts the properties of velocity and mass (25:22) Brad and Dolph share the process of being human (31:22) Debunking the talent myth (32:50) Creating a safe and open work culture (34:19) From definition to application, Brad talks habits  

Mazarine Treyz of Wild Woman Fundraising joins Dolph for a session of career coaching. They share a lot of Amen! moments as they discuss strategies on everything from negotiating a great salary to making the world a better place for all of us. Links:  Mazarine’s Book: Get the Job: Your Fundraising Career Empowerment Guide Wild Social Media: https://wildwomanfundraising.com/product/the-wild-womans-guide-to-social-media/ Wild Woman Fundraising: www.wildwomanfundraising.com Mazarine’s  Art: http://encausticarts.net/ Mazarine Treyz: www.mazarinetreyz.com   *****Timestamped Highlights***** (3:43) Stand out:  Incorporate their cause with your personal story (6:42) The game of reveal and conceal in your resume (7:48) Navigating interview questions – tackling the expected and unexpected (9:33) Tips for approaching (and deflecting) the salary question (11:50) Mazarine shares resume writing tips (13:14) Blind screening resumes – to help see the whole (15:23) Start with your board (17:59) Shareholder value is bullsh*t (18:56) Staff love > donor love (20:15) The effects of “intern pay” – the mindset of undercompensation  (23:51) Use your A.R.M.S. – and no, not not your limbs (26:58) What to consider when negotiating your salary (30:13) Hedonic treadmill – more, more, MORE! (32:58) Setting time aside to do what you love (36:25) Dolph is a five of diamonds