Nonprofit Lowdown

For all my peeps in the nonprofit world, leadership in the last few years has been...a lot. Between the pandemic, national racial reckoning, economic turbulence, remote working, and staff feelings, it ain't easy out here in these streets. Join me and organizational consultant and healer Emily Frieze-Kemeny to talk about how we progress without losing our minds and our well-being. We discuss the challenges of leading in the last couple of years, how to draw healthy boundaries with our teams, and simple strategies to ground yourselves.  This interview 🎙 is like a therapy session for the soul. Visit her website 🌐 www.arosegroup.com Connect with her 🔗 www.linkedin.com/in/emily-frieze-kemeny Quote from Emily: "The only reason we'd be scared to be vulnerable is if we think we're not good enough."

You literally cannot afford to not listen to this podcast. Join me and my friend/financial advisor/girlcrush Marissa Nehlsen to talk all about the money. We discuss her humble beginnings, her definition of what rich means and how we can start to deploy our resources to live our richest life. Scarcity mindset? Fear of money? Worried about the long-term financial health of you and your family? This podcast episode is for you. To learn more about Marissa, visit: marissanehlsen.com Connect wit Marissa: www.linkedin.com/in/marissa-nehlsen Quote from Marissa: "Are you going to be a victim or are you going to be victorious?"

Join the epic Joan Garry for a chat about how we attract and retain talent in the sector, how to prepare for the next generation of leaders and why talking to your board about Hawaii makes sense. Joan has a long history of leading, consulting, and advising in the nonprofit world and it's a delight to speak with her. She and I bring our soapboxes so get ready! Connect with Joan Garry Quote from Joan: "A lot of people leave because they don't have good managers, they're not paid fairly and they feel their voice doesn't matter" To join the Nonprofit Leadership Lab visit: https://nonprofitleadershiplab.com/?kfl_ln=rhea-wong

Retirement is a Race Issue with Chitra Aiyar. What comes up for you when I say retirement? Are old people golfing in Florida? Think again. Join me and my dear friend Chitra Aiyar as we discuss why retirement is a generational/racial wealth gap issue, and what nonprofit employers can do to support workers. Working in the nonprofit sector shouldn't have to mean sacrificing your long-term financial well-being. Who should listen to this podcast: -Employees at nonprofits, particularly if you are young and do not come from generational wealth. -Nonprofit employers who are concerned about the long-term for their employees, especially those who employ folx of color. -Funders and nonprofit associations who are interested in racial justice and equity. In short, everyone. To learn more about the report, check here: https://www.justfutures.co/rrfa-report To connect with Chitra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chitra-aiyar-3099507/ QUOTE FROM CHITRA:  "All of this cultural competency means nothing if people aren't building wealth, right? So if you actually wanna put your money where your mouth is, we should be subsidizing retirement plans for smaller organizations at a sector-wide level, as opposed to asking every organization to figure it out on their own." If you want the full episode transcript, check here: https://www.rheawong.com/podcast/

When the ED/DoD relationship works it can be a magical thing and set everyone up for success.  When it doesn't...well, it just sucks. What makes the partnership work?  Join me, DeNora Getachew and Jen Moore as we explore what a professional marriage between a CEO and VP of Development looks like. What was the process DeNora went through? How did she make the org appealing to good candidates? What due diligence did Jen do? What did they do on the front end to make it work? Most importantly, who's the hunter and who's the farmer? Connect with DeNora and Jen: DeNora Getachew LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denora-getachew/ Jen Moore LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennmoore02/ Website: Fueling Young People to Change the World | DoSomething.org If you want the full episode transcript, check here: https://www.rheawong.com/podcast/

When I was an ED, leading my team sometimes felt like fumbling around in the dark looking for the path forward. Enter my friend Dr. Patton McDowell. Patton provides a roadmap and framework for nonprofit leaders. Whether you're a new leader, a leader looking to grow or an experienced leader ready for the next step, this interview will provide insights about the next step. Isn't clarity what we all want? Links below to connect with Patton and to buy his book. Connect with Dr. Patton LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattonmcdowell/ Website: https://www.pattonmcdowell.com/ Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership Book: https://www.amazon.com/Patton-McDowell/e/B09L5JJXS3%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share Quote from Dr. Patton McDowell: "My definition of leadership is what I've kind of come to at this point, which is the ability to retain, attract, and retain talented people. You need followers to define your leadership If you want the full episode transcript, check here: https://www.rheawong.com/podcast/

Ever wondered what an interim Executive Director actually does? Are they supposed to keep the trains running on time or clean house for the new ED? What is it like to be the Mary Poppins for an organization in transition? Learn the answer to all these and more with my favorite NPO Mary Poppins Diana Breen who is a career interim Executive Director. She manages transitions with calm, skill and grace. Do you have what it takes to be an interim ED? Connect with Diana: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianabreenconsulting/ Website: https://www.dianabreen.com/ Quote from Diana: "Even if you're not driving a lot of change, there is so much change that comes up as a result of the leadership change."

Join me and expert fundraiser Sherry Quam Taylor as we talk about making big ass asks.  We discuss board and staff reluctance to engage personally with donors, how we're mismanaging our board's time and efforts, and where we really need to spend our time with our investment-level donors. This was an insightful conversations and Sherry drops value bombs all over the place. Are you ready to scale up? CONNECT WITH SHERRY LINKEDIN: www.linkedin.com/in/sherryquamtaylor WEBSITE: www.quamtaylor.com ROCKET FUEL BOOK: www.eosworldwide.com/rocket-fuel-book QUOTE FROM SHERRY: "Your major donors need more, your mid-level donors need more need to have one on one conversation that donor experience needs to be exclusive. They need different things. And so I think we fear fundraising because sometimes we're misaligning the fundraising activity to what the donor needs and that's not successful."

Ah, times--they are a-changing. In the last year, the dynamics of leading and being responsive to visibility, equity and social justice have never been higher stakes. We know we want to be equity-centered, anti-racist leaders, but where do we even begin? Join me and my friend Alfonso and Trina as we discuss what it really takes to lead equity-based practices, how to do culture change (like, for reals) and changing power dynamics within an organization. This was a really thought-provoking conversation that helped to move forward on very big and overwhelming changes. To connect with Alfonso: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfonsowenker/ To connect with Trina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trina-c-olson-9646303/ Resources Mentioned in the Podcast: Team Dynamics - Team Dynamics Hiring Revolution - A Guide to Disrupt Racism + Sexism in Hiring - HIRING REVOLUTION The Harvard Business School + Accenture study: https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/research/hiddenworkers09032021.pdf QUOTES “I was a two-time nonprofit executive director. I spent squarely 20 years in the nonprofit sector. It was a mixture of direct service, public policy, and advocacy… I am white. I am 41. And I'm queer.” - Trina Olson “When Trina and I first started working together in Team Dynamics, it was sort of a side hustle. It was a dream. When we would get together, we would dream and scheme about how we could just think bigger and be more expansive about all of the different skills and tools that we had.” - Alfonso Wenker “Sometimes, people say things like our strategic plan says we're committed to ending racism. And that feels out of reach for folks. It feels nearly impossible.” - Alfonso Wenker “The other thing we're really relentless with is goal setting…” - Alfonso Wenker “Racism and sexism are huge.”  - Alfonso Wenker “A couple of the things we talk about is changing organizational culture, changing workplace culture, changing the culture in the US, is forever work.” - Trina Olson “So we just get in these ruts, and we do things. And we say we want to change while changing nothing about how we behave.” - Alfonso Wenker “So we have this big, audacious goal around race or gender equity. And we talk a lot about what we'll realize, but we don't get in any new practices.” - Alfonso Wenker “Organizations and businesses are not being conscious about how people need their workplace to function from a benefits perspective, from a flexibility perspective, from a technology perspective, in order to bring all of their skills and talent.” - Trina Olson “It's not workers that need to change… its workplaces.” - Alfonso Wenker “We even have to wrestle with the idea and the notion of what is a workplace and what can it be and what should it be.” - Alfonso Wenker “Companies need to change our expectations or the relationships that we have with the workers who choose to work with us.” - Alfonso Wenker “Alfonso and I are really clear about the same kinds of things that need to happen in a hiring process. You need to know who you're looking for, you need to go find them, you need to talk to them, and then you need to decide who you're going to pick.” - Trina Olson

In this episode, we’re going to discuss development 3.0 with my friend, Sarah Danzig Simon, the head of development for Uncommon Schools. Join me and Sarah as she talks about the lessons she has learned in fundraising to inspire those new fundraisers listening out there who want guidance and wisdom from those of us in the nonprofit. You will also learn about what people do, especially those who handle development and program in a nonprofit organization. This is an interesting topic, so tune in! To connect with Sarah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-danzig-simon-0915063/ You can also follow her on: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sarah.danzigsimon.1 Resources Mentioned in the Podcast: The Fundraising Accelerator Program https://www.rheawong.com/join-accelerator/ Uncommon Schools https://uncommonschools.org/about-us/ The Boys’ Club of New York https://bcny.org/ —--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUOTES “It is my strong belief that it is very hard to be a successful fundraiser at a place where you are not willing to make a gift and are not willing to participate in the program.” - Sarah Danzig Simon “When I do a donor tour, I'm always in classrooms. We're hyper-diligent about making sure that we're not interrupting. And we leave things better than when we started.” - Sarah Danzig Simon “I think, sometimes, fundraisers can forget that they're actually working on behalf of the program staff and that we work for them.” - Rhea Wong “If you are going to pursue a career in fundraising, you must be comfortable saying the words, will you make a gift to this organization of X dollars? And you need to really challenge yourself to say, is that specific task something I'm willing to do?” - Sarah Danzig Simon