Nonprofit Lowdown

What's harder than raising $5M for operating?  How about $34M for a new building?  Join me and my dear friend Amanda Kraus, Founder and CEO of Row NY, to talk about what she's learned about launching a capital campaign for their beautiful new Harlem-based boathouse.  In this convo, we talk about how to know when you're ready, how to avoid cannibalizing your annual fund donors and tips she's learned from Rich Berlin.  Also, can you check out this gorgeous boathouse?

You're not bossy if you are the boss. Today I'm talking with my friend Tammy Dowley-Blackman about her journey as a leader, the challenges faced by folks of color in the development field and how she went from Executive Director to launching her own consulting firm.  We talk about the strategy of scaling, how to think about the business and why motherhood inspired her to be an entrepreneur.  This is a must-listen for those of you who are thinking about striking out on your own.

In today's pod, I'm talking with Judy Levine, Executive Director of Cause Effective.  Judy and her team just released an important white paper about the state of fundraisers of color in the nonprofit industry.    Some value bombs: The single most important factor of success for a fundraiser of color is a supportive Executive Director. People who make the transition into senior development roles often jump orgs to find their right fit.  You can't afford NOT to listen to this episode. Get your hands on the report here.

This is the original bosslady.  On today's pod, I'm talking with former CEO of iMentor and Executive Coach Caroline Kim Oh.  We're spilling the tea on all the things including being the Only Ones in rooms, how Asian Americans have been misused as the "model minority" and how to start your own biz.  As more EDs are leaving their positions, listen to one former ED's story of how she set up her business to work for herself (and conquered her fears in the process!) For more information, check out Caroline here.

Happy July 4th!  Free yourself from the tyranny of white supremacist hiring practices!  Join me for a great conversation with consultant Judy Pryor-Ramirez about how to source, hire and retain folks of color.  Some value bombs: 1) how to assess your current practices 2) how to question white supremacist paradigms in hiring 3) what "Real Talk with Judy" means. For more information about Judy, check her out here. For Judy's recommendation on white supremacist culture, download it here.

So, fun fact: I've always secretly wanted to be a Navy SEAL.  Or a Marine.  Join me on today's pod with my friend retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Bill Wroten.   Here's a value bomb for you: You lead people and manage processes.  Once you talk about managing people, you've reduced them to processes and that's why they don't feel ownership. Boom!

How much of a pain point is hiring for you?  Are you looking to diversify your pool, make your process more equitable and inclusive and retain a diverse workforce?  Duh, aren't we all?  Join me as I chat with Anthony Barrows, Managing Director of Ideas42, as we talk about how they have redesigned their process to mitigate implicit bias.   For NYC-based nonprofits, check out their Behavioral Design Center. For implicit bias test, click here. For Iris Bohnet research, click here.

Today we're chatting with my buddy, Morty Ballen, who lived through the go-go days of charter school expansion.  As the CEO and Founder of Explore Schools, Morty oversaw the replication of three schools in an eight year period.  He shares his lessons learned (spoiler alert: it's the people!) and what is on the other side of leaving after 20 years of being the CEO.  Morty is humble, insightful and good-natured and I enjoyed this conversation immensely.  

Join me on today's pod as I talk with veteran nonprofit leader, Jane Martinez Dowling.  In today's chat, Jane discusses how her experience as a first-gen college-going, Dominican-American woman has influenced her leadership.  She's been in the top job in three different organizations and also touches on how to be a boss and a mom.  Spoiler alert: leave the guilt and judgement behind.  Jane was a joy!

Today, we're speaking with our resident Tech Goddess, Emily Hicks-Rotella about how technology and spirituality are connected.  This conversation is a little more whoo-whoo than others we've had so feel free to skip it if it's not your jam.  We talk about what it means to have a single source of truth, how technology can connect us to our purpose and clarity and how you don't have to go sit on a mountaintop to achieve peace.   Click here for more about Emily.