Next in Nonprofits

Dr. Michelle Shumate is a professor at Northwestern's School of Communication, where she "investigates the dynamics of interorganizational networks designed to impact large social issues." She is co-author of the new book, Networks for Social Impact.

Dr. Shumate and her co-author Dr. Cooper depict when and how to use networks for social impact to improve issues related to educational outcomes, mental health and wellness, gender-based violence, climate change, senior and veteran care, and more, by providing a new framework for organizations to more seamlessly work together. She talks to host Steve Boland about the axioms used in framing the book, the case studies which illustrate these issues, understanding the necessity of some partners needing to pause in the work, and much more.

 

Lauren Kaufman is the President of the Young Women's Alliance, and Bijal Patel is the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Belonging of the Young Women's Alliance. The Alliance is "building a community that supports, empowers, and connects women."

 

Lauren and Bijal join host Steve Boland to talk about the changes community building face since the COVID-19 pandemic impacted in-person events as a primary strategy. They talk about how their work has grown during this time, how they think about support for members online and in-person, and how adapting to new tools and tactics may impact the future direction of mission-based organizations.

 

Patrice Davis is the Founder and Managing Principal of Grants Works, which "helps organizations, businesses, and municipalities identify, acquire, manage, and comply with government and foundation grants."

Patrice joins host Steve Boland to talk about government funding for nonprofit work, including federal grants, federally funded work which may be re-granted from state, local, tribal or territorial governments, and more. Patrice shares specific information about new resources from the American Rescue Plan Act which could really change the game for many charities in working with government sources, both in terms of amount of dollars and how they are accessed. Charities should evaluate these options to scale their impact in communities, but also be planning how to maintain that impact after this influx has been awarded.

Professor Russel James has been on the Next in Nonprofits podcast before, talking about resources for donors after the changes in itemization in 2018. Russell joins the conversation again to talk about his new book series, Fundraising Myth and Science. The books are available in audio for free on YouTube, in .pdf by connecting to Russell on LinkedIn, or in paper if desired via Amazon.

The books are a series in four parts: The Storytelling Fundraiser, The Epic Fundraiser, The Primal Fundraiser, and The Socratic Fundraiser. Russell talks about research in each of these categories, and how the science of that research provides useful insights for people working in fundraising. Russell shares his insights on how different research can be considered in these different contexts, and how professionals in the field can connect in these ideas.

Rob Shavell is the CEO and Co-Founder of Abine and DeleteMe, "a hands-free subscription service that will remove your personal information that’s being sold online."

Rob joins the podcast to talk about the risks of general data availability for nonprofit organizations. Groups will need and want to publish some information online about their key officers and directors for the community, but can also take measures to ensure a more secure experience and reduce possible downsides to being online. Rob also discusses how charities can honor their trusted relationships with donors by understanding how that information can best remain private when that is import to donors.

Jon Pratt recently retired as Executive Director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. Jon was the founding director, working in that role since 1987. The world of collective action by and for nonprofits has evolved in many ways since that time. It has also kept some very solid foundational elements through those decades.

Host Steve Boland talks to Jon about this history of building one of the largest state nonprofit associations, and what we can learn about the future from that work. Some things have stayed the same - though the current web-based job-board started out as a literal bulletin board at first. Other issues of interest to the nonprofit economy continue to change and may point to new challenges in the coming years.

 

More information at NextInNonprofits.com/podcast.

Veronica Garcia is Lead Organizer for Wealth Reclamation Academy of Practitioners, "a community of practice organized by and for Resource Mobilizers. As Resource Mobilizers, we are the individuals in our communities who specialize in cultivating relationship networks and stewarding the flow of assets (social and material) back into social justice movement and community-building."

Veronica joins host Steve Boland to talk about the evolution of the mission, the idea of reclamation and rehabilitation in mobilizing resources for nonprofit work, talking to partners in philanthropy about this framework (including asking about support for the ACE Act in Congress) and much more. Veronica encourages fund development people to learn more about cohort support, open office hours for check-ins, and more via their website.

Diane Lebson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Evergreen Philanthropic Solutions and the author of the new book, For a Good Cause. Diane joins host Steve Boland to talk about all the ways people can support a cause, from donations to volunteering to creating a new charity.

Diane talks about this work from different perspectives, including how women approach philanthropy differently, how a gendered-lens of power impacts those decisions, and how one considers impact when making decisions.

More information available at Next in Nonprofits.

Sona Khosla is the Chief Impact Officer of Benevity, which "is trusted by the world’s most purpose-driven brands to engage their people and communities in doing good." Benevity provides workplace giving and engagement tools, resources to nonprofits, and more.

The State of Corporate Purpose report is the first such report issued by Benevity, and highlights trends observed in philanthropy and volunteerism via 650 participating Benevity partners. Some findings are less surprising (volunteer hours were down in the pandemic where many volunteers used to give time in person), but other findings show unexpected and dramatic shifts, including the focus in 2020 on social and racial justice causes.

Dominique Calixte is the Associate Director of Annual Giving and Special Events for YW Boston. She spends a lot of time considering the mix of support options to pay for mission work in the world, and has been a previous guest on the Next in Nonprofits podcast. Check out Fundraising While Black to learn more!

Dominique joins host Steve Boland to talk about the pluses and minuses of outside organizations partnering with nonprofits for what Dominique calls "microdonations." A prime example (pun intended) is the Amazon Smile program, which donates .5% of eligible purchases to a charity if the microdonor uses the correct web address. Dominique talks about other examples, such as rounding up programs at local stores, specific deals with creators rather than retailers, and more. An important theme in her thinking is connecting to donors more than small dollars raised.

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