Next in Nonprofits

James Dismond, CEO of Mirasol Health chats with host KD Bauer about a 2-year rebranding journey the organization recently undertook. James shares insights in how the organization collaborated across teams, stakeholders, and community to identify where audiences' perceptions and experiences misaligned with elements of the 40-year old brand. From surveys to focus groups, James shares how his team worked to develop a new brand (values, mission, vision, imagery) that elevates the legacy and history of the organization, while at the same time connecting with a deep level with its staff, and leading to an increase in patients and clearer understanding of services. While sometimes happens (especially when 2 marketing nerds enter the same podcast), some terminology is thrown around. Below is a list of terms (and samples) that might be relevant to organizations considering a brand refresh.  SWOT Analysis of your Current Brand (James recommends keeping this on a wall during the process!)  Brand Recall / Recognition Brand Analysis Brand Guide (Sample: Mirasol's OFFICIAL New Brand Guide!)  Listen now by clicking the player above, download the file for later here, or subscribe to the podcast on your phone for automatic updates. Get more details on how to subscribe on our podcast page.

Faviola "Favi" Ramirez is a community organizer, often with BIPOC outdoors. Brooke Thomson is the development director at Abortion Care Network. Favi and Brooke have been part of the Community-centric fundraising movement, including a group sharing and based in Minnesota. Favi and Brooke join the podcast to talk about the origins of community-centric fundraising, and help to define it with some of the ten principles defined on the CCF website. Concepts of indigenizing giving and grant-making, beginning the work with an audit of existing donor pages of website looking at terms of "we" rather than "you", valuing all contributions including those of time rather than money, and much, much more! Favi mentions TRUTH project the as one community-centric process that recognizes the colonial nature of land-grant universities but looks to indigenize the conversation.

Patrick Kincade is Regional Director at Stonebridge Capital Advisors, a firm offering portfolio management services and related advising to nonprofit organizations as well as businesses and individuals. Patrick talks with host Steve Boland about a range of ways nonprofits can be ready to receive larger gifts, especially gifts that may not be cash. Gifts could be donations of stock, or gifts of value like real-estate or even new classes of assets like cryptocurrency. Patrick talks about planning, tools to have at the ready, and when it may be time to decline some more complex gifts. This podcast expresses the views of Patrick Kincaid as of the date indicated and may not represent the views of Stonebridge Capital Advisors, LLC (“Stonebridge”). These views are subject to change without notice and Stonebridge has no duty or obligation to update the information contained herein. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Moreover, wherever there is the potential for profit there is also the possibility of loss. This podcast is being made available for educational purposes only and should not be used for any other purpose. The information contained herein does not constitute and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, investment advice, or an offer to sell or solicitation to buy any securities or related financial instruments in any jurisdiction. Certain information contained herein concerning economic trends and performance is based on or derived from information provided by independent third-party sources.

This special 200th Anniversary episode of the podcast is hosted by KD Bauer and features members of the Next in Nonprofits team! KD talks with Steve Boland, Kathleen Conroy and Chelley McLear about sharing knowledge in the nonprofit sector. (Team members Bruktait Kebede, Keren Gudeman, and Grace Mayo contributed ideas off mic!) Next in Nonprofits chooses to do this in many ways, including by producing this podcast! Many charities learn a great deal about community support, new tools, partnerships and so much more. Sharing that learning is not always the top priority of any one group, but organizations like Next in Nonprofits get to learn from the stories and missions of many different groups. KD leads the team through a conversation about what brings people to nonprofit missions, how knowledge sharing - especially in a team - can create better outcomes, and contributes to a framework of abundance over scarcity. Also, listen in to know why we are referring to the Nine Inch Nails song "Echoplex".

Jim Scheibel is a professor of practice of at Hamline University, where he shares a wealth of experience in public life from his time as a leader of places such Corporation for National and Community Service, as Mayor of Saint Paul, and in other leadership positions in the nonprofit sector. Jim has incorporated ethics into his teaching for many years, and frameworks Jim has used to evaluate ethical issues can be an important starting point for the issues of today. Ideas like the Latimer Test (or the "smell test"), having an "oath" or set of values with which to evaluate questions, the Triangle, and more.

Brandice Daniel is the founder and CEO of ICON360, "non-profit organization dedicated to dismantling the barriers facing Black designers and fashion programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)." Brandice joins host Steve Boland to talk about the value of sponsorships and connections to the mission of an organization. Brandice shares ideas on how to begin relationships with larger organizations (including budgeting small amounts to open doors with the first conversation), showing up where the brand managers are meeting (rather than struggling to get individual meetings), the value of intimate moments with brands seeing the impact of your work and more.

Tyrus Hayes is the Director of Strategic Engagement for Al-Maa'uun, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit whose "mission is to alleviate poverty and oppression within black and communities of color in North Minneapolis and surrounding areas through direct service and advocacy." The Next in Nonprofits Podcast usually focuses on a broad topic of interest to the nonprofit community rather than featuring the story of a single nonprofit. We were approached by Podcasthon to divert from our regular format once a year to lift up the work of a specific mission. We are proud to bring the story of Al-Maa'uun to the podcast! Tyrus joins host Steve Boland to talk about the mission of Al-Maa'uun to meet the "Neighborly Needs" of the communities in North Minneapolis and beyond. The organization has grown from just a few volunteers to over 25 paid employees cooperating with other groups to meet needs. Al-Maa'uun is a 2Gen organization and uses this framework to help build a community response to this work.

Shoshana Grossman-Crist is the Founder and CEO of Social Impact Compass, providing support in grants and other support for impact missions. Shoshana joins host Steve Boland to talk about the impact of changes in funding streams in 2025. Shoshanna shares her insights getting a foot in the door for new support during these transitional times, including a short email, and a concept note format in lieu of a more formal case statement. Some funders are increasing their giving commitment (Shoshana mentions MacArthur Foundation as an example) and others are considering more flexibility right now. Shoshana mentions many resources on her website and elsewhere, but wanted to be sure the Foreign Aid Bridge fund was included in the show notes!

Jackie Russell is President of Teak Media and Communication whose mission is "to increase recognition and revenue for socially responsible companies and nonprofit organizations." Jackie joins host Steve Boland to discuss communications strategies and public relations in a time of rapid, unpredictable change. Jackie shares her thoughts and experience in prioritizing the work of messaging for nonprofit organizations in 2025. Jackie talks through different audiences and the need to stay in touch during this time. It's important to "start where you are" in this work and not second-guess what could have been done in the past. Jackie talks about growing diversity in media channels, connecting sponsors and influencers to your mission, sharing your good news, and much more.

Noah Parrish is the Communications Director for Gender Justice, which "envisions a world where everyone can thrive regardless of their gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation" and works to "dismantle legal, structural, and cultural barriers that contribute to gender inequity" in Minnesota and North Dakota. Noah has worked in strategic communications across a variety of sectors: policy organizing, philanthropy, and electoral work.   Noah chats with host KD Bauer about his experience with crafting compelling messaging and building media relationships to advance human-centered narratives that cut through misinformation and disinformation. From rapid response to long-term strategy, he leads with a data-based approach to maximize audience engagement across a digital landscape. Noah shares ways that small communications teams can focus on what's most important—all while reducing burnout and navigating future challenges.

Dick Senese is the Treasurer of the Board of Directors for LGBTQ Leaders in Higher Education, which "advances effective leadership in the realm of post-secondary education, supports professional development of LGBTQ leaders in that sector, and provides education and advocacy regarding LGBTQ issues within the global academy and for the public at large." Dick has served on nonprofit boards throughout his career, and joins the podcast to discuss stewardship with host Steve Boland. Dick talks about his experience with volunteer boards, how thanking donors and other supporters for their engagement is an easy "ask" for most board members, how tracking relationships over time can improve outcomes, how getting comfortable with talking about resources is not as scary as some may thing, and much more.

Molly C. O'Connor (she/her) is the Owner and Principal Consultant of Coco Canary, a consulting practice which is "cultural workers using evaluation, community engagement, and art to keep organizations grounded in their values and held accountable to their social justice goals." Molly joins host Steve Boland to talk about creative evaluation. Molly's own background includes quantitative research and has evolved to include qualitative components to better understand impact. Molly shares her thoughts on the importance of stories toward meaning-making, engaging community in the process of evaluation, thinking about evaluation ahead of program launches as well as being ready to shift after a launch, and much more.

Laura Tufano is the founder and principle of Tufano Consulting, and is "a Certified Fund Raising Executive and has raised money for social justice, the arts, education, and human services over the course of her 20-year career." Laura joins host Steve Boland to talk about how nonprofits can be open to all the ways donors may choose to give. One-time cash gifts and recurring donations online are great tools to involve donors, but nonprofits can help donors expand their thinking. Laura talks about the value of picking up the phone and just talking to donors, and then being ready with ideas which may support how they can best give. Laura and Steve talk about gifts of stock, donor advised funds, but also ideas like required minimum distributions from retirement accounts, legacy gifts, and even real property! (Hint on that last one - what does your gift acceptance policy say?)

Sheetal Puri is the Senior Director, Digital Fundraising for the Wikimedia Foundation. "The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia and our other free knowledge projects." Wikimedia is supported by millions of individual donors, and projects like Wikipedia serve billions and billions of web views every month. Host Steve Boland asked Sheetal to discuss a project to segment communications between existing donors (about two percent of Wikipedia users) and users who have not yet made a financial contribution. Her team sent an email to recurring donors before a campaign launch providing those donors with an option to avoid seeing on-site messaging related to the campaign. The option to install a cookie provides some technological convenience, but more importantly, a recognition of the relationship with existing donors while reaching out to non-donors. Sheetal discusses the goals behind this connection to donors, as well as other potential ways for supporters to serve as ambassadors for mission-based organizations.

Karen Graham is the founder of Karen Graham Consulting, with whose "20+ years experience in nonprofit leadership, consulting, and capacity building earned me a broad knowledge of how people, process, and technology can work together to create impact." Karen was part of a team with NTEN and Lehman Associates collaborating on a survey of donor management system (DMS) satisfaction in the nonprofit community. The full survey materials are available at Karen Graham Consulting. Karen joins host Steve Boland to discuss the survey and the implications for organizations working with DMS' - which according to the survey is most nonprofits! Karen shares insights on the issues rated with highest and lowest satisfaction, the most commonly used DMS', and investing in the people operating the systems to understand the highest level of return.

Lesley De Paz is the lead consultant at Nonprofit Orchard, which offers a "step by step approach to align all aspects of my organization helping us to reach our potential." Lesley recommends and uses logic models and theories of change to help nonprofits in their work. She joins host Steve Boland to talk about the difference between a logic model and a theory of change, how outputs are different from outcomes, understanding your own inputs to create change, and much more! Visit Nonprofit Orchard to see some examples of logic models, learn about templates, and find other resources.

Lynn Margherio is the Founder and CEO of Cradles to Crayons, which "provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive – at home, at school, and at play. We supply these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities." Cradles to Crayons uses a lot of volunteers - of all ages - to meet their mission goals. Lynn joins host Steve Boland to talk about the importance of volunteerism as a component of building both service delivery and community support for nonprofit missions. The Cradles to Crayons "Giving Factory" (a warehouse where volunteers can give to their mission) has thousands of volunteer visits every year and Lynn talks about leveraging that commitment to further engagement in the mission work over time. Lynn talks about growing from faxes and spreadsheets to using a customized Salesforce implementation (more on Salesforce for nonprofits in this podcast episode), the importance of relationship and connection with volunteers, and much more. Lynn also has a TEDxBeaconStreet talk about building an "army of empathy" including volunteers and building a culture of connection from a young age.

Bithiah Carter is the President and CEO of Give Black Alliance, which "seeks to create a strong Black community capable of advocating on its own behalf and identifying the necessary resources to support its vitality." Bithiah joins host Steve Boland to talk about the origins of the Give Black Alliance and the tools they use to engage the community around understanding the impact of Black donors and conversations within Black movements. Bithiah shares about the Giving Black reports sharing information about specific cities and case studies, the #CouchConversations series available on their website, and a challenge for all communities to meaningfully engage in Black philanthropy.

Anne Nies is the Director of Science for Submittable, and Sam Caplan is the Vice President of Social Impact. Submittable is a platform to help "clients further social impact through programs that reach millions of people around the world." Anne and Sam join host Steve Boland to talk about five specific principles that Submittable is deploying as it makes Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools available in their platform - both for nonprofits and those organizations that support charities. The principles include AI as; Empowering, Accountable, Transparent, Equitable, and Private & Secure. Anne and Sam discuss how these principles help their whole user community understand their tools and choices. There is more information at https://www.submittable.com/ai/

Shanna Birky is the Vice President, Customer Experience at Classy, "a giving platform that enables nonprofits to connect supporters with the causes they care about." Classy is presenting a webinar on election-year fundraising on May 1, 2024. Shanna joins host Steve Boland talk about election year issues such as looking at specific dates this year to be aware campaign issues (primaries, debates, etc...) and timing your own events to avoid conflicts, developing a rapid response strategy, setting up specific campaigns on topics being discussed in elections, and being ready for "rage-giving" in unexpected issues that may arise as elections continue.

Matt Nash is the executive director of the Blackbaud Giving Fund, which has "administered over $1.6 billion in donations from passionate individuals and corporations to 195,000 nonprofit organizations around the world." Matt joins host Steve Boland to talk about how small and mid-sized charities can be most open to finding and connecting with donors using tools such as donor-advised funds. Matt shares his thoughts about understanding the tools some donors may choose, asking donors to connect in supporting the work outside of contributions (such as volunteering, connecting to peers at employment-based sites) and stewarding those relationships over time.

Shaun Kulesza is the Founder and CEO of ShopRaise, which "help(s) causes engage supporters, build their brand and raise money through socially-conscious shopping." Shaun joins the podcast to talk about where shopping donation programs can fit into the nonprofit fundraising landscape, how ShopRaise works, and what charities should know about programs like this in their portfolio of approaches to raising support. Host Steve Boland shares his initial skepticism of shopping programs, and Shaun addresses some of those concerns about when and how nonprofit missions may benefit from these tools. The conversation includes the changes in the landscape since the demise of Amazon Smile (and a reminder to remove those links lingering on your website!) and the importance of a range of options for a range of potential supporters for a mission-based organization.

Jenn Taylor is the Founder of Deep Why Design, created to "to help nonprofit organizations transform and humanize their data systems. Humanized systems are transparent, equitable, and effective." The Deep Why Design team has been assisting nonprofits with tools such as Salesforce, and Jenn joins this episode to talk about the evolution of Salesforce into something more and more useful to smaller and mid-sized nonprofits. Host Steve Boland talks to Jenn about the true cost of the "free" Salesforce.org licenses (read: free as in puppies, not free as in beer), understanding Salesforce as a hub of data and not always the tool to collect or process it, the extensive ecosystem of tools that connect to Salesforce, and much more.

Sara Lomelin is the CEO of Philanthropy Together, with a mission "to democratize and diversify philanthropy through the power of collective giving." Sara joins host Steve Boland to talk about the power of collective giving in community. Philanthropy Together offers layers of tools to support communal giving, from starting new giving circles to now a Lauchpad for Nonprofits offering to support charities in building their own donor-connected giving. Sara discusses the long-time use of circles, and also the newer tools like Grapevine to support them. She talks about expanded giving tactics which may include tax-deductible gifts, but may also be impacted by community decisions such as funding informal mutual aid networks. Philanthropy Today is specifically interested in how these tools may shift the historic inequities in charitable giving, leveling the field for efforts led by people of color, gender-diverse leaders, and more.

Noelani Pearl Hernandez is the Vice President, Culture & Leadership at Charity Navigator, whose mission "is to make impactful giving easier for all ". Carly Bad Heart Bull is the Executive Director of Native Ways Federation, which "strengthen(s) the circle of giving by uniting Native organizations, supporting Native communities, and observing the highest level of ethical standards." Carly and Noelani join host Steve Boland to discuss equity in philanthropic giving. They talk about defining equity in this context, about organizations that are Native-led v. Native-serving, and what measures are changing when donors and philanthropy talk about seeking equity in giving. Carly contributed blog ideas on these topics on the Charity Navigator site. Charity Navigator's Encompass Rating system offers a holistic view of a charity's effectiveness and reliability beyond just finances and dives into the overall health of a charity's programs making it possible to present a full and fair picture of an organization. Carly encourages listeners to consider action via Native Nonprofit Day, a national giving day in coming back in 2024.

Matt Stokes is the Senior Associate Director, Prospect Management and Research at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Matt joins host Steve Boland to talk about the field of prospect management, especially focusing on bringing new donors to a nonprofit mission. Matt shares his experience on thoughts on how to connect with potential donors, tools that support that work, peer-supported giving campaigns for outreach, challenges in the nonprofit sector in how people view philanthropy and much more.

Rasheeda Childress is the senior editor for fundraising at the Chronicle of Philanthropy and Emily Haynes is a senior reporter at the Chronicle of Philanthropy. They recently authored a review of findings from the Giving USA 2022 report. (infographic summary here.) Emily and Rasheeda join host Steve Boland to talk about the early learnings from the 2022 Giving USA numbers. International giving is up - even in inflation-adjusted terms - but many other sectors are down both in real terms and in inflation-adjusted dollars. The value of major donors may be shifting as potential opens up for smaller- and medium-sized donations. Giving to foundations and donor-advised funds impacts the investments those tools are making in charities. Rasheeda and Emily also discuss the potential impacts of non-charitable giving as tax deductions have become less important to more donors due to the 2018 changes in standard deductions.

Kari Aanestad is the Associate Director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, which "works to inform, promote, connect, and strengthen individual nonprofits and the nonprofit sector." Kari is also the Co-Director of Grant Advisor, "safe way to anonymously give and receive feedback on grantmaking." Kari joins host Steve Boland to talk about the emerging tools in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what their use may mean in the nonprofit sector. One of the most prevalent forms being adopted today is ChatGPT, a Large Language Model (LLM) which users can ask to write anything from song lyrics to grant applications. Kari and Steve are not experts in the science (very few people are!) but discuss the pros and cons of using such tools in nonprofit work. They talk about cultural bias in AI, the ethics of contributing to such systems, using AI as a writing prompt rather than replacing writers, and just what may be the "existential risks" some AI developers are warning against.

Michelle Boggs is the Executive Nonprofit Industry Advisory for Classy, a "a giving platform that enables nonprofits to connect supporters with the causes they care about." Classy is now part of Go Fund Me, the "#1 and most trusted leader in online fundraising." Classy and Go Fund Me have released the 2023 State of Modern Philanthropy Report, exploring what works and challenges the data are showing in connecting with donors online. Topics include the most impactful social media channels for connections and conversions, the importance of peer-supported fundraising for donor acquisition, how larger donors may be more likely to make additional gifts later, and more. Classy's Collaborative Conference is coming to Philadelphia on June 7 and 8. Podcast listeners are encouraged to register at a 50% discount using the code NEXTINNONPROFITS.

Arielle Zappia is the Founder and CEO of Project WHY, “to facilitate genuine empathy through understanding homeless people's individual stories”. Arielle joins host Steve Boland to talk about the importance of story not only in fund development work but in the mission work of connecting communities to the impact of a nonprofit in the community. Arielle discusses this history of Project WHY, working with partner organizations around story, honoring the choices of individuals in telling their own stories and more. Get more details on how to subscribe on our podcast page.

Latasha Jennings is the Project Lead at Let Everyone Advance with Dignity (LEAD) which "provides harm reduction-based, intensive case management to individuals who come into repeated contact with law enforcement due to unmet behavioral health needs, homelessness, and/or extreme poverty." LEAD practices have evolved in other cities, and are being brought in a new partnership to the Lake Street corridor in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Latasha joins host Steve Boland to talk about nonprofit organizations work in collaboration in a space which has often been relegated to public safety/civil service employees, how a movement builds trust in a community, and how to measure change. Listen now by clicking the player above, download the file for later here, or subscribe to the podcast on your phone for automatic updates. Get more details on how to subscribe on our podcast page.

Jane Pfieffer is the founder and president of Fieldtrip, "a cause-driven agency that amplifies nonprofits and the impact they make." Jane joins host Steve Boland to talk about the ideas Fieldtrip uses with charities to move potential supporters or clients to action. Listeners can see Jane talk about some of these ideas in her Mission Multiplier series on the Fieldtrip website (or directly on YouTube). Jane and Steve talk about the idea of the Bold Promise - telling your community how you are delivering on an important and big need in your community.

Aral Balkan is co-founder of Small Technology Foundation, which is promoting "everyday tools for everyday people designed to increase human welfare, not corporate profits." Aral and his Small Technology co-founder Laura Kalbag have been advocating for regulation of surveillance capitalism, investment in ethical alternatives, and carrying out research and development on ethical alternatives. Aral joins host Steve Boland to discuss decentralized social communication tools for nonprofit organizations (and everyone else!). Aral talks about federated communications tools (the Fediverse) like Mastodon (microblogging like Twitter but without corporate ownership), PixelFed (more image focused like Instagram) and many other ideas. Aral discusses the problematic relationship between charities seeking to have real engagement with audiences and how corporate platforms interfere at best, or undermine those efforts. Federate tools for communication and the small web in general puts more control in the hands of users and removes algorithms from the communications outreach loop for charities. A program note: There was a microphone selection problem during this recording which has Steve sounding a bit muffled and far away. Aral sounds great, so please bear with the audio issue to get all the great information from Aral! More info at NextInNonprofits.com/podcast!

Kris Kewitsch is the executive director of the Charities Review Council, whose mission is "building donor and nonprofit relationships for strong, vibrant, and just communities." Their work helping nonprofits improve transparency and learn brought Kris to the podcast in 2019 to talk about the original news on the merger of the Foundation Center and Guidestar to create Candid. Candid announced last week they had received a gift of $15 million in general operating support from Mackenzie Scott. Kris joins host Steve Boland to talk about a gift of this magnitude to a nonprofit sector support organization, rather than a direct service charity, and the impact such a gift may make. They talk about the progress of Candid since the merger was announced, the expense of technology platforms to help inform donors and the sector, and much more!

This episode is a first for Next in Nonprofits: A podcast cross-over episode with A Legacy of Generosity podcast! Kristi Ackley and Carl Newbanks are two of the hosts of that program, "dedicated to provide professional development content for every fundraiser with special attention to planned and legacy giving." Kristi and Carl join host Steve Boland to talk about the questions and challenges approaching and supporting and large donors in making choices around big gifts to charities. One option would be to create or give to an endowment - earning money for future needs. Another would be to invest in a "big swing" - spending a much larger amount of money all at once to create a larger-scale impact that in turn ripples over time. Our hosts discuss the conversation with those donors, the focus of Boards in how to pursue larger-scale gifts, community-centric giving models and much more. 

Allie Meador is the Chief Revenue Officer of RightGift, whose "mission is to empower nonprofits and their donors to expand their social impact through conscious utilization of purchases and in-kind donations." Allie joins host Steve Boland to talk about how RightGift supports charities with tools such as wish-list purchasing from donors, receipts for those donors, bulk purchases, delayed shipping and storage for bulk purchases, logistics support and more.

Holly Rustick is "founder of Grant Writing & Funding, and ... create(s) effective systems so grant writers ensure that nonprofits grow capacity, increase funding and advance mission." Holly is the author of The Beginner's Guide to Grant Writing and the host of the podcast Grant Writing and Funding. Holly joins host Steve Boland to talk about the evolving nature of outsourced support for nonprofit organizations, especially in non-core areas of specialization like fund development and communications. The lessons of the COVID workplace have opened more doors to charities using a remote workforce and to considering leveraging expertise from outsourced partners. Holly talks about educating nonprofit partners on how outsourcing works, the importance of clarity in the work agreement, communicating value to nonprofits from their expert partners, and much more. Holly is a planning partner in the August 2022 Nonprofit Consulting Conference, providing additional information and sessions about successfully working in nonprofit consultancy.

Houda Elyazgi is the Chief Client Officer at Saxum, "an integrated digital agency obsessed for good." Houda is committed to making the world better through her work in diversity, equality, education and public policy. Houda joins host Steve Boland talk about social permitting, a practice she uses at Saxum to help charities think about engaging with audiences to support nonprofit goals. The focus on permission, multiple entry points, and user feedback builds a more effective strategy over time. One permission to seek is for donations, another may be for access to a supporter's network to expand support for the work. Houda goes over some case studies to illustrate how Saxum works in this space.

Gauri Manglik is the CEO and co-founder of Instrumentl, which "brings grant discovery, research, and tracking to one place. With Instrumentl, development staff are more effective and efficient at finding the right grants for their nonprofits." Gauri joins host Steve Boland to talk about the origins of the tool, and what makes Instrumental different from other tools for grants in the nonprofit sector. Gauri talks about the evolution of their discovery algorithm, features like understanding how much funders invest in new applicants, updating government funding opportunities and so much more.

Emily Heck is owner and marketing consultant at Evergreen Marketing Solutions, which "work(s) with clients to elevate their brands and grow the engagement of their audiences. We blend data driven decisions with our years of experience to build strategies that evolve as audiences and markets change." Emily joins host Steve Boland to talk about how users join email lists, creating and using a welcoming series in automation using tools like Mailchimp, collecting "point of pride" information from supporters when they sign up, and asking for more personalized connection over time toward better engagement. Emily and Steve briefly mention the value of tools like postal mail and print, and listeners can hear more about that topic on this past episode.

Daniel Moss and Michelle Garrison are the Co-Founders & Virtual Event Strategists at We & Goliath, which "provides a beautifully branded end-to-end solution that will engage your attendees, improve their collaboration and performance, and keep them coming back for more." Daniel and Michelle join host Steve Boland to talk about the changing nature of events in 2022 and beyond, especially as it relates to changes in virtual events and hybrid events with a virtual component. We & Goliath talk more about engagement tools and strategies, integrating vendors and sponsors, tools to support this work and much more. They recommend a free e-book on tools to help nonprofits expand their reach for events and communications.

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. Listen now by clicking the player or subscribe to the podcast on your phone for automatic updates. Get more details on how to subscribe on our podcast page.