Designing Tomorrow: Creative Strategies for Social Impact

113 Episodes

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Do You Really Need a Capital Campaign?

2026-11-1026:39

When an organization needs serious money, the reflex is a capital campaign, and I get why: a big number looks serious to a board. It also pushes the first visible result three to five years out. Jonathan is doing it differently at the Seymour Center. He's raising what he can by December 31st, adding it to the money already in the bank, and building with whatever that adds up to. I like this because the deadline is real, school groups get a better experience sooner, and donors watch thei...

Your Evidence Has an Expiration Date: Platform Content

2026-11-0335:12

"Evidence-based" has become one of the most trusted labels in social services, and the trouble starts when one strong result gets treated as permanent. Caroline Whistler, co-founder of Third Sector, has spent 15 years helping state and local governments deliver more responsive services. She explains why proven programs can lose their results over time, how rigid contracts and one-way data block learning, and what executive directors and funders can do about it now. Episode Highlights: [00:01:...

Ambition vs. Fake Urgency

2026-10-2731:43

Most urgent fundraising appeals aren't truly urgent, and supporters can feel it. Constant false alarms erode donor trust, burn out teams, and leave nothing in reserve for the moments that really need a response. Ambitious work can move fast without the panic, and organizations that ration their urgency get a stronger response when it counts. Episode Highlights: [00:01:20] Burnout, donor fatigue and the cost of always sounding frantic [00:04:55] What real urgency looks like: policy...

Your Second Cause Should Be the Facts

2026-10-2049:48

Every cause depends on people knowing what's happening around them, and in a growing number of American communities, nobody is reporting it anymore. Matthew Copeland, Chief Executive and Editor of WyoFile, grew Wyoming's nonprofit newsroom from "three guys and a dog" people to sixteen by asking communities to fund journalism as a public good. He and Eric talk about why facts keep losing the fight for attention, and why every social impact leader should treat access to information as their sec...

Is It Burnout or Lost Motivation?

2026-10-1326:00

Executive directors are expected to stay fired up all the time, and almost none of them do. Five years into leading the Seymour Center and fresh off a major milestone, Jonathan has hit a motivation slump. The conversation covers how to tell burnout from a slump, why success makes coasting tempting, and what helps leaders find the spark again. Episode Highlights: [00:01:35] The success hangover after a major milestone [00:04:40] A leader's mood sets the team's temperature [00...

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Designing Tomorrow: Creative Strategies for Social Impact