Next in Nonprofits

Robert J. Bolton Jr. is the President and Executive Director of The Interchurch Center (TIC), whose mission is " to foster interreligious engagement and promote social good, The Interchurch Center remains rooted in traditions of hospitality, community care, and meaningful exchange." Pastor Belton joins host Steve Boland to talk about the mission of shared-space organizations using The Interchurch Center as an example in the New York City community. Robert shares examples of how providing space for nonprofits (in this case below-market rents) can impact multiple missions. Organizations like Metro World Child is a story of a mission leasing more space for less financial costs. The nature of space-use after the COVID pandemic has changed, and The Interchurch Center has operating largely on earned revenue, but is considering fundraising to expand the mission. They serve nonprofits of all kinds - not necessarily faith-based groups - which come together under the one roof. Listen now, 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. Please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or your platform of choice. Thanks!

Chloe Akers is the Founder and CEO of the Best of Tennessee, "is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering a more representative government because Tennesseans deserve leaders who reflect the priorities and values of the communities they serve." Chloe joins host Steve Boland to talk about the work of nonprofits to encourage participation in primary elections as a means to impacting government support of nonprofit missions. Chloe shared the history of the Best of Tennessee making the decision to build participation at the primary level because in a post-gerrymander world where districts are now intentionally structured to exclude competitive general elections. Chloe shows how increased participation in primary elections is a more impactful option for charities seeking to engage government partners in their issues. The Best of Tennessee ran several advertising campaigns (display ads, streaming video, social media) to help potential voters understand the importance of primary campaigns especially compared to the non-competitive gerrymandered general election. The range of messages is part of the strategy. While the Best of Tennessee is a 501 (c) 4 nonprofit, 501 (c) 3 nonprofits are absolutely allowed to encourage people to vote in primary elections, just be aware of prohibitions of advocating for specific candidates or parties. Get more details on how to subscribe on our podcast page. Please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or your platform of choice. Thanks!

Michael Thatcher is the President and CEO of Charity Navigator which “helps millions of people take action and support the causes they care about by connecting them to the best charities that align with their passions and values.” Charity Navigator has made new changes to the Encompass system to help people understand charities. Encompass has dozens of metrics that fall into four beacons: impact & measurement, accountability & finances, culture & compensation, and leadership & planning. The True Impact partnership is looking to effectiveness assessments, and Charity Navigator is working on how data sharing can be allowed across other platforms with permission. Hear our podcast about generative engine optimization here. We have more about logic models and evaluation in this podcast. Listeners can also hear the previous episode with Charity Navigator’s Noelani Pearl Hernandez and  Carly Bad Heart Bull, the Executive Director of Native Ways Federation, Get more details on how to subscribe on our podcast page. Please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or your platform of choice. Thanks!

Dr. Lindsay Whorton is the President of The Holdsworth Center, whose "mission is to impact, over time, the quality of PreK-12 public education for all Texas students by supporting and developing educational leaders." Dr. Whorton discusses her work building long-term talent and support in the education world across many school districts in Texas. This involves patience and a process of dealing with creating change over time in larger-scale systems. She talks about the importance of understanding the output and work of the day, Government stakeholders have a different response Different funders have different time horizons. Some challenges also arrives when focus creeps too broadly to keep a mission moving over time. Host Steve Boland asks Dr. Whorton about systems change issues that are both about program and policy changes which may be needed over the longer term, and she talked about challenging the notion that there is a zero-sum choice in these arenas. The question is about bringing your supporters forward without accepting the idea that others must need to be shut down in order to move forward. Get more details on how to subscribe on our podcast page. Please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or your platform of choice. Thanks!

Maria Bryan is the Partnership Marketing Manager at Donorbox, which offers "Robust online and on-location fundraising with meaningful donor relationship management, so your mission thrives." Maria joins host Steve Boland to talk about her work with trauma-informed storytelling. She begins with the idea to first, protect and support people we work with in telling stories. The lines can get fuzzy with the big video at the donor gala, and it is important to practice a "Hippocratic oath" of ensuring we do no further harm when talking about trauma. We can share impact stories without harming either the people who's story your telling or the person who may be listening for the first time. Maria cautions us to slow down and take time to tell those stories. Consent forms (with expiration dates!) are good and important, but conversations about the impact of sharing is important. Trauma responses can include fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. A slow consent process includes asking what is the goal of the person telling their story. Each person has their own agency (listen for the conversation about agency versus "empowered""). Trauma comes in many different forms, including vicarious trauma. Simple content warnings, and scaling content warnings are helpful ways to move forward. Maria is the host of the When Bearing Witness podcast, where listeners can hear more about her work. Get more details on how to subscribe on our podcast page. Please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or your platform of choice. Thanks!