Mickey speaks with Reina Prowler, CFO of Children's Literacy Initiative. CLI helps teachers, school-based coaches, teacher leaders, principals, and district leaders implement strategies & systems for continuous improvement of early literacy instruction. We talk about CLI's growth and transition from a literacy organization into a social justice entity that affects change and disrupts systemic oppression through early literacy. Among the...
This week's Possibility Project: Equity is a growing focus for much of the work that we do in the sector, but what is the role of empathy specifically? Even more specifically, what is the role of empathy in social change work and how it intersects with policy, service design, and tech? We want to talk about: What are the core values in the sector that align around equity + empathy? In a sector known for addressing human needs, how do we bring...
Mark Herschberg is the author of_The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You_. From tracking criminals and terrorists on the dark web to creating marketplaces and new authentication systems, Mark has spent his career launching and developing new ventures at startups and Fortune 500s and in academia. The book is divided into three sections: Career, Leadership & Management, and Interpersonal Dynamics. We talk at...
Jacque Daughtry is the Executive Director of Literacy Now. We talk about her ability to expand during pandemic. Jacque says "Relationships have been our cornerstone since day one, and that has not changed...one of our former board members calls it our secret sauce." We talk at length about her philosophies around the stewarding of resources, including the cultivation of volunteers and donors. We welcome support of the Nonprofit...
On this week's Possibility Project: More and more critiques and conversations are capturing the elements of design that reinforce white supremacist, white dominant, ableist, and cis-heterogeneous norms. The future of our work as changemakers rests on how we reimagine, elevate, and co-create disruptively. So, let’s get into the nitty gritty of addressing how we might use speculative and disruptive design as tools to imagine and create possible...
Brittny and Nia are the hosts of The Nonprofit Reframe podcast. The three of us talk about funder power dynamics: When used for good, funders can fuel real change (ie: board diversity)
When used for...not so good, funders can really harm the sector and the organization's it's trying to support (ie: ridiculous reporting requirements for tiny grants)
At worst, these power dynamics are exploited for the gain of the funder and not the societal...
Emily Hicks-Rotella is a Nonprofit Data & Tech Strategist. Her firm, Make Tech Work For You, helps nonprofits with their technology. We talk about her consulting practice, and how nonprofits can get the most value from a consultant: Make the consultant commit to documentation. You can ask to see templates of their documentation, ask them to brand it for your org, and ask them where they can do "embedded" documentation (right in...
This week's Possibility Project: Create Protest artists Man One, Naimah Thomas, and Florencio Zavala will exchange ideas around art & activism including the intersection of imagination/action, how artists create work that collides against fear and resistance, how the creation of artwork is in itself a political act, and how to create community around shared struggles. This group of engaged artists inspires us all to see and do, to observe...
Emily Hicks-Rotella is a Nonprofit Data & Tech Strategist. Her firm, Make Tech Work For You, helps nonprofits with their technology:
Everything changes. We have to look at tech systems two opposing ways at the same time: Longevity and consistency with systems leads to more structured data and processes which can help with efficiencies and insights. BUT because everything changes you'll inevitably have to change parts of your system, connect...
A veteran marketer, speaker and messaging expert for nonprofit causes, Bill McKendry is the founder and chairman of DO MORE GOOD. We talk at length about how to use marketing and communications to help your nonprofit do more good. Bill shares five tips: Avoid these five words.
See marketing as an investment, not an expense.
Touch every touchpoint.
Move from talking about what you offer to what you mean.
Understand that frequency wins.
(Bonus...
