GUEST INTERVIEWS
The Business of Giving podcast by Denver Frederick aims to spread the word on social good by featuring the largest and greatest nonprofit organizations in the US. Denver interviews CEOs of nonprofits talking about how their organizations help the world a better place.
NTEN CEO on Their Commitment to Equity and Liberation
NTEN, founded in 2000, is a community for those interested in the use of technology to support nonprofit organizations and the issues in which they’re engaged. Its signature activity is its annual international conference, which is talked about by most everyone in the sector. This has been a time for a profound change, which includes the equity issues connected with the use of technology, both in the sector and in society at large. And here to discuss some of those issues, it’s a pleasure to have with us, Amy Sample Ward, the CEO of NTEN.
The Actors Fund: Always There for the Entertainment Community
Since the start of the pandemic, The Actors Fund has distributed well over $20 million in financial assistance to thousands of people working in theater, film, television, music, and other entertainment fields. The organization envisions a world in which individuals contributing to our country’s cultural vibrancy are supported, valued, and economically secure.
To learn more about their work and the impact that COVID has had on those in the industry, it’s a pleasure to have with us, Joe Benincasa, the chief executive officer of The Actors Fund.
Why Inner Wellbeing is Essential for All Changemakers
Social activists have a disproportionately poor quality of life. Many struggle with depression, burnout, high divorce rates, and financial pressure. And while 75% of changemakers surveyed felt that looking after their wellbeing was very important, only 25% reported they actually did to a great extent.
The Wellbeing Project was created to change the culture of the field of social change to one welcoming of inner wellbeing, and to catalyze an infrastructure to support everyone working in the field. They believe that wellbeing inspires welldoing. And here to discuss this work with us is Aaron Pereira and Sandrine Woitrin, the project leads of The Wellbeing Project.
Common Future CEO Says to Make Philanthropy More Equitable, Change the Decision Makers
Common Future seeks to create sustainable, equitable communities that work for all without extracting from or marginalizing any communities. Founded in 2001, they believe that the ideas, models, and solutions that can restore community wealth already exists; they just require attention and investment. And here to discuss some of those models and solutions, it’s a pleasure to have with us, Rodney Foxworth, the chief executive officer of Common Future.
TPI Managing Partner on Ways Philanthropists Can Increase Their Impact
The Philanthropic Initiative was founded on the belief that philanthropy has a power to transform. TPI provides consulting and program management services to help individuals, families, foundations, and companies increase the impact of their philanthropy while also working to promote effective philanthropy across the sector. And here to discuss all of this in some detail, it’s a pleasure to have Leslie Pine, the managing partner of The Philanthropic Initiative.
President of Heron Foundation Shares the Principles that Guide Their Work
The Heron Foundation, founded in 1992, is an organization that continuously learns. It acknowledges its missteps and then seeks to change in order to get better so it can best serve people, places, and enterprises. And here to tell us about their work and that learning journey is Dana Bezerra, the president of the Heron Foundation.
How the Jobs to Be Done Framework Can Be Used by Nonprofits
Customers have jobs to be done. They hire companies to solve a problem or fulfill a need and fire them when unhappy. This framework is shared in a very engaging new book by my next guest. He’s David S. Duncan, a senior partner at Innosight, and the author of The Secret Lives of Customers: A Detective Story About Solving the Mystery of Customer Behavior.
The Co-Founder of Square on How Nonprofits Could Benefit from “Stacked Innovations”
For many entrepreneurs, launching a single successful startup would be enough. But for Jim McKelvey, his success involves a half dozen different startups, the best known of those being Square. But another one would be LaunchCode, a non-profit organization based in St. Louis that is building a skilled workforce by creating pathways for driven people seeking careers in technology. He is also the author of The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time, and he is with us now.
PolicyLink CEO Shares His Vision for Advancing Racial and Economic Equity
PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity. It works to help restructure democracy in the economy to benefit everyone, lift up work done by communities of color, and to put people first by making the scale and duration of relief match the scale and duration of the need. And here to discuss this work and their vision for the future, it’s a pleasure to have with us, Dr. Michael McAfee, the president and CEO of PolicyLink.