The Nonprofit Experience

Thanksgiving is a time to gather around the dinner table. During particularly divisive moments, we may ask ourselves how we can use this time to come together. In this spirit, we are taking a look back at a special episode we did last year where we heard voices from residents of Charlotte, NC doing just that.

What is a clue to a successful mission? One clue is that your nonprofit is so impactful, that it inspires the beneficiaries to come back and work. This is a common story at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In this episode, former Club kids London Reeves and Shyah Dickerson talk abut the influence of their Club experiences and why it's important to have voices like theirs in the corporate office. View bios, an episode summary, topic-based timestamps, and images on our show notes: https://pj.news.chass.ncsu.edu/2019/11/20/ep-44-heart-of-service/

Do we have a right to clean air and water, a stable climate, and a healthy environment? It turns out that we don't, unless it's specifically written into your state's Bill of Rights (like it is in Pennsylvania and Montana). Maya van Rossum is trying to change that by fighting for environmental protections with constitutional law. Listen to Maya and her friend and community advocate, Kate Stauffer, talk about this movement for the Green Amendment, the importance of community, and what it means to use and tell other people's stories for the cause. View bios, an episode summary, topic-based timestamps, and images on our show notes: https://pj.news.chass.ncsu.edu/2019/11/13/ep-43-they-need-to-know/

How do we build cities that allow nature to improve our social, economic, and physical well-being? LaTresse Snead is the Director of The Nature Conservancy's Building Healthy Cities Program and Wm. Jahmal Miller is the Vice President of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Common Spirit Health. These two childhood friends reconnect and discuss the connections between nature, health equity, and social justice. View bios, an episode summary, topic-based timestamps, and images on our show notes: https://pj.news.chass.ncsu.edu/2019/11/06/ep-42-from-the-ground-up/

Keith Timko (Executive Director and CEO of Support Center) and Eddie LaPorte (Executive Director of the New Jersey Office of Faith Based Initiatives) sit down for a lively conversation about capacity building. The two talk about what this buzzword actually means, how both nonprofits and funders should be thinking about it, and who needs it? (Hint: all nonprofits.) View bios, an episode summary, topic-based timestamps, and images on our show notes: https://pj.news.chass.ncsu.edu/2019/10/31/ep-41-systems-of-support/

With over 1.5 million nonprofits America, it's not surprising that many of them do similar work. There has been a push within the nonprofit sector for more collaboration and partnership, but what about taking that a step further? Holly Ivel and Gabe Cohen (both formerly of GuideStar) talk about the merge between GuideStar and Foundation Center into one nonprofit called Candid. They discuss the ups and downs of merging and what that process has looked like to them. View bios, an episode summary, topic-based timestamps, and images on our show notes: https://pj.news.chass.ncsu.edu/2019/10/10/ep-40-there-has-to-be-trust/

What does diet have to do with chattel slavery? This week, nutritionist, author, and activist Tracye McQuirter and Farm Sanctuary founder Gene Baur sit down to talk about veganism as a tool for social justice for the environment, for animal rights, and for communities of color. Hear about their efforts and collaborations and see the plant-based diet in a different light. View bios, an episode summary, topic-based timestamps, and images on our show notes: https://pj.news.chass.ncsu.edu/2019/10/02/ep-39-its-such-layered-work/

In a time that feels more partisan than ever, how do we bring people together? Maybe it's as simple as actually bringing people together to talk over a meal. That's the idea behind the "On the Table" initiative. Lilly Weinberg from the Knight Foundation talks with Kathryn Dennis from the Community Foundation of Central Georgia about how Macon, Georgia implemented "On the Table" in their community. View bios, an episode summary, topic-based timestamps, and images on our show notes: https://pj.news.chass.ncsu.edu/2019/09/25/ep-38-what-happens-next-is-up-to-you/

Recent trends have lead to huge changes in populations and as property values go up in different neighborhoods, many nonprofits feel pressure to sell their now-valuable land and move elsewhere. How does a community-based organization balance legacy with a changing sense of place? Don Blanchon, Executive Director of Whitman-Walker Health, talks with Andy Altman, co-founder of Fivesquares Development. The two talk about the partnership between the health center serving the LGBTQ community in Washington, D.C. and the real estate developer, which created a symbiotic and multi-use space in their historic 14th St site. View bios, an episode summary, topic-based timestamps, and images on our show notes: https://pj.news.chass.ncsu.edu/2019/09/19/ep-37-mission-over-self/

What exactly does it take to successfully address a topic like offshore drilling? It takes collective effort with collaboration across the aisle and a movement in tune with the communities values. In this special episode of The Nonprofit Experience we hear the diverse groups united in the fight to ban offshore drilling. This episode include audio recorded live from the Don't Drill SC rally in Charleston, SC on August 5th where we hear from community leaders like two mayors of small coastal towns, the head-of-state to the Gullah/Geechee nation Queen Quet, and SC state senator Chip Campsen. We also hear North America Chief Policy Officer of environmental group Oceana, Jackie Savitz and South Carolina U.S. House Representative Joe Cunningham sit down to talk about the big picture and the importance of the bipartisan effort on this issue. View bios, an episode summary, topic-based timestamps, and images on our show notes: https://pj.news.chass.ncsu.edu/2019/09/11/ep-36-we-dont-want-it/

What do a science foundation and an art museum have in common? This week, we pair Adam Falk, president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, with Adam Weinberg, the Alice Pratt Brown Director of the Whitney Museum of American Art. Last year, the Sloan Foundation granted $100,000 to the Whitney for a exhibition exploring the intersection of art and science over the last 50 years. In this episode, the two Adams talk about the importance of partnerships like this one, how to increase trust in both art and science, and how the public interacts with it. View bios, an episode summary, topic-based timestamps, and images on our show notes: https://pj.news.chass.ncsu.edu/2019/09/04/ep-35-trust-in-the-age-of-disbelieving/

Nonprofits often feel pressure to put on a show of positivity, especially in front of funders. In this episode of The Nonprofit Experience, Phil Buchanan from the Center for Effective Philanthropy and Tiffany Gueye of Blue Meridian Partners talk about the importance of sometimes brutal honesty about nonprofits' needs, inequities and barriers to equal treatment in the sector, and fighting for a work-life balance. Go to https://pj.news.chass.ncsu.edu/2019/08/28/be-honest-be-direct/ for images, timestamp topics, and other show notes.

Through the lens of the devastating floods across Nashville and Middle Tennessee in May of 2010, Lori Shinton of Hands on Nashvile and Regine Webster from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy talk about disaster response and the challenges organizations and communities face in the aftermath. For images and more show notes: https://pj.news.chass.ncsu.edu/2019/08/21/back-to-whatever-normal-is-2/

TNE's Season 3 premiers next Wednesday, August 21st! Haven't caught up on Seasons 1 and 2? Listen to these clips for an idea of what stories we got to hear in the last year

Community support is essential to the success of nonprofit organizations. Community Workforce Solutions' Julie Griffin and Amy McElwain sit down with Mudcats' Joshua Clark to discuss how their partnership has benefited CWS clients, the Mudcats, and the larger community.