We Are For Good

Channel · 3 Shows

Non-Profit

Non-Profit

Updated Semiweekly
Non-Profit

Non-Profit

Updated Weekly
Non-Profit

Non-Profit

Updated 08/11/2023

Oct 21

751. Why 20% Fewer People Are Giving (And What Nonprofit Leaders Can Do About It) - Allison Fine and Joan Garry

20% fewer people give to a cause today than they did in 2000. Only 19% of donors give a second time. And just 14% of nonprofits can accept the assets where most wealth actually sits. Allison Fine, president of Every.org and four-time author on technology and social change, calls it the generosity gap. In this special episode, she joins Jon and guest co-host Joan Garry, founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab, to talk about how nonprofits close it. 🩵 In this episode, you'll hear: Why 97% of wealth sits in non-cash assets like stock, crypto, and DAFs, and what it costs you when donors can't give them easilyThe leaky bucket: why only 19% of donors give again, and what happens when you put that number in the middle of the board tableWhy the best move for a burned-out nonprofit might be to cut half its programsHow a $200 donor at GLAAD turned into a multimillion-dollar legacy giftYou'll walk away with a clear case for doing less, asking less, and building deeper relationships with the everyday donors who keep you standing. 🩵 Episode Highlights: (2:48) Joan's new handbook for nonprofit board members(6:18) Allison's story: from Sleepy Hollow town council to Every.org(9:49) The generosity gap: 97% of wealth vs. 14% of nonprofits(11:49) Burnout, boards, and the case for doing less(19:17) Friction is the kryptonite to generosity(22:15) The leaky bucket: why only 19% of donors give again(27:26) The $200 donor who left GLAAD millions(29:54) One good thingEpisode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/751 Meet Givebutter. 💛 Fundraising, donor management, and marketing, all in one place. And they just launched a whole lot more. Givebutter Magic puts AI to work, building campaigns and suggesting goals in minutes. Donors get their own branded portal for receipts and recurring gifts. Plus, send video messages right from Givebutter. Same platform we love. Way more possible. See what’s new at weareforgood.com/givebutter. // Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free. Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋 LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter
3d ago

752. When Your Model Stops Working: How to Evolve and Multiply Your Impact - Kohl Crecelius

Ten years into building Krochet Kids intl., Kohl Crecelius hit a wall. Revenue plateaued. Donors said the self-sustaining model didn't need their money. And the thing that made the brand special was the thing holding it back. So he rebuilt from the ground up. The result: KNOWN SUPPLY, a certified B Corp that helps nonprofits, brands, and companies make ethically produced merch, supporting thousands of makers worldwide. Guest co-host Jason Locy of Whiteboard joins Jon for this one. In this episode, you'll hear: Why your org's "unique differentiator" might be the very thing limiting your impactHow to know when it's time to partner instead of doing it all yourselfThe surprisingly human metric Kohl trusts most to measure impactWhy ditching scale as your definition of success is the key to long-term sustainabilityYou'll walk away with permission to loosen your grip, and a clearer path to doing what you do best. 🩵 Episode Highlights: (0:45) Meet guest co-host Jason Locy(4:33) Kohl's story: crochet hooks, Uganda, and a human story(8:20) The 80/20 model and the 10-year plateau(12:52) Rebuilding from the ground up: the birth of KNOWN SUPPLY(17:35) The "man in the mirror" question: what are we actually good at?(19:20) Keeping your soul while letting go of control(24:35) How to measure impact: jobs and thank-you notes(31:40) A moment of generosity: mentors who believed early(35:13) One good thing: ditch scale for the sake of scaleEpisode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/752 Meet Givebutter. 💛 Fundraising, donor management, and marketing, all in one place. And they just launched a whole lot more. Givebutter Magic puts AI to work, building campaigns and suggesting goals in minutes. Donors get their own branded portal for receipts and recurring gifts. Plus, send video messages right from Givebutter. Same platform we love. Way more possible. See what’s new at weareforgood.com/givebutter. // Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free. Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋 LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter
1d ago

753. Policies Move at the Speed of Narrative: Meet the Org Changing the Story on Poverty - Aisha Nyandoro

In 2017, a mom in Jackson, Mississippi told Aisha Nyandoro she couldn't afford pizza and a movie with her kids. She was working, in job training, and showing up for every program. She was doing everything "right." It still wasn't enough. That conversation sparked the Magnolia Mother's Trust, one of the country's first and longest-running guaranteed income programs, giving Black mothers $1,000 a month with no strings attached. Then Aisha learned the hardest truth of all: proving it works doesn't move the money. Changing the story does. 🩵 In this episode, you'll hear: Why asking "what do you need?" instead of "here's what you deserve" changes everything about how your programs workWhy proof of concept wasn't enough to unlock funding, and why narrative is the most important (and most difficult) part of the workThe out-of-the-blue phone call that turned a stalled campaign into a $1 million giftYou'll walk away rethinking who gets to tell the story of your mission, and why it matters for every dollar you raise. Episode Highlights: (3:50) Aisha's story: a granddaughter of the South(7:38) Springboard to Opportunities and the question that changed everything(11:10) Magnolia Mother's Trust: $1,000 a month, no strings attached(15:11) Policies move at the speed of narrative(21:31) Leading from a whole place: harmony over balance(26:39) The $1 million phone call(30:46) Trust is currency: the one good thingEpisode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/753 Meet Givebutter. 💛 Fundraising, donor management, and marketing, all in one place. And they just launched a whole lot more. Givebutter Magic puts AI to work, building campaigns and suggesting goals in minutes. Donors get their own branded portal for receipts and recurring gifts. Plus, send video messages right from Givebutter. Same platform we love. Way more possible. See what’s new at weareforgood.com/givebutter. // Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free. Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋 LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter
Oct 19

750. From 2,000 Donors to Under 100: How to Rebuild a Fundraising Program from Scratch - Becky Carlino

When Becky Carlino walked in as the first-ever VP of Development at Volunteers of America of Massachusetts, the donor base had collapsed from roughly 2,000 active donors to fewer than 100. The reason? The organization had stopped talking to them. Becky has spent 25+ years doing the relational work that makes fundraising actually work, including leading two successful capital campaigns at VOA Ohio & Indiana. Now she's rebuilding from the ground up, and her blueprint starts with one word: love. 🩵 In this episode, you'll hear: How to rebuild donor trust after years of silence, and why the first move is simpler than you thinkHow shifting from a donor-hero narrative to a shoulder-to-shoulder model changes not just your messaging but the entire relationship donors have with your missionWhy your instincts as a fundraiser matter more than you thinkYou'll walk away with a back-to-basics playbook for rebuilding donor relationships, one newsletter, one story, and one $5 gift at a time. Episode Highlights: (4:28) Becky's origin story: national parks, history, and a historical society(6:13) Why Volunteers of America is "in the love business"(9:04) From 2,000 donors to under 100(11:47) The first six months of rebuilding(13:57) What builds a great fundraising program(15:12) Centering love in donor storytelling(18:31) Removing the agency from the story(24:17) Trust your expertise: the one good thingEpisode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/750 Meet Givebutter. 💛 Fundraising, donor management, and marketing, all in one place. And they just launched a whole lot more. Givebutter Magic puts AI to work, building campaigns and suggesting goals in minutes. Donors get their own branded portal for receipts and recurring gifts. Plus, send video messages right from Givebutter. Same platform we love. Way more possible. See what’s new at weareforgood.com/givebutter. // Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free. Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋 LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter
Oct 14

749. Stewarding a 160-Year Legacy: How to Honor History While Driving Change - Archana Jayaram, Brooklyn Community Services

Archana Jayaram stepped in as CEO of Brooklyn Community Services just as one of New York City's oldest nonprofits entered its 160th year. Her first move wasn't a bold new vision. It was a question: "What do you need?" Founded in 1866, BCS now serves more than 14,000 Brooklynites a year across housing, mental health, education, and workforce development. Archana shares how she's honoring that legacy while listening her way toward what comes next. 🩵 In this Possible in Practice episode, you'll hear: How to lead change inside a long-standing institution by starting with the people who do the workWhy the people closest to the problem are the ones who know what they need, and how BCS stays community-centric at scaleWhat young people in Brooklyn said they actually need for their mental health, and why it surprised everyoneYou'll walk away with a listening-first playbook for leading through legacy, change, and chaos. 🩵 Episode Highlights: (2:16) Archana's story: West Virginia roots and the power of mutual aid(3:30) Inside the government–nonprofit partnership(7:03) BCS's founding story: guided by history, not bound by it(10:09) Staying community-centric while serving 14,000 people(13:04) What young people said about mental health(16:38) Leading change inside a legacy institution(20:41) A donor who doubled his gift without being asked(24:01) Build a ladder out of chaos: the one good thingEpisode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/749 Meet Givebutter. 💛 Fundraising, donor management, and marketing, all in one place. And they just launched a whole lot more. Givebutter Magic puts AI to work, building campaigns and suggesting goals in minutes. Donors get their own branded portal for receipts and recurring gifts. Plus, send video messages right from Givebutter. Same platform we love. Way more possible. See what’s new at weareforgood.com/givebutter. // Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free. Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋 LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter
Oct 5

746. 1 in 2 American Adults Struggle with Social Connection. Nonprofits Are Part of the Solution. - Aaron Hurst

1 in 2 American adults is struggling with social connection, and fewer than 20% are thriving. Aaron Hurst, the social entrepreneur behind the Taproot Foundation and the pro bono movement, says that's why volunteering and giving are collapsing, and why nonprofits hold the key to reversing it. Guest co-host Susan McPherson, author of The Lost Art of Connecting, joins us to dig into the U.S. Chamber of Connection's Six Points of Connection report, the first national index of its kind. In this episode, you'll hear: Why the sector doesn't have a philanthropy problem or a volunteer problem. It has a social connection problem.The six points of connection every person needs, and the one the data says matters mostWhy your nonprofit should start measuring connection outcomes now, before the funding arrivesYou'll walk away seeing your organization for what it already is: connection infrastructure for your community. 🩵 Episode Highlights: (4:07) Aaron's origin story and journey to where he is today(7:34) "What do you most want in the world?"(12:30) The Six Points of Connection report(15:48) 1 in 2 Americans is struggling, and philanthropy is feeling it(18:19) Nonprofits as connection infrastructure(19:20) Start capturing connection outcomes now(22:24) Why loneliness shuts down empathy(25:27) One good thing: hopeEpisode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/746 Meet Givebutter. 💛 Fundraising, donor management, and marketing, all in one place. And they just launched a whole lot more. Givebutter Magic puts AI to work, building campaigns and suggesting goals in minutes. Donors get their own branded portal for receipts and recurring gifts. Plus, send video messages right from Givebutter. Same platform we love. Way more possible. See what’s new at weareforgood.com/givebutter. // Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free. Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋 LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter
Sep 30

745. 3 Case Studies on Using Data + Storytelling to Grow Your Org's Impact - Urina Harrell

A pandemic relief territory that grew 39% while every area around it went red. A fund that deployed capital fast and couldn't prove what it did. A 55-year-old nonprofit still running on paper. Urina Harrell, founder of Vox Pop Branding, walks through all three — what was broken, what she built, and what happened next. 🩵 In this episode, you'll hear: Case study 1 — Long Beach: Why workshops and education stopped moving the needle, and how rolling up sleeves alongside founders produced the only green zone on the mapCase study 2 — JLH Fund: How to build impact measurement backward, after the money's already out the door, using grantee interviews that double as marketingCase study 3 — Pools of Hope: The digital numbers the grant report never asked for — email list, reach, clicks — that turned into renewal after renewalThe two lessons that show up in all three: start from a baseline you already collect, and let a third party ask the questions your grantees won't answer honestlyThe lowest-lift first step if you have no data at all — QR code stickers, not a new CRMThree different orgs, one repeatable playbook for connecting data to story to funding. 🩵 Episode Highlights: (3:18) From nosy kid to Vox Pop: curiosity as a career strategy(5:33) Case study 1: Long Beach, when workshops stopped working(9:21) The two lessons: baselines and third-party reporting(12:25) Case study 2: JLH Fund, measuring impact after the fact(15:47) Case study 3: Pools of Hope, digital numbers as grant currency (18:30) Where to start if you have no data story yet(20:08) A quilt with her name on it (22:03) Stay curious: the one good thingEpisode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/745 Meet Givebutter. 💛 Fundraising, donor management, and marketing, all in one place. And they just launched a whole lot more. Givebutter Magic puts AI to work, building campaigns and suggesting goals in minutes. Donors get their own branded portal for receipts and recurring gifts. Plus, send video messages right from Givebutter. Same platform we love. Way more possible. See what’s new at weareforgood.com/givebutter. // Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free. Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋 LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter
Aug 10

731. What the World's Most Effective Nonprofits Have in Common (And You Already Have It Too) - Scott Curran

Scott Curran has helped former presidents, Fortune 500 companies, and street-corner nonprofits turn good intentions into real impact. After a decade as general counsel of the Clinton Foundation and ten years building Beyond Advisors, he kept noticing the same thing: the world's most effective changemakers and the hometown hero nobody's heard of have the exact same nine things in common. So do you. That pattern became his new book, Better Good — a framework any organization can start using today with a Post-it note. 🩵 In this episode, you'll hear: What every effective organization has in common — and why the billionaires and major foundations you're comparing yourself to are struggling with the same things you areThe nine-factor social impact framework: your profile, platform, and passions, plus your time, talent, and treasure, plus scale, sustainability, and storytellingHow two people with nothing extra — a suburban mom of five and a med student fighting a rare disease — built global organizations from what was already in front of themYou'll walk away with a clear inventory of what you already have, a free action plan, and your next rung on the ladder. No new money, credentials, or permission required. 🩵 Episode Highlights: (3:06) What's lifting for Scott right now: awareness and intentionality(4:35) Stubborn optimism and the pattern hiding in plain sight(9:22) The billionaire who didn't have it figured out either(10:21) Why we undervalue what we already have(14:25) The hidden framework: nine factors(18:21) Nancy and Watts of Love(21:59) Every Cure, hometown heroes, and why success leaves clues(26:19) One good thing: someday starts nowEpisode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/731 Meet Givebutter. 💛 Fundraising, donor management, and marketing, all in one place. And they just launched a whole lot more. Givebutter Magic puts AI to work, building campaigns and suggesting goals in minutes. Donors get their own branded portal for receipts and recurring gifts. Plus, send video messages right from Givebutter. Same platform we love. Way more possible. See what’s new at weareforgood.com/givebutter. // Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free. Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋 LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter
Oct 12

748. How One Founder’s Lived Experience Created 116,000 Anchors - Ali Borowsky, Find Your Anchor

A note before you listen: This episode discusses suicide and suicide prevention. If you or someone you know is struggling, you’re not alone. In the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7. Outside the U.S., visit findahelpline.com to find support near you. Ali Borowsky used to design for the NHL Winter Classic. Now she designs something far more personal: a small blue box that tells whoever finds it that strangers care. 🩵 Rooted in her own lived experience, Find Your Anchor brings color, creativity, and humanity to suicide prevention. Guest co-host Aila Malik brought Ali to the mic to share how a grassroots nonprofit with a product reached 116,000 boxes through handwritten notes, community box builds, and partners from middle schools to the San Francisco 49ers. In this episode, you'll hear: Why letting partners lead is the fastest way to reach communities you could never reach aloneHow staying "unapologetically analog" helped a small nonprofit scale without losing its soulWhat happens when 3,500 requests arrive in 24 hours and your business model is karmaHow to protect your own wellness when your heart work becomes your jobYou'll walk away with a fresh take on partnership, scale, and the small things that keep people going. Episode Highlights: (4:42) Ali's story: creating what she wished she'd had(5:41) What's inside the box, and what an "anchor" really is(10:39) Three ways the boxes get into the world(13:17) Customizing boxes with nonprofit partners(16:21) From box one to 116,000: staying unapologetically analog(21:37) A nonprofit with a product: when your business model is karma(24:05) What Ali has learned about win-win partnerships(27:04) Staying well while doing heart work(35:41) One good thing: learn three people's anchorsEpisode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/748 Meet Givebutter. 💛 Fundraising, donor management, and marketing, all in one place. And they just launched a whole lot more. Givebutter Magic puts AI to work, building campaigns and suggesting goals in minutes. Donors get their own branded portal for receipts and recurring gifts. Plus, send video messages right from Givebutter. Same platform we love. Way more possible. See what’s new at weareforgood.com/givebutter. // Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free. Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋 LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter
Sep 28

744. Make the Problem Bigger: A Different Way to Build Community - Greg Tehven, Emerging Prairie

Greg Tehven runs a $5.5 million nonprofit with 40 teammates in Fargo, North Dakota — and his advice to leaders is to stop working on problems they can solve alone. That instinct built Emerging Prairie into the heartbeat of a region's entrepreneurial ecosystem, launched Grand Farm, and turned TEDx Fargo into an event 1,000+ people build their year around. Guest co-host Stacy Huston, CEO of SixDegrees.org, brings Greg on to talk about what it actually takes. 🩵 In this episode, you'll hear: Why "make the problem bigger" is the fastest way to get more people working on it — and more fun besidesThe business model Greg borrowed from a Buddhist teacher: if a tree adds value to the community, the community waters itHow Emerging Prairie designs for radical inclusion — childcare, food choices, time of day — and why those small barriers decide who shows upWhat Greg learned about receiving, not just giving, in a gift shop in IndiaHow serving the board first changed what the board gave backYou'll walk away with a way of building that doesn't require permission, a finished plan, or a bigger budget. 🩵 Episode Highlights: (4:05) Gravel roads and good neighbors: the making of Greg(7:38) From burnout to the Fargo thesis(11:17) Designing for generosity: the business model(14:09) Tolerance of ambiguity (and the TEDx story nobody saw coming)(21:43) Fighting for self, team, and community(26:50) The gift shop in India: learning to receive(30:21) Serving the board before asking the board(34:50) What doesn't show up in a grant application(37:55) One good thing: make the problem biggerEpisode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/744 Meet Givebutter. 💛 Fundraising, donor management, and marketing, all in one place. And they just launched a whole lot more. Givebutter Magic puts AI to work, building campaigns and suggesting goals in minutes. Donors get their own branded portal for receipts and recurring gifts. Plus, send video messages right from Givebutter. Same platform we love. Way more possible. See what’s new at weareforgood.com/givebutter. // Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free. Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋 LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter

We Are for Good is a media company with an aim to revolutionize the social impact sector through profound compassion, best-in-class education + training, authentic storytelling and crazy good marketing. Our vision is to cultivate an Impact Uprising - inspiring and activating more people to get involved with philanthropy and collective good.

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