The Prosperous Nonprofit Stephanie Skryzowski

How are you integrating core values into your nonprofit’s everyday work? Are you utilizing these values as a decision tool and a means for navigating your organization through changes? How do all of your employees, from those on the front lines to the leadership team embody core values every day? 
In this episode, special guest Chad Zibelman talks about how he and his organization integrate core values into their everyday work. He discusses how to use these values to help your organization grow by leveraging your professional network, building a flexible organization, and strategically looking at “failure.” Chad also gives us practical tips for building relationships with donors all while advocating for your organization’s mission, and turning to these values to know when to say no. On top of all of that, Chad also tells us how he lands the ever-sought-after corporate partnerships. 
 
About Chad:
Chad Zibelman is the CEO of The Sonder Project, an international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to empower impoverished communities through high-impact, sustainable development. Chad grew up in the Philadelphia area and graduated from Temple University with a degree in Education. He then joined the Peace Corps and taught in a rural school in the African country of Namibia. Upon completion of his service, Chad returned to the US and began an 8-year career with the non-profit organization buildOn. 
buildOn constructs schools in developing countries and Chad worked his way up to become Trek Director, responsible for a program that brought over 1,000 volunteers/year abroad to immerse in communities and help build schools. The founders of The Sonder Project came to know Chad when they participated in a buildOn Trek to Burkina Faso in 2015, and three years later, they asked him to lead the organization. Chad resides with his wife, two daughters, and their pet rabbit in Sonoma County, CA.
Read the podcast transcript here.
 
Episode Summary:
In today's episode, you’ll learn strategies for meaningfully integrating your organization’s core values into your everyday work including:
Leveraging your professional network to help your organization grow (9:05)
Strategies to implement for a more flexible organization (10:45)
A different way to look at “failure” (14:10)
Building relationships with donors and supporters (16:30)
Advocating for your organization’s vision (20:15)
Exemplifying your core values in your everyday work (22:30)
Utilizing your core values as a decision-making tool (24:20)
Landing corporate partnerships (27:25)
Incorporating core values into your interview process (36:00)
 
Teasers:
“We really try to live by our values. One of our values is to listen to others, and that includes our beneficiaries, includes partners on the ground, includes our donors, but we take that seriously.”
“I think it's important for individuals working, whether it's a small organization or a big organization, to not be afraid of the vision that you set and to make sure you are a constant advocate for that vision.”
“It was a really collaborative experience with all of our board members and our staff to understand what drives us.”
“Creating an environment where people are not afraid to speak their minds and share in a safe space only allows the whole organization to be more prosperous.”
 
Huge thank you to our sponsor, Grants Works!
With billions of dollars in federal grant funding available, now is the time to learn about how to apply for and manage federal grants from Patrice Davis, an expert who simplifies federal grants. Her Federal Grants Simplified Bootcamp is a six-week hybrid training that gives you the freedom to access on-demand training on your schedule and to attend live weekly Q&A sessions with Patrice. Plus, GrantsWorks is an ACFRE approved continuing education provider. Use code DEGREES for 10% off your registration.
 
Resources:
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Is organizational culture top of mind for your nonprofit? If it isn’t, it really should be. Special guest, Alissa Novoselick, explains exactly why in today’s podcast episode. She brings us her unique perspective as a modern CFO who prioritizes building a strong organizational culture because she sees just how much it impacts the nonprofit’s bottom line. 
Alissa discusses how she created a finance department that plays a big role in building her organization's culture, instead of being seen as the “nay-sayers” with a bad rap, (something many of us in the nonprofit finance world are very familiar with). She gives listeners practical tips and strategies that nonprofit leaders can start implementing to build a strong culture and create an organization that people actually want to be a part of. 
 We also dive into what works well in a CEO-CFO relationship and how to better understand other members of the leadership team. Plus, different nonprofit trends impacting modern CFOs and how data and technology play a part in this role. 
 
About Alissa:
With fifteen years of experience as a nonprofit executive, consultant, and educator, Alissa loves working with organizations and small businesses to develop healthy strategies and practices that give back tenfold. While her skills focus on finance and operations, what sets her apart are the educational values and governance principles woven into every aspect of her work.
Over the course of her career, she’s been called to serve multiple organizations and small businesses. And when a mass of leaders came to her in 2019 to ask for some support, she saw there was a need for genuine, trustworthy, and loyal collaboration from someone who can marry industry knowledge with an understanding of the day-to-day. Her practice in coaching and mentorship, technical assistance, and financial strategy among peer executive directors and small business owners blossomed. This all led her to Greater Impact — because, without a financial backbone, the most important programs, interventions, and products don’t get to the communities that need and deserve them the most.
 
Episode Summary:
In this episode, you’ll learn strategies for building a strong organizational culture including:
Creating a participatory finance department (8:45)
Intentionally building a culture that people want to be a part of (12:00)
Practical strategies to build a strong organizational culture (13:45)
Factoring in culture initiatives in your budget (16:30)
What works well in a CEO-CFO relationship (20:40)
Understanding other members of the leadership team on a deeper level (25:20)
Nonprofit trends impacting modern CFOs (29:50)
The role of technology and data in the role of a nonprofit CFO (38:55)
 
Teasers:
“But what I’ve found is just, there’s so much value in the co-creation of financial documents, instruments, things of that sort… to create a financially savvy culture, but also to move forward some bigger strategic initiatives.”
“We are all stewards of this mission and this organization, no matter where we sit in the org chart.” 
“If you’ve got constant turnover in your organization, you are going to see that is going to impact your bottom line.”
“Culture is created through relationships, and if you are a leader of an organization in any capacity, you have the power to influence your team.”
 
Huge thank you to our sponsor!
This series is sponsored by Blackbaud, the essential software provider for the organizations and people who change the world. Blackbaud has been working with finance professionals at nonprofit and social good organizations for almost 40 years with its Blackbaud Financial Edge, NXT Fund, accounting software expertise, and services. You can streamline your financial operations, strengthen your accountability, and make data-driven decisions to increase your impact. To learn more, visit https://www.blackbaud.com/
 
Resource

Are you on the nonprofit cash flow rollercoaster? Managing cash flow is one of the trickiest things for nonprofit leaders because so much of it is out of our control. And while it can feel dizzying to be on the constant up and down of cash coming in and going out, there are ways to manage. 
In this episode, we dive into different strategies your organization can use to help better manage your cash flow like leveraging your strategic plan, keeping up to date with your bookkeeping, and putting better financial controls into place. We also discuss how you can diversify your revenue streams to help fill in the gaps during your cash flow “off seasons.”
While managing cash flow is a common struggle for organizations, there are resources out there to help. We explore different tools nonprofits can use to help them better plan and manage their finances, including a free cash flow forecast template. 
Read the podcast transcript here.
 
Episode Summary
In today's episode, you’ll learn practical tips and strategies for managing your nonprofit’s cash flow, including: 
Cash flow challenges (1:05)
Why you should include cash flow management in your strategic plan (6:30)
How to manage when your nonprofit is on a revenue rollercoaster (7:50)
Why good bookkeeping is vital to your organization (12:10)
Resources to help forecast cash flow (14:45)
Strategies for diversifying your revenue (16:40)
Strengthening financial controls (18:20)
 
Teasers
“Our revenue is solid, so why in the world does it feel so, so hard to make payroll?”
“There's a lot that's within our control, a lot beyond our control, but it all impacts our cash flow.”
“Often expenses just get out of control really quickly and so it takes some intention and some planning to make sure we're reigning them in.”
“You don't have to stare at a blank Excel sheet and freak out.”
 
Huge thank you to our sponsor, Grants Works!
With billions of dollars in federal grant funding available, now is the time to learn about how to apply for and manage federal grants from Patrice Davis, an expert who simplifies federal grants. Her Federal Grants Simplified Bootcamp is a six-week hybrid training that gives you the freedom to access on-demand training on your schedule and to attend live weekly Q&A sessions with Patrice. Plus, GrantsWorks is an ACFRE approved continuing education provider. Use code DEGREES for 10% off your registration.
 
Resources
Cash Flow Forecast Template: 100degreesconsulting.com/cash 
Grantsworks: www.grantsworksacademy.com/federal-grants-simplified 
Keep up to date with the podcast: @100degreesconsulting
Follow Stephanie on Instagram: @stephanie.skry/ 
Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieskryzowski/ 
Visit the podcast page: 100degreesconsulting.com/nonprofit-cash-flow  
 
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Are you looking for strategies to strengthen your donor relationships? Or how to overcome some of the many challenges nonprofits are facing today? In today’s episode, we chat with Dr. Mark Scott from the Oishei Foundation, an organization dedicated to strengthening and supporting nonprofits. We dive into how his organization provides support for nonprofits and discuss new demands and challenges nonprofits are facing around staffing shortages, competition with the corporate sector, and the struggle to find good help. Plus, Dr. Scott gives us some strategies to help overcome these obstacles.
He also talks about how nonprofits can be more realistic with their overhead costs when submitting grant proposals to funders and how to build better relationships with them. He gives great strategies for strengthening these donor relationships like taking small relationship-building actions over time and how this can help your organization succeed and better serve your community. This episode is full of practical tips nonprofit leaders can take action on today.
 
About Dr. Mark Scott:
Mark joined the Foundation in January 2022 to lead Oishei’s philanthropic support practice that is designed to strengthen and support the WNY nonprofit ecosystem. He works closely with Foundation staff to enhance the capacity and work of grantee organizations and community partners. He oversees the Foundation’s initiatives in leadership development, network building, and convening, most notably the Karen Lee Spaulding Oishei Fellowship for Leaders of Color, Community Conversations for Leaders of Color, and the Oishei Leader program.
Mark holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Policy, an MBA from Niagara University, and a BS in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management from Cheyney University in Cheyney, Pennsylvania, the nation’s oldest Historically Black College & University (HBCU).
 
Episode Summary:
In this episode, you will learn strategies for strengthening donor relationships and overcoming obstacles in the nonprofit sector, like:
Providing support for nonprofit organizations (8:20)
Building capacity in your communities (12:05)
New demands nonprofits are currently facing (15:00)
Overcoming challenges of not being able to find good employees (18:35)
Being realistic with overhead costs in grant proposals (22:45)
Making the funding process easier (29:05)
Tips for nonprofits to build better donor relationships (34:45)
 
Teasers:
“But what we are finding is that because nonprofits stepped up and they had become so heavily dependent on government resources during the COVID pandemic period, they have kind of lost their way.”
“Nonprofits really need unrestricted support.”
“People are doing nonprofit work and not being paid a living wage. So it's like helping to fight poverty, but being in poverty themselves because they're not making a living wage.”
“When we play with the ask, we perpetuate this vicious cycle of undercutting the work.”
“If you build that relationship over a period of time, and you don't always have to ask, the funder will see it.”

 
Huge thank you to our sponsor!
This series is sponsored by Blackbaud, the essential software provider for the organizations and people who change the world. Blackbaud has been working with finance professionals at nonprofit and social good organizations for almost 40 years with its Blackbaud Financial Edge, NXT Fund, accounting software expertise, and services. You can streamline your financial operations, strengthen your accountability, and make data-driven decisions to increase your impact. To learn more, visit https://www.blackbaud.com/   
 
Resources:
The OiShei Foundation https://oishei.org/  Connect with Dr. Mark Scott on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/dr-mark-j-scott-6a8a058  Blackbaud Nonprofit Accounting Software: https://www.blackbaud.com/    Keep up to date with the podcast: @100degreesconsulting Follow

Are you maximizing your nonprofit’s impact? What if I told you the key to doing just that was data? Sounds complicated, right? Well, it’s not as complex as it seems. Our special guest, Triana Urraca, breaks down the strategies she’s used to help countless nonprofits maximize their organization’s impact using data. 
She dives into the different types of data she uses and how she implements data collection systems. Triana also shares with us how most of the data she uses is often what organizations already have on hand. Plus, she discusses just how important it is for nonprofits to continuously analyze their systems so that they can make informed decisions that drive further impact for the communities they serve.
We also talk about how organizations can shift the way they think about data and look at it as a way to improve our nonprofit and make impactful decisions. Triana even gives examples of how organizations with data-driven cultures get more funding. This episode is a game-changer!  

 
About Triana
As CEO of Data Systems Simplified, Triana utilizes almost 15 years of experience working for nonprofits in data and evaluation roles to coach nonprofit clients in creating sustainable data systems and putting a strategy in place to maximize and demonstrate their impact. Triana also serves as the Consultant Director of Evaluation at Read Alliance, a literacy nonprofit in NY and PA. In a previous position, she led the data management of a professional development program for hundreds of K-12 educators across 30 states. 
In her work, Triana has designed automated dashboards that visualize data in real-time for over 10,000 survey responses. She has produced data results and analysis for six-figure grants from organizations such as Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. Triana holds a B.A. in Psychology, an M.P.A. in Nonprofit Management, and a Certificate in Data Visualization, all from New York University. In addition, she completed the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Strategic Data Project Institute for Leadership in Analytics and is a Certified Tableau Desktop Specialist.
 
Read the podcast transcript here. 
 
Episode Summary
In today's episode, you’ll learn the importance of using data to maximize your nonprofit’s impact including: 
Data beyond finances (8:45)
Strategically using existing data (12:05)
Using your current systems and processes more effectively (15:55)
The three Cs of data (18:00)
Basing organizational decisions on data-driven results (21:05)
Changing the way we think about data (25:10)
Why organizations need to continuously update their data collection systems (30:00)
Who can implement data systems in their organization (34:00)
How a data-driven culture leads to more funding (36:05)
 
Teasers
“I think a lot of times there's a pressure to just measure everything under the sun.”
“You're probably not using whatever you have, even if it's a spreadsheet, you're probably not using what you have as effectively as you could be.”
“What makes you think that a new, you're actually gonna use a new system if you don't use the one that you already have?”
“Every organization needs to be looking at their data in this very strategic way.” 
“You don't have to have like a full-time data analyst on the team. This can be somebody that's involved in programs with a portion of their time dedicated to data. Anyone can learn this, understand the strategy, and work to analyze the data to help the organization.”
 
Huge thank you to our sponsor, Grants Works!
With billions of dollars in federal grant funding available, now is the time to learn about how to apply for and manage federal grants from Patrice Davis, an expert who simplifies federal grants. Her Federal Grants Simplified Bootcamp is a six-week hybrid training that gives you the freedom to access on-demand training on your schedule and to atte

Nonprofit leaders, how are you setting up your new leaders for success? What strategies do you have in place to ensure they come into the organization strong? And arguably more importantly, how are you ensuring your new leaders keep a good momentum without burning out?  
In today’s episode, we have two very special guests, Ivan Gilreath and Deena Terry. Ivan and Deena work together as the CEO and CFO of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale. They give us their “secrets” for a successful CEO-CFO working relationship and how their dynamic works day in and day out in the organization. They also discuss nonprofit trends and why it’s important to run a nonprofit like a business. 
Plus, Ivan tells us exactly how he set Deena up for success when she came on as the CFO after what felt like a revolving door of CFOs before his time as CEO at the organization. Now, Ivan and Deena have been working together as a team for over two years, so their dynamic is still going strong, and their nonprofit is reaping the benefits of it. 
 
About Ivan and Deena
Ivan, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale (BGCS) CEO, has two decades of corporate executive experience including success in strategic planning, growth, and community engagement. He served for 10 years as President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of The Midlands. Prior to that, he spent five years as President of ING’s Employee Benefits Division and 20 years in Mutual of Omaha’s Group Insurance Division. 
Deena, the BGCS CFO, has worked in partnership with Ivan for two years. She has a wealth of nonprofit experience, and has spent her entire career in a number of different nonprofit organizations. Between the two of them, they have seen it all.
 
Read the podcast transcript here.
 
Episode Summary
In today's episode, you’ll learn the importance of a good working CEO-CFO relationship and how to set your new leaders up for success. 
Changes in the nonprofit sector (9:00)
How nonprofit funding has changed (13:20)
Consequences of not having diversified funding (18:40)
Using technology to further fundraising (20:05)
Making data-informed decisions (21:45)
The dynamics of a CEO-CFO working relationship (23:05)
Setting your CFO for success (26:50)
Nonprofit leadership trends (30:35)
Why it’s important to run a nonprofit like a business (34:05)
 
Teasers
“We've become programmatically, even a better organization because during the pandemic we had to figure out different ways to deliver our programming than what we used to do before the pandemic.”
“Just because we're called nonprofits doesn't mean that we should have $0 left over at the end of the year. We should not be spending every single dollar that comes in the door.”
“You really can't do any aspect of this job correctly without good data.” 
“It's so important when organizations are thinking about bringing a CFO on or bringing another leader on to really ask themselves, ‘Okay, do we have the capacity to set them up for success.’”
“Nonprofits are held to the same standards as for profits today.”
“Being a good businessman also makes you a good steward because you're not just taking that money for granted and throwing it at whatever you're thinking about.”
 
Huge thank you to our sponsor!
This series is sponsored by Blackbaud, the essential software provider for the organizations and people who change the world. Blackbaud has been working with finance professionals at nonprofit and social good organizations for almost 40 years with its Blackbaud Financial Edge, NXT Fund, accounting software expertise, and services. You can streamline your financial operations, strengthen your accountability, and make data-driven decisions to increase your impact. To learn more, visit https://www.blackbaud.com/   
 
Resources:
Boys and Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale: https://bgcs.org/donate/  Connect with Ivan on LinkedIn: https://www.