This is a bonus episode with Mary. She discusses some insights gained from an article she read while considering the common belief: It is better to give than to receive. Learn some interesting distinctions between giving and generosity and some tips for yourself. Be sure to subscribe to Inspired Nonprofit Leadership so that you don’t miss a single episode, and while you’re at it, won’t you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated! Let me know the t...
Nov 28, 2019•7 min•Season 1Ep. 40
My guest for this episode is Maya Tussing. Maya is a Partner at Fairlight Advisors, providing investment management and risk consulting services for philanthropic institutions and individuals. Fairlight Advisors was founded to help philanthropic leaders fulfill their missions with investment and risk solutions. Fairlight provides investment management services offering nonprofits and philanthropic individuals a widely diversified and cost-effective investment strategy aligned with their financia...
Nov 21, 2019•40 min•Season 1Ep. 39
The guest for this episode is Mary Valloni. Mary has over 17 years working with hundreds nonprofits. Former Development Director for the American Cancer Society, the ALS Association and Special Olympics, Mary has raised millions of dollars and spent countless hours in the field of development. In 2014, she started Mary Valloni Consulting to spread a message of hope and encouragement to nonprofit leaders and missionaries across the country as a fundraising consultant, author, and speaker. Mary wo...
Nov 14, 2019•37 min•Season 1Ep. 38
This is one of Mary's bonus episodes. In this episode she shares some insights about how form follows function applies to how board committees are formed and how board member capacity comes into play. Establishing strategic goals for the board and, following that, a structure – i.e., committees – to lead achievement of those goals can glaringly reveal whether or not the board really has the capacity to use that structure – in other words who is going to serve on what committee/task force. Mary's...
Nov 07, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 37
My guest for this episode is Dr. Renee Rubin Ross. Renee has over 20 years’ experience in education – including teaching, serving as director of a religious school and conducting research in schools. From 2011 to 2014, Ross served as a Program Officer at the Jim Joseph Foundation, which distributes ~$20 million yearly in Jewish education. She left the Foundation to move to the “other side of the table”, serving nonprofits in a consulting role as well as focusing on education and training in the ...
Oct 31, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 36
My guest today for this episode is Beth Williams. Beth has worked in the non-profit sector since 1994. Her experience includes fundraising, special event planning and program development. Beth earned her professional designation as a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) in 2010 and has worked as a fundraiser for a variety of nonprofits including hospice, foster care and the county hospital. She has been the Director of Development at Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence since 2015. Beth is...
Oct 24, 2019•41 min•Season 1Ep. 35
This is a bonus episode with Mary. Mary has found that many board members have not been oriented to their 3 legal duties. These duties apply personally to anyone serving as a director of a corporation (nonprofit or for-profit) board. She discusses not only the duties themselves but the implications for board members. Executive directors need to understand these duties too and be sure board members do. Knowing these duties and their implications can empower board members and give them confidence ...
Oct 17, 2019•15 min•Season 1Ep. 34
My guest for this episode is Emily Sterling. Emily Sterling has served as a strategic thought partner to thousands of innovative and influential philanthropists, community leaders, social entrepreneurs, nonprofits, boards, corporations, and governments for over 25 years. She has enhanced the impact of organizations of every size, sector, stage of development, and mission focus. And, she has helped individuals enhance their leadership and influence to achieve their visions. Emily is the Founder &...
Oct 10, 2019•38 min•Season 1Ep. 33
My guest for this episode is Gayle Gifford. Gayle has spent years in the trenches, organizing for peace, environmental, human and civil rights. She served as Director of Development and Communications at PLAN USA , as Deputy Director/Director of Development and Marketing at Save The Bay , and as Director of Development at CityYear RI before launching her own business in 1996 with master communicator Jon Howard (who also just happens to be her spouse). Gayle earned the advanced fundraising creden...
Sep 26, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 32
This is a bonus episode with Mary. Nonprofit organizations provide critical and life-enhancing services to our communities. If you are a nonprofit executive or board member, you know first-hand what a valuable role you play. We all have a stake in nonprofits’ success. And, we know that to be successful a nonprofit must be led by an effective board of directors. One of the biggest opportunities to ensure a nonprofit board realizes its full potential is in orienting new board members. But, orienti...
Sep 19, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 31
My guest for this episode is Dr. Terrie Temkin. Dr. Temkin is a founding principal of CoreStrategies for Nonprofits, Inc., an international consulting firm that builds organizational infrastructure. She is an award-winning speaker and an engaging group facilitator, who brings more than 40 years of nonprofit management and adult education experience to her work. Considered by her colleagues as a thought leader in the area of governance, Terrie was one of the first to talk about strategic thinking...
Sep 12, 2019•37 min•Season 1Ep. 30
I have two guests for this episode: Luis Vergara and Bob Harrington. Luis brings over 20 years in program and nonprofit management. He was a Strategic Director at the national research and strategy firm Cheskin. He also served as executive director of Youth Radio, a Senior Policy Associate with Safe Passages, and has worked extensively in youth development and gang prevention. He joined La Piana consulting in 2006 where he is now a partner. A native of San Francisco, Luis now lives in San Ramon,...
Aug 29, 2019•37 min•Season 1Ep. 29
My guest today is Mike Burns. Mike began his career as an executive director of a community health center and now has over 20 years’ experience as a nonprofit manager. Since 1994 Mike has been an organizational development consultant and partner in BWB Solutions. Since 2017 Mike has been faculty in the University of New Haven’s Nonprofit Management Certificate Program. Mike’s consulting practice focuses on strategic planning, governance and helping nonprofits assess their readiness for strategic...
Aug 22, 2019•42 min•Season 1Ep. 28
This is one of our bonus episodes – a moment with Mary. In this episode, Mary discusses Advisory Groups. She gives examples and shares the benefits you can reap from forming an Advisory Group. Mary also goes over the important steps to take to evaluate if an Advisory Group is right for your nonprofit and how to form one with success. Please sure to subscribe and, while you’re at it, rate and review. For more details about me or my work please go to: Hiland Consulting To get the free guide I crea...
Aug 15, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 27
My guest for this episode is John Robins. John Robins has 18+ years of leadership experience, with nonprofits, faith communities, and technology companies. Previously, he served as the Interim Executive Director of the Winchester Multicultural Network, where he led a cross functional team spanning program, advocacy, communications, development, and finances. John was a partner in supporting the strategic planning process that moved the organization from a community-based organization to a region...
Aug 08, 2019•38 min•Season 1Ep. 26
My guest for this episode is Carol Hamilton. Carol grew up overseas and learned at an early age that cultures vary and there are few absolutes. Living in the world between her home American culture and European culture, she became a student of history, culture and language. Carol is fascinated with ways to better understand human organizing systems and the cultures that emerge within these systems. Carol grew up the younger sister of a brother with special needs. Observing how the world treated ...
Jul 25, 2019•38 min•Season 1Ep. 25
This is one of our bonus episodes – a moment with Mary. In this episode, Mary discusses our capacity and shares some tips for how to make the best use of it--particularly as it relates to the work of nonprofit leaders. Do you have unlimited capacity? Of course not! Listen to this episode to learn how to maximize the capacity (time, energy, etc.) that you do have. Please sure to subscribe and, while you’re at it, rate and review. For more details about me or my work please go to: Hiland Consultin...
Jul 18, 2019•18 min•Season 1Ep. 24
My guest for this episode Don Tebbe. Don is a consultant and author based in the Washington, DC, and one of the nation’s leading authorities on nonprofit leadership succession. Serving over a decade as a nonprofit senior executive, chief executive, and interim CEO, he experienced first-hand the challenges of leadership transitions. Founding his consulting practice in 1993, he has since helped over 120 nonprofits find, interview, hire, and transition to new CEOs and other senior leaders. Don is t...
Jul 11, 2019•35 min•Season 1Ep. 23
My guest for this episode is Maria Nicolacoudis. Maria has twenty-five years of experience working in mental health, providing workforce development and rehabilitation services for youth and adults with disabilities. She has developed model, local, and state-wide service programs and social enterprises and served as a corporate consultant for integrated workforce issues. Currently Maria is the Executive Director of Hearts & Minds Activity Center. Hearts & Minds Activity Center is dedicat...
Jun 27, 2019•37 min•Season 1Ep. 22
My guest for this episode is Michael Davidson. Michael has a very diverse and interesting background. He has been a Peace Corps Volunteer, an Assistant Professor of Anthropology, an Assistant District Attorney and an attorney in private practice. He holds a BS in mathematics from New York State University College on Long Island, a JD from Columbia Law School and an Masters in Anthropology from Yale University. Michael is a consultant specializing in nonprofit board development, management suppor...
Jun 20, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 21
My guest for this episode is Rita Fuerst Adams. Rita has worked with nonprofit throughout the United States for over 30 years with budgets ranging from $1 mil. to $450 million. Rita was the executive director of National Parents Organization – the only national organization advocating for shared parented and gender equality in family law. She has extensive experience in fundraising and marketing. She has a BS in Journalism and an MBA. Rita is a published author many times over and a speaker. Rit...
Jun 13, 2019•35 min•Season 1Ep. 20
This is one of our bonus episodes – a moment with Mary. In this episode, Mary shares some ideas about conducting a good board of directors’ self-assessment. If you want to have a board that is truly an asset and you know changes are needed, then the place to start is with Board assessment. In this episode, Mary shares how to do that. She starts with a review of the benefits of doing a board assessment and then highlights the six steps of a good board assessment process. The episode ends with a c...
May 30, 2019•13 min•Season 1Ep. 19
My guest for this episode is Stephanie Shaterian. Stephanie is a founder of fLO Content, fLO is a video content producer specializing in original, authentic, documentary style pieces that serve specific goals or strategic purposes. They work with decision makers in the for profit and non-profit sectors who have immediate video needs for marketing, promotional, or development goals. She is a graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts and holds a degree in Fine Arts from The Theatre School at D...
May 23, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 18
My guest today is Lauren Cesare. Lauren has been practicing tax law in California for 34 years. The last 23 years Lauren has operated her own practice with an emphasis on tax exempt organizations – what we mostly call nonprofits, as well as limited liability companies. Lauren has served on the Boards of Directors and as an officer of two nonprofits. She is the author of three books on Private Foundations and Public Charities. Here newest book on mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures among ta...
May 16, 2019•34 min•Season 1Ep. 17
My guest today is Cindi Phallen. Cindi was a successful executive director for 18 years with Y’s around the country and is the founder and President of Create Possibility which provides consulting to nonprofits. Cindi is an author, speaker, and an educator. She teaches fundraising at the University of San Diego’s Nonprofit Management Certificate Program. Cindi is the author of “The Impact Triangle” in which she presents her proprietary secret sauce for building a thriving social enterprise. In t...
May 09, 2019•32 min•Season 1Ep. 16
My guest today is Sarah Olivieri. Sarah is a nonprofit strategist with a passion for helping organizations thrive. The founder of PivotGround, Sarah helps human-service nonprofits increase capacity, deliver better programming, attract more funding, and make the world a better place. She has over 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience. Sarah co-founded the Open Center for Autism and was the executive director of the Helping Children of War Foundation. She is the creator of the Impact Method™...
Apr 25, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 15
This is one of our bonus episodes – a moment with Mary. In this episode, Mary shares some tips for effectively evaluating the executive director and some cautions about pitfalls to avoid. We all know that effective leadership requires clarity of expectations and feedback on an ongoing basis helping people know how they are doing. It is disconcerting that the anecdotal information is that many Executive Directors don’t get evaluated. Without a defined evaluation process, the Executive Director ha...
Apr 18, 2019•26 min•Season 1Ep. 14
My guest for this episode is Ellen Bristol. Ellen founded Bristol Strategy Group in 1995 after a 20-year career in corporate sales. She quickly transitioned to the nonprofit sector, where she has become a thought leader in fundraising management and now has over 20 years experience. Ellen created the SMART Way™, a training and consulting solution that improves fundraising results and productivity continuously. She is the author of Fundraising the SMART Way: Predictable, Consistent Income for You...
Apr 11, 2019•35 min•Season 1Ep. 13
My guest today is Karen Mathews Radau. Karen is deeply experienced in human resources consulting, organizational development, and executive coaching. She is a recognized author and currently is the CEO of her own business, Small Business HR Services. Karen specializes in helping small to mid-sized companies, including nonprofits, with not only how to comply with labor laws but how to apply best practices to help organizations and their employees be successful. Many nonprofits are unable to have ...
Mar 28, 2019•28 min•Season 1Ep. 12
This is a bonus episode – a moment with Mary. In this episode, Mary shares what her research and that of others has shown are three critical success factors for improving a board of directors. Some nonprofit leaders have little trouble articulating what they think should, or could, be better about their boards. But, even if you are one who knows where you want your board to go, the challenge may be how to get there. Listen to learn the three factors that promote success in board improvement. Ple...
Mar 22, 2019•15 min•Season 1Ep. 11
