Think about this: messaging campaigns about complex issues, from climate change to drug pricing, have 280 characters in a tweet (up from 140) and less then 20 seconds of audio, to inform and persuade. Celinda Lake, renowned pollster and political strategist, helps labor unions, nonprofit advocates and political hopefuls to craft messages based on feedback from focus groups, surveys and message testing. Celinda says that Lake Research Partners approaches its work with two core values, the importa...
Mar 30, 2020•38 min
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed our nation’s broken systems but has also revealed what works. As our president equivocates about what can be done, mayors and governors are stepping up to fill the void. They are setting up testing sites, procuring ventilators, and building hospital units. And nonprofit leaders are using their resources to keep families and communities whole. Carla Decker, President and CEO of DC Credit Union, is maintaining 2 open branches (with social distancing) to serve memb...
Mar 23, 2020•27 min
It is safe to say that we are living in extremely stressful times. The president rules more than governs and his rhetoric and policies reflect and encourage overt acts of racism and sexism. His relentless focus on border walls and deportations have created chaos in immigrant communities. And now we are grappling with COVID-19, a pandemic for which we are unprepared, and which the president framed in xenophobic terms. The failure to respond quickly to this crisis raises questions about our health...
Mar 16, 2020•30 min
What happens when a nonprofit decides to make a shift and tackle its mission at a deeper level? That is the journey that Bread for the City, frontline service provider to Washington DC’s lowest-income residents started on 8 years ago. Since its founding in 1974, BFC has been the go-to resource for people in need of food, clothing, medical and legal assistance. It modeled how to provide high-quality services with, as BFC promises, “dignity, respect and justice.” The shift began in the aftermath o...
Mar 09, 2020•35 min
What makes an advocacy organization exceptional? It starts with a vision for tackling inequity that centers constituents in advocating for themselves. In the case of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, it is also dedication to social policy that ensures decent housing for our nation’s lowest-income renters. These are residents of public and subsidized housing - families with children, seniors, the disabled and low-wage workers - who are often one step away from homelessness. The Coalition...
Mar 02, 2020•37 min
How is it possible for laws that determine the fate of Muslim Americans to be decided without them having a seat at the decision-making table? That is the power imbalance that motivated the launch of Muslim Advocates by Farhana Khera in 2005. Muslim Advocates works “in communities, the courts and in Congress”, to address discriminatory public policies and corporate practices impacting the lives of our nation’s over 400 Muslim Americans. The challenges faced by Muslim Americans require more than ...
Feb 24, 2020•37 min
PFLAG may not be the most high-profile LGBTQ+ organization, but it is the oldest, largest and the first, in 1973, to create a safe space for the parents, friends and families of LGBTQ+ youth. It was organized by Jeanne Manford, after seeing her son Morty, a young gay man, beaten at a demonstration covered on the nightly news. She became his advocate, joining him at a gay rights rally wearing a sign that read, Parents of Gays United in Support for Our Children. She was applauded by young people a...
Feb 17, 2020•44 min
Some of the most effective nonprofits are designed to both help individuals in need and build collective community power. This is the case with NALEO-the National Association for Latino Elected Officials, founded in 1977 by Rep Edward Roybal, then one of just 5 Latinos elected to Congress. In 2020, NALEO supports 38 Latino congressional members and a bi-partisan bench of over 6,800 Latinos serving in municipal, state, and federal level positions. Consider the potential of a cohort of powerful le...
Feb 10, 2020•44 min
Ron Hantz, a great friend of Power Station, and our first guest returns for Episode 100. Ron is back to talk about a current threat that has been largely obscured by the presidential impeachment hearing. At another congressional hearing, Comptroller of the Currency and Trump appointee, Joseph Otting, testified before the House Financial Services Committee, feeling the heat of Congresswoman Maxine Waters, as he attempted to rationalize dismantling the Community Reinvestment Act. Ron takes us back...
Feb 03, 2020•41 min
It took a century long struggle for American women to “win” the right to vote in 1920. And win does not accurately reflect a struggle in which women were jailed and beaten in pursuit of that right. This victory led suffragist Carrie Chapman Cott to establish the League of Women Voters (LWV), a non-partisan champion of voting rights. Now, LWV is convening national conversations about issues from the census to voting to the environment and immigration. And LWV is vigilant about local threats to vo...
Jan 27, 2020•33 min
National CAPACD is painfully aware of gentrification and displacement hurts its AAPI membership. They look at the challenge through an historical lens, starting with colonialism to more recent strategies for driving renters and homeowners out of their homes based on rising prices, tax liens, intimidation and buy-outs. Anjan Chaudhry, Director of Community Empowerment, reviews the legacy of colonialism within AAPI communities in their home countries and explains how that experience shaped a new a...
Jan 21, 2020•44 min
We rely on access to high-speed internet to meet the demands of everyday life. We pay bills, apply for jobs, look up children’s school assignments, and get real-time updates on bus arrivals. But at least 20 million Americans live without digital access. They are our neighbors and family members from cities and rural regions who lack the infrastructure (physical wires) and/or the financial means to afford internet connectivity. How do we solve this opportunity gap? Francella Ochillo leads Next Ce...
Jan 13, 2020•42 min
In our first Power Station episode of 2020, we welcome celebrated advocate Marco Davis, eight months into his role as President & CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Marco shares his vision for deepening the impacts of CHCI’s programs, known for the powerful pipeline of talented Latino leaders they generate. He explains how it all began in 1976, when the first 5 members of Congress of Hispanic descent, came together to support each other and to grow their numbers. Now,...
Jan 06, 2020•43 min
Join me for an entirely different kind of Power Station episode. This is a look back, with the very talented audio engineer and producer Rob Ford, at why I created Power Station, how personal experience shaped my vision for nonprofit advocacy, the under-reported role of nonprofits in crafting policy solutions to seemingly intractable societal problems and how our guests are thriving in unimaginably challenging times. We talk through the defining characteristics shared by Power Station guests, in...
Dec 30, 2019•34 min
So much is at stake in America in the year ahead. The 2020 presidential election and decennial census will be markers in history, a time for communities to stand up and be counted or a perilous step backward. For low-income, immigrant and communities of color, in particular, the stakes are tremendously high and civic engagement is an imperative. Latinos have suffered because of the President’s hateful rhetoric and policies, and the violence, including the massacre in El Paso, his leadership has ...
Dec 23, 2019•39 min
Jon Pratt builds community, influence and power every day. He leads the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, a trade association for nonprofit organizations that provide services in the arts, education, affordable housing, health and the environment. Just as chambers of commerce represent the interests of the business community, MCN amplifies the voices of the nonprofit community. It is where members learn about legislation affecting their mission and tax status, new research from the field, and res...
Dec 16, 2019•36 min
Diane Yentel leads the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, the nation’s most influential champion for ending housing poverty and homelessness in America. It is a respected presence on Capitol Hill and in state houses where legislators know that their reports and testimony are evidence-based and accurate. In recent years, NLIHC has stopped every effort rolled out by the Trump Administration and US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Secretary Carson to weaken housing policies and dem...
Dec 09, 2019•33 min
This nation values higher education but make it hard to access, particularly for low-income and people of color. Students may not have counselors to guide their search and the cost of applications can be prohibitive. It takes motivated adults to connect young people to opportunities and Sean Lanier is deeply dedicated and driven in this mission. Although he has retired from the military, he continues to serve his country. When his alma mater, Virginia Military Institute, reached out and asked hi...
Dec 02, 2019•41 min
When Eddy Morales first moved back to Gresham, Oregon from Washington, DC, he did not plan to run for elected office. He expected to continue his business as a political campaign adviser and reconnect with family and community. Years in DC working with Voto Latino and Democracy Alliance had sharpened his considerable talents as a national policy advocate, and he wanted to engage civically at the local level. But when he watched the 2016 election returns with his nieces and nephews, intending to ...
Nov 25, 2019•39 min
Gun violence continues to devastate families and communities. When 20 first graders and six adults were murdered by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, the nation’s shock and grief were palpable. President Obama spoke passionately about the urgency of passing background checks and stronger gun control laws. But pushback by the NRA and members of Congress prevailed. When parents of murdered children at Sandy Hook came together after the assault, their first instinct was...
Nov 18, 2019•35 min
We all want to be heard and understood, a fair expectation. But being heard takes more than engaging an attentive listener. It requires purpose, knowing what we want to say and how to express ourselves. We must know how to adapt communication styles, from a private conversation to a conference room to social media. It can be humbling, frustrating and even costly when we fail. Tia Blount brings her passion for communication to nonprofits where the mission is vital and the stakes for persuasion ar...
Nov 12, 2019•44 min
Since 1991, Latino Economic Development Center, a DC based nonprofit, has worked side by side with Latino families to make their American Dreams possible. These families, both citizens and undocumented immigrants, have aspirations of safe and affordable rental housing, home ownership and the launching and expansion of small businesses. But they are under-resourced in the federal budget and underserved by banks that view them as too risky to invest in. This is why LEDC became a Community Developm...
Nov 04, 2019•39 min
America has a conflicted relationship to science. Presidents and Congress love science until data is at odds with their beliefs, political and economic interests. Public confidence in science is growing as evidence of the impacts of climate change on rising sea levels, displacement and migration in coastal communities is now widely accepted. Jacob Carter, biologist and research scientist from the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Center for Science and Democracy points out the unprecedented suppres...
Oct 28, 2019•43 min
It’s hard to describe how energy shifts when Patrick Gaspard is in the room. He is positive, ready to engage, and most importantly, completely present. As president of the Open Society Foundations, whose philanthropy supports democratic practice, human rights and equal access to justice in 120 countries, Patrick is a powerful presence in many rooms. His ability to listen to and act on what communities are saying in those rooms is grounded in his personal experience as an organizer. He knows that...
Oct 21, 2019•23 min
How do we know that the nonprofit programs we believe in are effective? Without evaluating them against pre-determined measures we cannot make a case for their efficacy, replication or scaling. It starts with a process that ensures that stakeholders are engaged in developing them, measurable goals are identified and the vision for success is shared. And, for these measures to be impactful, they must be shaped through a racial equity lens. Whether the policy goal is reductions in teen pregnancy, ...
Oct 15, 2019•47 min
Ilda Martinez was 3 years old when she arrived at a migrant Head Start center in Plant City, Florida. Her first language was Mixtec, an indigenous dialogue of Oaxaca, Mexico. She learned Spanish and then English in Head Start programs. These migrant and seasonal programs are critical resources for families like Ilda’s that move several times a year to harvest crops, from blueberries in North Carolina to strawberries in Florida and asparagus in Michigan. The work is arduous, the weather can be br...
Oct 07, 2019•30 min
Head Start is known for making early childhood development and education a reality for all families. Developed as part of the 1960’s War on Poverty, Head Start is an example of public policy that serve the educational needs of underserved children. But the Head Start model was organized around the school calendar, an approach that works for most but not all of our nation’s families. It does not meet the unique needs of migrant families, who travel from state to state to harvest our nation’s crop...
Sep 30, 2019•25 min
Have you been to the 14th street corridor of Washington DC lately? It is a destination spot for upscale restaurants, furniture stores, galleries and newly constructed apartment buildings. If you venture to a leafy side street you will find a courtyard that leads to N Street Village, a local nonprofit whose programs and advocacy serve 2000 homeless and low-income women annually year. Many of these women grew up in the shadows of an earlier incarnation of 14th Street, devastated by rioting after t...
Sep 23, 2019•38 min
In 1980, James Abourezk, US Senator from South Dakota and the first Arab-American elected to Congress, founded the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. It is now the nation’s largest grassroots nonprofit advocating for the civil and human rights of Arab Americans. With a small staff of lawyers, and community-based supporters in 50 states, ADC, under the leadership of Samer Khalef, represents Arab Americans in cases involving hate crimes, discrimination and deportation. And it educates th...
Sep 16, 2019•38 min
An innovative nonprofit is requiring us to rethink our assumptions about who works in the digital economy. Byte Back, a DC based training organization led by the dynamic Elizabeth Lindsey, is shaking up the workforce and technology sectors by bringing non-traditional workers into the sectors. In many cases, these students have never used a computer or even had broadband access. So it follows that Byte Back meets students where they are. While the process may take longer, classes are rigorous and...
Sep 09, 2019•41 min
