Nonprofit Utopia Podcast

Lessons Learned from Lawndale

Before I started Nonprofit Utopia, LLC, I was very engaged in North Lawndale, the Chicago community in which I was born and raised.
As Co-Founder of the Lawndale Alliance, I worked with my neighbors to advocate for tax increment financing district (TIF) policies that would make the program more transparent and be of better benefit to local residents, whose property taxes financed TIF projects.  One of our greatest victories was getting the City of Chicago to remove more than 300 units of occupied housing from the list of properties that could potentially be displaced as a result of implementing the TIF program. This was unheard-of at the time.
Join me as I share some of the lessons we learned over the years, including what to do and what not to do in order to create win-win situations for all parties.
Call in live at (347) 884-8121 to join the conversation. You don't need an account to listen. You can also participate in the live chat.  Archived episodes may be found at iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.

Data-Driven Fundraising

Every living organism has vital signs, or key indicators of health.  For us humans, these include blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and temperature.
Likewise, organizations have key indicators of health.Depending on the organization, its goals and objectives, these key performance indicators may vary.  However, regardless of where your organization is in its development, or what it does, you should have a set of financial key performance indicators, or KPI’s, including fundraising, donor retention, return on investment, etc. 
Join us as Dan Doyle, Chief Evangelist of MarketSmart’s Fundraising Report Card, talks about how your organization can use data-driven fundraising as part of your performance management system and growth strategies.
Call in live at (347) 884-8121 to join the conversation. You don't need an account to listen. You can also participate in the live chat.  Archived episodes may be found at iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.
 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Evidence-Based Grant Making Approaches

When Angelique Power was named President of the Field Foundation of Illinois, three questions guided their grant making:
Is racial equity in philanthropy even possible? Can the fallacy of philanthropic expertise fall away to create room for the nonprofit visionary to lead? Can we ask more of ourselves in philanthropy, listen more, talk less, focus on areas that have been disinvested in and lift the powerful organizations that have grown in spite of and in abstraction to that disinvestment?
Join us as Angelique talks about the Foundation’s priorities, approaches to grant making and the impact of their investments in underserved communities throughout Chicago.  
Call in live at (347) 884-8121 to join the conversation. You don't need an account to listen. You can also participate in the live chat.  Archived episodes may be found at iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.

Changing the World Through Forensic Nursing

Forensic nursing is the intersection of medicine, law enforcement, policy and advocacy.  Forensic nurses work with victims of sexual assault, human trafficking and other violent crimes to document their injuries  and provide evidence and expert testimony in court cases. They may also provide expert testimony and advocate for victims rights for the creation of more just laws and public policies.
Kara Breeden, DNP, Founder and CEO of Texas Forensic Nurse Examiners (TXFNE), and Julie Sengstacken, MS-PSL, COO of TXFNE, will join host Valerie F. Leonard to talk about the work of TXNE and the roles forensic nurses and nonprofits can play in combatting violence.
You will learn:
The relationship between the roles of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Operating Officer (COO)How TXFNE ensures that their programs are relevant and impactfulHow forensic nurses work with victims, law enforcement and community stakeholders to fight domestic violence and human traffickingHow to transfer lessons learned from their experiences to your own organization, regardless of where you work
Call in live at (347) 884-8121 to join the conversation. You don't need an account to listen. You can also participate in the live chat.  Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitUtopia, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.