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The ENGAGE Podcast

Subscribe to The ENGAGE Podcast to hear experts from across the social good community share best practices, tips and must-know trends that will help organizations increase their impact. Formerly called The sgENGAGE Podcast.
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Now displaying: December, 2019
Dec 26, 2019

Culture is an important factor for organizations in having a healthy and high performing workplace. The right culture doesn’t just make the workplace more fun – having a cohesive workplace culture can save a company money and make them more effective in their goals in the long term. So, how can organizations more effectively hire people aligned with their culture?  

Today’s episode, recorded live at bbcon 2019, discusses just that. Tune in to hear William Vanderbloemen, CEO of The Vanderbloemen Group, talk with host Rachel Hutchisson about how to first determine your organization’s culture, and then how to strategically hire people that fit that culture. William also discusses how to make sure that hiring for culture still brings diversity to the workplace.  

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • The factors that go into determining an organization’s culture
  • Questions that organizations can ask themselves to determine their values
  • How organizations can understand if they have a good organizational culture
  • How creating a cohesive culture helps organizations save money in the long run
  • What to do when a new hire doesn’t fit the culture
  • How to make sure you bring diversity in when looking for culture fit 

Resources:

Wlliam Vanderbloemen

The Vanderbloemen Group

More resources about culture on sgENGAGE: Expert Advice for Improving Culture & Morale at Nonprofit Organizations 

Quotes: 

“By definition, cause-driven organizations should have an easy time hiring because you’re looking for people that are aligned with your cause.”

“If your vision at your company is what you’re trying to accomplish, then your culture is how you as a team behave while you’re trying to accomplish this vision.”

“I think you’re going to see smart organizations in the future are going to focus on culture, not because it’s the hip thing to do, but because if you can get your culture fit right, you have a chance of keeping your employees a little bit longer.”

Dec 19, 2019

Peer-to-peer fundraising is an important part of a social good organization’s overall fundraising strategy. But as people increasingly become more committed to causes versus specific organizations, how can organizations engage and guide individual fundraisers who are campaigning to raise funds for causes close to their hearts?

In today’s episode, recorded live at bbcon 2019, Caroline Jones, founder of Knickers Model’s Own and 2015 JustGiving creative fundraiser of the year, joins host Steve MacLaughlin to discuss the journey and success of her crowdfunding campaign raising money for Cancer Research UK. Caroline shares her experience creating and properly supporting her campaign as a working professional, mother, and first-time fundraiser. Listen in to hear Caroline talk about the highs and lows of her journey, what fundraising efforts she took to differentiate herself, and what Caroline thinks other individual fundraisers can do to ensure successful campaigns. 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • How and why Caroline started fundraising
  • Connecting to a fundraising platform
  • The growth of Caroline’s campaign
  • Controlling authenticity and messaging
  • Messaging appropriately for each platform
  • Lessons learned from Caroline’s journey
  • What tools individual fundraisers need

Resources:

Caroline Jones

2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study

Knickers Model's Own

Knickers Model's Own - JustGiving

Quotes: 

“It was only ever going to be the JustGiving platform.”

“It’s such an uplifting feeling when you’re in that very lonely place of being the sole fundraiser on your own.”

“You can’t do things in half measures.”

Dec 12, 2019

Long standing social good organizations have developed foundational fundraising and engagement methods that have provided for them for decades or more. As technology continues to shrink the world, increasing competition and changing the way we communicate with one another, how can business principles and skills help bring historically traditional nonprofits and other social good organizations into the future? 

Dorri McWhorter, president and CEO of the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, joined host Rachel Hutchisson to discuss how she modernized the organization and is bringing it to new levels of success. Listen in to hear about Dorri’s work, combining business skillsets with a nonprofit, and understanding the value of a cause. 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • How Dorri modernized the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago
  • Balancing a business approach in the nonprofit sector
  • Importance of revenue in nonprofits
  • Understanding and communicating the ultimate value of your organization and cause
  • Advice for social good leaders looking to future-proof their organizations

Resources:

Dorri McWhorter 

Quotes: 

“How can we get to the problems and just start solving them?”

“It just so happens that we have this wonderful tax status that allows us to look at the business differently.”

“A business solves problems and we solve problems too, we just don’t frame it like that.”

Dec 5, 2019

Pro bono volunteering can be a strategic resource for social change, benefiting companies, social good organizations, and individuals. But what makes pro-bono relationships work for all partners, and how can your company or social good organization set up a pro bono program that has an impact? 

In today’s episode, recorded live at bbcon 2019, we explore the construct of successful pro-bono partnerships. Danielle Holly, CEO of Common Impact, joined host Rachel Hutchisson to talk about how organizations can make pro-bono volunteering work. Listen in to hear Danielle’s insights on the benefits of pro-bono, what organizations need to be thinking about when shaping a pro-bono program, and how to measure the success of a pro-bono partnership from both sides of the partnership. 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • How pro-bono can be a strategic resource for social change
  • Shaping pro-bono partnerships
  • Pro-bono volunteer tools for nonprofits
  • The benefits of pro-bono for companies and employees
  • Finding the right connections between companies and nonprofits
  • Why it’s important to avoid pro bono partnerships that are poor fits
  • How to lay the groundwork at the beginning of a successful engagement
  • How to measure success on both sides
  • Examples of companies that successfully plan pro-bono projects

Resources:

Danielle Holly

Read more from Danielle Holly on Pro-Bono Volunteering

Capacity Commons

Quotes:  

“At its core, skills-based is about translating any talent, expertise, superpower, whether that’s carpentry or painting or marketing, to a need that a social change organization has.”

“There are very few skillsets, very few projects that don’t translate between sectors.”

“As a company, ensuring that you are committed to an honest, trusted partnership is something that we always say you need to come out of the gate with.”

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