My guest today is Jordan Langer, a wildly creative and successful business entrepreneur, and a high-school dropout. As the founder of Non Plus Ultra, best known for hosting large-scale parties or conferences in its myriad portfolio of properties, Jordan works 20-hour days, but still found time to invest in the community. His desire to do something truly impactful for people and his own story with the American education system led him to create Project Wreckless, a San Francisco-based capacity...

Ask for more! There are so many issues, local to global, that it seems almost impossible to find a solution to all of them: poverty, access to education, clean water, housing, human trafficking… you name it. Furthermore, there are a ton of other issues that seem to be reaching a tipping point like climate change and the refugee crisis.  But you know what? We already have the solutions to many of these problems. The nonprofit space exists to mend these issues through participation and...

Welcome to Creating Community for Good, a podcast dedicated to philanthropy: the love of humankind. WITH THE INTENTION TO inform, inspire and evolve. What would it be like to be a fly on the wall as a nationally recognized, 9-figure donor talks to an executive director about giving motivations and priorities? This episode does just that (with consent and some gentle guidance from yours truly, of course.) Our goal in this episode was to make it a working meeting – and to share it with you! We...

Welcome to Creating Community for Good, a podcast dedicated to philanthropy: the love of humankind. WITH THE INTENTION TO inform, inspire and evolve. In this episode, Rick Happy, renowned philanthropic advisor for over 35 years— and a mentor to me — shares wisdom and advice all members of nonprofit leadership would benefit from considering. Take a listen to the first interview Rick did with me at the height of the pandemic, episode 8. In that episode, we talked from the eye of the hurricane...

Welcome to Creating Community for Good, a podcast dedicated to philanthropy: the love of humankind. WITH THE INTENTION TO inform, inspire and evolve. In this episode of Creating Community for Good podcast, I talked to Ryan Marshall and Bill Tortorici. Both are talented fundraisers from different parts of the country and in different roles in the sector who were laid off during the pandemic. And they were not the only ones who met this same fate: 926,045 nonprofit jobs were lost by the end of...

Welcome to Creating Community for Good, a podcast dedicated to philanthropy: the love of humankind. WITH THE INTENTION TO inform, inspire and evolve. In today´s episode of Creating Community for Good I was joined by criminal defense attorney and author, Shanti Brien. Being a defense attorney is a work of tremendous responsibility and pressure since your client’s life is essentially in your hands. Shanti specializes in criminal appeals and post-conviction proceedings; the very last instances...

Welcome to Creating Community for Good, a podcast dedicated to philanthropy: the love of humankind. WITH THE INTENTION TO inform, inspire and evolve. In this episode of the Creating Community for Good Podcast, Ashley Dittmar shares how she uses technology paired with the human instinct to engage and retain giving to organizations, year-over-year. That repeat giving is called donor retention. Ashley is the Director Of Development at Crisis Text Line and a specialist in digital campaigns, donor...

Welcome to Creating Community for Good, a podcast dedicated to philanthropy: the love of humankind. WITH THE INTENTION TO inform, inspire and evolve. On today’s episode of Creating Community For Good, I was joined by Mallory Erickson, a certified fundraising coach with experience serving over 50 fundraisers and organizations. She, like myself, believes in the importance of changing the narrative of nonprofits around money, engagement, and donor-organization relationships. It is not about...

In this episode a fellow consultant and dear friend of mine, Tiffany Williams, and I explore a day in the life of a consultant. In this interview you’ll hear the challenges we grapple with in terms of what clients we will take, and what we won’t; how to prioritize the assignment while opening the space to pressing current events and societal demands; and techniques of building trust. Head to http://CreatingCommunityForGood.com for full show notes, key takeaways and episode resources.

Now, I know a lot of you are glad you don’t have to go to any more (proverbial) rubber chicken dinners. Not me! I loved galas! I’m a social butterfly who liked connecting with new and old friends, experiencing delight of an orchestrated festivity, and then floating away lit up about the cause we rallied to support that evening. I’m not really one for TV in general, so, when I tell you I did NOT enjoy pre-recorded, virtual Zoom events in Q1 of SIP, believe me, I mean it. Good news!...

We Are For Good is a place dedicated to celebrating the power of philanthropy, and equipping this generation of nonprofit leaders and philanthropists with the mindsets, tools, and innovative ideas to make a bigger impact. Becky Endicott, Co-Founder and Chief Storyteller, started her career in philanthropy at the Oklahoma State University Foundation and worked for over a decade at INTEGRIS Foundation where she led teams in annual giving events, stewardship, major gifts, prospect research and...

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “cryptocurrency”? I know that, for me, that word meant little more than intangible money, but after getting to know more about it, I can tell you that cryptocurrency concerns us philanthropists, and that it is already shifting the game in our community. The world and the way people are handling their money are changing. Most importantly, the way they donate to charity is changing too. Although Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been around...

Fundraising is a TOUGH job. What’s even harder is that there is more and more pressure to raise the funds from donors that ultimately operate critically important societal needs and services. In some cases, fundraising can feel transactional, urgent and stressful. This doesn’t feel good for anyone. Let’s examine the nature of our relationships and how we communicate with more grace, generosity and purpose. I am quite excited to share this incredible episode from the perspective of a “major...

Philanthropy’s ultimate goal has always been around gathering resources, time and efforts in favor of service to others. People seem to be irked by the word, “philanthropy” these days, but I still celebrate it for the root meaning: the love of humankind. Nevertheless, forget the “traditional” (stodgy) connotation and get back to the heart of it. Philanthropy doesn’t mean you have to “be rich” and give huge sums of money. No! Being a philanthropist is as simple as contributing in a meaningful...

Whether you call it influence, confidence, or even freedom, power is relevant for your own personal and professional development, as it is for your team’s success, too. In order to change the world, you certainly will need it. In this episode, I am joined by my colleague and friend, Leti McNeill Light, to have a conversation around group dynamics, power and leadership. What does power even mean? And, how can we create opportunities for others, especially women, to gain access to roles of...

I’m the one being interviewed! My new friends Becky and Jon (and Julie!) at We are for Good interviewed me and shared with their community. It got so many listens and positive comments that I decided to “double click” on it and share it with you, my Creating Community for Good Family as a bonus episode. Big visions and big hearts motivate big giving! Act with gratitude, kindness and enthusiasm for successful fundraising. In the end, every step along this journey is creating community for...

Alana is a tech guru with 20 years at Google and an active philanthropist. The essence of this episode is to draw back the curtain for a fireside chat about a leader in tech and her approach to creating community for good. In this episode, I bring on Alana Karen, author of The Adventures of Women in Tech — how we got here and why we stay. She is also a 20 year vet in tech and currently serves as the Director of Search Platforms at Google and a Founding Member of Enrich, a private network for...

In an effort to create and CELEBRATE community — we can’t forget about the power of music! Whether it is hip hop, gospel, country or top 40… music is the soundtrack of our lives. From neurological activation to the way we tap our feet (or get up and boogie) the art form of music is both expressive and connective. It’s also a reflection of our culture and society. It bonds us through shared joy and pain. That’s why I sit down today with Khafre Jay to discuss Hip Hop culture and its impact on...

When it comes to money-related issues, mum’s the word. Talking about wealth right now couldn’t be more charged. Did you know that 8 out of 10 people who are wealthy grew up in middle class or poor neighborhoods?! I didn’t. Have you ever felt bad for the rich? I have. Why? They are human just like everyone else! There’s a lot of stigma around the issue. This is why I am delighted to talk today with Jennifer Risher, author of the book We Need to Talk: A Memoir About Wealth and initiator of...

October is Ethics Awareness Month, and we acknowledge the importance of this topic with fundraising consultant Eric Heininger, CFRE. Eric is the founding managing director of EDEN+ in Des Moines, Iowa, and founder of the Des Moines Fundraising Institute. Today, we cover two key ethics topics: gift acceptance policies and sexual harassment in fundraising and volunteer management. There is a very personal story that Eric shares with us, that hasn’t been shared anywhere else before, so I invite...

Giving Circles have existed since the beginning of time, we just haven’t called them that. Communities around the world have always had systems of supporting each other for communal prosperity. But wealth and finances have become so personal and private, especially in the US, that if you don’t have the capacity to give a significant amount, or you don’t know where to begin with philanthropy, you might not get involved at all. This episode’s guest, Sara Lomelin, discusses the importance and...

Nonprofits raise almost half of their annual budgets between October and December. So, no matter what kind of organization you have, you need to be doing something throughout the holiday season -- and now is the time to strategize and activate plans. This is why I’ve called on area expert Mike Spear. We talk about End of Year Giving, #GivingTuesday, and what you can do in January to steward your donors and cultivate them for bigger gifts. With over 10 years in the social sector, Mike comes...

When it comes to pursuing a career in fundraising, people like Darcie Champagne Wells are worth watching. She is the Nonprofit Executive and Market Leader at March of Dimes in the Greater Houston Area. She’s deeply passionate and recently celebrated a major milestone —  she and the team she manages have collectively raised $100 million! She has been with the March of Dimes for the last 12 years and been in this profession for the past 25 years, but for her, this is just the beginning of the...

When it comes to pursuing a career in fundraising, people like Darcie Champagne Wells are worth watching. She is the Nonprofit Executive and Market Leader at March of Dimes in the Greater Houston Area. She’s deeply passionate and recently celebrated a major milestone — she and the team she manages have collectively raised $100 million! She has been with the March of Dimes for the last 12 years and been in this profession for the past 25 years, but for her, this is just the beginning of the...