Many politicians will say that children are our future, but when push comes to shove, how many really invest what is needed to make that future a reality?

Rob’s guest today, Mark Kennedy Shriver, has dedicated his life to this cause. Mark has had a successful career up to this point, serving as a Member of the Maryland House of Delegates for 8 years. After working in the government, Mark decided to become involved in the nonprofit sector. In 2003 he dedicated himself to the organization, Save The Children. Since 2014, he has served as president of Save The Children Action Network as well as the Senior VP of US Programs and Advocacy of Save The Children. From his experience in the government sector to the nonprofit sector, Mark has continued to serve his community and his country by making it his personal goal to get everyone to invest in the future of our children.

Save The Children first opened its doors in England back in 1919 and eventually made its way to the US in the 1930s with the goal of helping those children affected by the Great Depression. With a focus on the needs of children before, during, and after disasters, Save The Children has had great success at the legislative level by getting government leaders and corporations to invest in making an impact. Slowly but surely, they are creating a movement across the country with the hope of reaching every child in need.

Links to Resources:

Go to Save The Children to make your impact!

If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at: rob@ccofpc.org

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One of the most important parts of being a great leader is having an innate ability to solve both simple and complex problems.

Rob’s guest on the show is Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard and a former presidential candidate. Carly started the Unlocking Potential Foundation, a nonprofit focused on providing leaders with the tools necessary to sharpen and strengthen their problem-solving skills. She saw the lack of investment in the nonprofit world and decided to invest her leadership experience into this sector. Throughout her career as a leader, Carly has often been faced with the problem of separating management from leadership. What she has found is that whether you’re working at the top or the bottom, in a for-profit or nonprofit, leadership is always the same; acting as a catalyst for positive change. After all, a true leader is focused on collaborating with others in order to create a positive impact.

At Hewlett Packard, Carly was brought in to preserve what was working and reinvent what was not working. Coming into a company that had already been successful, Carly faced the challenge of sparking change in the face of the overwhelmingly powerful status quo. Being the first outsider, first non-engineer, and first woman to serve as CEO of the company, Carly faced a difficult amount of scrutiny. Through it all, she learned valuable leadership lessons.

Enjoy the show.

Links to Resources:
Hewlett Packard
Unlocking Potential Foundation

If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at: rob@ccofpc.org

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The challenges facing today’s society are so large that nonprofits alone cannot solve them. That is why it is so important for nonprofit leaders to collaborate with each other as well as with both the government and private sector, in order to take on these growing issues. Rob’s guest today, Heather McLeod Grant, is the co-founder of Open Impact, as well as an author, speaker, and consultant with more than 25 years of experience working to create systemic change. In her new book, Leading Systems Change, Open Impact conducted a research study in two counties in California. Her findings showed just how disconnected the nonprofits have been in that area, both horizontally and vertically. At the same time, their initial findings showed an appetite and momentum for change from the new leaders.

Open Impact, a social impact advising firm, was able to bring together an incredibly diverse group of leaders and put them through six months of intensive leadership training. Through tracking different levels such as individual leadership, networking, and the systems that they were embedded in, they were able to see a massive rise in collaborations amongst different sectors.

Enjoy today’s show.

Links to Resources:
James Irvine Foundation
Download Heather’s new book, Leading Systems Change, for free!
Forces For Good
Open Impact

If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at: rob@ccofpc.org
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When it comes to sustaining long-term success for nonprofits, planned giving is a critical component. Designating nonprofits in your will is one of the best things that you can leave behind, and Rob’s guest today, Patrick Schmitt, is making it easier than ever. Patrick, along with Jenny Xia Spradling, co-founded FreeWill, a company created to help you write your will and provide guidance on where you want your money to go after you die. It’s their goal to make estate planning warm, accessible, and completely free.

FreeWill is an award-winning social venture founded by these two graduate students of Stanford University in 2016, with the help and support of many of the world’s leading experts in law, design, and philanthropy. It is an online platform that makes estate planning incredibly easy for individuals. When people plan their estate through FreeWill, they are six times more likely to leave money for charities and nonprofits. Through partnering with nonprofits, FreeWill can help make custom websites and avenues to donate. Through careful planning and an environment of giving, FreeWill has already helped donate almost $1 billion to nonprofits and charities. When people near the end of their lives or even when they hit retirement age, some will want to contribute to charities that they feel passionate about but were not able to previously give much to them. The right retirement plan can help you out with what you want out of your retirement income and how you want to handle it when the time comes, checking out sites such as SoFi will be of great benefit to those who need to make that decision at any age.

Links to Resources:
See how you can make a difference after you go with FreeWill!

Connect with Patrick on LinkedIn!

If you have questions or want to be on the show, email Rob at: rob@ccofpc.org

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Mission creep can happen to the best of nonprofit organizations. In particular, when nonprofits are seeking funding, the risk of mission creep becomes higher. How do we as nonprofit leaders avoid mission creep, in particular when nonprofits work with government agencies. Author Liana Downey is my guest on this week’s Podcast and she will address this critical question. Liana is an internationally acclaimed strategic advisor dedicated to creating social change. As executive director of Liana Downey & Associates, Downey leads a high performing global team that helps visionary social leaders and organizations increase focus and change lives. In this episode she explains how nonprofits and government agencies can work together more effectively, without experiencing mission creep. Her book is “Mission Control”. Enjoy today’s show.

The Nonprofit Leadership Podcast is sponsored by Cinch and CCPC.

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