Through The Noise

We really enjoyed our conversation with Chris Mead of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives when he was a guest on Through the Noise last year so we decided to invite him back on the show. We wanted to find out more about his work with the Association as well as his passion -- a historian of the Chamber of Commerce. Last time he was in the studio, we talked about the history of the various Chambers of Commerce around the country and his book "Magicians of Main Street." With over 7000 Chambers around the country, their work and membership varies widely and the Association of Chamber Executives helps unite the people working in offices large and small while envisioning and planning for what the future will bring -- as in their strategic plan - Horizon 2025.  Chris Mead has nearly 20 years’ experience working with associations. He handles mostly sponsorships and memberships. And he’s also fascinated by chambers of commerce and their role in the building of the United States. The surprising influence

Kiki L'Italien is the CEO & Founder of Amplified Growth, a digital marketing firm specializing in SEO and SEM -- search engine optimization and search engine marketing. These types of online outreach are crucial for nonprofits to stay relevant but they are often misunderstood or overlooked. We talk about nonprofit growth, and reaching and engaging current and potential members. As many of our guests have noted on Through the Noise, it is essential to know who you are trying to reach, find out where they spend their time, and meet them where they are. Don't miss this episode if you're struggling with this part of running your nonprofit. Ms. L'Italien also founded and is the host of Association Chat on Twitter every Tuesday at 2pm since 2009. Find it under #assnchat.

Today's guest is Henry Wallmeyer, President & CEO of the National Club Association. The National Club Association is the nonprofit that represents and advocates on behalf of all private clubs. Their membership base is the club itself, rather than the staff of the clubs, and they currently have 400 members and are striving to reach 1000. Private clubs took a major hit after the recession as individuals from all walks of life strove to tighten up their budgets and eliminate extraneous expenses. For many, membership in a private club was one of the first things to go and with dwindling individual members, clubs have had to adjust and become more flexible in order to survive. Mr. Wallmeyer would like the members (or the staff of the club) to know that they can easily play an important role in helping the NCA become more effective in helping them -- just get in touch.  Henry Wallmeyer has more than 15 years of experience in association management, focusing on organizational development, marketing, membership a

If you've recovered from your eating, drinking, and shopping hangovers, join us for a conversation with Lisa Karlisch, a Management Consultant with Sparkfire Strategy. Whether you are with a new organization, thinking of starting one, trying to manage and scale growth, or decide if you've achieved what you set out to do -- Ms. Karlisch can help you figure out where you need to go next. Though many people hope to hire a management consultant to tell them exactly what they need to do, the Sparkfire Strategy approach involves getting people on the same path and making sure that they are walking in the same direction -- and empowering the staff to know how to lead. As Ms. Karlisch notes, in many cases, the process is often as important as the result. Join us today for some great tips to take back to your own organization. And don't forget to review us on iTunes!  Lisa Karlisch is a Principal at Sparkfire Strategy. Prior to working at Sparkfire, she was the COO at a non-profit organization and a consultant at McKi

Grab a cup of coffee for this conversation with Mary Linnell-Simmons of Fairtrade America as we explore the ideas behind "fair trade" and consider the implications of our choices. Do you know anything about that coffee? Who grew the beans? Who harvested them? The fair trade movement is involved in making the entire supply chain fair so producers of food and other goods we depend on are able to live sustainable, healthy lives. Fairtrade America provides a voluntary certification that a product is fair trade and you can find that designation on over 30,000 goods. Awareness of fair trade grows after a catastrophe, like the clothing factory fire in Bangladesh that killed hundreds of workers, prompting people to question the working conditions used to keep clothing so cheap. 

Today's guest is Scott Michael who steps away from his role as President & CEO of the American Moving & Storage Association where he has helped the industry in various capacities over the past 23 years. While moving and storage typically are not the subject of heated dinner party debates, they play an important role in the lives of most people, at least occasionally. Find out how a well-timed and organized move can make all the difference for military families who must move and uproot their entire family every couple of years. Planning a move? Check out this episode to find out when might be the easiest time of year for you and your family. Scott Michael serves as president and CEO for the American Moving & Storage Association. He has served as the industry's primary liaison to the U.S. Department of Defense, GSA, and other government customers of the moving and storage industry. He was previously vice president for membership and has held other positions with the association and the American Move

We're very excited to welcome Delshan Baker to the show today. Ms. Baker joins us from an organization in Baltimore called Thread that's been receiving some great publicity. Earlier this year, Ernesto read a profile in the New York Times about the transformative work the staff and volunteers of Thread do for underperforming students in Baltimore. Thread only works with students in the bottom 25% of their class and provides them with a volunteer support network that is available 24 hours a day for 10 years. They manage a spectacular community of volunteers that Show Up and form a family support system that is structured to help the student begin thriving and continue to succeed into adulthood. Delshan has almost 15 years of operations experience in the non-profit and for-profit sectors, from managing an $11M budget to launching essential technology projects. She has a BA in Studio Art from Stanford University, an MBA from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and is a Baltimore native. Thread engages underperfo

Nicholas Croce Jr. joins us today from the American Psychiatric Nurses Association where he represents 11,000 of the country's nurses that treat patients suffering from mental illnesses. Prior to becoming Executive Director of the APNA, Nicholas Croce Jr. had a long career in a number of different fields, including the U.S. Air Force, the Post Office, and work as an x-ray technician before delving into the association world. The work of psychiatric nurses is often misunderstood and they are seen as "the nurses that sit around and play cards with patients," but with 60 million Americans suffering from mental illnesses that cannot be seen or observed quite as easily as a broken leg or bronchitis, these nurses use a variety of techniques of observation to gain a handle on what is bothering the patient -- including patiently playing cards. We discuss the importance of patient-first language such as a "person with alcoholism" rather than an alcoholic, or "a person suffering from schizophrenia" rather than a schizo

Hating school is a time-honored tradition by nearly all students who are forced to attend schools for much of childhood into becoming an adult but today we're sitting down with someone who is working to change the face of education to present a more rounded and useful world view. Peter Guttmacher is the Director of Programming and Curriculum Development for the District of Learning which is an initiative of Fair Chance, the organization we recently had on Through the Noise. Employing recent technological advances in the classroom, students are able to work towards a broader type of education grounded in the real world. Students earn digital badges to illustrate their success in a variety of different areas and are are able to demonstrate their various skills and talents via these badges You might even wish you could go back to school if it could be more like this. Tweets: / New episode with Peter Guttmacher of @dc_learning on experiential learning, digital badges, and the whole student #education #tech

Most people (and certainly listeners of this podcast!) will agree that no one's future should depend on the zip code where they were born. And today's guests spend every day working to ensure each child actually has a "fair chance," no matter where they were born and it's also the apt title of their organization. Gretchen Van der Veer, Executive Director and Benjamin Bradburn, Director of Development join us to talk about the mission of Fair Chance and the strategic partnerships they form to help different nonprofits become more effective in their services. Similar to an accelerator for start-ups, their partnership program works with organizations for as little as six and as many as 24 months in several key areas of nonprofit management. Next episode we'll delve a little deeper as we chat with one of Fair Chance's partner organizations. PS: Like our work? Rate us on itunes!

Please welcome today's guest Melissa Panagides of BDO USA who was recommended by friend-of-the-show Joan Parker of Counterpart International. Melissa Panagides has been called an "organizational therapist" in her role as Senior Manager of Management Advisory Services at BDO and she helps drive growth through mergers and acquisitions. This is an important episode for anyone managing a nonprofit facing difficult questions about transitions and considering a merger with another organization -- or if you happen to be on the "target" side of the equation, and are being acquired. Find out from an expert in the field how to plan ahead, manage expectations, and support people during this difficult time.  Melissa Panagides-Busch has been working for over 25 years working getting things done. Her career started in public health and project management, meandered through education research and non-profit management, and is now focused on management advisory services. BDO USA, LLP is known primary as an accounting firm. T

If you're a regular listener of the show, you have probably heard us talk about and host ASAE, and you probably know that they are the American Society of Association Executives and their work is especially relevant to our audience. So we are pleased to welcome Rhonda Payne, ASAE's Chief Learning Officer to Through the Noise today. Though CLO is not a common position in many organizations at this time, it is particularly crucial for ASAE which is hosts a number of conferences every year while offering important trainings for the staff of a wide variety of associations. Ms. Payne is responsible for the development of all of the educational offerings of ASAE, including the on-demand courses that they now have available. Check out this episode for more on ASAE's work and how it can benefit yours today. ASAE is a membership organization of more than 21,000 association executives and industry partners representing 9,300 organizations. Its members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies

If you are new to management, have had problems managing your staff, or are looking for some insight into strategies that might work better with the teams you have in place, today's episode with Mike Subelsky is a great place to start. He is (among other things) Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Staq, a tech start-up based in Balitmore that "makes ad operations more efficient" through compiling data from 350 different platforms. Staq is a rapidly growing company that welcomes people from all backgrounds with an interest in programming and strives to create an organization of empowered staff so that it can continue even when someone is on vacation or leaves the company. "Give away all the credit, take all the blame" is one of the many takeaways from this episode that may help you improve relationships with your staff and help them become more creative and invested. Don't miss these and other essential tips to starting and running organizations in a way that supports people. Mike is the CTO of STAQ, an

There are few things today's guest Mike Harden hasn't done prior to becoming a coach to other executives. After a career in business spanning four decades, he has settled into the comfortable role of helping others become better at their own jobs. He says that the most successful people -- and coaching clients -- are those who know that there is much left to learn and are open to listening. There are four key problems that plague companies and organizations and knowing how to identify and when and how to address them is crucial. A proactive approach is best when handling "people problems" (staff), customer, financial, and product and service problems. As a coach who has spent decades as a C-level executive, Mr. Harden has experience in the hiring and firing realm and has some useful advice for anyone losing sleep at night over the possibility of having to fire someone.  Mike Harden is the Founder and CEO of Clarity Group. Mike is an Executive Coach, specializing in CEOs and C-level executives. With over 13,00

Over the next couple of episodes, we'll be hosting guests who specialize in helping people become their best selves. Today we sit down with Nancy Belmont, the Chief Inspiration Officer of Vessence, a company based in Alexandria, Virginia that helps people and brands identify their values so they can pursue them. She walks Blake and Ernesto through the 12 major archetypes as defined by Carol S. Pearson which are useful for individuals and organizations. Are you primarily the magician, sage, jester, or lover? Or perhaps one of the other 8? In order for an organization or business to be successful they must have a variety of different archetypes in order to achieve balance. She coaches companies to identify those types in their brand and adopt a storyline that is most fitting to project to the public. Ms. Belmont asks: Why do you wake up every morning? What motivates you? For some clarifying perspectives, you won't want to miss this episode!

Compensation is a touchy subject for many drawn to the mission-driven world so we've brought in a guest familiar with associations and the salaries offered across country. Joel Poznansky is the President of Columbia Books & Information Services which publishes a number of essential guides for nonprofit management such as the annual Nonprofit Compensation Report and a comprehensive report of all active associations in the United States. CBIS also publishes the website Association Trends to help association executives keep abreast of current nonprofit developments.  Joel Poznansky took over Columbia Books and Information Services in 2007 after spending twenty years in the publishing and education industry. Originally a Brit, he came to Harvard Business School for a well earned rest after graduating from Cambridge University and Sandhurst. A 50 year old Washington based publisher that provides information and training for specialized professional groups - particularly the association and non profit world, th

Ernesto is back! Stopping back unexpectedly for a break from paternity leave, we have three hosts on the show today since Stephanie Cerulo is still with us as our guest host. Rick Stamberger, the CEO of SmartBrief joins us to talk about the 200 different publications his company produces for over 200 trade associations and 6.6 million subscribers. In business since the early days of email, SmartBrief employs 170 editors, writers, and tech staff who comb over 10,000 different media outlets to bring relevant news for your association. The staff of many nonprofits are focused on mission-driven activities and don't have the time or ability to focus on sending thoughtful, researched news pieces when they matter and SmartBrief makes that possible. If you work for a nonprofit or create a product or service that is essential to those in that industry, this episode could start some wheels turning and potentially save you lots of time, money, and energy to focus on your real work.  Rick Stamberger is president and CEO

Regular listeners of Through the Noise may recall that Ernesto Glueksmann was about to be a father for the second time and he is now enjoying some much needed paternity leave with his lovely new baby. While Ernesto is away, we are pleased to welcome guest host, Stephanie Cerulo. Today Blake and Stephanie chat with Stacy Fitzgerald-Redd, the Director of Marketing and Communications for the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association. NAIMA is a trade organization representing nine companies involved in all facets of fiberglass and mineral wool insulation. Though not always considered the most glamorous of topics in housing renovations, Ms. Fitzgerald-Redd walks us through several reasons why insulation ought to be on the top of your home care list whether buying, selling, or simply staying put. Did you know, for example, that insulation is one of the very few improvements that boast a 100% (or more) return on investment? If you want to save money today and tomorrow, with the side benefit of reducing yo

Ernesto and Blake are joined by Kevin Haley of the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) for a conversation about the present and future of energy. As Director of Communications for ACORE, Mr. Haley is responsible for ACORE's Energy Fact Check website which addresses and debunks the myths that persist regarding renewable energy. ACORE is a membership organization and their membership base is comprised of businesses and organizations -- many that are revolutionizing the face of energy production in the U.S. Concerned about jobs and job growth in the transition from non-renewables? Mr. Haley can set your mind at ease. Join us as we delve into some of the myths (and legends!) surrounding the renewable energy industry. Kevin Haley is responsible for the strategy and execution of the American Council On Renewable Energy’s (ACORE) communications and marketing outreach across the clean energy industry. Prior to joining ACORE in 2013, Kevin worked in the clean tech space as a communications and research consul

Elizabeth Scott helps make nonprofits more effective by building their internal capacity. With a PhD in Human and Organizational Systems, Dr. Scott has "written the book" on harnessing the emotional intelligence of staff members so organizations can do more of what they do best. She is the Founder and CEO of Brighter Strategies, a non--profit consulting firm that works with non-profits as a "thought partner" to help build capacity and make the most of their greatest asset -- their human capital. Brighter Strategies hosts a quarterly conference, the Nonprofit Capacity Conference at which 150-200 organizations come together to share best practices and to build capacity within the organization so they can have a greater impact. Dr. Elizabeth Scott is a scholar-practitioner who has focused her career on providing thought leadership and high value organizational development consulting in support of a stronger social sector. In addition to her work at Brighter Strategies, she is also on the faculty at The Chicago S