Through The Noise

On Through the Noise, we've have the opportunity to engage Executive Directors, COOs, Communications Directors, In-field Staff, and neary every staff position essential to running an effective non-profit organization. Though we've recorded over 200 episodes with different non-profit guests, we have never hosted a Board member. Until now. Please welcome Fred Bollerer, Treasurer of the Board for Child Trends, an organization we're pleased to welcome back to the show. This is an excellent opportunity to hear from the perspective of someone so deeply committed to the mission of the organization that they donate their expertise for free. Mr. Bollerer has worked in the financial sector for most of his career and thrives most when he is fixing organizations that are floundering. He points out that non-profits are currently providing 85% of social services in the U.S. -- so how can we make them most effective? Is your organization ready to hire a new Executive Director or other members of the Executive Team? You won'

Joshua Caulfield runs an organization that works to keep future nonprofit leaders in good shape to change the world (well, sort of). As Executive Director of the American Medical Student Association, he heads an organization that is driven by the medical students that comprise its membership. AMSA works to improve the lives of medical students and to prepare them for the challenges of becoming a physician, but also places a large emphasis on activism and being part of "the change" in the medical profession. With 40,000 members, they are a vibrant, chapter-based organization and there's still a chance for you to become a member and sign up for their Fall Conference in Puerto Rico! Registration closes October 5! Joshua is a non-profit manager who has been blessed to work with a number of associations in the last 18 years. Most recently he has had the opportunity to engage with organization facing serious challenges and helping them reboot successfully. A professional society for the support and advocacy of phys

Today we return to our exploration of the international development world with our guest Peter Saling of Winrock International. Winrock International was founded by Winthrop Rockefeller to "empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources across the globe" using several different approaches. Mr. Saling takes a break from his role in sustainable agriculture to share some of the projects he manages around the globe which both help individuals as well as the larger economy of countries where Winrock works. Cognizant that development is most effective when done with local populations, we learn more about their collaborative efforts as well as a new strategy they will be unveiling soon. Peter Saling is a Program Manager for Winrock International. He is an international development professional with experience in designing and managing financial sector, economic development, and agriculture programs in 15+ countries. Winrock International is a nonprofit organization that works

Have you wondered if it's time for your organization to get an in-house counsel? If you work for a growing organization, you won't want to miss this episode when we sit down with attorney Jeffrey Tenenbaum of the law firm Venable LLP. He chairs the firm's Nonprofit Organizations Practice Group and is intimately familiar with the law as it pertains to nonprofits. There are so many ways that organizations can fall behind and get themselves in legal trouble even by having an out of date employee handbook. Delve into this and other legal questions with Jeffrey, Blake, and Ernesto. 

As summer comes to a conclusion around much of the United States and outdoor activities become less common, we invited Michael Clements to join us to talk about some other recreational opportunities that can be enjoyed by people of all ages -- might be particularly appealing to the staff of nonprofits after a long day sitting in front of computers. Michael Clements is the founder of ArtJamz, a social art studio where people come together to imbibe tasty beverages in a social environment while painting. Created with the mission of making the world a more creative place, ArtJamz creates jobs for artists by hiring them to work with the attendees of the sessions. If you're in the DC area, stop by to unwind after work one day and create something while meeting new people -- or go with friends. (((Tell them Through the Noise sent you)))  I'm an artrepreneur. I synthesize my experiences in the arts, entertainment, media, tech, live events and business to form start-ups which disrupt traditional arts paradigms. My ov

Laura Wexler has been in the storytelling business for a decade and is host of the popular live storytelling event "the Stoop" in Baltimore. The Stoop has an archive of nearly 1000 stories told by different people -- real life stories that don't revolve around a moral or a script -- and allow listeners and the storyteller to deeply connect with each other. Although live storytelling events are now common in most cities around the U.S., when Ms. Wexler started the Stoop, few people understood the concept, but now they sell out every time because people are clamoring to hear other people being real. The Stoop is now a podcast -- you should check it out!  Laura Wexler is the co-founder and co-producer of The Stoop Storytelling Series, a Baltimore-based live show and podcast that features "ordinary" people telling the extraordinary true stories of their lives. Laura frequently presents workshops and coaching sessions to nonprofits and businesses that want to harness the power of true, personal storytelling to com

Today we are excited to welcome back Bryan Fratkin who joined us last July on Episode 85 (can you believe that was a year ago? Listen to it here: http://throughthenoise.us/mediacast/85-whistle-stop-digital-bryan-fratkin/) as SparkInfluence was getting off the ground. SparkInfluence connects associations and advocacy organizations with marketing -- integrating all the different platforms typically used separately and simplifying the process. Many organizations adopt the non-policy of latching onto any new piece of technology without a plan and use only a fraction of its capacity -- wasting the time of their staff and supporters as well as financial resources. Don't miss this episode if you've ever been frustrated by the abundance of technology, trying to keep up, or getting your message across in a uniform way across all platforms. Bryan is founder and Managing Partner of Whistle Stop Digital (WSD), leading a team in devising and implementing digital strategy for issue advocacy and PAC campaigns. The goal is a

Listening to today's 33 minute episode with Melanie Spring TODAY is probably one of the most valuable ways you could use half an hour. You'll probably want to take some notes too because during and after this show you will think differently about yourself, your coworkers, and your organization. Melanie Spring is the "Chief Inspiration Officer" of Sisarina, a branding agency in Washington, DC and she has a lot of questions! Join us today as we play the Inside Out Game and Blake and Ernesto assess themselves and each other to find out what they're good at and where they're failing. You can make this a participatory podcast and "workshop" yourself as well. Bonus -- come up with a unique and fun way to answer that often-dreaded question at parties "So, what do you do?"  Melanie Spring is the Chief Inspiration Officer at Sisarina, DC's brand strategy agency. She's an entrepreneur, international speaker, and approachable badass spreading the gospel of branding on purpose. Sisarina is a brand strategy agency that st

Laura Verdun is today's guest and while she does not work with a nonprofit, those who are in the nonprofit world could benefit from her expertise as a speech pathologist. Regardless of our professional roles, almost all of us could stand to be a little more eloquent, to slow down our speech, and to breathe more. Ms. Verdun is a partner in a voice, speech and communication consulting business that addresses and treats a wide range of speech problems ranging from traumatic physical injury to the voice box or muscles to people trying to become better speakers before addressing Congress (since they are based in Washington, DC) or an important meeting or convention. Blake and Ernesto take the opportunity to apply some of her expertise to the world of podcasting and she emphasizes that even though listeners can't see the hosts or guests, they can hear a smile, they can hear engagement and enthusiasm and it's important to speak confidently but at a pace where people can understand you. Don't miss the opportunity to

Today we take the opportunity to talk to someone who is has excited about podcasts as we are. Tom Webster of Edison Research -- a firm based in New Jersey that specializes in polls, marketing, and research. In May they released a report "The Podcast Consumer 2016" which revealed the results of their decade of studying podcasts. Podcasting has grown exponentially in the past 12 months and traditional advertisers are scrambling to find ways to target the audiences that were once easily accessible on television and radio. We have been working with a number of clients to help develop their own podcasts and as Blake mentions -- everyone always wants a lot of quality (engaged) listeners immediately -- so on this episode we explore developing an audience. Want to know where podcasts are going in the future? Don't miss this episode!

Listeners of the show may recall that Blake has recently become a(n unlikely) vegan and a more frequent consumer of some items eschewed many -- like the soybean -- fundamental ingredient of the often misunderstood tofu. So today we chat with Patrick Delaney of the American Soybean Association who helps dispel some myths about soybeans. Have you ever wondered about the "man boob" rumor -- that soybeans are packed with estrogen and will make men less masculine? We'll address that issue before we dive into some of the other facets of the ASA which is a policy organization, like many associations we have on the show, and they face many of the same problems such as how to get your story heard "through the noise" (can you hear Blake ringing the bell and shouting "ding ding ding!"?). The ASA has 25,000 members in 30 states and has had a fascinating approach to holding their annual conference. Don't miss this episode to learn about the collaborations they're building to strengthen farmers across the board (and countr

We had some questions about the financial side of operating nonprofits and so we invited two people on the show to set our minds at ease. Orin Schepps is Founder & CEO of Consultance Accounting Services and Jennifer Arminger of Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman join us to talk about two sides of the nonprofit accounting coin. Consultance Accounting Services is an accounting firm that helps nonprofits streamline their accounting procedures and Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman have worked with over 500 nonprofit clients in the auditing capacity. We pick their brains for their favorite apps to boost time and financial management skills and they have some great suggestions for integrating these systems with your bookkeeping to keep the process as painless as possible.  Jennifer Arminger, CPA is an Audit Partner with Gelman, Rosenberg and Freedman, CPAs and specializes in auditing and accounting services for tax-exempt organizations, both domestically and nationally. Additionally, she has extensive expertise in

Jennifer Ayers runs J. L. Ayers Consulting, a management consulting firm that works exclusively with nonprofits to help them become more effectitve and efficient. We spend much of the episode talking about the Board of Directors -- how to pick them, how to train them, how much to involve them, how to keep them fundraising. Ms. Ayers is a proponent of the "State of the Union" address to hold annually for the board to make sure they are aware of the work of the association -- especially for the boards of larger, national nonprofits where the board may not know each other.  JL Ayers Consulting is an independent management consulting practice designed to help organizations determine how to understand where they are, where they want to go and how to get there. With good assessment, solid business practices and high quality back-office infrastructure, organizations may become more innovative, creative and prepared to realize goals. Jennifer Ayers started her consulting practice after 15 years in the nonprofit indus

Abigail Goliber of the Center for Democracy and Technology joins us today to talk about her role as Director of Development and some of the stratgeties she employs to effectively raise money. The Center for Democracy and Technology is a "policy shop" that focuses on keeping the internet "open, innovative, and free" for everyone. As Director of Development, she is usually not the person to do the Ask but does the preliminary work of determining who should be asked and cultivating those relationships -- then the CEO or another person will actually ask for the contribution sometimes doesn't happen for 1-2 years. In Ms. Goliber's fundraising research she uses a process called "LAI" to determine the top 10 people to approach to ask for money and then builds the relationship to make the Ask possible or likely. If you are responsible for fundraising for your organization, you can't afford to miss this episode!  Abigail Goliber is the Director of Development at the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), a champ

Regular listeners of Through the Noise may remember today's guest, Dave Wakeman who joined us about 50 episodes ago to discuss why nonprofits should run like a business. Check it out after this episode. (http://throughthenoise.us/mediacast/151-david-wakeman/). His last appearance was so packed with valuable info, we just had to see what we secrets we could get him to spill this time. Principal of the Wakeman Consulting Group, he's known as the "Revenue Architect" and helps organizations -- nonprofits and for-profits -- become more effective and make more money. Sounds great, right? Today we'll talk about the importance of storytelling in conveying your mission. Through the lens of Bunnies for Bethesda, we'll figure out how to grow effectively and scale that growth in a way that makes sense for the mission. You'll also find out more about the new Non-profit Advisory Board Networking Group we've recently initiated. Dave Wakeman is known as "The Revenue Architect." His firm works with organizations to maximize

Today we are celebrating the 200th Episode of Through the Noise and we do so by welcoming Dr. Arlene Pietranton of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. ASHA is a major membership organization -- representing 186,000 members working to make "effective communication, a human right, accessible and achievable for all." Their members use both science and art in order to diagnose their patients and the staff also takes an innovative approach to running the organization. Rather than "supervisors", managers and other directors play the role of "coaches," leading, guiding, and mentoring the staff, rather than overseeing. Dr. Pietranton has been in the field for 22 years so you won't want to miss her expertise as a pathologist or the insights she shares after many years as a C-level executive. 

Karen Cunningham of the Capitol Hill Group Ministry joins us to talk about their work to help people get and maintain safe and stable housing in Washington, DC. The CHGM has been working to empower individuals in the Capitol Hill area of DC since 1967 when it was formed by a number of congregations in the area aiming to collaborate on social justice issues. Ms. Cunningham's interest in this field started as a child when she was inspired to run a canned food drive to help those less fortunate in her community. We learn about the District (of Columbia)'s ambitious plan to eradicate homelessness among veterans, individuals, and families and get down to the nitty-gritty details of managing an nonprofit. Don't miss the discussion on the importance of staying focused on your organization's strategic plan and pursuing programs that contribute to those long-term goals. Karen Cunningham is the executive director of Capitol Hill Group Ministry (CHGM). She has worked in nonprofit management and provided legal and social

Charlie Meisch joined the Federal Communications Commission just over a year ago as Senior Advisor to the Incentive Auction Task Force. He describes the FCC as the "stewards of the public's airwaves" and as such are responsible for the ways that people communicate wirelessly. In 2002 the Commission identified the need to make more space for broadband and while a solution was found and authorized by Congress in 2010, the Auctions just started this year. The Task Force developed an innovative approach to the ever-increasing problem of limited bandwidth for our data-hungry lives and earlier this year implemented the Incentive Auction -- a way of freeing up extra space on the broadcast spectrum to embrace new and evolving technologies. Mr. Meisch describes his role as "Explainer in Chief" and a lot of his role involves speaking to journalists, small groups, and podcasts like Through the Noise to clarify the what these auctions may mean for the American consumer -- and how they can assist and influence similar age

Today we're joined by Natalia Pane of Child Trends who manages to make even the Government Accoutability Movement sound compelling. As Senior Vice President for Research and Operations, Ms. Pane has her hand in many facets of running the nonprofit Child Trends -- a research organization focused on improving the lives of children and their families. As a research organization, their work can be considered successful even when they discover that something is not working -- when they can prove a program or strategy is ineffective or even harmful and eliminate it. This can have positive impacts for children, families, and other organizations by publishing the results and making them widely available, although as Ms. Pane points out, many publications are loathe to publish findings that are negative so they make their research known to their 25,000 subscribers and other followers. Beyond the research, Natalia Pane walks us through some of the ways Child Trend is succeeding on the human resources front and how they

Andy Wilson, Vice President of Development for the International Fund for Animal Welfare joins us today to explore a new topic for Through the Noise -- animals. Andy Wilson ensures that the International Fund for Animal Welfare has enough funds to complete their operations --- raising $75 million each year to support 250 staff doing projects in 40 different countries. The IFAW was started in 1969 by a man who was frustrated with the killing of seals for fur in Canada and has since grown exponentially and continues to have a great impact in protecting individual animals and animal ecosystems. Recognizing that human development is intrinsically linked to the elimination of animal habitats, they work to address the causes of the problem holistically. Listen up for some tips on development and how the heartwarming success stories of those not-so-cuddly Siberian Tigers help grow the organization. Andy Wilson leads IFAW’s global development team including major donors, foundation relations, direct mail, advisory co