Through The Noise

Puppies and paintbrushes: therapy comes in many forms. This project offers active duty and military veterans a safe space to access art supplies that they can use to express themselves. It also offers a space to meet others with shared experiences and begin or continue the healing process from trauma.   Kristin Beck is the subject of a CNN documentary called "Lady Valor" which shows the dichotomy of a Navy SEAL and a transgender journey. The documentary is can be seen on NETFLIX. She is running for Congress in Maryland’s 5th Congressional District. You can follow her on Twitter @theladyvalor  The 296 Project mission is to promote, fund, and support Art and Expressive Therapies (painting, ceramics, writing, music, etc) as a viable way to heal from trauma or traumatic brain injury.

Face to face fundraising is still the most effective form of fundraising. Telling a story about how the funds are needed and how they will be used are important elements in the art of fundraising for associations, not to be left out in the age of social media. John H. Graham has been the President and CEO of ASAE since 2003, and he has been involved in associations for more than 40 years. He previously served as CEO of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for 13 years and worked for a total of 24 years at ADA. 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 and voluntary organizations across the United States and in nearly 50 countries around the world.  

For years many have been working to help those in the Ukraine and other countries that are in need of medical supplies and more. They have been working to help over 59 different foreign countries. John L. Kachelman, Jr. is Chairman of the Advisory Committee of PartnerSHIP for Impact, and President of Life Resources International, where he has coordinated humanitarian efforts in 23 countries. Lecturer and author of more than 20 books, John is most proud of being “Pop” to seven grandchildren. PartnerSHIP for Impact is the network of networks, working with thousands of volunteers in the U.S. and around the world to ship donated, emergency supplies to people most in need.

The way we communicate is constantly changing.  Where were podcasts five years ago? Today we live in a data driven world. This has revolutionalized the way we communicate. Leigh Kessler mixes more than 10 years of agency and client-side branding and qualitative research for some of the best known brands in the world including Microsoft, McKinsey and Co. Johnson & Johnson, GE, Democracy Corps, Kraft, TUMS, For Eyes Optical, Broadway, and the NY Department of Health, with consumer insight "field work" in the trenches of the stand-up world where he spent 7 years headlining for audiences across America and appearing on numerous TV shows including VH1's "Best Week Ever", CNN's "Showbiz Tonight", Discovery Channel & on Sirius Radio. CharityEngine’s “One Platform. One CRM. One Support Team.” solution gives nonprofits more control over the technology behind their online fundraising, communications, events & donor management.

Once upon a time development was a pretty small universe in terms of who was working in it. Now major companies and billionaires are starting to invest and donate to development around the world. Alan Robbins is Partner and Global Head of Membership & Alliances for Devex. He was a member of the team that started Devex and is working closely with organizations through innovative partnerships as they look to navigate the rapidly changing international development landscape. Devex is the media platform for the global development community. It is a social enterprise connecting and informing 600,000+ development, health, humanitarian, and sustainability professionals through news, business intelligence, and funding & career opportunities so they can do more good for more people.

Do you know how much is actually going on in your city? Most people walk past some of the most historic and cultural buildings and sites in their city without every really know it. Erica Kritt is the Social Media Assistant for Cultural Tourism DC, and considers herself a specialist at content development. She started her career as a reporter for The Carroll County Times in Westminster, Maryland. After attending graduate school at Boston University she took the leap from traditional print media to the digital world writing blogs, creating social media posts and designing graphics among many other things for a travel agency and now uses these skills at Cultural Tourism DC.  Cultural Tourism DC is a nonprofit dedicated to educating and enlightening people about the heritage and history of Washington DC. To do this the organization runs 15 self-guided heritage trails and puts on Passport DC  in the spring and WalkingtownDC event in the fall.​ Mickey Panayiotakis is the managing partner and technical director for

What media isn't digital today? Traditional marketing and digital marketing have a huge overlap today. Kat Murti—a digital native and a long-time lover of liberty—is Digital Marketing Manager of the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., in which capacity she oversees Cato’s presence in the online and social media spheres. Prior to joining Cato’s Marketing and Communications teams, Kat was employed by the New Media department at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. In a previous life, Kat worked as a journalist and in drug policy reform. She currently serves on the board of Students for Sensible Drug Policy(SSDP), an international non-profit dedicated to empowering student activists to end the War on Drugs. Founded in 1977, the Cato Institute is a public policy research organization dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government and free markets. Its scholars and analysts conduct independent, nonpartisan research on a wide range of policy issues.

Giving tablets to kids in schools to help communicate.  Many kids today do not have internet access.  This makes it very difficult for them to communicate with others. Susan Koehler is Executive Director of Hopecam. In two years, Susan has grown Hopecam from helping 25 children each year to 360. Hopecam is a charity that helps kids with cancer stay connected to their friends and classmates.

Pushing the Needle is a new segment where we pair up a nonprofit professional with a vendor or consultant and see what happens! A good fundraiser keeps their donors feeling needed.They keep their donors around with a lot of relationship building and maintenance efforts And, good software can help a fundraiser keep on top of it all. That's why we brought these two together. Heidi is the Director of Development & Organizational Advancement at Cornerstone. She's a career development professional who brings an extensive network of contacts and wealth of knowledge about fundraising, non-profits, and board engagement. Ryan Ozimek is the CEO and co-founder of PICnet, a company dedicated to building technology to help organizations succeed in their online engagement.  PICnet is the maker of Soapbox Engage, an online engagement platform used by non-profit marketing professionals for online fundraising, events, applications, and more.

Each year hundreds of thousands of tourists, both international and domestic, arrive in cities all over the world. Many of these tourists opt to stay in hostels not only for the convenience, but more for the experience. There is nothing like exploring a city for the first time while surrounded by others who are doing just that. Netanya Trimboli is the Communications and PR Manager for Hostelling International USA, where she oversees media relations for 55 unique hostels nationwide. Netanya has been doing marketing and communications for the hospitality industry for over 10 years, following 2 years of working, volunteering, and traveling across the U.S. and abroad. Hostelling International USA (HI USA) is a non profit organization with a mission to create a more tolerant world and the nation's leading brand of hostels.

Research and writing on policy issues may not seem like they have applications in the real world. You may hear lots of buzz about different new policies and may see them in action, but what you won't see is the scorecard on how they are doing that can determine their future. Andrew Moylan is executive director and senior fellow for R Street, where he heads coalition efforts, conducts policy analysis and serves as the organization’s lead voice on tax issues. Prior to joining R Street, Andrew was vice president of government affairs for the National Taxpayers Union, a grassroots taxpayer advocacy organization. He previously served with the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute and completed internships in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives with members from his home state of Michigan. Andrew’s writings have appeared in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and The Weekly Standard. The R Street Institute is a free-market public policy organization (or think

Nonprofits are about so much more than just raising money and doing good in the world. They can require a lot of extra attention as well. Here we talk about advancing non profits and increasing their capabilities when they can't focus on the fundraising and board requirements. A leader with more than 15 years of experience in the Metropolitan Washington nonprofit sector, Glen is passionate about addressing the issues affecting communities throughout the region. He has served as CEO of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement since June 2008. Before joining the Center, Glen served as president and CEO of Earth Conservation Corps. There he strengthened the organization’s programmatic infrastructure and forged partnerships with nonprofits, public officials, foundations and corporations throughout the region. Previously, Glen worked for the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial’s RFK Fellows program. Since 1979, the Center for Nonprofit Advancement has strengthened, p

Kevin Costner was wrong. If you build it, it will need lots of work. Especially if you are looking to raise money for a good cause. Greg Warner is CEO and Founder of MarketSmart, a revolutionary marketing software and services firm that helps nonprofits raise more money more efficiently. In 2013, Greg coined the phrase "Engagement Fundraising" to encapsulate his breakthrough fundraising formula for achieving extraordinary results. MarketSmart's innovative products and services use Internet tracking technologies to help fundraisers focus on the donors that are most likely to support their organizations with large, major or legacy gifts.

People act better when everyone is watching. Someone needs to keep an eye on the government. That may sound crazy but by working with journalists and the media, it is possible. Gabriela Schneider is the Communications Director of the Sunlight Foundation, and is responsible for leading Sunlight's Communications team and external affairs. Gabriela came to Washington, D.C. in the late 1990s determined to work in public policy serving the public interest, but shifted her career to focus in communications so she could help translate policy issues into something more publicly accessible. The Sunlight Foundation is a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for open government globally and uses technology to make government more accountable to all.

It is one thing to have a non profit that is doing well and making a difference in the world. It is another to know just what that difference is. Results are great but if you don't analyze them you won't know how to move forward. Annette N. Brown is a Deputy Director for the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) and heads its Washington office. Prior to joining 3ie, Brown held executive and senior management positions at several development implementers, for which she performed technical assistance and research in more than twenty countries across all regions. Earlier in her career, Brown was Assistant Professor of economics at Western Michigan University and held research positions at the World Bank and the Stockholm Institute for Transition Economics.  The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) is a grant-making NGO dedicated to improving lives in the developing world by supporting the production of and disseminating evidence from impact evaluations and related research.

If you build it, they don't come. So many great causes today don't know how to raise money online. GlobalGiving is changing that. Kevin Conroy is the Chief Product Officer at GlobalGiving. He manages an amazing team that runs GlobalGiving's technology, marketing, communications, and customer service. He is head-over-heels-in-love with his job. GlobalGiving.org is the world's first global crowdfunding site for nonprofits in 160 countries.

You may think lots of kids are writing poetry and playing soccar and think how nice it is. But there is more too it then that. These types of programs and others offered by DC Scores are helping kids and building communities. Bethany Rubin Henderson is an award-winning social entrepreneur whose career has spanned the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, including service as a White House Fellow in the Obama Administration. She strongly believes every child deserves an equal chance and every community deserves engaged citizens. Bethany and her husband have two kids, a dog, and a blog about their struggles to juggle their two-career, two-kid household. DC SCORES builds teams for low-income DC youth that instill self-expression (through poetry), physical fitness (through soccer), and a sense of community (through service). We are one of the largest DC youth development organizations, and have worked with over 9,000 students.

Getting into your readers heads can be difficult - especially considering the vast audience of baby boomers and millennials. Learn more about how to write your content (even if its always the same) for your audience Tania Anderson is a senior writer for Bisnow Media, covering technology, associations and nonprofits, and commercial real estate. The DC native's background includes stints at Washingtonpost.com, the Washington Business Journal, Potomac Tech Journal, About.com, and Washington Technology. Bisnow Media, based in DC and New York and launched in 2007, publishes over 30 e-newsletters covering major cities all over the US and Canada.

We all know the wonderful organization, Wreaths Across America. Find out more about how they got started and how they spread holiday cheer every year. Born in Concord, NH but moved to Maine in the third grade, so Maine is home. Graduated from Bangor HS and received a BS in Education at the University of Maine Orono. After 7 years of ROTC during high school and college received 2nd Lt Commission in the US Army, Military Police Corps. Served in the Army from 1967-1971 with assignments in Alaska, Vietnam and Alabama. Rose to rank of Captain before leaving service. Received two Bronze Stars for service and achievement in Viet Nam. What began in 1992 with a trailer load of wreaths, decorated by volunteers and laid at the graves of fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery (See: The Arlington Story - How the Arlington Wreath Project was born) has now become a national organization with over 700 participating locations - all focused on the mission to Remember - Honor - and Teach.

  Getting the right information to the right people is an important part of business and marketing. Technology today is helping to make business emails and communications more effective to clients by learning what users might like or need. Noland Chambliss is the Director of External Affairs at Change.org. He manages the company’s outreach to strategic communities and influencers, including high profile brands and public figures. He has previously worked as a brand and communications strategist for a wide range of companies, campaigns and public figures. He is from Kentucky and loves bourbon and loud music. Change.org is the worlds largest petition platform.