The Intersection Hub

Episode 20 - Its Time to Get Uncomfortable

How can white women use their privilege, power and voices to combat systemic racism? In her most recent article “The Issue of Well-Meaning White Women in Fundraising”, Liz LeClair once again got our attention by boldly tabling a topic we all need to think more about.

How do we find our voices when we are so unsure about what to say? How might we encourage more white women and men to advocate for social justice and a more diverse equitable inclusive and accessible charitable sector? Can we build alliances to do it, or do we need to charge forward boldly? Is it possible to do both?

For years Liz LeClair has been a vocal, strong voice for human rights, gender equality and social justice. Liz is often accused of being polarizing, divisive and combative. In this episode, we sat down with Liz to learn more about her and why she works so hard to push so many of us out of our comfort zone.

Liz is proud to call herself a fundraiser and a feminist. She brings more than 15 years of experience to her role as the Director of Major Gifts at the QEII Foundation in Halifax, Nova Scotia (located in the unceded territory of Mi'kma'ki).

Liz is a long-standing member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the current chair of the AFP Women's Impact Initiative (WII). She sits on the board of CFRE International and has done so since 2018. In January 2019, Liz published an op-ed with CBC on rampant issue of sexual harassment in the non-profit sector, putting a face to the issue. In the fall of 2019 Liz helped co-found the National Day of Conversation to highlight the issue of sexualized violence in fundraising. Liz is committed to speaking up about the challenges facing women and marginalized individuals in the non-profit sector.

Here are links to the articles and books mentioned in our conversation.

Charity eNEWS Op Ed: the issue of Well-Meaning White Women in Fundraising.

Sexual Harassment Runs Rampant in non-profits and it is time for our #MeToo moment. 

CBC Nova Scotia May 12, 2021: One woman’s frustrating, futile fight for justice after being sexually harassed.

Robin DiAngelo: New Yorker Article on White Fragility.

The Ethical Rainmaker Podcast - Conversation with Fluer Larson

 

Episode 19 - Podcasters Talking about Podcasting

In the spirit of summer fun, today we are trying something totally new!

We are geeking out over nonprofit podcasts and have gathered six of our favourite podcasters to share what motivates, inspires and sustains our work creating amazing content for you.

We welcome:

Janice Cunning: Fundraising Leadership

Anthony Wilson: The Groupfinity Show

Andrea Gunraj: Canadian Women’s Foundation: Alright Now what?

Cindy Wagman: The Small NonProfit

Christian Robillard: Beyond the Bake Sale

Kathy Archer: Surviving to Thriving

Thank you so much to all those great podcasters for sharing their time and their insights. Please be sure to check their podcasts and subscribe, like, review each and every one. Let’s keep learning, growing and building community together.

Please join me in welcoming these incredibly generous and talented people to the hub. Thank you for spending time here.

Episode 18 - A Powerhouse of Possibility

We are thrilled to welcome Barbara Floersch to the podcast today.

Our conversation with Barbara blew our mind and completely changed our bias’s about grant funding. Barbara Floersch has over 40 years' experience managing nonprofits, writing grant proposals, and administering grants. She has raised millions of dollars in grant funding, served as a reviewer for federal grant competitions, trained thousands of nonprofit staff members throughout the US and internationally, and has testified before Congress on reauthorization of the National Endowment for the Arts.

This conversation and Barbara’s reading book You Have A Hammer: Building Grant Proposals for Social Change, convinced us that grantwriting can be a massive social change tool that many organizations simple aren’t leveraging for the potential.

Using a grant program to advance social change and pursue collective impact will revolutionize the funding landscape for many organizations. If you would like to learn more you can buy Barbara's new book, You Have A Hammer: Building Grant Proposals for Social Change, at Canada’s Civil Sector Press, Amazon, and wherever books are sold. Her website includes information on her two books, a blog, and links to grant-related resources. To learn more, visit Barbarafloersch.com

Please remember to subscribe, review and share this podcast so that we can keep building The Intersection Community. Thank you for joining us today.

Episode 17 - UNLEASHED with Clay and Paul

After years of only knowing each other on social media. T. Clay Buck and Paul Nazareth finally have a chance to sit down and have a meaningful conversation. In this episode we started with the intention of talking about donor retention and as you can imagine with Clay and Paul the conversation takes off.

What does systems thinking, leadership, board recruitment and staff retention have to do with your annual fund? Clay and Paul take us WAY upstream and touch on so many aspects connected with systemic fundraising:

Democratizing philanthropy

Engaging the right people

Storytelling

Political Fundraising

Crappy Bosses

Retirement

Professional Development

Being invested in the success of your team

Working in Silos

Yes there is a lot! Mostly Kimberley just basks in the company of hanging out with two of coolest guys in our sector. 

Clay is an experienced fundraiser with proven knowledge in all aspects of development. He has expertise in developing the systems and infrastructure that support donor-centered fundraising, particularly with individual donors and annual giving.

Clay is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), an AFP Master Trainer and was recently named among the top 20 Charity Influencers online.  He teaches in the Fundraising and Nonprofit Management Certificate programs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Is incredibly generous and active on social media and welcomes new connections just follow @tclaybuck on twitter Please join us in welcoming Clay to the hub.

Remember, if you liked this episode, stick around and listen to a special bonus episode where we continue talking about cool kids, twitter cliques and how we are all just a bunch of dorks. Remember to share, like, subscribe and review this podcast so that we can keep building The Intersection community. Thank you for spending your time here.

Bonus Episode- Cool Kids, Twitter Cliques and Dorks

We recently sat down with T. Clay Buck to talk about data, mid level donors, governance and community centred fundraising….all sorts of things. This isn’t that conversation. Our time with Clay was so rich we just didn’t stop talking. As a result we have this candid conversation as a bonus episode.

As we start to see each other again at conferences and can’t wait to hug our old friends, let’s remember that sometimes people at conferences feel “Other’d”, insecure and unsure if they belong.

Let us all be intentional about being more inclusive and being intentional about welcome new people into our networks.

The big secret is that none of us feel like Cool Kids. As Paul says: “We are all a bunch of dorks.”

Sit back and for a listen. You may even forget you are listening to a podcast, Clay forgot he was recording one. Enjoy.

Episode 16 - Community or Donors? Who's Right?

The idea for The Intersection was sparked by the polarizing dialogue about needing to choose between Donor Centred Fundraising and Community Centred Fundraising. We believe we can do both. We believe we can throw out the bathwater and keep the baby. We believe that the two can intersect to create a stronger sector.

The divisive, polarizing nature of this debate has been hurtful and confusing for thousands of people in working for social good.

We have been wanting to have the conversation for a very long time and we are so grateful that George Zeno and Jay Frost agreed to join us for this conversation.

George Zeno is a Capacity Builder, knowledge seeker, community weaver and currently serving as the Associate Vice President for Advancement, at the Pacific Lutheran University. Known to his friends as Zeno he is passionate about diversifying the field of philanthropy and community development while bringing the fields closer to high impact results, in order to create sustainable, community-driven solutions for the world. He is kind, generous and incredibly patient.

Jay Frost brings together people, ideas, and resources to fuel positive change in the world. He is recognized as one of America’s top ten fundraising experts and has worked with hundreds of organizations to identify and pursue billions of fundraising opportunities around the world. He is a wise, curious and gentle man. Even known to some as the Mr. Rogers of fundraising which may be exactly what we need for this unifying conversation.

We hope this episode inspires you to continue the conversation and work with us for a new and better way forward for the social good sector.

Episode 15 -Philanthropist Isobel Ralston

Today we are thrilled to welcome philanthropist and nature lover Dr. Isobel Ralston to the hub.

In 2017 after exiting their respective careers Dr. Isobel Ralston and her partner Dr. Jan Oudenes created the MapleCross Fund with the intention to invest in and protect ecologically sensitive land in Canada. Their investments have had truly staggering results helping protect over 24,000 acres of nature in Canada.

Today Isobel and Kimberley talk about the MapleCross Fund’s philanthropic strategy, how to approach and work with major donors, how they decide who to support and what she thinks about administration expenses.

The conversation is warm, authentic and candid, just like Isobel.

If you would like to learn more about the MapleCross Fund and the excellent work they have enabled please visit their website.

Remember please subscribe, review and share this podcast so that we can keep learning, growing and connecting together.

Episode 14 - Show the Salary

#ShowtheSalary has arrived in Canada. Started in the UK as a movement toward more fair, equitable and just hiring practices the Show the Salary movement is sweeping the entire charitable sector and is quickly becoming considered best practice.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Toronto Chapter has adopted a new policy that all job postings include the salary. This is kind of a big deal, because a significant part of this chapter’s revenue is generated from their job postings. So financially it is a pretty bold move and sets a great example for other job posting services. In fact, this week the Canadian Association of Gift Planners made the same commitment. The tide is turning.

Today we are thrilled to welcome Amy Pawluk and Penny Connors to share more about how and why the AFP Greater Toronto took this important step.

Amy Pawluk, is the President of the AFP Toronto Chapter and has been involved in the chapter as a volunteer since 2011. She is driven to advance fundraising as a profession, works as Executive Vice President, Marketing and New Business development at Blakely Inc. and is proudly raising her little girl to be a strong and caring women.

Penny Connors holds degrees in Psychology and Business Administration from York university, is a certified association executive and is currently applying her extensive management experience to delivering the AFP Toronto Chapter’s strategic plan as she serves as the Executive Director of the Association of Fundraising Professionals greater Toronto chapter.

A very special thank you to the army of volunteers that initiated the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessiblity priorities at the Toronto chapter over the years. These changes take time and are often the results of tireless efforts from many people who demanded change over many years. This policy is another small step toward a more inclusive, equitable and just charitable sector.

BONUS - SimONE on Governance, Provocation and Her WHY.

This conversation was recorded in 2015 and is shared with her family's permission. Listen in as Simone answers the following:

"Do you think we are making any progress?"

"Simone, let's talk a little bit about your reputation of being a cage rattler. Why do you thing the world needs to put itself out there a little more."

"You've spend 40 years doing this. WHY? What do you love so much about this work?" 

Simone Joyaux was a trailblazer, rabble rouser, teacher, writer, movie lover, reader and tirelessly worked to improve and build the charitable sector.

You may know that Simone recently died suddenly from a stroke caused by cerebral amyloid angiopathy. A condition she had been living with for 14 months. Her passing shocked and broke the hearts of thousands of people around the world. She was 72 years old.

The first half of this conversation I am was originally published in Hilborn’s Charity eNews in April 2016.

In the second half of the conversation is being shared for the first time.

The final question is worthy of note. Kimberley asks Simone why she has spent over 40 years of her life doing this work.

This conversation is unedited. 

There are many searchable tributes to Simone online. This blog outlines the impact she had on Kimberley MacKenzie personally and professionally. You can learn more about her incredible contribution to the Charitable Sector in the The NonProfit Times article here:

May she rest in POWER.

Episode 13 - Happy Second Birthday Allen

Many people may know our guest today as the Senior VP & Practice Leader Environics Analytics One of North America’s premier marketing and analytical service companies. Today Allen Davidov candidly shares his story of what he refers to as his second birthday, May 28, 2016.

Allen’s bravely shares his story of resilience, recovery and rebirth in the hope that it will inspire you to embrace every moment of this crazy, busy and fragile life and work to be as mentally fit and physically fit as you can be.

Folks, please remember to like, subscribe review and share this podcast. You can also join the conversation on a variety of other platforms by visiting intersectionhub.ca. We would love to welcome you into our community. Thank you for sharing a little bit of your day with us here today. See you next time.