Using the Whole Whale - A Nonprofit Podcast

207: Flexible Work and Job Sharing Strategy - Marathon Kids

Host Kariesha Martinez interviews Cami Hawkins, CEO of Austin-based non-profit, Marathon Kids, to talk about her experience creating a flexible workspace and how other organizations can implement one for their employees. 

Cami discusses:

• Job share: For increased flexibility, Cami has hired people on a job share basis which entails hiring two people to do one job, each working 20 hours a week.

• How she adapted during COVID: Marathon Kids already offered a flexible work culture, but she has made it even more flexible by letting people take off during the day to help their kids with school.

Marathon Kids engages kids in a positive, simple, goal-driven program that challenges them to run the equivalent of up to four marathons over the course of a season or school year. It allows kids of all abilities to unlock their potential, one mile at a time.

206: The V-Shaped Volunteering Outlook - VolunteerMatch

Our guest Greg Baldwin, CEO of VolunteerMatch discusses the historical drop in volunteering in 2020. Overnight listings and attendance to in-person volunteering events fell off a cliff as stay-at-home orders rolled across the country in March. VolunteerMatch has released Quarterly updates on the state of US volunteering that we discuss. 

There were some spikes in virtual volunteering but as Greg puts it "You can't build a house over ZOOM". There are many reasons to be optimistic for a V-shaped recovery as vaccines roll out and a potential surge of people ready, willing, and able are more motivated than ever to volunteer in the US. 

 

 

205: Building Small Homes for the Holidays - Smalltimore Homes

Host Kariesha Martinez interviews LaQuida Chancey, the founder of Smalltimore Homes. Baltimore, like many cities, struggle with housing insecurity which has been made even more dangerous during COVID and now the winter. LaQuida's solution is simple: build homes, small ones. These micro-shelters offer protection from the cold and allow social distancing for people experiencing homelessness.

Smalltimore Homes, is driven by a single goal; ending homelessness.  This simplistic goal can be reached by creating more affordable housing through micro shelters and tiny homes.  Their approach is informed by comprehensive research studies and high-quality data evaluation. They strive to build strong communities, productive relationships and make a positive impact on all of their pursuits. 

204: Spotify Ideas for Social Impact

Kariesha Martinez and George Weiner exchange ideas for using Spotify playlists to increase the impact of nonprofits. Public playlists can be completely customized and embedded on websites and across social. This medium can be used to thank donors, motivate volunteers or even educate stakeholders. There many was to start playing with this tool for free and they are explored on this episode. 

Whole Whale Holiday Playlist

A quick fun holiday intro for our seasonal holiday Spotify playlist. Enjoy:   https://wholewhale.com/playlist

203: Hiring Robots to Write Donor Letters - Addressable

This week's interview with Adam Szarzynski, founder of Addressable walks through how their writing robots are helping thank tens of thousands of supporters. Adam created the company around a writing robot created by his father and then created a service for nonprofits to retain and re-engage donors. 

Their work has shown supporter lists that receive these personal handwritten notes have had response rates as high as 19%. Adam discusses strategies and timing for preventing lapsed donors. 

 

 

202: Donor Thank You Ideas

Our host George Weiner, founder of Whole Whale, a b-corp nonprofit focused digital agency shares creative ideas around thanking donors. 

Only 1 in 5 first time donors return as donors in the following year. Would a thank you maybe help improve this?

 

How to thank donors article. 

201: Creativity: The Key to a Remarkable Life - Author Interview

On episode 201 our host Kariesha Martinez interviews Firdaus Kharas the author of Creativity: Key to a Remarkable Life. With great nonprofit examples of how creativity has been used to save lives in public health, Firdaus shares some of the key lessons from the book. 

 

Buy the book on Amazon

 

About Firdraus Kharas

Hailed as the "modern equivalent of Dr. Seuss," Firdaus Kharas is a master global communicator and humanitarian who has influenced hundreds of millions of people's lives for the better. Desmond Tutu calls his creative work, which has been viewed by more than a billion people worldwide, "outstanding" and "powerful." A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, he was named one of the world's "50 Most Talented Social Innovators" and has received more than 110 awards, including the prestigious Peabody Award.

200: What is coming in 2021 for Nonprofits?

On the 200th episode of the podcast George Weiner, Chief Whaler and Megan Anhalt, Chief Strategy Officer discuss what a Joe Biden and Kamala Harris America mean for nonprofit giving. 

They also discuss five major trends across the technology landscape that will impact the way nonprofits need to plan for 2021. 

 

199: BUILDING SMART NONPROFITS: A Roadmap For Mission Success - Author Interview

Our host Kariesha Martinez interviews the authors of Building Smart Nonprofits. 

BUILDING SMART NONPROFITS shows how nonprofits can improve sustainability by highlighting organizations and leaders who are taking advantage of cutting-edge trends in the sector, operating in smart, innovative ways. Through practical, real-world examples based on interviews with a cross-section of more than sixty industry leaders representing foundations, nonprofit organizations service providers, and philanthropists, readers will learn how to best position their nonprofit organization for a sustainable and long-term future.

O’Brien and Craig provide examples of nonprofits deploying best practices and emerging industry trends – such as the rise of socially conscious investing – to position their organizations for the long term.