The Switch by Nonprofit HR

Join Lisa Brown Alexander as she sits down with Marc H. Morial, President & CEO, National Urban League, to explore how a sense of purpose and commitment to justice has shaped his career and the way he leads. They discuss how justice manifests internally in an organization and the essential roles leaders play in shaping a culture of equity. From this conversation, you’ll glean tips for how to stay connected to your team as a leader, the most important steps an organization at the beginning of their equity journey can take, and his predictions for the future of hybrid work and the social sector at large.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How a sense of purpose and working toward justice has motivated his career​​​​​​ in law, politics and now the social impact space
• Why a balanced approach is key to operationalizing AI
• What an organization looks like when justice is in its DNA
• His predictions for the future focus of the social sector​​​​​​
• Tips for leaders to keep their ear to the ground and avoid becoming isolated from their people

About National Urban League

The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment, equality, and social justice. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the Urban League collaborates at the national and local levels with community leaders, policymakers, and corporate partners to elevate the standards of living for African Americans and other historically underserved groups. Learn more about the National Urban League.

About Marc

Marc H. Morial is President and CEO of the National Urban League, the nation's largest historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization. As Mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002, Morial led New Orleans’ renaissance, and left office with a 70% approval rating. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Economics and African American Studies, he also holds a law degree from Georgetown University. Learn more about Marc and his book, The Gumbo Coalition.

About Lisa

Driven to serve the often-overlooked people management needs for the social impact sector, Lisa set out to build a market where one didn’t exist. She founded Nonprofit HR, the leading talent management firm in the country that works exclusively with the nonprofit sector. Read Lisa’s full bio.

About The Switch

The Switch offers access to Nonprofit HR’s talent management knowledge presented by our expert consultants, media partners, and guests from across the social impact sector. For over 20 years, Nonprofit HR has produced content that illuminates critical, timely and insightful knowledge for leaders of social impact organizations. Insights from this podcast shine light on the full talent management lifecycle, from employee attraction to organizational culture, engagement, performance management and retention.

In this episode of The Switch, Nana Atokatha Ashmond Brew, Managing Director for Marketing & Strategic Communication at Nonprofit HR, hosts a panel discussion on the topic of human-centered leadership with three extraordinary women named to our 2024 Social Impact Women to Watch list: Kimberly Corbin, Chief Financial & Administrative Officer at Greater Washington Urban League; Dr. Delisha Tapscott, Interim Co-Executive Director and Senior Director of People & Culture at MADRE; and Dr. Nicole McKinney, Chief of Organizational Effectiveness & Culture at Upstream USA.

Tune in to hear these outstanding women discuss:

• Creating positions around the brilliance of talent, rather than the other way around
• Why you’re always onboarding, until your offboarding
• Tangible ways to center your employee’s needs, lived experiences and well-being
• How authenticity creates space, grace and greater retention
• Enhancing leadership by understanding yourself as a leader

To learn more about the Greater Washington Urban League, visit gwul.org.

To learn more about MADRE, visit madre.org.

To learn more about Upstream USA, visit upstream.org.

As a part of the series spotlighting Nonprofit HR’s 2023 Social Impact Women to Watch Finalists, Lindsey Otto, Marketing & Communication Associate, Editorial & Content for Nonprofit HR, sits down with Marilyn Edmunds Bowser, Vice President of People Operations at Vital Voices Global Partnership, for a conversation about her organization and incredible contributions to the sector!

Tune in to hear Marilyn detail:

• How her background in education has inspired her focus on an inclusive learning environment for her people
• The way leading by example brings others along and ensures alignment of goals and values at various levels
• Why engaging mission-driven talent is about recognizing and nurturing their individual passion and purpose

To learn more about Vital Voices Global Partnership, visit www.vitalvoices.org.

As a part of the series spotlighting Nonprofit HR’s 2023 Social Impact Women to Watch Finalists, Atokatha Ashmond Brew, Managing Director for Marketing & Strategic Communication for Nonprofit HR, sits down with Dr. Kimberly Townsend, President & CEO, Loretto, for a conversation about her organization and incredible contributions to the sector!

Tune in to hear Dr. Townsend detail:

• The long-term effects of COVID-19 on the medical organization
• How the organization works to make decisions through a people-focused lens by focusing on the “why”
• Why she addresses every challenge or opportunity, whether strategic, financial, etc, as a people issue — centering people for the solution
• The reason she believes leadership is a way of being, regardless of title
• The impact of mentorship on emerging women leaders

Learn more about our 2023 Social Impact Women to Watch finalists. See the full list here and ways they are contributing to their organization, the sector and communities!

To learn more about Loretto, visit lorettocny.org.

In this episode of The Switch, Lisa Brown Alexander dives into the future of social impact work with Trista Harris, President of FutureGood. Trista shares her insights on leveraging futurism to build resilient organizations, reimagining sustainable work in the sector and fostering creativity through spaciousness. This episode is for any social impact leader looking to refresh and align their organization’s long-term strategy to account for creativity, resilience and technology that will enable greater mission impact.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• ​What futurism is and how FutureGood helps organizations use its tools to build agile, mission-aligned frameworks for long-term success
• Her prediction for the future focus of social impact organizations
• Why now is the time to reconsider what sustainable work looks like in the social impact sector
• The importance of leaders creating spaciousness for themselves to generate new, creative solutions
• How she implemented AI across her team to determine its most effective use
• What leads to burnout and how to get clear on the work that will help you create the most change

About FutureGood

FutureGood is a consultancy that helps foundations, nonprofits, and visionary leaders predict and shape the future. Using futurism tools and best practices from the field, we partner with our clients to envision your ideal future, create a path to get there, and solve problems yet to be imagined. To learn more, visit www.wearefuturegood.com.

About Trista Harris

Trista Harris is a philanthropic futurist and is nationally known as a passionate advocate for leaders in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. Trista’s work has been covered by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Forbes, CNN, the New York Times, and numerous social sector blogs. She is also the co-author of the book “How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar” and the author of “FutureGood”. She is the President of FutureGood, a consultancy focused on helping visionaries build a better future. Learn more about Trista.

About Lisa

Driven to serve the often-overlooked people management needs for the social impact sector, Lisa set out to build a market where one didn’t exist. She founded Nonprofit HR, the leading talent management firm in the country that works exclusively with the nonprofit sector. Read Lisa’s full bio.

About the Switch

The Switch offers access to Nonprofit HR’s talent management knowledge presented by our expert consultants, media partners, and guests from across the social impact sector. For over 20 years, Nonprofit HR has produced content that illuminates critical, timely and insightful knowledge for leaders of social impact organizations. Insights from this podcast shine light on the full talent management lifecycle, from employee attraction to organizational culture, engagement, performance management and retention.