Culture Episodes

“There's a younger generation of donors who really don't see themselves as much a donor as they do generous and wanting to stand for certain values. And so their contribution… is an expression of the injustice that they want to fight and their perception of themselves of being that: the fighter for justice and equality in the world.” – Mark Miller Nonprofit leaders share a collective sigh of relief when the clock hits midnight on December 31. The year-end push is over, and you’re ready for a fr...

"There is a decent chance that this works, and then if it works, and that if it can be what the vision and the promise is, then for our mission, which is to pioneer solutions to end global homelessness, it's actually irresponsible for us not to try it.” - Brett Hagler When age-old problems aren’t being solved by current practices or aren’t keeping up with the rate at which they are growing, new solutions are needed. But new solutions require innovative ideas and a perfect balance between bold...

"Still, you saw those moments of person-to-person care and outreach that really do illuminate what it means to be a Southwest Airlines warrior, and that is that we're in this together. We're going to take care of each other and we're going to figure out how to get out of this.” - Linda Rutherford Tough times fall on all organizations. Whether it be from mistakes made within, unpredictable storms or financial events, and even pandemics… things can happen. And when they do, having a strong foun...

“You also want to avoid this culture of ‘innovation is this shiny magic bullet’. No.That's also a culture that we want to demystify. Innovation is ways of thinking, ways of doing, and of course ways of achieving concrete, tangible results (and) outcomes –impact at scale.” Adaptation is essential to innovation. Growing up in Togo, West Africa, Laté Lawson-Lartego worked a summer job as a community volunteer, exposing him early on to the disparities happening in his backyard. As more of the indust...

Liquid Death is more than just a beverage company. As CEO Mike Cessario puts it, their product is entertainment just as much as it is drinks. And while they are a for-profit company, their passionate commitment to the cause of “killing” plastic pollution has been vital to their success. Building a likable brand with an authentic charitable message isn't easy, but Liquid Death has mastered the art of being genuinely impactful while maintaining its cool factor. It's not just about flashy graphics ...

"Whenever we're trying a new thing, if we're going into a new product, if we're going into a new marketplace, –whatever it is, we are running it through that grid; How are we being generous in this space? How are we being humble in this space? How are we being unifying?" - Michael McDonald Truly satisfying work requires self-fulfillment. During a successful career in the hospitality industry, Michael McDonald was confronted with a welcomed opportunity to extend and challenge his work, but after ...

"Where things fall apart is in the system design. It's in the how. It's not that the people are lazy. It's not that they're stupid, it's not that they're not trained well. It's not that the plan is flawed, –it's that we are working in complexity and there is no attention paid to how we are actually going to work differently." - Rodney Evans Innovation comes from boldness. Too often, companies and organizations seek out innovative solutions without building the groundwork to make those ideas poss...