Episodes

The organizations that we work with are structured and operating for where they used to be, not where they are today, much less where we're heading. And in today's pace of change, we as leaders have to be operating and structuring our organizations… for where we're going—not just for where we are today, much less for where we used to be. – Ted Vaughn Producer and Historic co-founder Mark Miller is back with host Ted Vaughn to offer their top 10 books every nonprofit leader should read. Pullin...

“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...

Thank you for an amazing Season 1 of Future Nonprofit! We will be taking a break for the holidays and returning in 2024 with Season 2.

"I think this is when it hit me there must be a lot more ideas, innovation, and startups out there that could actually make a difference and could be transforming the way we're looking at the world, but they never have a chance.” - Bernhard Kowatsch Great ideas are only the beginning. Without the right conditions and opportunities for success, many innovative and potentially game-changing ideas never may never come to fruition. That’s what Bernhard and his team at the World Food Programme Innova...

"Society throws up a lot of hurdles to people really trying to do it the right way, right? We, and the rest of society, should knock down those hurdles, but also give space so that people can thrive.” - Tom Vozzo Success has everything to do with circumstance. Tom Vozzo believes that with the right support and opportunity, everyone has the ability to do good in them. His commitment to wanting to do good for others is what drove him to the nonprofit space after a nearly three-decade career in the...

"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...

“Your leadership might be a burn victim of failed innovation, which is: we want to say that we're for innovation, but we want 99 percent of all of the things that we try to work at 10, 000%. And that's just not how it works.” - Mark Miller Innovation is a big buzzword in the nonprofit space right now. But it doesn’t have just to be a buzzword. While the word feels new and trendy, the act of innovation has always been what drives the industry forward. And any organization can be at the forefront ...

"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...

"I looked into it and couldn't believe it, like I felt like a freaking chump because I had been paying medical bills for all of these people that would've been eligible for free or reduced care if I would've known about these programs." - Jared Walker So many organizations get caught with their heads down, hyper-focused on what they’re doing, that they don’t realize there is often a better way. Sometimes being innovative just means taking a step back and putting yourself in spaces to find the...

“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...

" There was a need to be able to humanize the North Korea issue, the North Korean people, and how we define success of redefining North Korea, rebranding North Korea. It's that when we go out and you ask somebody, when you think about North Korea, what's the first thing you think about that? It could be a specific story of a North Korean person. It was a memoir. They read somebody's experience." - Hannah Song Stories change us. They have an unparalleled ability to move and inspire us, especially...

Join host Ted Vaughn, Partner at Historic and author of "Culture Built My Brand," as he interviews industry giants, visionary disruptors, and nonprofit-adjacent experts who are reshaping the nonprofit landscape. Gain valuable insights, be inspired by real stories of transformation, and discover actionable takeaways to build the nonprofit of the future.