Fans of Let’s Hear It (and there are oh-so many!) will acknowledge that Eric and Kirk get a little nutty about their guests sometimes. Well, this time, Marc Solomon of Civitas Public Affairs and William Foster of the Bridgespan Group drive Kirk and Eric to 11.

The topic this time is Marc’s and William’s new paper “Betting on the Tortoise: Policy Incrementalism and How Philanthropy’s Support Can Turn Small Sustained Steps into Big Impact,” co-written with Eric Chen and Zach Slobig.

The problem is that philanthropy is astonishingly timid about funding policy work (sorry, philanthropy). The thing is, Marc and William remind us about how smart philanthropy can make a huge difference in the kinds of policy wins that every wants – freedom to marry, increasing the minimum wage, and many more.

And then Kirk and Eric have what we humbly think is one of the funnier and more entertaining rants this season, so stick around for that.

Thanks for listening, and please, please, subscribe, rate, and review the show so more people can find us!

In this dandy episode of Let's Hear It, Eric Brown sits down with Grace Nicolette from the Center for Effective Philanthropy to make sense of the phenomenon that is MacKenzie Scott's revolutionary approach to giving.

Grace is the Vice President for Programming and External Relations at the Center for Effective Philanthropy and the co-host with Phil Buchanan of the really terrific (and we're not just saying that!), Giving Done Right Podcast, which kicked off its fourth season on September 19.

Grace shares fascinating insights from CEP's multi-year study of Scott's "surprise philanthropy" - those headline-grabbing, unsolicited gifts that have sent shockwaves through the nonprofit world. We're talking transformative levels of funding that have left many organizations asking, "Is this for real?"

But it's not just about the numbers. Grace dives into the meaty questions this approach raises: How are nonprofits handling this sudden influx of cash? Is this the end of strategic philanthropy as we know it? And what can other funders learn from Scott's bold experiment?

As a recipient of Scott's generosity themselves, CEP offers a unique insider-outsider perspective. Grace candidly discusses how their own $10 million gift has shaped their work and thinking.

Whether you're a nonprofit leader, a funder, or simply curious about how big money can create big change, this episode delivers. It's a thoughtful exploration of a philanthropic shake-up that's rewriting the rules of giving, delivered with CEP's signature blend of data-driven insights and real-world experience.

Tune in for a conversation that's sure to challenge your assumptions and maybe, just maybe, make you rethink everything you thought you knew about effective philanthropy.

Societies can’t thrive without sufficient levels of trust – trust in our elected officials, in our major institutions, the value of the dollar bill in our wallet, and even in our belief that our fellow motorists will abide by the traffic laws when we enter an intersection.

You know where this is going, don’t you? We have a trust problem that threatens every organization in our country. Kristen Grimm and her colleagues Claire De Leon, Michael Crawford, and Diana Chun at Spitfire Strategies have created a resource called Replenishing Trust: Civil Society’s Guide to Reversing the Trust Deficit™ that is designed to help organizations build trust at a time when it has never been more necessary.

Kristen speaks with Eric about why this matters, and more importantly, how to do it. This is another great resource from one of our field’s true visionaries.

Minna Jung has had a varied and wonderful career in nonprofit and foundation communications. She has run communications at a large foundation (Packard), a national non-profit (Earth Justice), and she’s even a published author (a children’s book called William’s Ninth Life).

Minna talks about the pitfalls of professional ambition, the challenge of being creative while still getting the day-to-day work done, and even about how to facilitate a meeting.

This wide-ranging conversation between Minna and co-host Eric Brown takes place at the Lone Palm, a dive-ish bar in San Francisco’s Mission District, as Let’s Hear It moves out of the studio and into the streets.

If anyone knows how foundations can and should use communications, it’s Grant Oliphant. Grant, who was formerly communications director at the Heinz Endowments, now runs the organization as its president. As a former board chair of the Communications Network, the national organization of foundation and nonprofit communications professionals, Grant may be one of the country’s great champions for our field. But Grant isn’t satisfied.

As Grant tells Eric in this episode of Let’s Hear It, “Many of the issues we care about are losing or at least deeply embattled.” Grant says that foundations have a “sacred responsibility” to change the narrative in the field and in the broader culture.

If that’s not a challenge, we don’t know what is.

In this very candid conversation, Grant and Eric discuss how foundation communications are advancing social change, and how they’re falling short.

How do we communicate in ways that are authentic, emotional, and evocative?

At a time when we are bombarded by reports, books, blogs (okay, and podcasts), the Race Card Project at the Aspen Institute invites people to tell their own stories about race and identity in a whopping six words. To date, they have collected over a quarter million six-word stories. As it turns out, six words can reduce you to tears or laughter at least as well as a white paper or powerpoint presentation.

Amrit Dhillon helps run the project with former NPR host Michelle Norris and she talks to Eric about how they are helping people around the world to tell their own stories about this challenging and potentially divisive topic with empathy and understanding.

Learn more about the Race Card Project at: https://www.facebook.com/TheRaceCardProject

Larry Kramer is the President of the Hewlett Foundation and he has stood out for being candid, opinionated, and seemingly unafraid of what the rest of the philanthropy world thinks of him. Lucky for him that he’s an incredibly nice guy, and lucky for us that he’s endlessly entertaining.

In Eric Brown’s freewheeling conversation with Larry, the Hewlett president holds forth on trying to get the rights to Can’t Buy Me Love for the foundation’s hold music, how he’s trying to make democracy great again through the foundation’s Madison Initiative, and why his mother wishes he was still dean of the Stanford Law School. And much, much more. Just listen – you’ll be glad you did.

When Chris DeCardy took the reins of the Heinz Endowments last year, he was one of the very few former foundation communications directors to ascend to the lofty heights of president. And Chris has dived in with the energy of a teenager. Indeed, if there is a more energetic – nay, ebullient – foundation president in the land, we haven’t met them.

Chris makes an extremely compelling case about how crucial western Pennsylvania is to our national and even international politics, and while he’s at it he reminds us how important intelligent communications strategies will be to build on important victories (like significant advances on climate, for one example).

Don’t miss this conversation between Eric and Chris, whose friendship dates back to the twentieth century, as they talk about how Chris’s background in journalism, environmental communications, and foundation leadership have led him to this place – the center of the universe!

Governments have money and foundations can take risks. Shouldn’t these be marriages made in heaven? Amazingly they’re not, but in California, we’re starting to see partnerships that are bucking the trend, which can be spectacularly good examples of how to make great collaborations work.

On this episode of Let’s Hear It, Eric speaks with Elena Chavez Quezada, Senior Advisor for Social Innovation in the Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Don Howard, president and CEO of The James Irvine Foundation, who are working together to create government/foundation partnerships that are making a real difference.

Don and Elena recently co-authored a piece for the Philanthropy News Digest called “How Philanthropy Can Partner with the Public Sector to Build Equitable Infrastructure,” which sets the stage for this really lively and fun discussion.

Check out this conversation that shows how governments and foundations can work together to unlock money, ideas, and energy for social good.

Academy Award season is here, but while the rest of the world may be debating which half of the Barbenheimer phenomenon will take home the most trophies, at Let’s Hear It we’re putting all our chips on Best Documentary Short nominee “The Barber of Little Rock,” co-directed by Christine Turner and our dear friend John Hoffman.

Eric and John reunite to talk about the extraordinary film John has co-directed. They appeal to foundations to fund more documentary films, and they marvel at the movie’s amazing protagonist Arlo Washington as he opens a Community Development Financial Institution to create opportunities for members of his community.

Take a few minutes to watch this incredible story, produced in partnership with the New Yorker. You can find the 34-minute documentary on the New Yorker website and on YouTube. And if any of you happen to be members the Academy, well…you know what to do.

Please enjoy the film and the interview and let us know what you thought of The Barber of Little Rock!

In this episode of Let’s Hear It, our guest is none other than one of Hollywood’s most passionate and entertaining environmentalists – the amazing Ed Begley, Jr.

As it happens, Ed and Eric go way, way, back, having worked together in Hollywood in the last millennium.

Today, they’re both working in environmental communications, after a fashion, and Ed talks about how he was inspired to become an environmental activist on the first Earth Day in 1970, and how he has used his position as a celebrity to preach a message of sustainability ever since.

We also want to give a plug to his terrific new book, “To the Temple of Tranquility, And Step on It!” from Hachette Books. It’s a great story about a great life.   

Ed is a funny, committed, optimistic, and incredibly gracious guest, and we can’t wait for you to listen to this episode.  

We are so delighted to present the legendary Anat Shenker-Osorio. Yes, that’s right, that Anat Shenker-Osorio. Maybe you’ve heard her on Ezra Klein, MSNBC, on her excellent podcast Words to Win By, or read her work in the New York Times, the Guardian, and more. On our latest episode of Let’s Hear It, Anat goes deep on how to create messages that will help progressive causes succeed.  

Anat is a political strategist and progressive messaging genius. She is founder and Principal of ASO Communications, author of Don’t Buy It: The Trouble with Talking Nonsense about the Economy, and host of the amazingly good podcast Words to Win By.

Her work on messaging and strategy across the globe is at once revolutionary and devastatingly simple, and she is using her gift for gab and sharp-as-a-tack snark to change how politicians, nonprofit leaders, foundation CEOs – and really, anyone with a cause – can use communications to achieve their goals. No easy feat, huh? Well, Anat does it so well that you’ll feel slightly dizzy after listening to her speak. Eric certainly was.

We know we say this every time, but this is a show that you simply must not miss. Please enjoy and then tell your friends, your colleagues, and your boss (as long as they’re cool with a little salty language).

How many of us in the nonprofit world can track our interest in climate to nightmares we had about natural disasters at age ten? Anyone? Oh, right, just Don Chen, President of the Surdna Foundation, former director of the Cities and States program at the Ford Foundation, former CEO (and founder!) of Smart Growth America, and this week’s guest on Let’s Hear It.

Don is a fabulous guest to start our new year and sixth season – he is uncommonly thoughtful, optimistic, and soulful, and his ideas on how to run a foundation will have you filling notebooks. Eric and Don put their heads together to discuss how to combine trust-based and strategic philanthropy without having to find a magic wand, what Don learned from being a CEO at age 30, and lots more.

By the way, we are so happy to welcome Don – and you! – to our sixth season of Let’s Hear It. Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts, for five wonderful years of listening, learning, and building connections in this vast and exciting field. We hope you enjoy this new season, and if you do, please continue to like, follow, and spread the word.

Here is another one of our favorite interviews - Shanelle Matthews, founder of the Radical Communicators Network, former communications director for the Movement for Black Lives, and now Distinguished Lecturer at the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at City College at the City University of New York. Shanelle is simply amazing and we loved this conversation.

Today, we offer another one of our favorite interviews - a blast from the past with the inimitable Jim Canales, President and Trustee of the Barr Foundation. Jim is charming, funny, and one of they absolute nicest people in philanthropy. If you didn't get a chance to hear this conversation the first time, you're in for a treat.

This holiday season we're re-releasing some of our favorite and most popular episodes. Today - Trabian Shorters, one of our leading thinkers on asset framing - defining people by what they're hopes and dreams and what they have to offer. He has been such an important influence on so many of us.

Hey folks, we’re back after a quick summer break. Hope you missed us!

As many parents pack their kids off to college this month, it’s important to remember that almost two out of five college students in the U.S. attends a community college. These are students who are often working full time, caring for family members, or going back to school to learn new skills. Oh, and another thing, community colleges don’t brag about how “selective” they are – all are welcome.

Our guest on this episode of Let’s Hear It is Eloy Ortiz Oakley, the President and CEO of the College Futures Foundation – a California foundation helping students who are facing the greatest barriers to succeed in college and beyond. Eloy was previously the Chancellor of the California Community College system - the largest system of higher education in the United States, and third largest system of higher education in the world, serving more than 1.8 million students. He is also a former Regent of the University of California system. If anyone knows about what’s working and what’s not in higher education, it’s Eloy.

Eric and Eloy have a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation about Eloy’s own educational journey, the challenges of elitism in higher education, and role philanthropy can play in ensuring a more equitable system.

In our latest episode, we offer a fascinating conversation with Alison Smart, the Executive Director of Probable Futures - a nonprofit climate literacy initiative. Alison shares her organization's approach to democratizing climate science, making climate predictions accessible, and providing practical educational resources for anyone, anywhere, for free.  

Eric and Alison discuss how we can better tackle the grand challenge of climate change, the role of local governments, and how we have to stop raising awareness already. Alison also reminds us that we can still do well in a changing climate and that our planet is still way better than Mars!

Check out this conversation – we learned a ton about how to communicate about climate and we’ll bet that you do too.

When Larry Kramer announced recently that he was leaving the Hewlett Foundation to run the London School of Economics, it marked the end of an extraordinarily productive tenure as the head of one of the world’s largest and most influential charitable foundations.

In Larry’s nearly twelve years at Hewlett, he helped lead a new era of climate philanthropy, and launched initiatives in transparency, cybersecurity, democracy, racial justice, and economy and society. The guy’s been busy.

He’s also candid, funny, and ridiculously smart. Five years after he last interviewed Larry (for the very first episode of Let’s Hear It) Eric made the pilgrimage to Menlo Park to speak with his former boss about what went right and what went wrong during his time at the foundation, as well as his thoughts on the state of philanthropy, foundation communications, democracy, and, of course, the Beatles.

You *seriously* don’t want to miss this episode with one of the field’s most expansive thinkers.

As the new president of the groundbreaking consulting firm Spitfire Strategies, Jen Carnig, who succeeds the legendary Kristen Grimm, might feel a little like whoever takes Megan Rapinoe’s place. It might seem a little daunting and very hard on your hamstrings, but think of the possibilities! Jen may have big shoes to fill, but she’s obviously ready to get busy.

A champion strategist in the areas of advocating for police accountability, community safety, human rights, and exposing the perils of artificial intelligence, Jen has big plans for Spitfire. In addition to her impressive resume, she clearly has the people skills for the job. She is uncommonly kind, thoughtful, and deeply committed, and Jen chats with Eric about the power of listening, how communications is really about relationships, and how hard Spitfire works so that its clients can succeed in their work. Please join her and Eric as they go deep on how to use communications for good.

When our guest, Ashwath Narayanan, was 22, he launched Social Currant, a creative agency that is helping nonprofits and issue organizations use social media to reach audiences more effectively. By contrast, when co-host Eric was 22, he was working as a production assistant on low budget horror movies. So there’s that.

Ashwath and his team of six fulltime staffers are working with TikTok and Instagram influencers to encourage young people to drive social movements and inspire political campaigns. In his conversation with Eric, he spoke about how Social Currant uses really sophisticated tools to create and test messages and score huge victories in campaigns that are providing young people with a powerful voice and legitimate influence with decision makers on issues like the child tax credit, health, and many more.

Eric told Kirk that his conversation with Ashwath wasn’t just one of the most interesting conversations he’s had on the show, but in his life. 

If you want learn about how to run a great strategy to reach young people, or if you want to feel better about the kind of talent that is stepping up to make the world better, you really, really, really shouldn’t miss this episode.

You may have noticed, also, that we have a brand-spanking-new LinkedIn page! Please give us a follow and use it to learn more about our guests, contact us with questions or feedback, and connect with other listeners.  Oh, and please tell your friends and rate us on whatever podcast platform you use. It really matters!

On our latest episode of Let’s Hear It, we’ve snagged a giant in philanthropy. Our guest this week may well know more about philanthropy than any human walking the planet. Stacy Palmer created the Chronicle of Philanthropy thirty-five years ago, and since then her publication has simultaneously been philanthropy’s watchdog and its cheerleader (as it has served as a dating app of sorts between fundraisers and grantmakers).

Stacy speaks with Eric about what she’s learned over this time, what philanthropy does well, and how it can improve. Eric and Stacy discuss the shifting role of communications at foundations, congressional regulation (or lack thereof), how coverage of the field has changed, and the influence of living donors like Bill and Melinda Gates and MacKenzie Scott on philanthropy, among other topics in this entertaining and wide-ranging conversation.

If you care about raising money, giving it away, or communicating about any of it, don't miss this conversation!

Spending out, spending down, sunsetting – whatever you call it, it’s a tricky business.

This year the Kendeda Fund will close its doors, having provided over one billion dollars in funding over the past thirty years. Their causes included girls’ rights, preventing gun violence, environmental sustainability, advancing racial equity, and supporting veterans, among others.

Kendeda began as an anonymous grantmaking effort by Diana Blank, who eventually decided to turn the reins over to her daughter Dena Kimball and to allow the foundation to communicate freely about its work. To do this, they turned to David Brotherton, a consultant with a long history in foundations and communications, to help the organization step into the light.

Dena and David sit down with Eric in a freewheeling conversation about the decision to go public, spend out, and about what they learned along the way.

To learn more about their great work, stay tuned for their updated website and in the meantime check out Kendeda’s new podcast, Stories from the Kendeda Fund.

Going Commando with Nima Shirazi of Spitfire Strategies and Citations Needed

This week on Let’s Hear It, cynical-ish and salty-tongued Nima Shirazi of Spitfire Strategies and the hit podcast Citations Needed endures a slightly arduous, minorly torturous time behind the mic with Eric.

Nima’s career is full of exciting experiences, including his current job as a vice president at Spitfire Strategies and drumming in rock bands, and especially Citations Needed. Nima and his co-host Adam Johnson set up shop at the intersection of power, politics, propaganda, and the press (pretty peppy party, Pete) – no small feat, as it happens.

Nima’s show explores the many ways that media language infiltrates our daily lives and how pernicious those terms can be. For instance, did you know that the term “officer-involved shooting” was created in the 70s by the LAPD to describe officers killing members of the public? Nima uses his experience on the podcast to keep him honest-er in his work and his approach to communications.

We wouldn’t call him the biggest optimist in the room, but you’ll appreciate Nima’s thoughts about how progressive organizations can use communications to change dangerous narratives. Listen now to hear how (how now, brown cow? Okay, we’ll stop). 

We have an impactful episode deep-diving into how Tony Proscio, a thought leader in this space, has moved the needle on the innovation of language in nonprofit and foundation work. He and Eric partner to get granular on staying transparent with folks from the donor pipeline to the board room. *record scratch* Just kidding! This week on Let’s Hear It, Eric and legendary former strategic planning consultant and jargon denouncer Tony Proscio sit down to grouch about why foundations and nonprofits can’t just say what they mean. Tony, a personal hero of Eric’s, should be required reading for anyone working in communications. His three books, entitled “In Other Words: A Plea for Plain Speaking in Foundations; When Words Fail: How the Public Interest Becomes Neither Public Nor Interesting; and Bad Words for Good: How Foundations Garble Their Message and Lose Their Audience” decry the current trend toward using jargon when plain words are needed and why this obfuscation has led us to our current gerund pileup.

Fear not – the episode isn’t all Eric and Tony doing their best impressions of the two crabby Muppets in the balcony. Tony has some hopeful words to say about how people working in nonprofit and foundation communications can improve, including how technology has brought us closer to clarity and authenticity. Just don’t try to find him online. Enjoy this great discussion, and remember: no empty calorie words. 

As long as there has been art, there have been artists using their creativity to try to transform society for the better.

On the latest episode of Let’s Hear It, Eric speaks with Tara Dorabji, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at the Center for Cultural Power, an organization dedicated to harnessing the power of creativity.

Tara Dorabji and her colleagues Erin Potts and Dr. Melanie Meinzer have crafted an extraordinary new report – Building Narratives of Joy: Experimenting with Transformational Narratives – that digs into the intricacies of shifting mindsets and fostering belonging through art.

Tara speaks with Eric about how she got kicked out of the farmer’s market for being too political, how she facilitated a conversation with a Japanese anti-nuclear advocate that brought a Livermore Labs PR person to tears, and how the Lego superhero Vax Man helped dramatically increase vaccination rates among Latino youth in California’s Central Valley.

Yep, narrative can do all that. Join us for this great conversation.

Join us in this thought-provoking and inspiring episode as we welcome Trevor Smith, the Director of Narrative Change at Liberation Ventures, an organization helping to strengthen the movement for Black-led racial repair.  

Trevor is a writer, researcher, and strategist focused on the topics of racial inequality, wealth inequality, reparations, and narrative change. He is also the creator, curator, and editor of an amazing newsletter – Reparations Daily (ish).

Trevor talks with Eric about the growing movement calling for reparations as a catalyst for true racial repair. He invites us to reflect on how we can all work toward a new narrative on reparations, and how we can create a democracy that is inclusive, empathetic, and centered on principles of justice.

So, whether you're passionate about social justice, interested in narrative change, or simply eager to learn more about the path to a more equitable society, this episode promises to leave you inspired and informed.

Sometimes it's okay to take a moment away from the massive challenges and simply laugh. Thanks to Esteban Gast and the organization he works for, Generation 180, we can even laugh about climate. Well, actually, Esteban helps us better understand how we can take actions that matter, understand that we're not alone, and have a little fun along the way.

Eric and Esteban giggle, chortle, and guffaw through this episode, reminding us all that there are SO many ways to communicate and not all of them involve PowerPoint and statistics.

Let’s face it, most of us will never work the way we did before COVID. The office is different, and how we learn, share, and connect are different. So what are we going to do about it?

Emily Krone Phillips, the Communications Director at the Spencer Foundation, working with her colleague Francis Court of the design firm Wondersphere, decided to revolutionize the Spencer Foundation's office space to adapt to the post-COVID work world. 

Join us for a really fun and lively discussion about space, communications, and work in the Aftertimes as Eric interviews Emily and Francis about how they took your standard-issue foundation office and redesigned it into a hub for collaboration, learning, and community engagement.

For all of you out there trying to figure out how we’re going to work together in this crazy new environment (so, basically, everybody), don’t miss this episode. It may just change how you think about the "office". 

Harvard Law professor Alan Jenkins has argued cases before the Supreme Court, made grants at the Ford Foundation, co-founded a national narrative change nonprofit, and now has co-authored...a comic book.

But not just any comic book. 1/6: The Graphic Novel is a powerful and chilling reminder that great communications and great advocacy takes many forms. He and his co-author Gan Golan and artist Will Rosado give us a dramatic new look into what happened on that terrible day and what might have happened had the insurrectionists prevailed.

Alan speaks with Eric about his love of comic books and a career that has been at the intersection of storytelling, law, and social justice for positive change. Don’t miss this terrific conversation with one of our field’s most creative and incisive communicators.  

Marta Tellado’s new book Buyer Aware: Harnessing our Consumer Power for a Safe, Fair, and Transparent Marketplace is both an amazingly useful tool for today’s consumer to navigate the rat’s nest that is the modern marketplace and a manifesto for consumer freedom in the age of digital everything.

Marta talks with Eric about the dangers of the lack of standards in today’s digital world and how we can reawaken the “sleeping giant” of collective consumer power.

And for you nonprofits and foundations professionals out there, your audiences and your constituents are actually consumers first – making dozens of decisions every day that affect the success of your missions and your organizations. Hear how Marta is working to bring these two powerful worlds together.

Many of us spend a career doing something, gathering stories, ideas, skills, and things like that and think to ourselves, “Hmmm. All this stuff I’ve learned might make a good book,” and then go right back to the brewpub for another Hazy IPA.

Not Jacob Harold. Mind you, Jacob has had quite a rather distinguished career – he’s been a community organizer, a Bridgespan consultant, a Hewlett Foundation grantmaker, the CEO of Guidestar, and the co-founder of Candid, among other things. After stepping down from Candid, Jacob endeavored to write it all down – not in a self-congratulatory memoir (which is what Eric hopes to do when he gets home from the brewpub), but in an extremely comprehensive and articulate guide to doing good in the 21st century. The book, The Toolbox: Strategies for Crafting Social Impact is quite simply one of the very best guides of its kind that we have seen.

Eric sits down with his former colleague to discuss Jacob’s career and how to apply the nine tools for social change, and Eric tells Jacob why the book made his head hurt (in a good way).

If you aren't at the table, you’re on the menu, Shanelle Matthews and Annie Neimand remind us. In their new report, Broke: How the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sectors Are Talking About Poverty—And How We Can Do Better, they note, “The stories we’re currently told about how the rich got rich, why the poor stay poor, and why people can’t “move up” place the blame on individuals instead of systems. This creates a vast network of oppression, propping up business as usual and allowing the rich to remain rich, while others suffer.”

Shanelle and Annie resolved to provide us with the tools we need to tell more accurate and liberating stories about poverty and wealth. This project was a collaboration between The Radical Communicators Network, the Center for Public Interest Communications, and the creative design agency Milli, and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Shanelle is the Communications Director for the Movement for Black Lives, the founder of the Radical Communicators Network, and our first repeat guest! She was joined by Annie Neimand of Third Sector, who at the time was the Research Director at the Center for Public Interest Communications at the university of Florida in Gainesville and is the first relative of a previous guest (her uncle Rich) to appear on the show.

Shanelle and Annie had a great conversation with Eric about the research project they designed and their terrific new resource to advance new narratives about poverty and wealth.

Ken Weine blows our mind. As the Chief Communications Officer and Senior Vice President for External Affairs at one of the most famous and (dare we say it?) important cultural, social, and historical institutions on the planet, he oversees the marketing and media for 43 exhibitions a year, not to mention the famous Costume Gala, debates around cultural appropriation, the challenge of removing donors’ names from the museum, regular protests on the steps of the museum, and on the day we spoke, a very important visitor. And that’s a semi-normal day.

Ken spoke with Eric about how he keeps all the plates spinning, and how he continues to try to breathe new life into a 150-year-old institution (maybe someone will name their child after him thanks to his amazing idea of Date Night at the Met!). More than that, we hear from one of the finest in the business about how we can use communications to significantly advance the goals of any organization.  

If you work in the social sector, you know how hard this moment is.

You would be forgiven for feeling that our social and political world is spinning hopelessly out of control. Go ahead, belly up to the bar, or the ice cream section of your local supermarket, or whatever you do when you get that feeling.

On the other hand, Jenn Hoos Rothberg, the Executive Director of Einhorn Collaborative – a charitable foundation based in New York – might just give you a bit of hope.

She’s not naïve. She knows that things are tough. Trust is down and skepticism is up. People don't feel seen, heard, or valued, wherever they land on the ideological spectrum.                                                                                                            

Jenn says that we’re in a crisis of connection – we’re more alienated, lonely, and polarized than ever.

The result, of course, is tragic for the things many folks care about – the environment, women’s health, racial justice, hunger – you name it.

At Einhorn, she has launched an extraordinary new project called “A Call to Connection: Rediscovering the Transformative Power of Relationships.” She spoke with Eric out about how she is partnering with leaders in multiple sectors to better understand how vital human connection is to effectively address the challenges of our time.

We’re as cynical as the next pair of podcast hosts, but we hope this is one of those conversations that we hope will inspire you to engage and connect and feel good about what we can accomplish together.

Jeff Chang has such a special view of race and culture in America that it’s almost impossible to do him justice. He draws on his Hawaiian/Chinese roots and his background as a hip hop DJ and indie label founder to help us better understand culture, politics, the arts, and music.

Jeff was formerly the Vice President of Narrative, Arts, and Culture at Race Forward. He now serves as a Senior Advisor and leads the Butterfly Lab for Immigrant Narrative Strategy.  Jeff also served as the Executive Director of the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford University.

He has written for The Guardian, Slate, The Nation, the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Believer, Foreign Policy, N+1, Mother Jones, Salon, and Buzzfeed, and is the author of three really terrific books: Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, Who We Be: The Colorization of America, and We Gon' Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation.

Jeff and Eric discuss the political voice of hip hop, the Chris Rock/Will Smith Oscars moment, what it means to be an American, and a lot more. Tune in and listen to Jeff walk on wings!  

When Emily Ladau appeared on Sesame Street at the age of ten, she probably didn’t realize that she was beginning a lifetime of advocacy for people living with disabilities. Emily is the author of Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be An Ally, the Digital Content and Community Manager for the Disability & Philanthropy Forum, and a highly sought-after public speaker.

In a country were one in four people has some kind of disability, Emily has dedicated her life to providing a starting point and a safe space for people to learn about an issue that is hard for many to talk about, but which touches almost every life in our country on one way or the other.

Emily speaks with Eric about how important it is for us all to create a more inclusive society for people with disabilities. Then she blows him away with her mad comms skills…

Read the transcript here.

We don’t bandy about terms like these, but Aaron Belkin is a stone-cold communications genius. He was a leader of the communications strategy that helped end the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that prevented gay and lesbian soldiers from serving openly in the military, and he followed that with a successful campaign to allow transgender individuals in the military to serve openly and have access to gender-affirming medical and psychological care.

Aaron’s book How We Won: Progressive Lessons from the Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ should be required reading in every communications class, and for that matter every nonprofit or foundation communications department everywhere.

Eric spoke with Aaron about his strategy to win on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and much more. Aaron is controversial, a little salty, and unafraid of taking on the conventional wisdom (and don’t get him started on George Lakoff).

We really think you’re going to enjoy this one.

We are so excited about ComNet24 in Kansas City!

When Sean Gibbons joined the Communications Network as its new leader a decade ago, he was tasked with leading an organization with 400 members and a staff of, um, himself and a ham sandwich. Today, the Network boasts over 4,000 members and a team of eight, reflecting Sean's infectious enthusiasm and vision for bringing communications professionals together.

And together we’ll be – in Kansas City from October 16-18.

Sean joins Chief of Staff Tristan Mohabir and VP of Community Carrie Clyne to talk with Eric about why ComNet 24 in Kansas City this October is a can't-miss event. They remind us how crucial in-person connections are in our increasingly digital world, and while they're at it, they showcase the innovative ways the Network is fostering community year-round through local groups, online Circles, and a bustling Slack workspace.

And stick around for a special opportunity to win dinner with Eric at a storied Kansas City steakhouse! Not kidding!

Did you miss us? We missed you! Let’s Hear It has been on a brief hiatus but we’re thrilled to be back with what we think is a cracking great conversation with Glen Galaich, the CEO of the Stupski Foundation in San Francisco. Eric sits down (in person!) with Glen to discuss Glen’s colorful career as a drive time talk radio host, his full-throated endorsement of limited life philanthropy, and the ulcers he causes his communications director.

Glen also offers our favorite recommendation for how philanthropy should measure success. We think it’s just plain genius.

But don’t take our word for it – decide for yourself!

Jasmine Banks is unafraid. As the Executive Director of UnKoch My Campus, she is fighting to preserve democracy and protect higher education from undue corporate donor influence. She and her colleagues are taking on a nationwide network of think tanks, "action" groups, and academics funded by Koch Industries and its many subsidiaries. And you think your day job is challenging.

Most recently, Jasmine's organization published a report that reveals a coordinated attempt to ban education about systemic racism in public schools and the teaching of what has come to be known as Critical Race Theory. Jasmine explains how she is pushing back against concerted efforts to foment culture wars in order to maintain the status quo.

We had a great conversation with Jasmine, who approaches her work with enthusiasm, joy, and great deal of grace.

Edgar Villanueva is an author, activist, and expert on issues of race, wealth, and philanthropy. He is the Principal of the Decolonizing Wealth Project and Liberated Capital and author of the bestselling book Decolonizing Wealth, whose second edition was just released in August.

He advises a range of organizations including national and global philanthropies, Fortune 500 companies, and entertainment on social impact strategies to advance racial equity.

As a Native American who has worked in philanthropy for nearly two decades, Edgar has an important vantage point to analyze what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve philanthropy.

Rich Neimand has spent his long career using his considerable marketing chops to advance important social causes.

His firm, Neimand Collaborative, has worked on a wide range of issues to improve education, protect the environment, improve people’s health, and promote financial inclusion, among many, many others.

At the center is his focus on uniting different audiences around common objectives using a creative approach that goes far beyond focus groups and polling (and includes time spent at the stove or performing personal ablutions).

Rich speaks with Eric about his life, politics, his colorful family, and why the creative process is like making soup.

It’s not easy to describe a guest as dynamic as Rinku Sen, but we’ll give it a shot. Rinku is the executive director of Narrative Initiative, co-president of the Women’s March Board, and author of two incredible books. As a political strategist, she has worked with the ACLU and PolicyLink, and her work on the “Drop the I Word” campaign has revolutionized the way media outlets talk about immigrants. As you can imagine, having Rinku on Let’s Hear It is a treat.  

In this exceptionally fun and interesting conversation, Rinku talks about her experience in journalism school, the history behind the term “systemic racism,” and how to ask the right questions to get the most useful answers. We’re aware that we say this every time, but it truly is not a conversation to miss.  

In sadder news, this episode marks the end of the intrepid Maggie Brown’s tenure as our producer and audio editor. Let’s Hear It might not be the same without them, but we’re so thrilled about this new chapter of their life as they move to Japan to teach English. Give it up for Maggie!

P.S. This does mean we’re in the market for a new audio editor! If you know someone who knows someone who may be interested, don’t hesitate to let us know.

Precious Stroud is a Let’s Hear It guest like no other. With a career that unites communication, higher education, and storytelling, she has created spaces where there weren’t spaces before and asked questions few have thought to ask. We’re very lucky to have her on the show.

Precious’s CV, like so many remarkable guests we’ve had on the podcast, is a doozy. She founded PJS Consultants to provide much-needed services to do-gooding organizations. Her work on Love Action Reaction focuses on community wellbeing and COVID-19 safety, and, just because she can, she also founded the BlackFemaleProject, which lifts up, shares, and reacts to Black female voices and stories in the industry.

This was a great conversation that will help you examine the stories of others and how you choose to tell them. Don’t miss out on this episode, please and thank you.

Maybe working in philanthropy is like attending a large Thanksgiving family gathering. There are folks you dearly love, folks you put up with, and folks who need a bit of a talking to. Kris Putnam-Walkerly knows this as well as anyone. She is a philanthropic advisor with a long history in the field, and she isn’t afraid to tell Uncle Irving that he needs to straighten up and fly right (so to speak).

Kris’s new book Delusional Altruism: Why Philanthropists Fail To Achieve Change and What They Can Do To Transform Giving addresses the long list of things that prevent philanthropists from succeeding in their work. It’s a firm but kind look at how to make a difference.

Eric spoke with Kris about her career, her book, and her advice to her colleagues about how to avoid the many pitfalls that philanthropists can avoid as they seek to transform their giving practices.

(And if you stick around to the VERY END, you can hear the Let’s Hear It theme song performed by its creator John Allee complete with lyrics!)

Sometimes we need a little breath of fresh air during the workday. This week’s guest on Let’s Hear It might just do the trick. Lowell Weiss, President of Cascade Philanthropy Advisors, is probably one of the most genial guests we’ve had the pleasure of speaking with.  

From his behind-the-scenes perches at the Atlantic Monthly, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the White House, Lowell has seen it all, done it all, and kept a marvelously cheerful attitude throughout – even after getting a talking to from the President of the United States.

Lowell talks about his new project – helping to run the Leap of Reason Ambassadors Community – which brings together nonprofit and civic leaders, funders, and public officials to help improve philanthropy. We hope you enjoy this episode just as much as Eric has enjoyed his decades-long friendship with Lowell!

Valerie Goode has been the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the San Francisco Foundation for a year now, but she has yet to set foot in her office. She has also led communications at a community foundation dedicated to advancing racial equity and economic inclusion at a moment when the challenges and opportunities have never felt more powerful.

Valerie has done it all with extraordinary aplomb and good humor. Eric spoke with her about her fascinating career (she was once in charge of background checks for the Governor of Massachusetts!), growing up as a Black woman in Maine, and how she has woven together her many experiences to advance the work of the San Francisco Foundation. If you are a communications professional or hope to become one someday, this will be an especially valuable conversation.  

This week, it is our pleasure to share Eric’s conversation with Andy Goodman – a master storyteller, writer, and communications Swiss Army knife. Andy is Director of the Goodman Center and he is the author of a very helpful new resource – Unmuted: What Works, What Doesn’t, and How We Can All Do Better When Working Together Online. Just in time, huh?

Andy and Eric have worked together since the 20th Century, if you can believe it. After this discussion, you will also feel like you’ve known Andy since Destiny’s Child was on the pop charts. Andy teaches us that we can all do the things we do better. This interview is sure to make you sprint to the Goodman Center website and sign up for a training or download a resource about how to be better at meetings, presentations, or storytelling. Enjoy!

As we approach World Refugee Day, it’s so good to know that there are people like Suzanne Ehlers who are making an extraordinary difference and people’s lives and providing real hope for the future.

Suzanne is the Executive Director and CEO of USA for UNHCR, a nonprofit organization that supports the United Nations Refugee Agency. It helps raise awareness and makes funds available to aid refugees around the world, providing them with the resources and support they need to rebuild their lives after being forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution, or disaster.

Previously, Suzanne was CEO of Malala Fund, and before that she was President and CEO of Population Action International. She speaks with Eric about how she parlayed her temp job at the Wallace Global Fund to a career that led to her being named CEO of an organization that aims to raise a billion dollars over the next ten years.

Suzanne speaks with Eric about how she uses storytelling to inspire empathy for the millions of refugees in some 40 crisis hotspots around the globe who desperately need our help.   

Oh, and she also happens to be fun, funny, and fabulous.

We hope you enjoy this really delightful conversation as much as we did.