In this episode of Non Profit Build Up Podcast, we dive into the key components of creating an innovative grant-making fund with our Vice President of Strategic Impact and Principal, Hayley Smith. Hayley joins our Founder, CEO, and Managing Attorney, Nic Campbell to explore strategies for overcoming limited resource allocation, including the importance of getting your internal infrastructure in order before experimenting with new grant-making methods. We also discuss how to promote innovation funds, attract high-quality proposals, and foster critical partnerships with those most impacted by grant funding—like potential grantees, community members, and partner organizations. 

Join us as we examine how to define priority funding areas, evaluate project success, and ensure an innovation fund remains effective and relevant over time. Whether you're a funder, nonprofit leader, or simply interested in reshaping resource allocation for greater impact, this conversation is for you! 

In this special episode of the Build Up podcast, we’re celebrating five years of growth, evolution, and impact at the Build Up Companies with Katy Thompson, the very first employee and now the Director of Global Operations and Culture. Katy joins our Founder, CEO, and Managing Attorney of The Build Up Companies, Nic Campbell, to reflect on the journey of BUC, from its early days to the global presence it holds today. 

Katy shares her unique perspective, having started as the Executive Assistant, and now leading operations and culture across the organization. Together, Nic and Katy discuss the challenges and triumphs of growing a small, dynamic team, maintaining strong relational connections, and embodying the core values of being brave, ever-learning, relational, and striving for excellence. 

The conversation dives into pivotal moments that shaped BUC’s path, including how brave innovation and a commitment to excellence have driven their success. They explore how these values will guide BUC’s next five years and beyond. 

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in leadership, organizational growth, and the intricacies of building a value-driven and people-centered company culture. Tune in to hear insights from Katy and Nic on how to create lasting impact in a constantly evolving sector.  

In this week’s episode of Nonprofit Build Up, we share part one of a two part episode, “Build Up, Inc.’s Black-led Fiscal Sponsorship” where Nic speaks with Amanda Nasinyama, Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Ajani Husbands, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Senior Counsel, of Build Up Companies, working with Build Up, Inc. a member organization that is a public charity and operates as a fiscal sponsor and capacity builder.

In this episode, Nic, Amanda, and Ajani discuss Build Up, Inc.’s work, the impetus for the organization's creation, and the fiscally sponsored projects it serves. They also explore what sets BUI's mission apart, as they focus on providing capacity building support to brave women and Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC)-led organizations, networks, and collectives. 

This week on the Nonprofit Build Up, we’re talking with Ricardo Castro, the Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of the International Rescue Committee. This conversation was recorded last year in 2020 when we were at the height of an international health crisis...that we’re still finding our way through. Ricardo is captivating in how he speaks about IRC’s work and how IRC is responding to yet another crisis and helping countries around the world. He also talks about how essential it is for nonprofits to share their stories and to consider and illustrate the impact of their interventions. He also points out how funders need to be more flexible and adaptable in what they require of grantees in moments of crisis and how the sector should focus less on process and more on support. 

Ricardo also discusses the importance of funding infrastructure development to ensure that all organizations, including grassroots organizations, can share the important stories of marginalized communities. This conversation encourages us all to reflect on how we can adapt to the needs of the moment and how we can thoughtfully build more resilient organizations. 

Angelyn Frazer-Giles is honest and compelling in how she speaks about the work of NNJ and how they’re staying true to their mission. She talks about how to support grassroots organizations, leanly-staffed organizations, and organizations engaged in direct services work in the criminal justice space. 

In this episode, Angelyn shares her advice for nonprofits to remain true to their mission and goals to continue to show up for the communities they’re serving instead of pivoting for short-term returns. And she discusses the role of philanthropy in increasing access for grassroots organizations that have been traditionally excluded from conversations. This conversation encourages us all to reimagine what the sector and society could become if we placed big-bets on grassroots organizations.

Dorian Burton’s passion for shifting the conversation in the sector from a deficit-based framework to an asset-rich framework comes through so clearly during our conversation. He shares practical advice for nonprofits and funders on how to begin the shift from charity to justice.

In this episode, Dorian focuses on how funders can and should listen to, work alongside, and partner with communities they’re serving in order to problem solve and also about how to ensure that those communities can create ways to be self-sustaining. This conversation inspires us to reflect on sustainability models, how we can create them on our own, and community partnership in order to change the way we address the root causes of inequity.

The idea of a free press and protection of investigative journalism is so critical, and Kay Murray’s role ensures that much-needed information is shared within society. 

In this episode, Kay talks about the role that journalism plays in ensuring that marginalized voices are heard. She shares her perspective on what’s currently happening in journalism, the impact on small nonprofit news organizations, and changes on the horizon within the sector. She gives advice to nonprofits and funders on how to navigate the uncertainty and unrest that was at play last summer, and, in many ways, is still at issue now.

During our conversation, you’ll hear Kay say that, “There is still room for innovation.” And that is why this conversation is so powerful. It encourages all of us to keep experimenting, to keep building, and to keep supporting nonprofit growth, particularly the growth of news organizations, to become sustainable.

This week's guest on the Nonprofit Build Up is Dr. Randal Pinkett. Randal is an entrepreneur, speaker, author, and scholar, and a leading voice in business, technology, diversity and inclusion. He is the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of his fifth venture, BCT Partners, a multimillion-dollar research, training, consulting, technology, and data analytics firm headquartered in Newark, NJ.  

Randal really highlights the role of for-profit companies that are focused on social impact and the role that the for-profit sector can play in building and supporting equity. He offers advice to nonprofits and funders on the role of infrastructure and how to leverage big data to better understand and support stakeholders in determining community needs.

Susan Burton’s life story is incredibly powerful. She is a leader in the criminal justice reform movement, the founder of A New Way of Life Reentry Project, and an outspoken voice to end mass incarceration. And in this episode, she shares why she founded A New Way of Life, shines a light on the policies and practices that encourage mass incarceration, and offers advice for leaders and organizations for building infrastructure and investing in their communities. 

Susan’s advice is so incredibly transparent, honest, and powerful. It encourages us to rethink what it means to have vision, how to invest in marginalized communities, and how to build sustainably. We encourage you to listen and absorb all of the information Susan shares about how we can each write and appreciate a new narrative. 

In this episode, Melanie Brown offers advice to nonprofits and funders on how they can address racial injustice and inequity, within their organizations, the sector, and society. You’ll hear Melanie share her thoughts about Black women being the vanguard of philanthropy and the need to center Black women in philanthropy’s response to the moment.  

Melanie shares so many insights for nonprofit leaders who are ready to listen, have honest conversations, and are ready to do the work. We encourage you to not only listen carefully to Melanie’s advice and insights, but to also ACT on that advice and her insights. They will change the way you show up in the sector. 

This interview is a must-listen for leaders who want to build robust organizations carefully and are interested in seeing the global perspectives that are present within the sector in order to build big-bet organizations that are community-led and focused. Amanda has a strong track record for the successful development and implementation of new business and project ventures. You’ll see this expertise, her deliberateness, and thoughtfulness come through in our conversation as well. Her responses will make you rethink value and appreciate the importance of reflection in your work. 

As Amanda shares in our conversation, let’s reimagine what’s possible. 

Throughout her 25-year career, Tonya Allen has been a bridge-builder and a civic diplomat. She is a champion of diversity, inclusion, and equity practices, driven by her passion for justice. This passion is so clearly illustrated in how she talks about building infrastructure focused on culture as well as the importance of compelling storytelling and making the correct cultural pivots in building nonprofit sustainability. During the conversation, you’ll hear Tonya say, “It is time for us to behave differently.” And to that end, Tonya shares so many insights for nonprofit leaders and organizations looking to build differently and stronger than they have before.

Nonprofits need to be responsive to the immediate and critical needs of the communities they serve while also tackling bigger structural issues. This powerful message emerges throughout this episode in which A. Nicole Campbell talks to Sherrilyn Ifill, the seventh and current President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), the nation's premier civil rights legal organization. In this conversation, Sherrilyn talks about the work they are doing at LDF and how it is transforming outcomes for the Black community. She also shares her advice for nonprofits and philanthropies to build better to effect and sustain change. Listen in and learn about the immense power of being responsive and other key lessons and information borne out of decades of serving marginalized communities.

Welcome to the Nonprofit Build Up, hosted by A. Nicole Campbell. Discover insights from nonprofit and philanthropy leaders about assessing and building better organizational infrastructure, programmatic strategies, and challenging traditional sector approaches on how to support some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.

Nic is passionate about using her legal training, operations and strategy expertise, and knowledge of nonprofit law to think creatively to transform the way organizations work and learn from their work. Now, on the Nonprofit Build Up podcast, she brings that same dedication and passion to help nonprofits and philanthropies consistently and sustainably support the marginalized and vulnerable communities they serve.

The Nonprofit Build Up provides fundraising and development ideas, program strategy, innovative thinking, organizational structuring, and grant-making policies and practices for the sector to help you transform the way you and your organization work. For nonprofits, securing funding for work and operations, making better grants, designing stronger programs, and strengthening organizational infrastructure can be daunting while also trying to effect change in the communities they serve. And philanthropies can be challenged with how to support their grantees to create sustainable outcomes for the marginalized communities they serve. The bottom line is if you are struggling with how to build capacity and scale your impact, you are diverting your focus from the communities that need you.

Start the power shift. Here. Now. Join Nonprofit Build Up with A. Nicole Campbell today.

In this week's episode of Nonprofit Build Up, "Re-envisioning the Way We Work in the Nonprofit Sector," Nic speaks with Cassie Haynes, former Co-Executive Director and Co Founder of Resolve Philly, and Jean Friedman- Rudovsky, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Resolve Philly, whose work centers on improving how misrepresented communities are covered by the media. In this episode, Nic, Cassie, and Jean discuss Resolve Philly's work, the impetus for why the organization was created, essential changes to help the nonprofit sector evolve, and the power of people-centered infrastructure in the sector.

In this week's episode of the Nonprofit Build Up, "The Nonprofit Sector, Reimagined", Nic speaks with Vu Le, Founder of the Nonprofit AF blog, which focuses on nonprofit hot topics for nonprofit leaders. Tune in to this episode to hear Nic and Vu speak candidly about the philanthropic sector, including fundraising power dynamics, philanthropic trends, and rethinking the way the nonprofit sector shows up when working to support historically marginalized communities.

Today's podcast is focused on giving you a preview of our upcoming Fall programming as we'll be taking Summer Break from June through the end of our Summer here in the US and coming back with new episodes in the Fall. 

We have lots of exciting conversations underway. Some include previewing the work of the entities within the Build Up Companies - Build Up Advisory Group, The Campbell Law Firm, and Build Up, Inc. - and others focused on centering our infrastructure work with brave nonprofits and philanthropies and historically marginalized communities. We also have interesting topics impacting leaders from historically marginalized communities, including discussing systemic barriers to equitable compensation as well as Black-centered leadership within organizations, just to name a few of these topics.

We hope you have a great Summer break and we'll be back on the airwaves soon.

This week on the Nonprofit Build Up, we are recasting a conversation Nic has with Jamie Lieberman. Jamie is the owner and founder of Hashtag Legal: a “go-to” legal firm that allows business owners to be well informed about "When does a Nonprofit Need a Lawyer?" while feeling empowered to embrace what having a strong legal side can do for financial success.

On this recast of the Nonprofit Build Up, we’re talking with Geoffrey Canada. Geoff is a leading advocate for children and an innovator in the field of education. He created the Harlem Children’s Zone, a birth-through-college network of programs that today serves more than 13,000 low-income students and families in a 97-block area of Central Harlem in New York City. The unprecedented success of the Harlem Children’s Zone has attracted the attention of the media and leaders around the world.

In this episode, Geoff shares tremendous insight, knowledge, and practical advice for everyone listening, helping us to build and lead bravely.

In this recast of the Nonprofit Build Up, Nic is speaking with Doug Nelson, President & Managing Director of Discovery Group — a boutique consulting company working with organizations on issues related to governance, planning, and execution and a vision to bring together a group of talented and compassionate leaders. Doug is not only a leader, but he is also award-winning in the areas of governance, culture, advocacy, and innovative granting, and he has raised nearly $1 billion for organizations in Canada and the United States.

This week on the Nonprofit Build Up®, Nic is talking with Asta Petkeviciute and Thaddeus Squire of Social Impact Commons. Social Impact Commons is a nonprofit organization created to meet the evolving needs of the fiscal sponsorship community. SIC is building the first national network and community of practice, advancing management commons as a model of equitable and inclusive resource sharing for the nonprofit sector aka a next-generation approach to fiscal sponsorship.

This week on the Nonprofit Build Up®, Nic is talking with Asta Petkeviciute and Thaddeus Squire of Social Impact Commons. Social Impact Commons is a nonprofit organization created to meet the evolving needs of the fiscal sponsorship community. SIC is building the first national network and community of practice, advancing management commons as a model of equitable and inclusive resource sharing for the nonprofit sector aka a next-generation approach to fiscal sponsorship.

In this special episode of the Build Up podcast, we’re celebrating five years of growth, evolution, and impact at the Build Up Companies with Katy Thompson, the very first employee and now the Director of Global Operations and Culture. Katy joins our Founder, CEO, and Managing Attorney of The Build Up Companies, Nic Campbell, to reflect on the journey of BUC, from its early days to the global presence it holds today.

Katy shares her unique perspective, having started as the Executive Assistant, and now leading operations and culture across the organization. Together, Nic and Katy discuss the challenges and triumphs of growing a small, dynamic team, maintaining strong relational connections, and embodying the core values of being brave, ever-learning, relational, and striving for excellence.

The conversation dives into pivotal moments that shaped BUC’s path, including how brave innovation and a commitment to excellence have driven their success. They explore how these values will guide BUC’s next five years and beyond.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in leadership, organizational growth, and the intricacies of building a value-driven and people-centered company culture. Tune in to hear insights from Katy and Nic on how to create lasting impact in a constantly evolving sector.

Katy Thompson, Director of Global Operations and Culture

Katy Thompson is passionate about sparking positive change globally. She holds a BS in Intelligence and National Security and an MS in Environmental Studies from Point Park University and has had diverse professional experiences that have taken her around the globe. Throughout her studies and career, Katy has focused on connecting food security and national security, sustainability, and innovation, finding simple solutions to serve as powerful tools for social and economic development. Katy firmly believes that building effective organizations with robust infrastructure is the key to making a measurable impact.

At Build Up, Katy is responsible for managing The Build Up Companies’ processes and operations around the globe. She directs a portfolio of projects to strengthen the Companies’ internal infrastructure, and ensures that systems, processes, and policies are in place to support internal operations as well as our clients’ work.

Outside of the office, Katy is a 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher, specializing in yoga for addiction and recovery. When she is not working or on her yoga mat, you can find her getting lost in a good book.

In this two-week series, we will be exploring the context and common concerns on “Managing Risk for Equitable Grant Making”. This week’s episode is part one of a two-part panel discussion originally recorded at the PEAK 2022 Conference.

Moderated by Build Up’s CEO, A. Nicole Campbell and in conversation with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Deputy Director, Melanie Brown, JustLeadershipUSA’s President and CEO DeAnna Hoskins, and Herald Advisors Principal, Aleesha Taylor. This presentation was originally recorded in March 2022. This is a two-part series.

Nic, Melanie, DeAnna, and Aleesha dive into the practice of progressive grantmaking, the inequities that traditional grantmaking has on the marginalized communities it aims to serve, and how to align the definition of risk with an organization’s appetite for risk. You won’t want to miss it.

In this two-week series, we will be exploring the context and common concerns on “Managing Risk for Equitable Grant Making”. This week’s episode is part one of a two-part panel discussion originally recorded at the PEAK 2022 Conference.

Moderated by Build Up’s CEO, A. Nicole Campbell and in conversation with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Deputy Director, Melanie Brown, JustLeadershipUSA’s President and CEO DeAnna Hoskins, and Herald Advisors Principal, Aleesha Taylor. This presentation was originally recorded in March 2022. This is a two-part series.

Nic, Melanie, DeAnna, and Aleesha dive into the practice of progressive grantmaking, the inequities that traditional grantmaking has on the marginalized communities it aims to serve, and how to align the definition of risk with an organization’s appetite for risk. You won’t want to miss it.

Over the next two weeks, we are recasting one of our very first episodes of the Nonprofit Build Up as a two-part series. In this series, you will hear Nic’s conversation with Susan Burton, a leader in the criminal justice reform movement, founder of A New Way of Life Reentry Project, and outspoken voice to end mass incarceration.

 Susan shares why she founded A New Way of Life, shines a light on the policies and practices that encourage mass incarceration and offers advice for leaders and organizations for building infrastructure and investing in their communities. 

Nic talks with Nancy Murphy, Founder and President of CSR Communications on “ Leading within Organizational Change”. Nancy has designed and implemented sustainability, community engagement, and philanthropic strategies for companies such as UPS and Johnson Controls, and nonprofit organizations, including W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Nancy will be sharing insights on leading, supporting, strategizing, and re-energizing big change initiatives, especially given the current climate. You won’t want to miss it.

Nic talks with Nancy Murphy, Founder and President of CSR Communications on “ Leading within Organizational Change”. Nancy has designed and implemented sustainability, community engagement, and philanthropic strategies for companies such as UPS and Johnson Controls, and nonprofit organizations, including W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Nancy will be sharing insights on leading, supporting, strategizing, and re-energizing big change initiatives, especially given the current climate. You won’t want to miss it.

Nic talks with DeAnna Hoskins, President and CEO of JustLeadership USA also known as JLUSA. DeAnna Hoskins has been at the helm of JLUSA since 2018. A nationally recognized leader and dynamic public speaker, she has been committed to the movement for racial and social justice, working alongside those most impacted by marginalization for over two decades. DeAnna leads from the perspective that collective leadership, advocacy for justice with reinvestment, and bold systems change are only possible when those who are most harmed are provided the tools and resources to demand change. You will not want to miss these episodes.

Over the next two weeks on the Nonprofit Build Up®, Nic is talking with Yvonne Moore, the Managing Director of Moore Philanthropy and President of Moore Impact. Yvonne has over 25 years of experience in the government, civil society, and philanthropic sectors to their work in providing strategic and tailored philanthropic advisement and solutions to families, individuals, and institutions. Prior to launching Moore Philanthropy, Yvonne was the Chief of Staff to filmmaker and philanthropist Abigail E. Disney where she oversaw the family’s network of media, philanthropic and advocacy organizations. She ran the family’s private foundation, provide advisement on their personal philanthropic giving, both charitable and political, and led their expansion into international giving in 2008. These episodes are profound.

Over the next two weeks on the Nonprofit Build Up®, Nic is talking with Yvonne Moore, the Managing Director of Moore Philanthropy and President of Moore Impact. Yvonne has over 25 years of experience in the government, civil society, and philanthropic sectors to their work in providing strategic and tailored philanthropic advisement and solutions to families, individuals, and institutions. Prior to launching Moore Philanthropy, Yvonne was the Chief of Staff to filmmaker and philanthropist Abigail E. Disney where she oversaw the family’s network of media, philanthropic and advocacy organizations. She ran the family’s private foundation, provide advisement on their personal philanthropic giving, both charitable and political, and led their expansion into international giving in 2008. These episodes are profound.

As nonprofits, we need to be responsive to the people’s needs at the moment while tackling the bigger structural issues as well. This is a powerful message that this episode’s guest can never overemphasize. Nicole Campbell brings in Sherrilyn Ifill, the seventh and current President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), the nation’s premier civil rights legal organization. 

In this conversation, Sherrilyn talks about the work they are doing at LDF and how it is transforming the lives of countless discriminated and disadvantaged members of the Black community. She also shares her advice for nonprofits and philanthropies to build better. Listen in and learn about the immense power of being responsive and other lessons and information born out of decades in service of the people.

As nonprofits, we need to be responsive to the people’s needs at the moment while tackling the bigger structural issues as well. This is a powerful message that this episode’s guest can never overemphasize. In this special two-part series, Nic is talking with Sherrilyn Ifill, the seventh and current President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), the nation’s premier civil rights legal organization. This interview was recorded back in May 2020, when the country contended with both a pandemic and growing racial and social justice movements. Which, two years later, is still pressing on in addition to the war in Ukraine and inflated markets worldwide. Listen in and learn about the immense power of being responsive and other lessons and information born out of decades in service of the people.

Today’s episode of The Nonprofit Build Up Podcast is part 2 of our deep dive into "Transformative Philanthropy" with Dr. Aleesha Taylor, founder of Herald Advisors. Dr. Taylor passionately shares how Herald Advisors was born from her relentless drive to create real, lasting change in communities.

In this episode, she breaks down the intricate challenges of philanthropic funding, internal power structures, and the bold, systems-level shifts needed to achieve meaningful impact. If you're serious about driving systems change, strategic philanthropy, and effective nonprofit leadership, this episode is essential listening.

Dr. Taylor’s insights will push you to think critically about how we can truly support communities with accountable, authentic, and impactful philanthropy.

Dr. Aleesha Taylor, Principal, Herald Advisors

Dr. Aleesha Taylor is passionate about marshaling resources to benefit vulnerable communities and address pervasive social problems. She has over 20 years of experience leading at the intersection of education, philanthropy, and international development. Aleesha is the Founder and Chief Strategist of Herald Advisors, a boutique strategic advisory firm that helps clients maximize their impact through thought partnership, organizational capacity building, program and strategy design, and leadership and team development. Herald Advisors works with a global range of philanthropies, nonprofit organizations, and networks to strengthen teams and programs and develop sound fundraising and partnership strategies. Sample clients and projects include:

Gender at the Center Initiative: Designed partnership and governance arrangements for the multistakeholder initiative to advance gender equality across eight African countries.

Lever for Change: Impact Partner leading efforts to strengthen diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice across finalists’ proposals for awards ranging from five to one hundred million (USD).

Education.org (formerly Insights for Education): Served as Interim Chief Technical Officer, establishing MOUs with the Government of Kenya and USAID and designing national and global strategies to increase the availability and use of relevant data for decision-making.

Chemonics: Provides design and implementation support for USAID-funded education projects.

Comic Relief-US: Positioned entity to leverage $23 million investment from Salesforce for global programs that address intergenerational poverty.

She is the former Deputy Director of the Open Society Foundations’ global education program, where she managed a team across five countries to implement a global grantmaking portfolio and advanced priorities and partnerships on behalf of the foundations’ Chairman and President. Aleesha was central to the creation of the Private Sector/Foundations constituency of the Global Partnership for Education’s Board of Directors and served as its representative on the Board’s Financial Advisory Committee, which channeled $1.2 billion in grant funding to developing country governments during her tenure.

Aleesha was a Lecturer in International Educational Development at Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she also completed her doctoral studies. She also holds degrees in psychology from Spelman College and the Graduate Faculty for Political and Social Sciences of the New School for Social Research. She has written numerous articles and chapters and is the Co-Editor of Partnership Paradox: The Post-Conflict Reconstruction of Liberia’s Education System, Foreword by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

This week on the Nonprofit Build Up is part two of a two-part series led by Build Up's CEO and managing attorney, Nic Campbell, and moderated by Shelli Warren of Biz Chicks, Team and Leadership Coach, and Stacking Your Team podcast host.

You can jump back to part one of the conversation to learn more about defining culturally competent leadership where Nic is talking about all things cultural competence, leadership and effective teams. Originally published on October 4th, 2022, Nic continues to explore what cultural competence means, its competitive edge in business and its significance when embodied not only across teams but in leadership positions as well. 

Over the next two weeks on the Nonprofit Build Up®, Nic is talking all things cultural competence, leadership, and effective teams. 

Originally published on the Stacking Your Team (SYT) podcast with Team and Leadership Coach and SYT Podcast Host Shelli Warren of Biz Chix, Nic deep dives into what cultural competence means, its competitive edge, and its significance when embodied not only across teams but in leadership positions as well. You will not want to miss these episodes.

This week on the Nonprofit Build Up®, Nic is talking with DeAnna Hoskins, President and CEO of JustLeadership USA also known as JLUSA. DeAnna Hoskins has been at the helm of JLUSA since 2018. A nationally recognized leader and dynamic public speaker, she has been committed to the movement for racial and social justice, working alongside those most impacted by marginalization for over two decades. DeAnna leads from the perspective that collective leadership, advocacy for justice with reinvestment, and bold systems change are only possible when those who are most harmed are provided the tools and resources to demand change. You will not want to miss these episodes.

Over the next two weeks on the Nonprofit Build Up®, Nic is talking with DeAnna Hoskins, President and CEO of JustLeadership USA also known as JLUSA. DeAnna Hoskins has been at the helm of JLUSA since 2018. A nationally recognized leader and dynamic public speaker, she has been committed to the movement for racial and social justice, working alongside those most impacted by marginalization for over two decades. DeAnna leads from the perspective that collective leadership, advocacy for justice with reinvestment, and bold systems change are only possible when those who are most harmed are provided the tools and resources to demand change. You will not want to miss these episodes.

As nonprofits, we need to be responsive to the people’s needs at the moment while tackling the bigger structural issues as well. This is a powerful message that this episode’s guest can never overemphasize. Over the next two weeks we will be recasting a special two-part series, Nic is talking with Sherrilyn Ifill, the seventh and current President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), the nation’s premier civil rights legal organization. This interview was recorded back in May 2020, when the country contended with both a pandemic and growing racial and social justice movements. Which, two years later, is still pressing on in addition to the war in Ukraine and inflated markets worldwide. Listen in and learn about the immense power of being responsive as we close out the month focused on Leading within Change. 

As nonprofits, we need to be responsive to the people’s needs at the moment while tackling the bigger structural issues as well. This is a powerful message that this episode’s guest can never overemphasize. Over the next two weeks we will be recasting a special two-part series, Nic is talking with Sherrilyn Ifill, the seventh and current President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), the nation’s premier civil rights legal organization. This interview was recorded back in May 2020, when the country contended with both a pandemic and growing racial and social justice movements. Which, two years later, is still pressing on in addition to the war in Ukraine and inflated markets worldwide. Listen in and learn about the immense power of being responsive as we close out the month focused on Leading within Change. 

This week on the Nonprofit Build Up, we are making the case for general support funding. This episode was originally recorded as a webinar with Angelyn Frazer-Giles, Executive Director of the National Network for Justice. Angelyn was previously featured on the Nonprofit Build Up Episode 9- Increasing Access for Grassroots Organizations.

You will hear us talk a lot about general support funding or flexible funding on the Nonprofit Build Up podcast, including Episode 22 - General Support Funding with A. Nicole Campbell.  Many leaders in the nonprofit sector are speaking out about how crucial general support funding is for creating sustainable and effective organizations. And we agree. This episode goes a little deeper into discussing why the majority of funding is not general support and what the delays are that slow down general support grants from becoming the default grants of the sector.

This week on the Nonprofit Build Up, we are making the case for general support funding. This episode was originally recorded as a webinar with Angelyn Frazer-Giles, Executive Director of the National Network for Justice. Angelyn was previously featured on the Nonprofit Build Up Episode 9- Increasing Access for Grassroots Organizations.

You will hear us talk a lot about general support funding or flexible funding on the Nonprofit Build Up podcast, including Episode 22 - General Support Funding with A. Nicole Campbell.  Many leaders in the nonprofit sector are speaking out about how crucial general support funding is for creating sustainable and effective organizations. And we agree. This episode goes a little deeper into discussing why the majority of funding is not general support and what the delays are that slow down general support grants from becoming the default grants of the sector.

This week at the Nonprofit Build Up, Nic is talking with Nancy Murphy, Founder and President of CSR Communications on “Leading within Organizational Change”. Nancy has designed and implemented sustainability, community engagement, and philanthropic strategies for companies such as UPS and Johnson Controls, and nonprofit organizations, including W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Annie E. Casey Foundation.  

Nancy will be sharing insights on leading, supporting, strategizing, and re-energizing big change initiatives, especially given the current climate. You won’t want to miss it.

Over the next two weeks at the Nonprofit Build Up, Nic is talking with Nancy Murphy, Founder and President of CSR Communications on “Leading within Organizational Change”. Nancy has designed and implemented sustainability, community engagement, and philanthropic strategies for companies such as UPS and Johnson Controls, and nonprofit organizations, including W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Annie E. Casey Foundation.  

Nancy will be sharing insights on leading, supporting, strategizing, and re-energizing big change initiatives, especially given the current climate. You won’t want to miss it.

Today's Non Profit Build Up podcast episode is an insightful conversation with Dr. Aleesha Taylor, a leading voice in philanthropy and nonprofit leadership. We delve into the transformative work being led by Dr. Taylor, with a spotlight on Herald Advisors, a firm she founded after her impactful tenure at the Open Society Foundations.

In this episode, Dr. Taylor shares the genesis of Herald Advisors and how it emerged from her deep desire to facilitate initiatives that profoundly impact communities. We discuss the complex interplay of philanthropic funds, the power dynamics within organizations, and the systems-level changes needed to truly effect lasting impact.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in systems change, strategic philanthropy, and the intricacies of nonprofit leadership. Dr. Taylor’s insights challenge us to think critically about how we can better support communities through authentic, accountable, and impactful philanthropy.

Don’t miss this conversation that will inspire you to reconsider how you engage with the sector. 🎧

Dr. Aleesha Taylor, Principal, Herald Advisors

Dr. Aleesha Taylor is passionate about marshaling resources to benefit vulnerable communities and address pervasive social problems. She has over 20 years of experience leading at the intersection of education, philanthropy, and international development. Aleesha is the Founder and Chief Strategist of Herald Advisors, a boutique strategic advisory firm that helps clients maximize their impact through thought partnership, organizational capacity building, program and strategy design, and leadership and team development. Herald Advisors works with a global range of philanthropies, nonprofit organizations, and networks to strengthen teams and programs and develop sound fundraising and partnership strategies. Sample clients and projects include:

Gender at the Center Initiative: Designed partnership and governance arrangements for the multistakeholder initiative to advance gender equality across eight African countries.

Lever for Change: Impact Partner leading efforts to strengthen diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice across finalists’ proposals for awards ranging from five to one hundred million (USD).

Education.org (formerly Insights for Education): Served as Interim Chief Technical Officer, establishing MOUs with the Government of Kenya and USAID and designing national and global strategies to increase the availability and use of relevant data for decision-making.

Chemonics: Provides design and implementation support for USAID-funded education projects.

Comic Relief-US: Positioned entity to leverage $23 million investment from Salesforce for global programs that address intergenerational poverty.

She is the former Deputy Director of the Open Society Foundations’ global education program, where she managed a team across five countries to implement a global grantmaking portfolio and advanced priorities and partnerships on behalf of the foundations’ Chairman and President. Aleesha was central to the creation of the Private Sector/Foundations constituency of the Global Partnership for Education’s Board of Directors and served as its representative on the Board’s Financial Advisory Committee, which channeled $1.2 billion in grant funding to developing country governments during her tenure.

Aleesha was a Lecturer in International Educational Development at Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she also completed her doctoral studies. She also holds degrees in psychology from Spelman College and the Graduate Faculty for Political and Social Sciences of the New School for Social Research. She has written numerous articles and chapters and is the Co-Editor of Partnership Paradox: The Post-Conflict Reconstruction of Liberia’s Education System, Foreword by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

This week at the Nonprofit Build Up, a two-part series solocast by Build Up Companies’ CEO and Managing Attorney, A. Nicole Campbell is a reflective and thought-provoking perspective on what it means for organizations, philanthropies, and grassroots movements to have “Legal Capacity as Capacity Building."

Recent events such as the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, the mass shootings across America, and other recent tragedies have shown the importance of institutions needing to have the capacity to build bravely. In this episode, Nic dives into the direct role that legal capacity has to build an organization in a way that lasts. You won’t want to miss it.

During this week and next at the Nonprofit Build Up, a two-part series solocast by Build Up Companies’ CEO and Managing Attorney, A. Nicole Campbell is a reflective and thought-provoking perspective on what it means for organizations, philanthropies, and grassroots movements to have “Legal Capacity as Capacity Building."

Recent events such as the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, the mass shootings across America, and other recent tragedies have shown the importance of institutions needing to have the capacity to build bravely. In this episode, Nic dives into the direct role that legal capacity has to build an organization in a way that lasts. You won’t want to miss it.

This week at the Non-Profit Build Up, we will be exploring the context and common concerns on “Managing Risk for Equitable Grant Making”. This week’s episode is part two of a two-part panel discussion originally recorded at the PEAK 2022 Conference. Moderated by Build Up’s CEO, A. Nicole Campbell and in conversation with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Deputy Director, Melanie Brown, JustLeadershipUSA's President and CEO DeAnna Hoskins, and Herald Advisor’s Principal, Aleesha Taylor. This presentation was originally recorded in March 2022. This is a two-part series.

Nic, Melanie, DeAnna, and Aleesha dive into the practice of progressive grantmaking, the inequities that traditional grantmaking have on the marginalized communities it aims to serve, and how to align the definition of risk with an organization’s appetite for risk. You won’t want to miss it.

Over the next two weeks at the Non-Profit Build Up, we will be exploring the context and common concerns on “Managing Risk for Equitable Grant Making”. This week’s episode is part one of a two-part panel discussion originally recorded at the PEAK 2022 Conference. Moderated by Build Up’s CEO, A. Nicole Campbell and in conversation with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Deputy Director, Melanie Brown, JustLeadershipUSA's President and CEO DeAnna Hoskins, and Herald Advisor’s Principal, Aleesha Taylor. This presentation was originally recorded in March 2022. This is a two-part series.

Nic, Melanie, DeAnna, and Aleesha dive into the practice of progressive grantmaking, the inequities that traditional grantmaking have on the marginalized communities it aims to serve, and how to align the definition of risk with an organization’s appetite for risk. You won’t want to miss it.