We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits

688. Who Gets to Design Change? Power, Agency & Creating Sustainable Orgs - Chidi Asoluka, NewComm

Today we're sitting down with Chidi Asoluka — founder and CEO of NewComm — to ask a question every nonprofit leader should be wrestling with: who actually gets to design change?At NewComm, high school students manage real budgets, design real projects, and build networks most people don't access until much later in life. The lessons Chidi has learned building it are for every leader in this space.He got out of his own head and into the heads of the people he was trying to impact. What he found there reshaped everything — his program, his systems, and his understanding of what it means to lead.We dig into:Why proximity beats expertise in designing real changeWhat funders get wrong when success has to look neat and linearWhy real authority — not just a seat at the table — changes everythingPlus the remarkable true story that drives everything Chidi does, and his simple mantra for leading with clarity in a noisy world.Some conversations change how you see the work. This is one of them. 🩵Episode Highlights: Chidi’s origin story: from Newark to Georgetown (2:35) The $10,000 idea that sparked Newcom’s model (7:18) The Net Gala: building social capital differently (12:57) From consumers to builders: shifting student identity (14:45) Killing your darlings: founder humility in action (17:36) Proximity over white papers: rethinking philanthropy (20:15) The hidden entrepreneurship of Gen Z (22:15) Designing frictionless systems for access and growth (24:57) A life-changing act of generosity (31:59) One Good Thing: Do the next best thing (41:45)Episode Shownotes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/688//Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter

687. The Path Forward: Leading With Purpose in 2026 - Seth Godin

This one is a grounding exhale.Today, we’re bringing you a powerful conversation from the We Are For Good Summit with our friend Seth Godin — it's for anyone carrying the weight of leadership in uncertain times.Because here’s the truth: uncertainty isn’t a season anymore. It’s the environment. And if you’re feeling the pressure, the risk, the emotional toll of caring deeply about work that matters… you are not alone.Seth challenges us to rethink what risk really is (hint: it’s the feeling of risk that trips us up), why attachment fuels burnout, and how trust is built — and burned — through small, consistent actions. We talk about belonging and leadership, and about the courage it takes to stay in the arena when the outcomes aren’t guaranteed.We also dig into:How to innovate when nothing feels stableRebuilding trust through behavior, not brandingUsing AI as a tool (without losing our humanity)Communicating experimentation and risk to donorsLetting go of entanglements that keep us stuckAnd why agency — not compliance — is the futureSeth reminds us that we didn’t sign up for perfect — we signed up to keep moving toward better. To feel the fear and move forward anyway, tell the truth, bring people together, and stay responsible to the work we care about. If you’re tired but still called, questioning but still committed, this conversation is for you. 🩵Episode Highlights: Tribes & belonging: organizing the table you wish existed (4:42)Burnout, attachment & the cost of caring (7:25)Risk vs. the feeling of risk in nonprofit leadership (14:43)AI, automation & why decisions—not tasks—are the real work (23:42)Telling the truth inside your organization (32:30)Communicating experimentation & risk to donors (33:50)Agency in the age of AI: undoing indoctrination (37:21)The lifeguard story: courage isn’t about credentials (27:59)Seth’s One Good Thing: “Find the others. This is the point.” (39:30)Episode Shownotes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/687//Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter

686. Learn, Serve, Explore: How Students of Service Is Shaping the Next Generation of Global Leaders - Amir Samandi

Meet Amir Samandi 🌎, founder of Students of Service (SOS) in San Antonio.In this episode, Amir shares how one study abroad experience sparked a bold vision: to equip young people to become global citizens through service and international learning. What started as a leap of faith is now a thriving nonprofit shaping the next generation of empathetic, purpose-driven leaders.This conversation is especially for founders and nonprofit leaders navigating growth, doubt, and sustainability.You’ll hear:Why courage isn’t the absence of fear — it’s acting despite itThe two-question filter that guides every decision at SOSHow service and global learning are shaping Gen Z into purpose-driven changemakersA reminder to trust the process, do the work, and surround yourself with people who believe in the missionEpisode Highlights: Courage and community: moving forward despite fear (0:00)Amir Samandi’s journey: multicultural roots and life-changing study abroad (2:42)From State Department to classroom teaching: the spark for Students of Service (5:49)Launching SOS: creating a nonprofit from scratch with community support (8:35)Alumni impact and volunteer-driven growth (9:55)Guiding principles for SOS: “Is it good for kids? Is it sustainable?” (17:28)Preparing the next generation of leaders: empathy, agency, and hope (13:44)Moments of philanthropy: students taking action to help others (20:19)Amir’s One Good Thing: “Elevate the people around you to be their best selves; it makes the world a better place.” (22:54)Episode Shownotes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/686Resources: LinkedIn / Website /IG / Facebook //Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter

685. Begin Again: Reclaiming the Nonprofit Sector as Essential, Not Supplemental - Analía Weber, La Familia

Today, Jon and Becky sit down with Analía Weber, Development Director at The Family Center / La Familia, to explore a bold paradigm shift for the nonprofit sector. One that begins with how we speak about ourselves.Analia’s journey into fundraising didn’t follow a traditional path. A lifelong dancer and arts leader, she pivoted careers at 39 and stepped into nonprofit development with heart, courage, and a willingness to begin again. Now, less than four years later, she’s not only the Director of Development for a thriving, holistic family support organization — she’s chairing a regional nonprofit sector partnership and advocating for a 10-year movement to reposition nonprofits as trusted experts and essential community leaders.In this episode, you’ll hear:Why the language we use about “donors,” “nonprofits,” and “doing more with less” shapes power dynamicsHow nonprofits can shift from being seen as supplemental to being recognized as experts at the decision-making tableThe mindset of begin again — and why failure is part of the workHow La Familia funds the whole family through holistic, community-centered designA dance-inspired framework for leadership: show up, pay attention, tell the truth, and don’t get attached to the resultsIf you’re a nonprofit leader navigating uncertainty, funding shifts, or systemic barriers, this episode is your reminder: you don’t have to have it all figured out. You get to begin again. And the sector’s transformation starts with us.Episode Highlights: From dancer to development leader (2:46)​Finding La Familia and community (4:05)​Inside La Familia’s holistic mission (7:49)​Funding the whole family (10:15)​Fundraising with dignity and new language (12:20)​A 10-year paradigm shift for the sector (16:01)​“Begin again” as a leadership mindset (19:25)​Analia’s Story of Philanthropy (26:00)Analia’s One Good Thing: Compositional improvisation for everyday choices (26:34)Episode Shownotes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/685//Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter

684. The Courage to Disappoint: Trust-Based Leadership for Nonprofits - Glennda Testone

What does it really take to lead with courage in the nonprofit sector—especially when growth, complexity, and crisis collide?In this powerful conversation, Jon and Becky sit down with Glennda Testone, CEO of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab and co-host of Nonprofits Are Messy, to explore what it means to lead with integrity, accountability, and heart. With more than 14 years as Executive Director of New York City’s LGBT Community Center—where she tripled the budget, led a $9M capital campaign, and guided the organization through transformational change—Glennda brings lived experience and hard-earned wisdom to the mic.Together, they unpack:How trust is built through transparency, vulnerability, and doing what you say you’ll doWhy accountability isn’t about fear management—but about strengthening mission and relationshipsThe mindset shift from “trying not to disappoint anyone” to deciding who you’re willing to disappointPractical tools for prioritizing when everything feels urgentThe power of community—and why going it alone is a leadership trapIf you’re navigating growth, wrestling with hard decisions, or feeling the weight of leadership, this episode is a reminder: you don’t have to do this alone. Trust is the work. Community is everything. And sometimes the most meaningful wins come from getting it right according to the right people.Episode Highlights: Glennda’s origin story and path to nonprofit leadership (2:41)Leading through growth, complexity, and making mistakes (6:27)Building trust and centering justice and connection (10:59)Reframing accountability to build trust (16:58)How to prioritize when everything feels urgent (21:23)Learning to say no and let go of people-pleasing (25:47)A powerful moment of philanthropy in Glennda's career (28:15)Playing the long game in fundraising relationships (32:31)One Good Thing: Don’t go it alone in leadership (34:43)Episode Shownotes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/684//Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com Say hi 👋LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter