8 Great Podcasts for Nonprofit (Data) Leaders
We often don’t realize how little we advocate for and promote the things we’re the most passionate about. Here at Omatic, we are fervent believers in the importance of data management automation, data quality, and integration technology to break down data silos. We can talk all day about the need for nonprofit and fundraising professionals to have access to timely, high-quality data, so they have the information they need at their fingertips to be as successful as possible in their jobs.
Each of us who works at Omatic feels this way, and I’m no exception. But I didn’t realize how much more effectively I could amplify that message until I was invited to be a guest on a podcast last fall. Then my eyes were opened to the world of podcasting. Not simply as a listener to interesting stories and topics, but as a proactive evangelist for the way Omatic can help nonprofits take control, break down data silos, and effectively steward and leverage all the information entrusted to them.
I went on something of a podcast rampage, curating a list of podcast hosts who specifically speak to the nonprofit sector or who have a significant nonprofit following.
Below, I’ve listed eight great podcasts, with information about the hosts and the episodes I joined to discuss the importance of data integration. Each show has many other useful episodes as well, covering topics that would interest nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, relationship managers, and professionals across the board.
The DiscoPosse Podcast
To quote Eric Wright, the host of the DiscoPosse Podcast, his show ‘was born from great conversations with technology experts and startup founders which were proving to be so good that they had to be shared’. Eric himself is a technologist – a 20-year tech veteran who currently works as a system architect, supports a wide range of cloud and on-premise deployments, and is certified on AWS, VMware, Microsoft, and other platforms.
That said, Eric’s podcasts are remarkably non-technical; they are conversational, educational, and engaging. Omatic is featured in episode 208, during which Eric and I talked about optimizing data to do good. We discussed in depth how nonprofits can use technology, integration technology in particular, to enhance the quality of their data – to drive better decision making, more effectively build relationships, and improve fundraising long term.
The Grant Writing & Funding Podcast
Podcast host Holly Rustick is also a 20-year veteran, but her depth of experience is in helping nonprofits, and grant-writers in particular, acquire funding. She focuses on working with organizations to increase funding so they can advance their missions.
The Grant Writing & Funding Podcast covers topics across the nonprofit and fundraising sectors, including areas of interest for development directors, executive directors, nonprofit consultants, finance professionals, and, of course, grant-writers.
In Episode 213, Holly and I had an energizing conversation on how nonprofits can use technology to increase donor retention. We talked about how overwhelming it can feel when figuring out how to use technology to improve data quality and donor retention, and how using technology can actually help eliminate the stress of data management while increasing both donor retention and acquisition. It was a great discussion.
The Breakfast Leadership Show
Michael Levitt and his firm, the Breakfast Leadership Network, focus on workplace culture/burnout/recovery, and work with large and midsize nonprofits. Michael styles himself as BLN’s Chief Burnout Officer, and for good reason: he is fervently committed to helping organizational leaders reduce stress and prevent burnout. Michael’s podcast, the Breakfast Leadership Show, a top 200 podcast on Apple, is a forum for hearing interviews and stories from thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and subject-matter experts that focus on helping listeners improve their organizations and their lives.
For nonprofits, effectively managing disparate data can be a major cause of tension and anxiety. In Episode 619 of the Breakfast Leadership Show, Michael and I talked about the stress (and potential burnout) resulting from organizations that find themselves with multiple data repositories and no one single source of truth. We discussed the challenges met when organizations try to consolidate their data, and how organizations lose trust in their data when the quality of that data is suspect. And, of course, we discussed how Omatic can help solve those problems.
Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership
I was a little apprehensive when I read up about Dr. Patton McDowell – a 30-year career nonprofit leader, fundraiser, strategist, and organizational development expert – prior to our podcast interview. His familiarity with just about every sector of the nonprofit world, both in the field and as a consultant, made me think, ‘what can I tell him that he doesn’t already know?’
Of course, I had nothing to fear. Patton is so down-to-earth and approachable, and we had an awesome conversation, rooted in our common experiences. In his Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership podcast, Patton brings together nonprofit leaders, mentors, philanthropists, and subject matter experts, to share the best in professional development topics with his audiences. I was proud to become a part of that cadre.
During our discussion (episode 149), we hit upon why nonprofit leaders need to pay more attention to their data – how powerful data can be when information quality is high and how useless – and even damaging – data can be when quality isn’t there. We explored the keys to data quality and the most effective ways to capitalize on organizational data as an asset.
The Official Do Good Better Podcast
The Official Do Good Better Podcast is the brainchild of Patrick Kirby, who is also the founder of Do Good Better Consulting. I knew that I liked Patrick when he told me that, in his opinion, the phrase ‘we’ve always done it this way’ is one of the most dangerous in the English language. Patrick has spent more than a decade working in just about every capacity in the nonprofit sector and is passionate about making fundraising less boring.
Patrick’s podcast is designed to help nonprofits literally do good, better – the episodes explore trending topics across the sector, fascinating organizational profiles, and subject matter that helps listeners solve real problems. Our interview earlier this year (season 5, episode 19) focused on using data to connect with donors and other supporters, in particular, leveraging existing data and using it for more effective donor retention. We also talked about the impact of technology in the nonprofit sector overall, and the importance of personalization in fundraising communications.
The Nonprofit Exchange
For more than seven years, interviews on The Nonprofit Exchange have addressed an assortment of topics that offer wisdom, insight, and knowledge to faith-based and other nonprofit leaders. The very purpose of the podcast is to inspire, encourage, and equip nonprofit professionals, and help build their skills and sustain them – with leadership strategies and tools – as they focus on driving their organizations’ mission delivery and impact.
The Nonprofit Exchange is sponsored by the SynerVision Leadership Foundation and the podcast is hosted by Synervision’s president, Hugh Ballou. Hugh was a career church music director and has successfully used the music conductor model to create high-performing teams and build community.
During my interview with Hugh earlier this year, we discussed the nature of an organization’s data as an asset, how the technology that a nonprofit uses (or lacks) can affect the quality of its data, and how data quality can have a profound and direct impact on the ability of a nonprofit to deliver its mission.
Mission Matters
Simply stated, Mission Matters amplifies stories – and the Mission Matters Podcast amplifies the voices of entrepreneurs, executives, and experts, reaching more than 150,000 listeners weekly. Mission Matters podcast host and co-founder Adam Torres has interviewed more than 4000 industry experts and thought leaders and prides himself on providing a forum for top professionals in their fields to get their message to as broad an audience as possible.
I was delighted to be a guest on Mission Matters’ Innovation podcast, episode 218. Adam is such an affable host and easy to connect with. We discussed trends in the nonprofit technology landscape, the features of data quality that affect nonprofits, and why data integration is so important for nonprofits, both strategically and tactically.
A Modern Nonprofit Podcast
Tosha Anderson, CPA, MBA is the founder and CEO of The Charity CFO, an accounting and consulting firm that provides accounting support and financial guidance exclusively to nonprofit organizations. Tosha has dedicated her entire career to the nonprofit sector and has worked with hundreds of nonprofits at all levels, not only focusing on accounting-related topics, but also on fundraising, growth, organizational management, and more.
Tosha’s podcast show, A Modern Nonprofit Podcast, digs into the most important business topics affecting nonprofits today. Tosha is a delightful host who asks insightful questions to ensure that her listers are always informed. During our chat, we talked about a number of our favorite mutual topics, not the least of which was proper and effective integration between an organization’s main CRM database and its general ledger. We also discussed the pros and cons of cloud technology, the characteristics of data quality, why data integration is important, and how effective integration supports more productive donor retention. The podcast episode may be found on The Charity CFO website as well as on Apple.
New Omatic Resources
Omatic is promoting these podcasts because 1) each of these shows has a lot to offer professionals in all areas of the nonprofit sector and 2) because the episodes on which Omatic is featured give us the opportunity to share technology information about which we are the most passionate. Our goal is not only to serve the sector by providing needed technology solutions, but also by offering intelligence on trends, observations, and innovations that can help public charities and other nonprofits better deliver their mission and make the social impact with which they’ve been charged.
[In that vein, Omatic will soon as adding a ‘Podcast’ section to the Resources page on our website. This will be a place where we’ll provide links to podcasts like the ones described above as well as others that we will have curated for our visitors, in an effort to continue serving the data and technology needs of the nonprofit sector.]
For further information on how Omatic solutions may be able to address your unique data quality issues and integration needs, please contact us at info@omaticsoftware.com or complete the form below.