Episode 97: Nonprofit Sector, Reimagined with Vu Le

Today’s episode of The Nonprofit Build Up Podcast is part 2 of a 2 part conversation titled “Drowning in Black Genius with Marcus Littles and A. Nicole Campbell”. While this topic could be discussed any time of the year we wanted to be sure that while the world is celebrating Black History this month, we can allow them to also pay attention to the literal present day genius of Black folks as well. In today’s episode Marcus Littles, Founder and Senior Partner, at Frontline Solutions continues to discuss his organization’s evolution over the last 18 years. Frontline Solutions, while a management consulting firm, was never intended to be just that. This Black-founded and led company is comprised of a diverse team of activists, scholars, advocates, coaches, strategists, and artists. They draw on these multifaceted perspectives and lived experiences to engage with organizations in the journey toward their boldest, most expansive visions. Tune in to learn more about how Frontlines continues to build and support an ecosystem that is "Drowning in Black Genius."Marcus Littles, Founder and Senior Partner:A strategist and visionary, Marcus has been instrumental in directing philanthropic investment at the intersection of race and gender. In 2005, he founded Frontline to advise philanthropists on a multi-billion-dollar investment in Gulf Coast recovery in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Since then, Marcus has led Frontline in reimagining the role of “consultant” and becoming an integral part of the racial justice ecosystem.Marcus is passionate about connecting with members of his network to leverage individual and collective assets to create a more equitable world. Over the course of his career, he has pursued racial justice in several sectors, including government, philanthropy, and education. In 2016, Marcus was named one of Living Cities’ 25 Disruptive Leaders Who Are Working to Close the Racial Opportunity Gaps, alongside Ta-Nehisi Coates and Angela Glover Blackwell.Marcus is a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He serves on the boards of The Beautiful Project, Brotherhood Sister Sol, and School Justice Project, as well as the advisory boards of Communities for Just Schools Fund and the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color. A native of Mobile, Alabama, Marcus is a graduate of Auburn University. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Delaware.

Today’s episode of The Nonprofit Build Up Podcast is part 1 of a 2 part conversation titled “Drowning in Black Genius with Marcus Littles and A. Nicole Campbell” is a personal favorite. And while this topic could be discussed any time of the year we wanted to be sure that while the world is celebrating Black History this month, we can allow them to also pay attention to the literal present day genius of Black folks as well. In today’s episode Marcus Littles, Founder and Senior Partner, at Frontline Solutions discusses his organization’s evolution over the last 18 years. Frontline Solutions, while a management consulting firm, was never intended to be just that. This Black-founded and led company is comprised of a diverse team of activists, scholars, advocates, coaches, strategists, and artists. They draw on these multifaceted perspectives and lived experiences to engage with organizations in the journey toward their boldest, most expansive visions. Tune in to learn more about how Frontlines continues to build and support an ecosystem that is "Drowning in Black Genius."Marcus Littles, Founder and Senior PartnerA strategist and visionary, Marcus has been instrumental in directing philanthropic investment at the intersection of race and gender. In 2005, he founded Frontline to advise philanthropists on a multi-billion-dollar investment in Gulf Coast recovery in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Since then, Marcus has led Frontline in reimagining the role of “consultant” and becoming an integral part of the racial justice ecosystem.Marcus is passionate about connecting with members of his network to leverage individual and collective assets to create a more equitable world. Over the course of his career, he has pursued racial justice in several sectors, including government, philanthropy, and education. In 2016, Marcus was named one of Living Cities’ 25 Disruptive Leaders Who Are Working to Close the Racial Opportunity Gaps, alongside Ta-Nehisi Coates and Angela Glover Blackwell.Marcus is a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He serves on the boards of The Beautiful Project, Brotherhood Sister Sol, and School Justice Project, as well as the advisory boards of Communities for Just Schools Fund and the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color. A native of Mobile, Alabama, Marcus is a graduate of Auburn University. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Delaware.Transcript forthcoming. 

In this week’s episode of Nonprofit Build Up, we share the final conversation for 2023 as we close for the holidays and return in the new year.This part two of a two part episode, “Build Up, Inc.’s Black-led Fiscal Sponsorship” includes Nic speaking 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 continue to 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. To read about our speakers, check out their bio and transcript for this conversation here. 

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. 

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.