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The Unfiltered Non-Profit: Leaders Share It All

The Unfiltered Non-Profit: Leaders Share It All

Auteur(s): Cherry Chan
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À propos de cet audio

 Dive into the real world of non-profit leadership. Hear inspiring stories and experiences of leaders, with a focus on examining their operations. Get a candid look at the challenges they face in managing successful non-profits. This podcast is all about the unfiltered journey of leading a non-profit and making a difference. Développement commercial et entrepreneuriat Entrepreneurship Gestion et leadership Économie
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  • How This Outside of the Box Social Enterprise Is Offsetting $1 Million in Costs

    How This Outside of the Box Social Enterprise Is Offsetting $1 Million in Costs
    Feb 26 2026
    In this episode of The Unfiltered Nonprofit Podcast, Cherry sits down with Adam Joiner, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa—an organization with 100 years of history and a big mission: creating safe, supportive spaces where kids and youth can grow into who they want to be. Adam's story is the kind you don't hear every day. He first walked into the Club at nine years old, nervous and unsure if he belonged. A staff member invited him to play ball hockey, and that small moment changed everything. What started as 40 minutes at the Club became a second home—and eventually, a career where Adam worked his way through multiple roles and locations before becoming Executive Director in May 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic. The conversation gets real about what nonprofit leadership actually looks like: carrying the weight of responsibility caring deeply while knowing you can't do everything and trying to build something sustainable in a world where needs keep rising Adam shares a key reality: about 90% of their program funding comes from fundraising. That means the Club's ability to serve more kids often comes down to one thing—revenue. He also talks about a tough decision the organization faced in 2023, when inflation and rising costs forced a 25% service cut, including closing a location and reducing staffing. But this isn't just a story about cuts—it's also about rebuilding. Adam explains how they're growing sustainability through social enterprise, including renting Club and camp spaces to offset costs. Today, that revenue helps offset about $1 million in expenses, with a goal to increase that over time so they can serve more kids. This episode is a strong listen for anyone leading a nonprofit who's trying to balance mission, money, and the long game—without losing heart.
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    27 min
  • How an 83% Grant Approval Rate Actually Happens

    How an 83% Grant Approval Rate Actually Happens
    Feb 5 2026
    In this episode of the Unfiltered Nonprofit Podcast, we're joined by Deepa Chaudhary, founder of Grant Orb AI, to talk about what really drives grant success — and why so many nonprofit leaders feel stuck in an endless cycle of funding pressure. Deepa brings a rare perspective to the conversation. She's worked on both sides of the grant table: writing applications inside nonprofits under real operational pressure, and reviewing and awarding funding from the funder side. Her experience includes co-founding United Way Mumbai, raising funds for international organizations, and working with major foundations, corporate funders, and government agencies across Asia-Pacific. At one point, as a solo fundraiser, she wrote just six grant applications — and five were approved. That experience shaped how she thinks about grants today. Deepa explains that winning funding isn't about writing more grants — it's about alignment. Understanding who a funder is, what they care about, and how your work fits their priorities matters far more than polished language. She also emphasizes the long game: organizations that build real relationships with funders — beyond reports and deadlines — are far more likely to receive repeat funding. Grant Orb was born out of this reality. Deepa saw firsthand how grant work often falls to executive directors late at night, or doesn't happen at all because teams simply don't have the time or capacity. When new AI tools emerged, she saw an opportunity to apply them to one of the most time-consuming parts of nonprofit work. What once took 40–50 hours — researching opportunities, drafting applications, and tailoring responses — can now be done in minutes, starting from unpolished notes. Because Grant Orb is built by someone who has reviewed grants as a funder, the platform focuses on what actually matters: fit, clarity, and funder priorities. It helps nonprofits find aligned opportunities, strengthen weak sections, and avoid wasting time on grants that were never a good match in the first place. One example Deepa shares is a small Vancouver school that had never written a major grant before, but used the platform to apply for funding and secured $25,000 from the Canada Post Foundation. At its core, this episode is about access. Deepa's goal isn't to replace human judgment, but to level the playing field — so funding success depends less on time, staffing, or budget, and more on the strength of an organization's mission and ideas.
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    32 min
  • Leading a Nonprofit Without Having All the Answers

    Leading a Nonprofit Without Having All the Answers
    Jan 22 2026

    In this episode, we sit down with Claude-Paul Boivin to talk honestly about the path into nonprofit leadership — and what it really takes to lead well once you're there.

    Claude-Paul shares how his career didn't follow a straight line, and how early exposure to public service helped shape his understanding of impact, responsibility, and decision-making. As the conversation unfolds, he reflects on the moment he realized that strong governance, financial clarity, and internal systems aren't "behind-the-scenes" work — they're what make meaningful mission work possible.

    We dig into the realities of stepping into senior leadership, including the pressure to have all the answers, the isolation that can come with the role, and the importance of learning to ask better questions instead of trying to do everything alone. Claude-Paul speaks candidly about how leadership shifts when you move from doing the work to creating the conditions for others to succeed.

    The conversation also tackles the role of finances in nonprofit sustainability. Claude-Paul explains why understanding your numbers — even at a high level — leads to better decisions, stronger board conversations, and less reactive leadership.

    This episode is a grounded, practical listen for nonprofit leaders at any stage — especially those navigating growth, responsibility, and the quieter challenges that come with leading purpose-driven organizations.

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    33 min
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