{"id":596932,"date":"2024-06-08T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-08T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/?post_type=podcast&p=596932"},"modified":"2024-06-06T17:15:44","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T21:15:44","slug":"ep-205-power-influence-of-nonprofit-sector-with-dr-akilah-watkins","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/podcast\/ep-205-power-influence-of-nonprofit-sector-with-dr-akilah-watkins\/","title":{"rendered":"Ep. 205: The Power and Influence of the Nonprofit Sector (with Dr. Akilah Watkins)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is about our power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nonprofit sector is the 3rd largest driver of the American economy and the biggest source of leadership. So, why do nonprofits struggle with having the needed funds to fuel programs and initiatives? Why is there rampant dissatisfaction among nonprofit leaders?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost without exception, the nonprofit leaders that I talk to say that their work is more of a calling than a job. It\u2019s not about the money. It\u2019s about a deep desire to solve problems in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is certainly true of Independent Sector president and CEO, Dr. Akilah Watkins, who at the tender age of 14 had \u201ca fire in her belly\u201d to help thousands of youths in her community. She founded a youth entrepreneurial summer program that grew to have a budget of $500,000 and a staff of 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And she was just getting started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, she leads the only national membership organization that brings together a diverse community of change-makers, nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs, working to strengthen civil society and ensure all people in the United States thrive. Dr. Watkins is a nonprofit leader with 25 years of experience as a national thought leader, community organizer, and nonprofit executive director. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this conversation, we talk about the collective nonprofit power – what it is, what it isn\u2019t, and what the nonprofit sector could do to harness it. To do more good in the world, we need to stand in our collective power which includes, ironically, taking a seat at the table<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We dive into the incredible impact of the nonprofit sector, the challenges we face in advocating for our causes, and the unique power we hold to create a more civil society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In This Episode:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n