Helping visionary leaders disrupt the status quo that too often hinders purposeful efforts is the essence of The Macfarlan Group. Led by founder Deb Macfarlan Enright, the firm works with both nonprofit and social impact organizations to create solutions to social challenges that seemingly grow by the day, including hunger, homelessness, justice inequities, and mental health.

Deb is also cofounder of the Leadership After Dark practice, which trains executives to actively engage as board members and elevate corporate responsibility and community leadership within the organizations they serve. As Deb has shown throughout her distinguished career, she is guided by the principle of doing good with others for others.

In this episode of Beyond Profit, a podcast of the ANA Center for Brand Purpose, Deb joins host Ken Beaulieu to discuss her work with social impact leaders, the importance of board leadership, how organizations can make a meaningful difference, and much more.

Charitable giving in the U.S. last year dropped 2.1 percent after inflation, attributable in part to the decline in individual donors, according to Giving USA. This followed a 13.4 percent dip in giving in 2022.

Though the news is not surprising given the elevated cost of living and other economic uncertainties that Americans face today, nonprofits are cautiously optimistic about 2024 and beyond as the country moves further away from the pandemic and record inflation and new technology and creative programs take hold.

In this episode of Beyond Profit, a podcast of the ANA Center for Brand Purpose, Aila Malik, founder and co-principal of research and practice at the Venture Leadership Collective, joins host Ken Beaulieu to discuss the nonprofit landscape, and what may be holding the sector back, as well as how nonprofits can drive success through marketing, manage leadership expectations, reach new donors, and advance their missions.

Venture Leadership Collective, a women-owned management consulting firm, serves more than 60 nonprofits annually, including schools, municipalities, and philanthropies. Aila has trained retired for-profit executives to successfully lead nonprofits in the boardroom and within nonprofits at the C-Suite level.

Advocating for the health, wellbeing, and rights of children has long been core to the missions of the global nonprofits Save the Children and Children International.

Working in more than 100 countries, Save the Children strives to give today’s youth a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm, while Children International helps kids get the education, life skills, and confidence they need to break free from poverty.

In this episode of Beyond Profit, a podcast of the ANA Center for Brand Purpose, host Ken Beaulieu casts a spotlight on these distinguished organizations with his two guests: Teresa Gaffney, senior director of global marketing at Children International, and Nicole O’Connor, managing director of supporter development at Save the Children. They discuss the myriad challenges they face today in driving their missions, how they are reaching donors through the art of storytelling and design, the importance of reaching the next generation of donors, and more.