This episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up is a fiery finale on what it truly means to lead with equity, courage, and conviction. Guests Kishshana Palmer and Marie Dautruche bring bold honesty and brilliance to the mic, diving deep into what equity-based leadership really looks like beyond the buzzwords.
Together, they unpack how boards can move from performative inclusion to systemic change, embracing shared power, accountability, and care as core leadership values. With humor, heart, and hard truths, they challenge leaders to reimagine governance through an equity lens and to build cultures where people can lead, and thrive, as their full selves.
It’s an unapologetically powerful close to the season, spicy, soulful, and exactly the kind of conversation that reminds us why shaking up the boardroom matters.
About the Guests:
Kishshana Palmer, CFRE is an executive coach, organizational development expert, and CEO of ManageMint, Inc. With over 15 years of experience helping leaders and organizations scale with purpose, she’s a dynamic voice in the nonprofit and social impact sector known for transforming how leaders live and lead.
Marie Dautruche, CAP is a leadership coach, facilitator, and strategist who helps changemakers lead with authenticity, imagination, and integrity. With experience spanning philanthropy, racial equity, and nonprofit development, she guides organizations in building cultures grounded in accountability and collective care.
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This episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up is a love letter to Black women in governance, those claiming their space, shaping culture, and bringing others along. Guests Aquanetta Betts and Kenya Roberts open up about what it means to lead boldly and authentically in rooms that weren’t built with them in mind. From navigating bias to building community, they share stories of grace, grit, growth, and how they’re redefining professionalism on their own terms.
Together, they explore the power of showing up fully as yourself, the importance of mentorship and sponsorship, and what it looks like to build boards that truly reflect the communities they serve. It’s a conversation about leadership, liberation, and legacy, and a challenge to every board to make room for the brilliance of Black women.
About the Guests:
Aquanetta Betts, JD, CAP®, AEP®, CFRE, is the Director of Planned Giving at George Mason University and an accomplished philanthropic strategist. A former estate planning attorney, she’s a national leader in charitable gift planning and serves on multiple boards advancing equity and inclusion in the sector.
Kenya Roberts is a results-driven fundraising executive with more than 20 years of experience leading development teams and campaigns that pair strategy, storytelling, and authentic connection. Passionate about social change, Kenya believes collaboration and bold leadership are the keys to creating lasting community impact.
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Why do board members check out, and how do you bring them back? In this episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, Dr. Renee Rubin Ross gets real about turning seat-warmers into co-owners of the mission. We dig into meeting design that sparks participation (think small-group connection, not endless reports), onboarding that builds belonging from day one, and practical accountability, like clear expectations, attendance tracking, and term limits that actually mean something.
Renee breaks board engagement into three levers: formal structures (role clarity, job descriptions, commitments), informal practices (relationship-building, story-sharing, culture statements, meeting agreements), and equity (who’s at the table, whose voices shape strategy). We explore “power with” instead of “power over,” keeping trustees connected between meetings, and why a strong board chair can make, or stall, momentum. Plus, a real-world case of a board shifting from policy-only to true governance by co-creating an authentic ambassador pitch with staff.
About Dr. Ross:Founder of The Ross Collective, Renee is a strategist, facilitator, and educator who designs inclusive, participatory processes for boards and staff. She directs Cal State East Bay’s Nonprofit Management Certificate program, teaches Strategic Planning and Board Development, and is a former board member of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management. Her work centers racial equity, community engagement, and governance that drives social change.
If your board meetings need less rubber-stamping and more shared ownership, this conversation is your playbook.
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What happens when boardrooms make space for humanity? In this transformative episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, Ananda Valenzuela challenges the traditional nonprofit power structures that keep governance tied to hierarchy and distance from community. Ananda explores what happens when leadership becomes collective, care-centered, and accountable to the people it serves.
Drawing on years of experience as an interim executive director, facilitator, and coach, Ananda unpacks how organizations can move from “power over” to power with, fostering equity, trust, and liberation in practice, not just in mission statements. Together, we explore what community-led leadership really looks like when boards share decision-making, reimagine accountability as love in action, and build governance ecosystems that reflect the communities they serve.
About Ananda:
Ananda (any pronouns) provides interim executive leadership, facilitates organizational transformation, and coaches values-aligned leaders. They are passionate about building joyful, equitable, and liberatory organizational cultures. With over a decade of experience supporting nonprofits, Ananda currently serves as Practitioner-in-Residence at the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation and has served as interim executive director for multiple organizations. A native of Puerto Rico, Ananda brings a global, justice-rooted perspective to leadership, governance, and organizational care.
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“I hate asking for money.” Brian Saber has heard it all, and he’s here to turn that anxiety into confident, values-aligned engagement. In this episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, Brian reframes board fundraising as long-game relationship-building and true mission ownership. From introverts to natural networkers, he shows how every trustee can play a meaningful role, cultivating, thanking, inviting, and (when it’s right) asking with clarity and care.
About Brian:Brian has spent his entire career raising major gifts and leading nonprofits, from student caller to two-time executive director to overseeing major and principal gifts across the Midwest for Brandeis University. Today, he trains boards and staff, builds major-gift programs, runs campaign studies, and coaches executives around the world. As co-founder of Asking Matters, he created an accessible, web-based training hub built especially for small and mid-sized organizations. He’s the author of Asking Styles: Revolutionize Your Fundraising and Boards and Asking Styles: A Roadmap to Success, with Rubber Stamps Don’t Fundraise out this fall. When he’s not teaching, Brian’s a proud dad, yoga and puzzle devotee, volunteer CASA, and active arts/community advocate.
Listen in for practical ways to activate your board, without cornering friends and family, and build loyal, long-term support for your mission.
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Money talk doesn’t have to be scary. In this episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, Germeen Y. Guillaume, CEO and Founder of Visionary Accounting Group, breaks down what true financial stewardship looks like for boards, from budgets to audits and everything in between.
With experience spanning public accounting at Ernst & Young, internal audit management at a major Canadian bank, and nearly a decade leading Visionary Accounting Group, Germeen has helped nonprofits across the country strengthen financial oversight, recover millions in receivables, and prepare for long-term sustainability.
This conversation dives into the essentials of board financial leadership: budgeting, reserves, grants, approvals, and strategic planning. Germeen makes it clear, accessible, and actionable, empowering board members to step into financial oversight with confidence and clarity.
Get connected with Germeen on Linkedin and learn more about Visionary Accounting Group here!
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Boards can’t afford to ignore AI, but they also can’t afford to dive in blindly. In this forward-looking episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, we explore how technology, strategy, and values intersect in the boardroom.
Taylor Shanklin Wilson is a branding strategist, TEDx speaker, and founder of Creative Shizzle, where she helps organizations break through the noise with bold, unforgettable storytelling. With 20 years in marketing and multimedia, she has built a career on pushing boundaries and creating brands that stand out.
Josh Hirsch, MS is a nonprofit strategist and AI consultant with nearly two decades of experience guiding organizations through digital transformation. From AI-powered donor engagement to data-driven fundraising, he helps nonprofits adopt innovations that enhance efficiency and deepen impact.
Together, Taylor and Josh unpack what tech-forward, values-aligned governance can look like in 2025, offering boards practical insight into how AI can strengthen leadership, fundraising, and the human side of philanthropy.
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How do we move from micromanagement and mistrust to clarity, collaboration, and care? In this episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, we explore the challenges and wins of board/CEO dynamics, and what it takes to build healthier, more effective leadership relationships.
Rachel L. Castillo, President & CEO of Advocates for Children, brings over 20 years of leadership experience in family and youth homelessness, including service with The Salvation Army, Inspiritus, and MUST Ministries. A dedicated advocate, board leader, and community voice, she pairs her professional expertise with a deep commitment to her family and faith.
Carla Lavender, Vice President of Fundraising at Advocates for Children, is a seasoned fundraiser with more than two decades of experience leading major gift campaigns and driving transformational growth at institutions like Spelman College, Kennesaw State University, and Georgia State University. She has raised millions for organizations across Atlanta and continues to champion equity and expansion in nonprofit leadership.
Together, Rachel and Carla reimagine the board–executive relationship with honesty, empathy, and boundaries, charting a path toward trust and shared purpose.
Find out more about Advocates for Children Georgia here!
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Burnout is plaguing the nonprofit sector, but what if boards and leadership roles were designed to restore instead of deplete us? In this episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, we’re joined by two powerhouse leaders challenging the way we think about wellness in leadership.
Tesha McCord Poe, J.D./M.B.A. has raised over $100M across K–12 education and nonprofits, serving in senior leadership roles with organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula and Castilleja School. A sought-after speaker, TEDx presenter, co-author of Beyond Widow, and Founder + CEO of Joy-Raising, Tesha brings decades of fundraising, strategy, and board leadership experience to this conversation.
Mallory Erickson is an executive coach, fundraising consultant, and host of What the Fundraising. As CEO of Practivated, an AI-powered donor conversation simulator, and creator of the Power Partners Formula™️, she’s trained over 60,000 fundraisers with her unique blend of executive coaching, behavioral science, and fundraising strategy.
Together, Tesha and Mallory invite boards and executives to rethink what leadership can look like when wellbeing is prioritized, and how policy, practice, and mindset shifts can transform burnout into balance.
Check out Mallory here and connect with Tesha here!
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In this powerful episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, April Walker, MSW invites us to rethink how we lead, build culture, and care for ourselves in systems that were never built for us. Drawing on her deep expertise in philanthropy, equity, and nonprofit leadership, April unpacks the myths, motivations, and missed opportunities surrounding Black philanthropy.
As the founder of Philanthropy for the People and a seasoned leader with experience spanning fundraising, consulting, and grant making roles across organizations like the American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, and CCS Fundraising, April brings a wealth of perspective on building cultures of belonging.
Born and raised in Baltimore with a Master’s in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, April is a board member, writer, and equity champion committed to advancing racial justice in philanthropy.
This episode calls on boards, fundraisers, and community leaders to confront bias, embrace relationship-centered engagement, and take tangible steps toward equity-driven action.
Connect with April on Linkedin here
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In Loving Memory of Sabrina Walker Hernandez
In this powerful episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, we sit down with the late Sabrina Walker Hernandez- a transformational leader, consultant, and bestselling author who dedicated her life to strengthening nonprofits and mission-driven organizations.
With 25 years of experience and a legacy of turning vision into measurable impact, Sabrina shares her wisdom on breaking free from the “friends and family” model of board recruitment. She offers practical, actionable strategies to help organizations find mission-aligned, qualified, and community-connected board members who reflect the communities they serve.
Sabrina’s life was defined by generosity, leadership, and a belief in the power of nonprofits to change the world. We honor her memory, her insights, and the countless organizations transformed by her work.
To continue her legacy, please consider donating to the Village in The Valley fund in her honor: https://givebutter.com/swh.
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In a time when generosity is politicized and care is too often undervalued, H. Art Taylor, the first Black CEO of AFP Global, offers a bold vision for the future of fundraising. In this conversation, Art challenges the profession to center dignity, trust, and equity in every interaction with donors and communities.
Whether you’re a fundraiser, board leader, or nonprofit changemaker, this episode explores how reimagining giving through an equity lens can push the field forward and create more meaningful, lasting impact.
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Shortchanged is back! And we’re doing things a little differently. After seasons of uncovering how communities, especially BIPOC communities, are underfunded, overlooked, and shortchanged, Monique and Taylor are passing the mic in a brand-new way.
From now on, Shortchanged will run as a limited-series podcast. Each season will have its own theme and host, bringing fresh energy and new perspectives to every chapter.
In this trailer, Monique and Taylor introduce the first guest host of the new format: Christal Cherry, founder of The Board Pro and the “Beyoncé of Board Development.” Christal is a coach, facilitator, and racial equity advocate who inspires boards to become movements, not just meetings. This season, she’ll guide us through powerful conversations about all things Boards, the challenges, the opportunities, and the transformation they can inspire.
Listen in to hear Christal share what drew her to this season, the stories she’s most excited to tell, and what she hopes you’ll take away.
It's the finale! All season we have been meeting with change makers from across the sector to discuss the infamous "overhead myth". Through these conversations, we've been challenged, educated and inspired by the leaders we've share the mic with. Today, we close out the season with a quick wrap up featuring Susannah Darrow, Founding Partner at Purpose Possible- our amazing season 2 sponsor!
Then, we take some time to reflect and chat through the most important themes we saw emerge from season 2 and highlight the things we don't want you to forget!
We hope you enjoy and see you soon for season 3!
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Today, you are going to fall in love with a fearless leader and have your heart set on fire with her powerful calls to action! Meet Erin Arnheim, CEO of Legacy Collective, a diverse community of philanthropic leaders committed to dismantling systemic issues through innovative philanthropy.
In this episode, Erin takes the unique perspective of both a funder and a nonprofit leader balancing her own organizational budgets. We discuss better ways forward, high impact giving and the need to rethink what "overhead" really means. Enjoy!
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Today, we introduce you to Dulari Gandhi. She is the founder of D. Gandhi Communications, a strategic communications firm that helps corporations, foundations, nonprofit organizations, and social impact entrepreneurs communicate clearly in a complicated world.
In this episode, Dulari loves on community changemakers with her thoughtfulness and wisdom. She shares strategies on how to utilize relationships and storytelling to combat the overhead narrative and encourages listeners that there is a wave of change ahead in how the sector thinks about overhead investments.
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Otisa Eads is the Founder of Otisa Eads HR & Operations Consulting, a firm that specializes in helping organizations create systems that optimize and up-level their business for growth and expansion.
Listen in as we we discuss the correlation between investing in overhead and workplace equity. Otisa gives actionable insights for both non profit leaders and donors who want to prioritize creating healthy and sustainable organizational cultures.
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#Healthy Grant Pro is a small group of grant professionals who came together to study the impact of burnout in the grants profession.
Together, we unpack the impact the lack of investment in infrastructure increases burnout and why the nonprofit sector is so vulnerable to work/life imbalance. We discuss the strategic investments funders can make in order to reduce burnout for organizations and the over all ripple effect it has on our communities.
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Leya Simmons is the Co-Founder and CEO of BetterUnite, a complete software solution for nonprofit organizations!
Together with Leya, we explore how the overhead myth limits nonprofits' access to technology and what that lack of access ultimately means for their impact. We uncover the missed opportunities and potential risks in the absence of adequate technological resources for organizations.
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Sabrina Walker Hernandez, Bestselling Author and President/CEO of Supporting World Hope, joins Monique and Taylor on the mic!
Sabrina gives a powerful reminder to those working in the sector to remember their value. We discuss the vital need for unrestricted funding in the nonprofit sector, especially if the goal is to solve world problems.
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