In the third episode of the Drizzle Miniseries, The Ethical Rainmaker host Michelle talks with Stacy Nguyen about the emotions that can sabotage us when it comes to money! They discuss the impact of our personal narratives and family of origin stories — and how all of that shows up in how we run nonprofits and fundraising.
Multimedia Archive
Why must the white cis nonprofit workers angry react to all my posts? Ep: “That’s just the way it is”
Apologies if you’ve heard this one before: imagine me — a queer, trans, triracial person — in a Zoom meeting with an all-white, all-cis Development Committee. A proposal for a pay-to-play fundraising scheme (a fundraiser that requires donors to pay to engage in an activity, in this case: an educational event) is on the table and I mention the equity issues of who can access this and how it doesn’t advance the mission…
The Drizzle: Three Mistakes I’ve Made As a Fundraiser
In the second episode of the Drizzle Miniseries, The Ethical Rainmaker host Michelle shares the three biggest mistakes she made as an in-house fundraiser, including themes on event extortion, process predicaments, and burn out blessings.
The Drizzle: How I Got Into Fundraising
In this inaugural episode of the Drizzle miniseries, the Ethical Rainmaker host Michelle shares her origin story, (with chapters that include bullying, Classical music, the CIA, fate, therapy, and more!)
Beyond Philanthropy: The Role of the Donor
By Monique Curry-Mims and Valerie Johnson
In The Role of the Donor, Monique and Valerie sit down to discuss the role of a donor or funder in this movement.
The Ethical Rainmaker: “The truth about cancel culture (and an alternative approach),” featuring Kevin Baker
Cancel culture. Disbanded groups. Severed ties. Intent vs Impact. Most of us are shit at dealing with problematic behavior – our own or others! Whether in our nonprofits, our neighborhood groups, activist communities or families – our unresolved conflicts cause damage, chaos and separation – in times where we need unity, repair and one-ness to best serve our communities. Enter Kevin Baker whose mission is to make sure people can bring their authentic cultural selves to the workplace, creating healthier, more open workspaces that better serve humans.
The Ethical Rainmaker: “The truth about unhoused folks (and harm reduction!) ft. The Sidewalk Project”
Medical violence. Stigmatization. Criminalization. These are just a portion of the harms we, as nonprofits, cause the people we are supposed to serve. That’s why Soma Snakeoil and Stacey Dee created The Sidewalk Project, an organization that advocates for the dignity and rights of people living on the streets. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, have their needs met, and receive medical care, but our unhoused neighbors are often denied even the most basic compassion and dignity.
In this latest episode of the Ethical Rainmaker, learn about some of the shitty practices we perpetuate and how we can instead empower communities that have been systematically harmed and erased
The Ethical Rainmaker: “How I Figured Out I Suffer From Toxic Productivity,” ft. Marina Martinez-Bateman
Are you slowly killing yourself or your joy through over-working? Toxic productivity may be a buzz phrase currently, but it’s also becoming the norm — and it can ruin your life! In this episode of The Ethical Rainmaker podcast, Marina Martinez-Bateman and Michelle talk about Work with a capital W — whether it’s laboring for labor unions, the carrots of accolades, work culture, and the bedtime story moment that changed everything for Marina.
The Ethical Rainmaker: “Why honesty is my favorite form of poetry” featuring Matthew Cuban Hernandez
Honesty. We crave it and we don’t get enough of it! In this episode, award winning poet, hip hop artist and teacher Matthew Cuban Hernandez of Street Poets Inc. (LA) talks with Michelle about honesty in our interpersonal relationships and in our organizations, rites of passage, structural racism and ageism in working with young people and…giving work away!
The Ethical Rainmaker: “How I Became an Accidental Sweatshop Overlord” featuring Kristina Wong
International comedian, performance artist, actor and elected official Kristina Wong, talks about the subversive game, the performance of her lifetime (elected office) and her journey as an accidental sweatshop overlord through her latest mutual aid project and book The Auntie Sewing Squad. Based in LA, California learn about the connection between art, organizing and radical politics.
The Ethical Rainmaker: Courageous Fundraising Principles with Virginia Community Voice
When community-centric fundraising launched their content hub and 10 principles, thousands of organizations and people took note – and many took action. Lea Whitehurst-Gibson and Bekah Kendrick of Virginia Community Voice talk about how they built and delivered their Courageous Fundraising Principles and how they center community in their work based in Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the Confederacy. Learn about strategy and tactics in this story!
The Ethical Rainmaker: How To Feed A Movement with Tomme Beevas
TV celeb and James Beard Award-winning chef, Tomme Beevas talks with Michelle about how the lynching of George Floyd – less than two miles from his restaurant, played out in the creation of Pimento Relief Services, a truly community-centered organization in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Learn about liberation in action through this inspiring story!