Today, Jon and Becky sit down with Analía Weber, Development Director at The Family Center / La Familia, to explore a bold paradigm shift for the nonprofit sector. One that begins with how we speak about ourselves.

Analia’s journey into fundraising didn’t follow a traditional path. A lifelong dancer and arts leader, she pivoted careers at 39 and stepped into nonprofit development with heart, courage, and a willingness to begin again. Now, less than four years later, she’s not only the Director of Development for a thriving, holistic family support organization — she’s chairing a regional nonprofit sector partnership and advocating for a 10-year movement to reposition nonprofits as trusted experts and essential community leaders.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why the language we use about “donors,” “nonprofits,” and “doing more with less” shapes power dynamics
• How nonprofits can shift from being seen as supplemental to being recognized as experts at the decision-making table
• The mindset of begin again — and why failure is part of the work
• How La Familia funds the whole family through holistic, community-centered design
• A dance-inspired framework for leadership: show up, pay attention, tell the truth, and don’t get attached to the results

If you’re a nonprofit leader navigating uncertainty, funding shifts, or systemic barriers, this episode is your reminder: you don’t have to have it all figured out. You get to begin again. And the sector’s transformation starts with us.

Episode Highlights:

• From dancer to development leader (2:46)​
• Finding La Familia and community (4:05)​
• Inside La Familia’s holistic mission (7:49)​
• Funding the whole family (10:15)​
• Fundraising with dignity and new language (12:20)​
• A 10-year paradigm shift for the sector (16:01)​
• “Begin again” as a leadership mindset (19:25)​
• Analia’s Story of Philanthropy (26:00)
• Analia’s One Good Thing: Compositional improvisation for everyday choices (26:34)

Episode Shownotes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/685

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Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com

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What does it really take to lead with courage in the nonprofit sector—especially when growth, complexity, and crisis collide?

In this powerful conversation, Jon and Becky sit down with Glenda Testone, CEO of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab and co-host of Nonprofits Are Messy, to explore what it means to lead with integrity, accountability, and heart. With more than 14 years as Executive Director of New York City’s LGBT Community Center—where she tripled the budget, led a $9M capital campaign, and guided the organization through transformational change—Glenda brings lived experience and hard-earned wisdom to the mic.

Together, they unpack:

• How trust is built through transparency, vulnerability, and doing what you say you’ll do
• Why accountability isn’t about fear management—but about strengthening mission and relationships
• The mindset shift from “trying not to disappoint anyone” to deciding who you’re willing to disappoint
• Practical tools for prioritizing when everything feels urgent
• The power of community—and why going it alone is a leadership trap

If you’re navigating growth, wrestling with hard decisions, or feeling the weight of leadership, this episode is a reminder: you don’t have to do this alone. Trust is the work. Community is everything. And sometimes the most meaningful wins come from getting it right for the people with the least power.

Episode Highlights:

• Glenda’s origin story and path to nonprofit leadership (2:41)
• Leading through growth, complexity, and making mistakes (6:27)
• Building trust and centering justice and connection (10:59)
• Reframing accountability to build trust (16:58)
• How to prioritize when everything feels urgent (21:23)
• Learning to say no and let go of people-pleasing (25:47)
• A powerful moment of philanthropy in Glennda's career (28:15)
• Playing the long game in fundraising relationships (32:31)
• One Good Thing: Don’t go it alone in leadership (34:43)

Episode Shownotes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/684

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Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.
Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com

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Meet Leona 🤝, founder and CEO of Catalyst Exchange. Leona’s vision is bold and timely: to transform how nonprofits and schools build capacity—so leaders aren’t trying to change the world with a shovel and a dream. Through flexible funding, trusted expertise, and community-centered partnerships, Catalyst Exchange is strengthening the systems and people behind lasting impact.

In this conversation, Leona shares her journey from India to the U.S., and how her experiences shaped a mission rooted in equity, agency, and trust. She challenges traditional, funder-driven models of capacity building and offers a more responsive, mission-driven approach that centers those closest to the work.

Join us for a powerful conversation about sharing power, resourcing resilience, and showing up—especially when it’s hard.

Learn:

• Why traditional capacity building often fails—and how to redesign it around mission and community
• The difference between “painkillers,” “vitamins,” and “vaccines” in strengthening organizations
• How flexible funding models restore agency to nonprofit leaders
• What effective, equitable capacity building looks like in practice
• Why resourcing community-based organizations is critical for long-term ecosystem health
• Leona’s personal journey from immigrant professional to sector innovator—and how it shapes her leadership today

Episode Highlights:

• The Real Problem with Traditional Capacity Building (06:12)
• From Program Funding to Systems Strengthening (07:45)
• Capacity Advisors: Strategy, Therapy + Clarity (10:02)
• Flexible “Wallet” Funding and Restoring Leader Agency (11:38)
• Painkillers, Vitamins + Vaccines: A New Capacity Framework (16:05)
• Place-Based Partnerships + Ecosystem Strength (14:52)
• Mission-Driven, Responsive + Timely Capacity Building (20:58)
• The Equity Gap in Capacity Resourcing (23:10)
• Making the Case: Connecting Capacity to Fundraising Outcomes (26:18)
• Moments of Generosity + Expanding Who Deserves Funding (29:42)
• Leona’s One Good Thing: Show Up + Practice Perspective (32:52)

Episode Shownotes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/683

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Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.
Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com

Say hi 👋
LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter