Podcast Summary: The Bobby Bones Show

Episode: MORGAN: How Sarah Turned a Nonprofit from Age 15 to a Global Movement
Date: August 31, 2025
Host: Morgan Kielsman
Guest: Sarah Neininger (Founder & Executive Director, Action in Africa)

Overview

In this inspiring episode, host Morgan Kielsman sits down with Sarah Neininger, who founded Action in Africa as a teenager. The conversation delves into Sarah’s journey from a high school project to leading a global nonprofit, revealing her personal motivations, hardships, pivotal lessons, and bold philosophies on nonprofit work. The discussion is packed with honest anecdotes and practical insights for anyone interested in the realities of nonprofit leadership and international service.

Main Discussion Points and Key Insights

1. Origins of Action in Africa

• Started as a High School Project
  • At just 15, Sarah and classmates began raising funds for organizations in Africa after watching a film in history class.
  • Their support led to an invitation to Uganda to see the impact of a library/widow shelter they had funded.
  • “My high school history teacher had showed us a film about kids in Africa... Out of all of the students... they invited us to Uganda to see the project we had helped fund.” (Sarah, 03:05-04:19)
• Continuous Growth & Evolution
  • The nonprofit evolved from supporting others to developing their own “community-led” operating model in Uganda and celebrating 10 years of their own community center.
  • “We’re really proud that we’re celebrating our 10 year anniversary of our current community center right now. That’s been an exciting year in celebration for us.” (Sarah, 04:19)

2. Motivation Rooted in Personal Challenges

• Coping with Family Struggles
  • Sarah shares personal stories of family disruption and her brother’s special needs, explaining how nonprofit work became her anchor.
  • “I was looking for some purpose and I was looking for something to really sink my teeth into... This gave me a tremendous amount of purpose and helped me recalibrate my life, which was pretty important at that point in time.” (Sarah, 05:24-06:23)

3. Long-Term Commitment and Growth

• Unexpected Career Path
  • Sarah never planned this trajectory, but followed her sense of purpose and the surprises along the way.
  • “My only plans are to be surprised. And I think that is the theme of my life.” (Sarah, 07:25)
• Impact Measured by Individual Change
  • Successes, like university graduates who grew up through Action in Africa’s programs now working for the organization, keep her going.
  • “This is like the good stuff. Now we’re really seeing the fruits of our labor come to fruition...” (Sarah, 07:25-09:01)

4. Dealing with Difficulty and Burnout

• Facing Devastation and Hardships
  • Emphasizes the emotionally taxing nature of nonprofit work and the reality of seeing human suffering.
  • “There’s been a number of moments where we probably should have just thrown in the towel and we would have had every reason to do. And I’m so glad that we didn’t.” (Sarah, 09:56-12:10)
• Self-Care Resilience Practice
  • Sarah keeps a “caffeine folder” of positive moments and milestones on her desktop for motivation.
  • “I have a folder on the desktop of my monitor that I call caffeine... reminders of the good stuff as just like a daily dosage of caffeine to fight the good fight.” (Sarah, 09:56)

5. Challenging Nonprofit Norms and “Hills to Die On”

• Compensating Employees Fairly
  • Sarah advocates fiercely for livable wages for nonprofit workers, challenging the stigma against overhead costs.
  • “Being able to fairly compensate employees is definitely one of those hills that I want to die on.” (Sarah, 18:50-20:59)
  • “93% of organizations don’t make it to the 10 year mark or are less than a million dollars... That’s a direct correlation indicator of being able to hire employees and sustain the work.” (Sarah, 22:30)
• Unconventional and Community-Led Approaches
  • Action in Africa works to ensure programs are powerfully led by Ugandans, not “top-down” or western-driven.
  • “Our entire team in Uganda, for example, is Ugandan and led by the community, and they’re the ones that bring the proposed ideas of programs and projects and services and then they deliver on them.” (Sarah, 09:56)

6. Navigating Identity, Representation, and Growth

• Being a White American in Africa
  • Discusses her awareness of being a white woman working in an African community and the “western conversation” around representation.
  • “I have so much to learn and grow in this space. I’m the first to admit that. But... these are not conversations that our team in Uganda are having, for example.” (Sarah, 23:38)
• Living in Uganda and Earning Trust
  • Shares highs and chaos from over three years living in Uganda, choosing immersion over distance.
  • “As the founder and executive director, I went there and I fully bought in. And I lived in our community center, which was really fun, very chaotic... But I think, like, really helped shape perspective and how we do things and what things look like here at Action Africa.” (Sarah, 26:08)

7. Family and Personal Sacrifices

• Convincing Family and Sacrificing “Normal” Life
  • Initial family skepticism eventually turned to pride and involvement; her father and brother visited Uganda on milestone trips.
  • “I do know that they’ve just been so proud of this journey and have watched it grow from the ground up... having my dad and brother there and seeing it and feeling it was just beyond special.” (Sarah, 29:21-31:52)
• Loneliness and Missing Milestones
  • Sarah speaks candidly about missing out on “traditional” milestones—weddings, baby showers, etc.—for this work.
  • “There is a bit of insecurity of, do people perceive this as a... the same thing I did when I was 15 years old? ...There are things that are easy to compare to being in this season of life that I have missed out on because I’ve made a choice to commit to... Uganda.” (Sarah, 33:08)

8. Leadership, Gender, and Organizational Culture

• Leadership as a Young Female Founder
  • Explores questions of gender in nonprofit fundraising, leadership style, and expectations.
  • “If I was a male, if my approach and aggressiveness... around fundraising would look differently and I'd be more successful? ...I think men show up a little bit more assertive...with their ass. And by the way, maybe that’s not the best approach, but I do think about that regularly.” (Sarah, 44:29)
• Joy, Collaboration, and Balance
  • Shifting between youthful, collaborative leadership and professional standards as Action in Africa grows.
  • “Not so hierarchical... but that we’re all in this leadership responsibility together. So that has been such a gift and so fun.” (Sarah, 46:46)

9. The Road Ahead for Action in Africa

• Major Expansion and Vision for Scaling
  • The organization is launching its largest capital campaign ever to build a new headquarters campus on 8.5 acres, with a vision of scaling community-led, replicable centers across Uganda.
  • “Our new campus will be our headquarters and then our current campus we will keep... it’s more or less our first satellite campus.” (Sarah, 48:52)
  • The new model directly employs university graduates who first entered as children in Action in Africa programs—a “blueprint” for scale.
• How to Get Involved
  • Opportunities include donations, events, traveling to Uganda, and direct program support; details at actioninafrica.com.

Memorable Quotes

• On Purpose & Surprise:
  “My only plans are to be surprised. And I think that is the theme of my life.”
  — Sarah Neininger (07:25)
• On Impact:
  “If you did nothing ever again in your life and this is all that you did, it would all be worth it.”
  — Sarah, quoting her father on Shocky’s story (52:11)
• On Burnout & Resilience:
  “Reminders of the good stuff as just like a daily dosage of caffeine to fight the good fight.”
  — Sarah Neininger (09:56)
• On Growth:
  “We’ve spent years refining the work that we do, and now we feel confident and in a place to do that responsibly and ethically. So it’s a very exciting chapter for us.”
  — Sarah Neininger (48:52)
• On Leading as Herself:
  “Just trusting how you show up and how you lead and like that sometimes being enough and not feeling so overwhelmed by the noise...”
  — Sarah Neininger (46:46)

Notable Moments & Timestamps

• [03:05] – Origins of Action in Africa as a school project
• [05:24] – Sarah’s personal context and how nonprofit work shaped her
• [09:56] – “Caffeine folder” for sustaining hope in nonprofit work
• [12:32] – Misconceptions and unexpected challenges in Africa & non-profits
• [18:50] – “Hills to die on” regarding fair compensation and nonprofit overhead
• [23:38] – Navigating identity as a white woman leading work in Uganda
• [26:08] – Transformative experience living in Uganda
• [29:21] – Family reactions, pride, and involvement
• [33:08] – Personal sacrifices and missing life milestones
• [44:29] – Gender and leadership in fundraising & team management
• [48:52] – Launching Action in Africa’s largest campus expansion
• [52:11] – Story of Shocky, the child with cerebral palsy, walking after 10 years

How to Support Action in Africa

• Website: actioninafrica.com
• Social Media: Instagram, TikTok (@actioninafrica)
• Support: Donations, events, monthly giving, volunteering—including trips to Uganda

Final Reflection

Sarah Neininger's story underscores the unpredictability, sacrifice, and enduring fulfillment found in grassroots nonprofit work. Her journey illuminates the need for fair compensation, genuine community-led models, and the power of small victories—like seeing a child take his first steps. Her self-aware, joyful leadership invites others to pursue impact work honestly and humanely—one surprise at a time.

For further engagement, or to witness inspiring stories like Shocky’s, visit actioninafrica.com or follow them on social platforms.