Podcast Summary: What the Fundraising, Ep. 268

Title: "Strength in Sisterhood: Collective Leadership and Community Impact with Carmen James Randolph"
Host: Mallory Erickson
Guest: Carmen James Randolph (Founding President and CEO, Women's Foundation of the South)
Date: November 4, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the realities of nonprofit leadership during times of heightened pressure and sociopolitical change. Mallory Erickson sits down with Carmen James Randolph to explore collective leadership, the power of community, future visioning, avoiding burnout, and concrete strategies for sustaining impact. They emphasize the importance of leaning on allies, fostering board engagement, and embracing movement-building action—especially in moments marked by crisis and scarcity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Collective Strength in Crisis

• The Need for Solidarity:
  Carmen underscores the era's profound challenges: funding cuts, systemic instability, staff and service losses, and the risk of “othering.” She warns against viewing the hardship as affecting “others”—reminding sector leaders, “we all are the collective them that’s in danger right now” (03:45).
• Defending Sector Infrastructure:
  The conversation highlights the ripple effects of institutional defunding (e.g., the Corporation for Public Broadcasting) and how it destabilizes support systems, especially for marginalized communities.

2. Board Engagement and Shared Leadership

• First Line of Support:
  Carmen advocates “drawing that first line to your board” as central for organizational support, emphasizing fundraising and strategic input (07:23).
• Making Giving Personal and Creative:
  She shares an example where her board chair turned her 60th birthday into a fundraising campaign, bringing in 60+ new donors via peer-to-peer outreach and social proof.

  “She raised over $7,000 ... Those are 60 new people that we have the opportunity to steward and increase their gifts.” (09:53)

• Brain Trust Approach:
  Beyond financial support, Carmen frames the board (and broader networks) as a “brain trust” for navigating adversity and surfacing new solutions.

3. Leadership Amidst Burnout and Scarcity

• Facing Fatigue:
  Mallory voices a widespread feeling of “ask fatigue” and asks how Carmen inspires action without overwhelming supporters (13:34). Carmen responds with two key strategies:

  • Visioning for the Future:
    Drawing on advice from a mentor, Carmen stresses the importance of anchoring energy in a positive, forward-looking vision—even when the present feels daunting.

    “The secret of surviving this moment is to have the vision for the future and the drive to move toward that vision of what you see possible.” (16:40)

  • Balancing Urgency with Aspiration:
    She shares the importance of working on immediate needs (e.g., rapid response grantmaking) while also crafting and communicating a bold, long-term vision that galvanizes the team and stakeholders.

4. Collectivism Over Scarcity Mindset

• Breaking Scarcity Cycles:
  On the tendency of nonprofits to “double up” on scarcity (due to both real and perceived limitations), Mallory asks how leaders can shift towards community and collective action (18:09).
• Tactical Recommendations for Partnership:
  Carmen offers clear steps:
  • Identify true friends and allies (“This is a moment for us to know who our friends are...” 20:38)
  • Gather for honest conversations around “needs and offers”—an exercise for mutual support, resource sharing, and minimizing duplicated effort.

    “There might be an area that you have strength, … and then another grantee said, ‘Hold on, I have that. We've already done that work.’” (21:40)

  • Pursue strategic partnerships, not just mergers—combining back-office support or region-specific focus to meet communal needs.
  • Embrace vulnerability: Leaders must openly say, “I need help” and welcome collective problem-solving.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On feeling collective danger:

  “We all are the collective ‘them’ that’s in danger right now, whose lives are being destabilized and challenged as structures and systems change.”
  (Carmen James Randolph, 03:45)

• On board engagement:

  “This is the moment, if ever there was a moment for us to lean on you as a board member … to make a meaningful gift to help us weather this storm.”
  (Carmen James Randolph, 08:10)

• On future visioning and resilience:

  “The secret of surviving this moment is to have the vision for the future and the drive to move toward that vision … even when the present is so scary and demanding.”
  (Carmen James Randolph, 16:40)

• On collective leadership and mutual aid:

  “Sit down with friends, sit down with allies, and look at what our respective strengths are. … [Sometimes we’re] spending time … doing something that … another organization might have. … [Ask] what you need, [see] who’s able to and who’s offering what.”
  (Carmen James Randolph, 21:05 - 22:40)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 03:45 – 07:15: Collective necessity, impact of systemic changes, and urgency for sector unity
• 07:23 – 10:30: Board engagement strategies and peer fundraising success
• 11:30 – 13:34: Loss of critical services and community impacts
• 13:34 – 18:09: Addressing “ask fatigue” and inspiring action with future vision
• 18:09 – 20:38: Moving beyond scarcity, fostering collectivism
• 20:38 – 24:02: Building alliances, “needs and offers” conversations, and actionable partnership strategies

Flow & Tone

The conversation is empathetic, urgent, and pragmatic. Carmen shares story-driven, example-rich advice, mixing vulnerability ("I need help") with a clear commitment to building shared power. Mallory’s questions bring forth actionable strategies and reflect the exhaustion and hope many nonprofit leaders feel today.

Takeaways for Listeners

• Now is the time for radical solidarity and unapologetic requests for support, internally (board, staff) and externally (community, allies).
• Balancing immediate survival with bold, future-oriented vision is key to inspiring engagement and staving off burnout.
• Partnerships and collective action—rooted in honest assessments of “needs and offers”—can unlock new resources, avoid duplication, and help organizations weather the storm.
• Leaders should not hesitate to ask for help; vulnerability is a strength and gateway to deeper community collaboration.