This week on the Nonprofit Jenni Show, we chat with Joanne Samuel Goldblum, founder of the National Diaper Bank Network and coauthor of the new book “Broke in America: Seeing, Understanding, and Ending U. S. Poverty”. Joanne offers advice for nonprofit leaders who are working to combat deep-rooted systemic issues, like poverty.
This week’s podcast episode starts with a question:
Do you ever wish that your nonprofit could do more for the people, animals, or environment you serve?
This is a question many nonprofit leaders face, especially if you offer direct services to vulnerable clients. Joanne asked herself this question when she was a social worker supporting mothers in need. Her research and community engagement led her to open a nonprofit that addresses poverty through both direct services and advocacy efforts aimed at dismantling the systems that create generational poverty.
3 Steps to Help End Poverty
Joanne offers so many valuable insights about how nonprofit leaders can work toward ending poverty in our podcast interview and in her new book!
Here are just three steps from our conversation that your nonprofit can take to help end systemic poverty:
1. Make time for advocacy. Joanne recommends starting small — Just set aside one hour per week to connect with elected officials, send letters, or make calls to advocate for policy changes that can help end systemic poverty. Listen to the Nonprofit Jenni Show’s podcast episode about how to engage in advocacy for more advice on this topic!
2. Partner with other nonprofits that are aligned with your mission. Joanne explains that the National Diaper Bank Network helps provide families in need with vital hygiene products, but there are countless other factors that impact families living in poverty. She partners with organizations that advocate for equitable childcare, raising the minimum wage, and other needed changes to have a greater impact.
3. Address the crisis. Advocacy efforts help create long-term change, but people in crisis face urgent issues that need to be addressed right away. For example, the National Diaper Bank Network engages in advocacy and lobbying to end poverty in the long-term, but it also connects families with diapers and feminine hygiene products that are desperately needed right away.
Listen to the Full Episode
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Jenni’s Favorite Resources This Week
Giveaway of Joanne’s Book — Joanne gave me a free copy of her book to give away to one of my podcast listeners! Comment on my giveaway Instagram post by Thursday, May 6 for a chance to win.
How to Engage in Advocacy — The Nonprofit Jenni Show’s episode #75 walks you through the basics of systems change advocacy. Learn the difference between advocacy and lobbying, and steps your nonprofit can take to change the systems that enable inequity.
Join Jenni’s Book Club — That’s right, I’m starting a book club! Apply now to join a private group of nonprofit leaders where we can ask one another questions and share our experiences to grow in our careers. The deadline to apply for our upcoming book study is Friday, May 14.