Fun & Funding for Nonprofit Innovation

Aimee Berniard, VP of Development Operations at Easterseals

In our second series, we talk with Aimee Berniard, VP of Development Operations at Easterseals. Aimee dives into how she builds innovation into her project budgets, how she turns doubters and dissenters into cheerleaders and champions, and why it’s so important to have fun at work.

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Episodes

• Part 1: Funding Risk as part of Innovation

  Released March 7, 2023

  In part one of our series with Aimee, we hear about her background in banking and transition to nonprofit work, and the many steps she took before landing at Easterseals. We also learn more about her podcast, starting a nonprofit while in graduate school, and a small business while leading digital transformation. Aimee talks about planning for risk taking and how nonprofits can be truly nimble with the right funding structures.

• Part 2: Starting with Data to do Things Differently

  Released March 14, 2023

  In the second part of our series with Aimee, we talk about the role of data to drive your decision-making and bringing stakeholders along in the conversation. We talk about looking to startups and the for-profit industry to inspire innovation and find ways to do things differently. We also talk about how finances tend to be a nonprofit's biggest struggle, and how to handle the idea of recession after a 2-year fundraising bump during COVID-19.

• Part 3: Transforming Dissenters into Change Champions

  Released March 21, 2023

  In part three, Aimee explains why nonprofit funding can't just be Venmo, and why platforms built specifically for nonprofits aren't always the answer. She shares her approach to finding a ways of engaging critics so that they become your biggest supporters. We explore how to build relationships throughout the project process, and how to deepen them for long-term success.

• Part 4: Trusting Your Gut and Being Unserious

  Releasing March 28, 2023

  In our final episode with Aimee, we talk about how COVID camaraderie is helping us all connect as the world opens up again, how different types of mentorship and diverse mentors have impacted her career, and the importance of being fun at work and not taking things too seriously.