Advertise on podcast: Better Good with Scott M. Curran

When the world’s on fire, who shows up? Nonprofits. Yet few people know exactly how deeply embedded they are in daily life. They make our communities the special places they are, from animal rescues to food banks, schools to places of worship. But how can they survive, much less thrive, especially when the world around us is so chaotic and adversarial? There is perhaps no better person to answer this question than Joan Garry (https://joangarry.com/).  On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Nonprofit Leadership Lab (https://nonprofitleadershiplab.com/) founder Joan Garry for a candid and insightful conversation about why some organizations succeed, so many fail, and how all leaders and nonprofits can enjoy more success. Joan reconstructs her delightfully twisty career arc her from working at MTV in the early 1980s to leading GLAAD in the late 1990s, to later realizing that her highest and best purpose was helping other nonprofit leaders succeed. She shares how she fell into activism by simply wanting to protect her young family from laws that weren’t inclusive of them, and how her membership-based business grew out of a decision to devote herself more fully to her family. She breaks down the common pitfalls that hold leaders from accomplishing their worthiest goals, and reveals hidden secrets to nonprofit success (hint: better board relations and better marketing!). This episode explores themes of leadership, purpose, scarcity, legacy, growth, and transformation. Guest: Joan Garry Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:53 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:05:46 From MTV to Don King 00:08:12 Taking the Leap to GLAAD 00:09:58 Turning Around a Failing Organization 00:13:19 Why Nonprofits Are Messy 00:14:54 Building the Nonprofit Leadership Lab 00:18:45 The Biggest Challenges Nonprofits Face 00:21:00 The Vision for Scaling Impact 00:32:51 Advice for Nonprofit Leaders and Board Members 00:47:40 Legacy and Making Your Mark Check out our Podcast: https:// (https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran) Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.

Imagine you’re a healthy young adult with your entire life ahead of you. Then one day, doctors tell you you’re going to die. Not someday. Now. That happened to David Fajgenbaum (https://davidfajgenbaum.com/). But he survived. And now he’s pushing the frontiers of medical research to help save others. In the debut episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by doctor, scientist, and nonprofit founder Dr. David Fajgenbaum for a powerful and inspiring conversation about how nearly dying from Castleman disease while in med school led him to found his nonprofit, Every Cure (https://everycure.org/). David traces his mother’s positive influence on him as a child to the impact her death from cancer had on his future. He shares how the love of his family brought him back from the edge of death, and how this led to the breakthrough research he is now pioneering on the frontlines of fighting disease. He reflects on how Every Cure went from an idea with zero dollars to a nine-figure mission in just a few years, and reveals practices that other organizations can follow. With vulnerability and insight, David demonstrates how personal struggles can become a force that changes the world. This episode explores themes of family, grief, resilience, vision, teamwork, and the preciousness of life itself. Guest: Dr. David Fajgenbaum Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman and Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios

Host Scott M. Curran takes listeners inside the playbook of the world’s top social impact leaders—so anyone can learn to do more good, better. As CEO of Beyond Advisers, a consultancy advising world-leading foundations, brands, and changemakers, Scott has spent more than two decades guiding transformative initiatives tackling humanity's hardest challenges. He previously served as General Counsel of the Clinton Foundation and teaches one of the nation’s first law school courses on Social Impact Law. On this podcast, he sits down with the innovators reimagining how the world does good—bringing you conversations you won’t hear anywhere else: candid stories, proven strategies, and actionable insights listeners can use in their lives, careers, and missions.