Pro Bono Perspectives

In early March, before COVID-19 transformed daily life here in the U.S., host Danielle Holly sat down with Nick Savarese, Executive Director of the Flutie Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving quality of life for individuals and families affected by autism, to discuss autism, nonprofit leadership, cross-sector partnerships, talent retention and purpose, all of which are still very much relevant today. To learn more about the Flutie Foundation and autism, visit flutiefoundation.org.

In recognition of World Malaria Day on April 25th, host Danielle Holly speaks with Margaret McDonnell, Executive Director of the UN Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign, the world’s largest and most powerful community of supporters and advocates committed to defeating malaria. Nothing But Nets' bed nets and other crucial malaria interventions have drastically reduced fatalities since the early 2000s. To learn more about Nothing But Nets and the fight against malaria, visit nothingbutnets.net.

This special episode explores the impact COVID-19 has had on nonprofits, CSR programming and volunteerism. Host Danielle Holly interviews social impact leaders across sectors for a comprehensive look at what nonprofits and companies are experiencing as they respond to the pandemic. Hear from Michelle Jackson, Human Services Council; Amy Sample Ward, NTEN; and Lucy Darragh, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. For nonprofit and corporate COVID-19 resources, visit commonimpact.org/initiatives/covid19.

Cheryl Timoney, Salesforce.org’s Senior Director of Tech for Social Impact, joins host Danielle Holly to discuss Salesforce.org’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, including ongoing pro bono support for nonprofit and education partners. Cheryl reflects on how this moment in time has made clear the power of virtual volunteering, both as a disaster response tool and a democratic way to engage employees for good. To learn more about Salesforce.org, visit salesforce.org/volunteers/probono.

Host Danielle Holly is joined by Janelle Woods-McNish, Director of Service and Giving at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation. Janelle leads employee giving and service initiatives with an impressive volunteer participation rate of 96%. She and Danielle reflect on skills-based volunteering events they’ve lead together and how saying “no” allows Janelle to focus on the things she values most. To learn more about Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation, visit harvardpilgrim.org/public/our-foundation

Cecily Joseph, Chair of the Board of Directors at Net Impact, is a CSR powerhouse who has pioneered numerous programs to promote DEI in technology and the workforce at large. Cecily was formerly Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Symantec where she oversaw ESG program development and implemented initiatives to bring underrepresented groups - including women and people of color - into the technology sector. To learn more about Net Impact and Cecily’s work on the board, visit netimpact.org.

PwC has been recognized time and again for its responsible business practices and its organizational culture. Host Danielle Holly interviews PwC Responsible Business Leader Jeff Senne, a key leader in PwC’s shift from corporate responsibility to responsible business leadership who speaks to PwC’s business imperative to create a more equitable society. To learn more about Responsible Business Leadership at PwC, visit pwc.com/us/en/about-us/corporate-responsibility.html.

Danielle Holly sits down with acclaimed radio personality and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Rita Houston in celebration of National Radio Day on February 13th. Host of The Whole Wide World with Rita Houston and Program Director of WFUV in New York, Rita uses her platform and visibility to promote awareness of causes, local nonprofits and volunteer opportunities. To learn more about Rita and WFUV’s cause work, visit wfuv.org/strikeachord.

Danielle Holly interviews fellow social impact champion Bea Boccalandro, President & Founder of VeraWorks. Bea coined the term “job purposing,” the concept of unlocking opportunities for employees to do societal good through their everyday jobs. She shares powerful stories of individuals finding purpose in their careers and tips on how to bring greater meaning to your workplace. To learn more about job purposing, visit veraworks.com and beaboccalandro.com/blog.

In this uplifting episode celebrating National Mentoring Month, host Danielle Holly interviews MENTOR CEO David Shapiro about the compounding effects of mentoring. MENTOR promotes high-quality mentoring and provides an activation point for volunteers seeking to get involved. This special form of volunteering is a great way to act on your values, David says, and you’re much more valuable as a mentor than you probably think! To learn more about MENTOR and how you can get involved, visit mentoring.org.

Danielle Holly kicks off season 2 with a call to turn our aspirations into plans and impact. She introduces the first guest of the season, MENTOR CEO David Shapiro, and other upcoming guests who are changing lives for the better, including PwC Responsible Business Leader Jeff Senne and VeraWorks President & Founder and job purposing pioneer Bea Boccalandro.

In the season 1 finale of Pro Bono Perspectives, host and Common Impact CEO Danielle Holly looks back on more than a year of social impact conversations with inspiring change leaders across sectors and industries. A few key trends emerged, including the expanding definition of philanthropy, new approaches to disaster resiliency and the increase in corporate activism. Listen for clips from some of our favorite episodes, a recap of season 1 and the topics we look forward to exploring further next year!

Happy Giving Tuesday! In honor of this exciting day of charity, we're returning to host Danielle Holly's conversation with Tim Smith, Senior Director of The Boston Foundation and Head of Pledge 1% Boston. The two discuss the importance of strategic cross-sector partnerships and how philanthropy includes much more than just donating money, like volunteering and giving resources or expertise. Visit tbf.org to learn more about The Boston Foundation and pledge1boston.org for the Boston chapter of Pledge 1%.

In celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday this week, we're revisiting Danielle Holly's conversation with Robert Lee, Co-Founder & CEO of Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, a national nonprofit that tackles the intertwined issues of food waste and hunger. Operating in 16 cities, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine provides services such as food waste consulting, excess food delivery, co-branding services and tax credit assistance. To learn more about Rescuing Leftover Cusine, visit rescuingleftovercuisine.org.

Host Danielle Holly talks citizen engagement with Myung Lee, Executive Director of Cities of Service, a nonprofit that helps mayors build stronger cities by changing the way local government and citizens work together. Cities of Service activates dormant civic engagement by helping local governments to partner with the community and get better at facilitating opportunities for citizens to get involved. Learn more about Cities of Service programs and how you can get involved, visit citiesofservice.