In the latest episode of the "Speaking of Phenomenal" podcast, host Amy Boyle interviews Lisa Dietlin, a philanthropy expert, author and keynote speaker who is transforming the nonprofit sector in the U.S. by helping people and organizations make a difference every day. Having decided to move from political fundraising to philanthropy on a day she was supposed to distribute yard signs in the rain, Lisa founded "The Institute Of Transformational Philanthropy" and became one of the most influential philanthropy advisors in the nation. The U.S. Department of State named her a Fulbright Specialist last year.
Between laughs and meaningful reflections, Lisa joyfully shares her path from being a political fundraiser to helping innovate the nonprofit sector's status. She also highlights the importance of giving from the heart, which can transform the lives of the giver and the receiver.
With a positive tone, Lisa gives practical tips on how to make giving more human-centric in our lives and describes accessible steps like discovering our passions and creating a concrete plan of action that can be more elaborate or simply infused in our everyday lives.
Her creativity, boldness and passion for giving prompted her to form a committee with experts from all over the U.S. to help build a national framework for the nonprofit sector so that all employees in this field can receive fair wages and benefits while they work to solve some of the country's hardest issues.
A woman who chooses happiness daily, Lisa reveals her recipe for joy: to get out of her own way and think of the needs of others without sacrificing her own self-care and hour-long walks by herself. Inspired by the advice she gives in her book "The Power of Three: How to Achieve Your Goals by Simply Doing Three Things a Day," she encourages the listener to be audacious and vulnerable in their enterprises and not to be afraid of the "no" but excited with the possibility of the "yes."
Carolina Baldin is a freelance journalist from Brazil. Having worked in law, policy and regulation, she is passionate about everyday stories that illustrate larger issues. She graduated from a master's program at Northwestern University in 2023 and became a guest blogger on the "Speaking of Phenomenal" podcast blog in March 2024.