Episodes
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Hosts Aine McGlynn and Lizz Bryce discuss the complexities of failure within nonprofit organizations, particularly in the context of technology. Guest Ashley Good, founder of Fail Forward, centers the conversation on the inevitability of failure and how it can be a powerful learning tool. Ashley shares personal anecdotes, professional insights, and practical exercises for nonprofits to practice healthy reactions to failure and cultivate a supportive organizational culture. Key topics include reframing failure as learning, practicing debriefs on successes, and the importance of compassion in overcoming failure's emotional impact.
00:30 Getting Vulnerable: Personal Failures
03:33 Transforming Failure into Learning
05:37 Introducing Ashley Good: The Failure Expert
06:28 What is a Failure Consultancy?
08:31 Ashley Good's Journey to Embracing Failure
10:32 A Powerful Story of Redemption
14:24 The Emotional Weight of Failure
20:51 Practicing Failure in Organizations
27:26 Tackling Challenges Head-On
27:44 Balancing Easy and Hard Tasks
28:51 Individual vs. Organizational Failures
32:01 The Role of Compassion in Failure
34:59 Practical Techniques for Embracing Failure
36:25 Final Thoughts and Reflections
41:45 Season Finale and Future Plans
Read the full transcript here
Start your digital transformation today
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In this episode, Aine McGlynn and Lizz Bryce are joined by Victor Cordon, Director of Social Impact at Okta, they discuss the challenges nonprofits face in securing ongoing funding for technology, the importance of technology governance, and the role of trust-based philanthropy in addressing these challenges. Victor emphasizes that technology is not just an administrative cost but essential to mission delivery while offering practical advice on how nonprofits can better articulate their tech needs to funders. The episode concludes with strategies on how to align tech investments with organizational goals and mission impact, making it a compelling discussion for anyone in the nonprofit sector looking to embrace digital transformation.
00:33 Challenges in Funding Digital Transformation
03:03 Introducing Victor Cordon from Okta
03:51 Okta's Approach to Philanthropy and Technology
06:24 Successful Tech Funding Strategies
09:15 The Importance of Technology in Nonprofits
15:36 Trust-Based Philanthropy and Technology
22:10 Encouraging Open Conversations About Tech Needs
26:05 Practical Tips for Nonprofits Seeking Tech FundingRead the full transcript here
Start your digital transformation journey here
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Missing episodes?
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In this episode of the Digital Comfort Zone podcast, hosts Aine McGlynn and Lizz Bryce break down how lessons from rock climbing can provide valuable insights into digital transformation. Aine shares her experiences as a climbing instructor, highlighting the importance of creating safe conditions, effective communication, and encouraging calculated risks. The episode emphasizes the role of leaders in setting up for their teams for success, drawing parallels between guiding climbers and navigating digital change in nonprofit organizations.
00:51 The Importance of Leadership in Digital Transformation
03:16 Connecting Leadership and Rock Climbing
05:15 Lessons from Climbing: Overcoming Fear
11:02 Guiding Teams Through Digital Transformation
18:00 The Role of Trust and Communication
25:22 Final Thoughts and Takeaways
Read the full transcript here
Start your digital transformation journey here
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In this episode of Digital Comfort Zone, hosts Aine McGlynn and Lizz Bryce are joined by Alisa Simon, Executive Vice President at Kids Help Phone. In their conversation, they discuss how the organization adopted a mindset of possibility to radically shift how they support youth in crisis. They delve into distinguishing between invention and innovation, the effective use of digital tools and AI, and the necessity of a change-ready culture. The importance of leveraging data, involving the right leaders, and maintaining core mission values while exploring new technological avenues is also discussed.
01:24 Understanding Social Innovation
03:04 Case Study: Kids Help Phone
04:57 Possibility Thinking and Mindset Shifts
10:14 Implementing and Sustaining Innovation
17:42 The Role of Data and AI in Innovation
Read the full transcript here
Read this case study done with Kids Help Phone
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Description: In this episode of Digital Comfort Zone, hosts Aine McGlynn and Lizz Bryce discuss how small technological changes can significantly impact small charities and nonprofits. They are joined by Chi Nguyen from Equal Voice and Amanda Munday from New Majority, who share insights on improving youth civic engagement and gender diversity in politics. This episode has two big takeaways
How it’s important to form sustainable habits in both political participation and digital transformation and;
emphasizing that small actions can lead to substantial future benefits.
00:47 Addressing Common Tech Misconceptions in Small Charities
02:06 The Power of Small Digital Changes
04:13 Introducing Our Guests: Amanda Munday and Chi Nguyen
05:28 Insights on Civic Engagement and Political Participation
14:05 Challenges and Barriers to Voting
18:42 Motivations Behind Civic Actions
25:52 The Importance of Small Wins in Civic and Digital EngagementRead the full transcript here
Start your digital transformation here
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In this episode of 'Digital Comfort Zone,' hosts Aine McGlynn and Lizz Bryce discuss the importance of maintaining a learning mindset in the age of digital transformation. Special guest Professor Nick Mount from the University of Toronto shares insights on fostering a learning culture, handling resistance to change, and the importance of new experiences in unlocking innovative thinking.
00:47 The Importance of a Learning Mindset
01:34 Personal Challenges with Learning
03:31 Research on Learning Behaviors
05:07 Interview with Professor Nick Mount
08:05 Teaching Strategies and Learning Environments
14:08 Adapting to New Learning Methods
26:13 Final Thoughts and TakeawaysRead the full transcript here
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In this episode of 'Digital Comfort Zone', hosts Aine McGlynn and Lizz Bryce dive deep into the art of persuasion and obtaining buy-in for digital transformation within nonprofits. To help them do this, Philip Haid, CEO of Public Inc., brings his valuable insights including
The role of emotions, trust, and authenticity in persuasion
Emphasizing the importance of meeting people where they are
And building trust slowly
00:00 Introduction to Digital Comfort Zone
00:48 Persuasion and Buy-In: Real-Life Examples
04:25 Challenges in Digital Transformation
06:37 Interview with Philip Haid: Mastering Persuasion
17:48 Emotional vs. Logical Persuasion
24:09 Conflict and Ego in Persuasion
29:11 Trust and Buy-In: Building Authentic Relationships
33:12 Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Read the full transcript hereStart your digital transformation journey here
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In this inaugural episode of Digital Comfort Zone, hosts Aine McGlynn and Lizz Bryce talk about how to overcome digital inertia within organizations. To better understand how to do that, they call on award-winning filmmaker Molly McGlynn to speak about
How to manage complex projects like filmmaking.
How to break down overwhelming tasks
The importance of planning and logistics
And the necessity of starting anywhere to gain momentum.
00:00 Introduction to Digital Comfort Zone
01:17 Challenges in Digital Transformation
03:28 Starting Small and Taking First Steps
04:59 Interview with Filmmaker Molly McGlynn
13:51 Lessons from Filmmaking for Charities
24:39 Final Thoughts and Takeaways
28:39 Closing Remarks and Credits
To start your own digital transformation journey you can visit: https://charitygrowthacademy.org/
Read the full transcript hereBio for Molly McGlynn:
Molly McGlynn is a Montreal-born writer and director based in Los Angeles
Her first feature film, Mary Goes Round, starring Aya Cash and Sara Waisglass, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017 and has screened at dozens of film festivals and won multiple awards, including the Panavision Independent Cinema Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, Best Feature Film at the Vail Film Festival and Best Narrative Feature at the Annapolis Film Festival. The film was nominated by the Directors' Guild of Canada for awards in Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Feature Film and Best Editing in a Feature Film and won the Jay Scott Emerging Artist Award from the Toronto Film Critics Association.
Her second feature film, Fitting In, (fka Bloody Hell), starring Maddie Ziegler and Emily Hampshire, had its World Premiere at SXSW in the Narrative Spotlight section in March 2023. Its International Premiere was at the prestigious Deauville American Film Festival and had its Canadian premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film also won Best Canadian Feature Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival and was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film by the Directors Guild of Canada.
In addition to her feature work, Molly has directed over thirty episodes of television (Grace and Frankie, Grownish, The Wonder Years, The Big Door Prize) and was a producing director on Season 2 of Bless This Mess. -
This is Digital Comfort Zone: a super not scary technology podcast. It’s hosted by Aine McGlynn and Lizz Bryce, the two minds behind Charity Growth Academy, who have worked at the intersection of technology and the people who make charities work for more than two decades.
Every episode, Aine and Lizz will help calm your fears, validate your frustrations and answer your questions when it comes to leveraging tech for good - and ultimately make your life easier
You will come away with specific ways that you can improve how you and your organization use technology. And our advice will always better than that random cousin’s who interned at a start-up in the 90's.
And, because Lizz and Aine aren’t techies either, you will never be patronized or made to feel dumb.
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