In this informal video‑turned‑vlogcast, hosts Vanessa and Antoinette introduce their upcoming podcast, Nonprofit DIY: Building Your Nonprofit from the Ground Up. They explain why the podcast will focus on the gritty, do‑it‑yourself reality of launching a nonprofit—countering the myth that a board, volunteers, and instant funding will magically appear. The show will blend interview‑style episodes with expert guests, covering practical steps such as choosing and using modern tech tools (social media, email marketing, grant‑writing software), avoiding the trap of endless program creation, and juggling multiple founder hats (CEO, board chair, fundraiser, etc.). They outline distribution plans (Apple Podcasts, iTunes, other major platforms, plus their website) and the dual‑format approach: a video vlogcast for visual learners and an audio‑only podcast for on‑the‑go listening. The hosts also promise to address founder stress and wellness, sharing personal coping tactics like meditation, reframing, and regular movement. Throughout, they invite audience questions to shape future topics, positioning the series as a supportive, hands‑on resource for nonprofit founders navigating limited resources and high pressure.
Chapters
Oh, we gotta stop this. We're both Vanessa on our screen.
Oh, that's okay. Everyone will know that today the part of Vanessa 2 is being played by Antoinette.
Like Vanessa, technology, you know, it does. And that goes to— you gotta— there's so much that needs to be done because now we have technology thrown into it and you got to do it all yourself. It's like, okay, you got to always have the keen eye And some things you're just not going to get and you're not going to catch. But look at that, Antoinette changed it on the fly.
Yeah, so because I understand the system.
Yeah, and there's so many systems. But what we're going to talk about today is we're starting a new podcast. We're so excited. I am so excited. We're starting a new podcast and it's called Nonprofit DIY: Building Your Nonprofit from the Ground Up. And it's called Nonprofit DIY because When you start your nonprofit, you're doing it yourself. Sometimes we have high expectations. Oh, we're going to start a nonprofit, we're going to get us a board of directors, and they're going to do A, B, C, D, E. We're going to get our family members, they're going to volunteer, we're going to get volunteers in the community, and we're going to get lots of money. That, that may happen to some people, but the majority of people, that is not the story. And so those are things that we're going to talk about in our new podcast is let's get, let's get the realities of it and the how-tos do it. By yourself, how to DIY and be successful at it.
Well, and the best part about the podcast is, um, I know everyone gets tons of great information from just the two of us, but the podcast will feature other people. Like, um, Vanessa will be interviewing other, um, other founders and other people in industries that are closely related to helping you start your nonprofit.
So yeah, yeah, yeah, because we're going to give you tips. We don't, we don't have all the pieces, you know, like there's the social media aspect, there's the email marketing aspect. Those are things that we don't even think about doing. We think about get our nonprofit and get out there and get grants, but the landscape has changed so much. The, the internet has it as a new game, a new game, uh, you know what I mean, a new sheriff in town, a new sheriff in town. And this is the things that we're going to talk about is some of these new tech tools. There's so many wonderful tech tools out there, you know, that we're going to talk about that can help you be more efficient in building your business and cut some time out. And it's going to be— and there's so much that's always out there, and how not to get caught up in the software tunnel, because sometimes you get so caught up in the internet, the worldwide web, that, that you are not getting done what you need to get done.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, so I'm excited about it. And, uh, do we have a start date, Vanessa?
It should start next week, I believe, if all goes according to plan. All best laid plans of man— you guys know what they said about all best made plans by man, right?
So, and so when we start this next week, what platform will they find our, um, our podcast on? How will they get get, uh, a hold of the information?
It would be— I would send emails out. Of course we're going to show you up on social media, but it's going to be on the major platforms like Apple, iTunes, and all the other platforms that have it. And then also you'll be able to get to it on our website. So we're still working on all those logistics back there, but I'm so excited, um, to be putting it out there because it's, it's, it's so— so many people have so many questions, and we're going to be doing answering people's questions won't be able to answer them live, but people will be able to send their questions in and we'll be able to get their questions and answer some of their questions in the podcast. So the podcast is for you, DIYers. We're going to come up with our topics and what we want to talk about and the guests we're going to have, but we need to know what you need. It's easy for us to sit back and say this is what they need, and that's what a lot of nonprofits do, is we sit back and we say this is what the people in the community need, this is what they need, right, to get get their lives together. This is what they need. But they may need it, but do they want it? And that's— so that's one of the things we want to make sure that with our podcast is something that you may need, but we also want to make sure you want it. Because one thing I want y'all to realize, and that I have to realize every time I'm writing a grant or creating a new program, you can build it, but doesn't mean that they're going to come.
Ah, what? That's not what we've been taught. Nope.
Nope.
They're like, you build it and then they will come.
Not going to happen. And because— and the thing that we're talking about too is that programs, there's so many programs out there, and I'm not even going to begin to tell you a lie, but I think that people are so sick of programs. I'm so sick of give me— get— let's give them a new program, let's give them a new program, or you need to, you need to enroll in this program. We need to talk about more about giving them services, working side by side with them and not creating new programs, because there's so many programs out there that are effective, and then there's so many out there that's ineffective. But how do you make yours effective when you're doing it by yourself, when you have so many hats to wear? It's like, okay, today you're the CEO, tomorrow you're the board chair, the next day you're the secretary, you're the counselor, you're the mentor, you're the house mom, you know, you're just like, you're the basketball coach. You know, whatever it is you're doing every day, you're switching these hats. And how do you switch it and then say, okay, now I'm the grant writer and I'm the fundraiser and I'm—
you know, yeah, that's part of being a, um, a new business owner, a new nonprofit founder.
Yes, yes, it's juggling, juggling those different hats. And then along the way, while you're juggling these hats, put out the fire. And you have to be a community person and a networking. There's so many things to do. And how do you do it? It could be done because many of us have done it and many of us are still doing it. But we hope to give you some of the tools on how we were doing it and how we succeeded.
So Vanessa, when we start the podcast— I'm just asking questions that I'm sure people have— will we no longer be doing the videos?
No, we'll still be doing the videos.
Okay.
Yes. So what we're going to do is we're going to still do the videos So for people who want to watch it, so you'll have the vlogcast, and then we're going to pull the, um, the audio out of it, and that's what you'll be able to hear on the podcast. So you'll be able to listen to when you're on your way to work, when you're working out at the gym, whenever you're doing whatever you're doing. So you don't— if you don't want to sit and watch the video, you can sit back and say, okay, I can still listen to this while I'm doing what I'm doing and watch it on the go.
Okay, all right, sounds good.
So for those of us that still want to go to YouTube and watch the videos of us acting up, you can still do it and see us. But for those of you who just want to listen to the podcast, you'll be able to listen to the podcast.
Okay, awesome. Well, thank you so much for sharing about the new nonprofit DIY and, uh, podcast starting tomorrow. You said next week? Next week.
Okay, I was like, she's already— we have next week here, right? We still in this week. She's like, okay, this week is over.
Yeah, well, thank you so much, um, for that information, Vanessa.
Right, you're welcome. Any tidbits you want to give? We still got a little— we still got a little more time left. We're just— we're just so casual. Any tidbits you want to give? And, um, because the last things we were talking about was challenges, um, and stressors.
Yeah, I mean, um, you know, like, uh, I, I can only think of, you know, like feeling a little stressed today because it's a work day, you got to get stuff done. So, you know, that would be my little tidbit is stress is in everything that we do, but it's how do you manage it, you know, and how do you let it manage you. So you want to be careful, you want to have your outlets, you want to, you know, like get up, take walks around, you want to You know, you want to also rephrase things and reframe things so that you can say, um, you know, hey, I am, um, not going to let this affect me, or I'm going to reconsider how I am viewing it. Just whatever you need to do in order to minimize the impact that you let stress have in your life. So, and that goes for, you know, no matter what phase of development you're in.
And I'm starting to— I'm trying to meditate more. One thing that I realize, and I'm realizing more as I'm on this journey, is that I am a spiritual being in this human body having a human experience. So everything that I'm doing, I'm like, oh, I get to experience it, this, oh, I get to experience that. So I'm just looking at it, hey, these are just different experiences I have. Some are good, some are bad. Our, our perception is good and bad. It's like, how do we learn from this? What do we take from it? So now everything that happens, I'm taking from it, say, okay, what am I supposed to learn and how do I take from it? And just, just don't let it— try it as much as possible to reduce the stress that it causes in your life, because that stress will make you sick with the cortisol and everything. It just makes you sick. So, um, I want to teach you about how to reduce your stress. That's one of the things that the podcast is going to be about also, is your health. Because your health is so important, and wellness and happiness when you're building your nonprofit. So that's us. So we look forward to seeing you in the Nonprofit DIY component, and we love you all. We're— I want to thank you for everything that you're doing or you're attempting to do to make this world just a little bit better than it is today. So we look forward to seeing you soon.
