Episode Spotlight

The hosts, StartupNation’s Sloan brothers, take a field trip in this show into the jungle of business, non-profit style. They interview Rob Menzi, the COO of Jane Goodall’s non-profit business, The Jane Goodall Foundation. What they find is that a non-profit business is, well, a business, run like any for-profit enterprise. Sure, in a 501(c)3, no distributions of profits are made, and true, fundraising is a constant. But after that, you’ve got to do the planning, you have to manage the money, you have to serve your customers, and you have to measure performance so that you improve what you do.

Prior to his role at the Jane Goodall Foundation, Rob Menzi’s most recent post was as CEO of a venture-backed nano-biotech company. What a change in culture he’s gone through since making the leap to the non-profit world, starting with his salary. But, as you listen, you’ll hear his passion and learn that cash compensation in the venture-backed for-profit world is balanced by the psychic income he’s gained knowing his non-profit business is saving animals, saving the environment, and making lives better in communities across Africa.

If you’ve ever considered running a non-profit business, this show’s a great place to get a real sense of what’s involved and what’s different than what you might be accustomed to in the for-profit arena.