Arum Lee Lansel, founder of ALL-in 4 Impact, shares her unique career journey from fashion design to international development, philanthropy, and venture capital. Driven by her immigrant family's experience and desire to create more equity, she has developed a deep understanding of how organizations can better support their employees. Her perspective bridges the worlds of venture capital and nonprofit sectors, highlighting the critical importance of investing in talent.
Drawing from her experiences at the Packard Foundation, and at the venture capital firm General Catalyst, Arum discusses the key lessons that philanthropy can learn from venture capital, particularly the emphasis on investing in people as the primary driver of organizational success. She introduces her "Thrive" model, a practical framework for nonprofit leaders to systematically improve their workplace environment, which consists of three levels: stabilize (basic compliance), support (creating conditions for best work), and sustain (building a culture of innovation and well-being).
In the episode, Arum argues that funders and nonprofit leaders must recognize that the success of their mission depends directly on the health, engagement, and development of their employees. By providing resources, creating supportive structures, and giving staff space to breathe and innovate, organizations can dramatically improve their impact and effectiveness.
Key Takeaways:
- Nonprofit success is fundamentally tied to investing in and supporting staff, not just program outputs.
- The "Thrive" model provides a structured approach for nonprofits to progressively improve their workplace environment.
- Funders should view staff investment as a critical strategy for maximizing organizational impact, similar to venture capital's approach.
- Creating "space to breathe" for nonprofit workers is a form of equity and resource allocation that enables innovation and sustainability.
- Small nonprofits can start improving their workplace with affordable, targeted interventions, even without a full-time HR staff.
Bio:
Arum Lee Lansel is an accomplished leader with two decades of experience in the nonprofit, philanthropy, international development, and venture capital sectors. Her vast breadth of leadership roles in these industries has allowed her to see what works in what context and bring best practices across a variety of industries.
Arum’s journey has taken her through vastly different work cultures and operating environments. Formerly she was Vice President of Learning & Development at General Catalyst (GC), a leading venture capital firm with over $32 billion in assets under management. At GC she served as an HR leader where she led change management, shaped the culture, and designed employee development and performance management systems using a growth-mindset lens. She is certified in Employee Relations & Investigations and has led many trainings and facilitated tough conversations. Arum also designed and spearheaded GC’s first racial equity initiative and helped GC become a DEI leader within the VC industry.
Arum led program operations at one of the largest philanthropic organizations, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, which grants over $400 million every year to nonprofit and mission-driven organizations. She worked with nonprofits across the globe to support their organizational effectiveness and designed capacity building strategies. She helped shape the organizational effectiveness team’s theory of change and designed and led monitoring, evaluation, and learning strategies. Arum was also a core member of the initial funder collaborative of several large foundations working to combat the “nonprofit starvation cycle” and encourage funders to give unrestricted grants and pay for the real, indirect costs nonprofits incur to fulfill their mission.
With a masters degree in International Development from American University’s School of International Service, she has led several multi-million dollar international development projects. She worked for one of the largest USAID contractors, Tetra Tech, as a Senior Project Officer and managed USAID-funded projects in Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, West Bank, Jordan, and Haiti. She has also worked on projects in Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Guatemala in past roles.
Arum knows what it's like sitting on the inside of a nonprofit. She worked at International Justice Mission building out pivotal programs while the organization was growing rapidly. She is also proud to sit on the Board of two international nonprofits. Choshen Farm is a nonprofit serving community needs in rural Zambia. She has been on the Board since 2018 and led the organization through annual planning during a season of major change. Arum joined the Board of World Connect in 2022, a global nonprofit that activates power inside communities.
Outside of work, Arum loves playing board games and traveling with her husband and two amazing children. Arum’s other passion is singing and you can often find her practicing and preparing for an upcoming performance. Arum lived in New York, Washington DC, and the San Francisco Bay Area before moving back to her home state of FL in 2022. She currently resides in Orlando, Fla.
Resources:
ALL-in 4 Impact website
Buying vs Building article
Talent-value chain document in FTP Toolkit