Fund The People: A Podcast with Rusty Stahl is between seasons one and two. But as a bonus to our listeners, we’re excited to bring you our Inauguration Day Special Episode! 

First, Rusty Stahl, President and CEO of Fund the People, and host of the podcast offers an urgent call and a vision for a federal government that works well with the nonprofit workforce. Then Rusty sits down with Dan Cardinali, President and CEO of Independent Sector, one of the influential groups that represent the nonprofit sector in Washington. Independent Sector has been in conversation interests with the Biden-Harris Transition about what the nonprofit sector needs from the White House, and Dan shares an overview of the substance of this dialogue.

Listen to get insights on these topics:

• How will the Biden-Harris White House work with the nonprofit sector?
• What have nonprofits asked for from the Biden-Harris Transition team? 
• How can nonprofits help (& be helped by) the incoming administration as we seek to end the coronavirus pandemic, fix democracy, address  racial injustice, and stop climate change

Links to resources from the episode: 

• Report on the Health of the Nonprofit Sector (by Independent Sector, October 2020) 
• Memo on the Nonprofit Sector to the Biden-Harris Transition (by Independent Sector, November 2020)
• Strengthening the Daily Practice of Democracy (by Dan Cardinali, December 2020 in Stanford Social Innovation Review)
• Nonprofits Identify What They Need From the U.S. Government in 2021 (Independent Sector blog, January 2021)
• Updates on Ongoing Engagement with the Biden Administration (Independent Sector Blog, January 2021) 
• Edelman Trust Barometer 2021

Dan Cardinalis Bio:

Dan Cardinali is president and CEO of Independent Sector, the only national membership organization that brings together a diverse set of nonprofits, foundations, and corporations to advance the common good.

Before joining IS in 2016, Dan served on the IS Board of Directors and several IS member committees. He also led IS member, Communities In Schools, the nation’s largest and most effective dropout prevention organization, for 12 years after working in other positions at the organization.

As a thought leader in the field of public education, Dan was credited with fostering the growing national trend toward community involvement in schools through partnerships with parents, businesses, policymakers, and local nonprofit groups. As the president and CEO of IS, he believes strongly in the power of nonprofits, foundations, and other organizations to work collaboratively to improve life and the environment for individuals and communities around the world. Dan is known for his commitment to performance management to drive evidence-based programs and high impact organizations.

Early in this career, Dan worked as a community organizer in Guadalajara, Mexico organizing a squatter community to secure land rights, running water, and public education. He then returned to Washington, DC for a research fellowship at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.

Dan was a 2007 Annie E. Casey Children and Families Fellow, serves on the board of Child Trends and the advisory boards of Harvard Business Schools’ Social Enterprise Initiative,  the Conference Board’s Center on Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy, and Project Evident. He is also a trustee of The Fetzer Institute. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a master’s degree in philosophy from Fordham University.

You can follow Dan on Twitter at @dancardinali.

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