Meet Joan Garry: Strengthening Nonprofits

I had the privilege this week of interviewing an old friend. I attended Fordham with Joan Garry and knew from the start she would be a transformational leader. I just did not know what form that would take and neither did she. But we had a lot of laughs as we worked hard and got to know each other.

Today, Joan is the founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab and host of the podcast Nonprofits are Messy. She stands out as a beacon of innovation, communication, and management expertise in the world of nonprofits. But how did she get here? The foundations of her kaleidoscope career include adaptability, leadership, management skills, exceptional communication skills, and a passion for making a difference.

From MTV to Nonprofit Maverick

Joan’s professional journey began in the exhilarating world of cable television in its infancy.. Fresh out of graduate school, she joined the launch team of what was then a startup – MTV. This experience laid the foundation for her future success, honing her skills in management and startup enterprise. After eight successful years at MTV, Joan moved to Showtime Networks, where she continued to excel as a senior executive.

Whether experiencing a midlife crisis or avoiding one (as she humorously puts it), Joan made a pivotal decision that would shape the rest of her career. It was 1997 when she and her wife chose to start a family and the work she was doing wasn’t the kind of thing she wanted to bring home to the dinner table. (She explains more in our conversation).

She transitioned to the nonprofit sector, taking on the role of Executive Director at GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), one of the largest LGBTQ+ rights organizations in the U.S. This move allowed her to combine her media savvy with her passion for social justice. She also says becoming a parent made her an advocate for her children and that means an advocate for a better world to live in. She continues to be a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.

The Nonprofit Whisperer Emerges

Joan says her experience at GLAAD was transformative, both personally and professionally. It opened her eyes to the nonprofit sector, a world she knew little about before but quickly grew to love. Rather than taking another nonprofit job after GLAAD, she decided to leverage her unique blend of private and public sector experiences to benefit the entire nonprofit community.

Joan's passion for the nonprofit sector is evident in her oft-repeated phrase: "Leading a nonprofit is a joy and a privilege."?

As she began consulting, she expanded her reach through her core skills as a communicator. She wrote and she talked. Her blog spawned the podcast (I mentioned earlier) and then her handbook, Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership.

She also saw the pandemic bring new opportunities for nonprofits to innovate quickly and she did the same. In addition to direct consulting, she found a new way to help small nonprofits as they try to do good work.

Scaling Impact Through Innovation

With her entrepreneurial spirit and startup experience, she founded Nonprofit Leadership Lab,a for-profit startup, to help the small nonprofits she loves. She reminds us, folks in nonprofits don't do it for the money but they do it to do good. And there are lots of them. Joan ticks off the impact of the sector that includes 1.5 million organizations, employs 12.5 million people, and engages 60 million volunteers daily.?

Joan's career is truly a kaleidoscope – vibrant, multi-faceted, and constantly evolving. Through her work, she continues to fulfill her mission of helping the helpers, ensuring that those who dedicate their lives to making the world a better place have the tools and support they need to succeed.

Career takeaways from my conversation with Joan Garry:

1. How to view your position: Joan encourages leaders (and everyone else) to recognize their strengths and weaknesses, advising them to "sit down and just write down your superpowers and your kryptonite and how they have manifested themselves throughout your career." This exercise, which she often recommends to her clients, helps leaders clarify their skills and how they can best serve their organizations.
2. Leverage your diverse experiences: Recognize that your multi-faceted background is a significant asset, providing you with a broader viewpoint and a rich set of transferable skills.
3. Take time to think and reflect on your work: When facing career moves, view them as opportunities to explore your passions, apply your skills in novel ways, and potentially discover a calling you hadn't considered before. Each transition is a chance to expand your professional toolkit.