Dot Org: How Nonprofits Tell Their Stories

EP 17: Building your nonprofit's storytelling culture, with Helene Prokesch

I was a broadcast journalist locally and nationally for 20 years. Now I run Pearl Impact Media. I help nonprofits and purpose-driven businesses raise money, raise awareness, and separate themselves from the rest through meaningful, memorable, and affordable video storytelling. That’s my mission. This podcast, DOT ORG, is an offshoot of that mission. Each episode I chat with a nonprofit leader with a defined, thoughtful, and successful approach to telling their organization’s story. If you’re a loyal listener of this podcast, or if you’ve followed me in any context – social media, my workshops about nonprofit storytelling – you’ve probably heard me talk about Lekotek of Georgia. For nearly 15 years I have been on the board at this terrific nonprofit in the Atlanta area. In that time, we have built up a culture of storytelling that I always reference as a model for other nonprofits of a similar size: meaning, relatively small. It’s only fitting that I’d devote a full episode of DOT ORG to interviewing the woman at the heart of the organization, Helene Prokesch. She’s been the executive director of Lekotek ever since she founded it in 1983.

EP 16: Ethical storytelling for nonprofits, with Magdalena Verdugo & Frank Velásquez

I was a broadcast journalist locally and nationally for 20 years. Now I run Pearl Impact Media. I help nonprofits and purpose-driven businesses raise money, raise awareness, and separate themselves from the rest through meaningful, memorable, and affordable video storytelling. That’s my mission. This podcast, DOT ORG, is an offshoot of that mission. Each episode I chat with a nonprofit leader with a defined, thoughtful, and successful approach to telling their organization’s story. We’re 16 episodes in, and we’re breaking new ground: two guests! It's a special moment for a special subject: ethical storytelling, and how nonprofits protect our clients while advocating and fundraising for our organizations. My guests do exactly this through their work with YWCA Southern Arizona. Magdalena Verdugo is the Y's CEO. Frank Velásquez is the founder of 4 Da Hood. They join me on DOT ORG.

EP 15: Documentary storytelling for nonprofits, with Candice Jordan

I was a broadcast journalist locally and nationally for 20 years. Now I run Pearl Impact Media. I help nonprofits and purpose-driven businesses raise money, raise awareness, and separate themselves from the rest through meaningful, memorable, and affordable video storytelling. That’s my mission. This podcast, DOT ORG, is an offshoot of that mission. Each episode I chat with a nonprofit leader with a defined, thoughtful, and successful approach to telling their organization’s story. This is an episode I’ve been anticipating for months, because it’s about a project I haven’t really said much about publicly. But it’s a project that means so much to me, and it’s a project that I think could be of such great use for nonprofits nationwide looking to, quite simply, change the conversation. I was approached early last year by Candice Jordan, the Chief Development Officer for Atlanta Habitat for Humanity. She was interested in video beyond the ample video they already do. She was looking for a project of major scope that would change the conversation around affordable housing and place homeownership in the center of that. The result is a 15-minute documentary called Rooted that is rolling out publicly this spring. Jordan is my guest for this episode of DOT ORG.

EP 14: Lessons in nonprofit storytelling from a nonprofit news outlet, with Lucas Grindley

I was a broadcast journalist locally and nationally for 20 years. Now I run Pearl Impact Media. I help nonprofits and purpose-driven businesses raise money, raise awareness, and separate themselves from the rest through meaningful, memorable, and affordable video storytelling. That’s my mission. This podcast, DOT ORG, is an offshoot of that mission. Each episode I chat with a nonprofit leader with a defined, thoughtful, and successful approach to telling their organization’s story. Let me take you back almost five years. I had just accepted a job with Scripps Media to be a national correspondent. Scripps owns more than 60 local TV news stations. I would travel the country, putting together stories to air on all of those stations. The subject? The issues the news didn’t cover enough, and the people, groups, and communities bringing solutions. My first task was to become as well-read on as many issues as possible facing our towns and cities. That’s when I discovered Next City, a nonprofit news outlet telling those very stories in print form. Over the next few years, the perspective and insights I gathered from groups like Next City guided my own storytelling in so many ways. I’m a regular listener to their podcast. I’m happy to have their executive director, Lucas Grindley, on mine. He’s here to talk about storytelling from a nonprofit news model … and storytelling tips any nonprofit can use.

EP 13: infusing your brand into your storytelling, with Ana Maria Páramo

I was a broadcast journalist locally and nationally for 20 years. Now I run Pearl Impact Media. I help nonprofits and purpose-driven businesses raise money, raise awareness, and separate themselves from the rest through meaningful, memorable, and affordable video storytelling. That’s my mission. This podcast, DOT ORG, is an offshoot of that mission. Each episode I chat with a nonprofit leader with a defined, thoughtful, and successful approach to telling their organization’s story. This interview is not only going to be insightful for you; it’s a personal one for me. In fall 2025 I produced an impact video for Community Farmers Markets in Atlanta. It was a true pleasure, because I’ve been going to their different markets for years. Working on their video, I was so impressed with CFM’s approach, in a few ways that I think will be illuminating for your organization: (1) having a brand and brand strategy that informs your storytelling goals; and (2) trusting your community with the challenges you face. My guest is Ana Maria Páramo, co-executive director and creative director of Community Farmers Markets.