Think back to when you were young.

Can you remember a moment when an adult truly listened to you, took your opinion seriously, and made you feel like your voice mattered?

Many of us don’t have those memories—at least, not until much later in life. But for a child who hears, “You are an expert in your own life. Your voice matters,” the impact can be profound.

That’s exactly what UNICEF’s Child-Friendly Cities Initiative is working toward. And just recently, Decatur, GA, became one of the first cities in the U.S. to receive this designation.

But what does it actually mean for a city to be ‘child-friendly’?

And how do we ensure that youth participation isn’t just symbolic, but truly embedded in governance, policy, and community life?

Today, we’re joined by  Danielle Goldberg, Managing Director of the Community Alliance for Child Rights, and Anne Day, who is the Senior Director of Research, Evaluation, and Research Partnerships at UNICEF USA.

Skip Ahead:

(01:31) Why children’s voices are often missing in governance, and how this impacts policymaking and funding decisions.

(7:56) How the “Child-Friendly Cities Initiative” helps local governments adopt child-centered governance strategies.

(13:10) How are cities selected.

(15:25) How did Decatur, GA achieve Child-Friendly City status, and what unique steps did they take to become more child-friendly?

(18:19) What are the challenges in evaluating large-scale, systems-level initiatives like CFCI, and what indicators define success?

Connect with Danielle and Anne and learn more about the Child Friendly Cities Initiative.

Read the full show notes HERE.

P.S. Enjoying the podcast? I’d greatly appreciate it if you could leave a rating and review. Your support helps me reach more nonprofit and social sector leaders like you who are working to make a difference. Don’t forget to FOLLOW the podcast so you never miss an episode. Thanks for listening!

In the nonprofit and social sector, data is everywhere—whether it’s survey responses, attendance records, financial data, or program outcomes.

But numbers alone don’t drive change.

It’s how you interpret and apply them that makes the difference.

As part of a three-part series, we previously discussed the strategist, and now we’re focusing on the analyst—the person who turns data into clear insights that inform decisions.

While many people take on this role in an organization, it’s not always just the “data person.”

Anyone who interacts with data needs to embody the characteristics of an analyst to become a strong, data-driven leader.

Skip Ahead:

(02:06) Why it is worth analyzing your data well.

(03:47) Effective analysis always starts with this.

(04:59) How to understand key metrics and trends with a high school math background.

(06:38) Methods for those who’ve taken a statistics course.

(07:43) Communicate your findings effectively.

(11:18) Balance accuracy with action and avoid ‘analysis paralysis.’

P.S. Enjoying the podcast? I’d greatly appreciate it if you could leave a rating and review. Your support helps me reach more nonprofit and social sector leaders like you who are working to make a difference. Don’t forget to FOLLOW the podcast so you never miss an episode. Thanks for listening!

We often focus on addressing problems after they’ve occurred in the nonprofit and social sector, but what if we could intervene earlier?

After 30 years of research in prevention science, the evidence is clear: many behavioral health issues and related challenges can be prevented.

I’m joined by Mitchell Moore, an advanced certified prevention specialist, to discuss the power of early intervention in preventing behavioral health problems—specifically in the context of youth and families.

(01:02) Why Mitchell believes funding should shift from reactive solutions like treatment and incarceration to proactive prevention.

Skip Ahead:

(04:44)  The role of data in helping Prevention Training Services reach out and train so many people.

(07:57) What a 9-month community assessment revealed and how it shifted their prevention strategy.

(16:45) How media literacy, a key aspect of prevention work, has made him hyper-aware of product placement in movies and commercials.

Connect with Mitchell Moore and learn more about Prevention Training Services.

Read the full show notes HERE.