NLN44: Creating an Environment for Controlled Growth & Happy, Committed Staff with Nick Arquette

In this podcast, we are talking with Nick Arquette, Founder and Executive Director of Walk With Sally. We discuss topics relating to integrating your mission into a fundraising event, how to grow your board and staff at the right pace for your organization, how to recruit and keep a strong core team, and more. After attending both the American Conservatory Theater and Boise State University, Nick moved to Manhattan Beach, California, 25 years ago to pursue a career in the film industry. With an entrepreneurial spirit, Nick created and founded a series of companies. In 2006 with a new passion for aiding the aging population, he co-­founded Adia In­-Home Care, support services which enhance the quality of life for the aging, and recently started Assisted Preferred, a local information site and customer support service for placement services, quality senior care referrals and ongoing support. Walk With Sally was founded by Nick Arquette in 2005, naming it for his mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer and after many years of treatment, died when Nick was sixteen. He never forgot how challenging and isolating the years of his mother’s illness and loss had been for him as a child. Nick searched for mentoring opportunities in the community only to discover that no organization was filling this critical support gap. Walk With Sally’s core mentoring program has expanded, having served hundreds of families throughout the South Bay over the past 10+ years and today is actively serving 63 children, boys and girls ages 7-17, with trained volunteer mentors. The key points covered in this podcast discussion are: 1. Integrating Your Mission into a Fundraising Event 2. From Volunteer-Run to Staff Organization: Growth as Needed 3. Intentional Board Growth 4. Recruiting and Keeping a Strong Core Team 5. Avoiding What You Don’t Understand Could Be a Recipe for Disaster Visit www.nonprofitleadersnetwork.com to find the podcast, transcript, and full guest bio. Episodes are also available via Stitcher, iTunes, GooglePlay, and iHeartRadio.