How New Nonprofit Executive Directors Can Thrive – Nonprofit MBA 9.11

A conversation with Stephen Halasnik of Financing Solutions and Jocelyn Chamra Barrera , Executive and Clinical Director of The Christi Center

Stephen Halasnik, cofounder of Financing Solutions and host of the Nonprofit MBA Podcast, speaks with nonprofit leaders about the financial and operational challenges of running mission-driven organizations. In this episode, he talks with Jocelyn Chamra Barrera, a licensed clinical social worker and Executive and Clinical Director of The Christi Center in Austin, Texas, about her transition from program leadership to executive management.

Becoming a nonprofit executive director can be one of the most rewarding and overwhelming career transitions in the nonprofit sector. Many new executive directors are promoted because they excel at their organizations’ mission-driven work. They may come from programs, social work, education, development, or operations. Then suddenly, they are responsible for the entire organization.

That means managing employees, working with the board, raising money, overseeing finances, solving operational problems, representing the organization publicly, and planning for the future while ensuring the mission continues to be fulfilled.

When Ms. Chamra Barrera became executive director in January 2024, The Christi Center faced financial challenges and low employee morale. Her experience offers practical lessons for new nonprofit executive directors learning to balance leadership, fundraising, financial management, and day-to-day operations.

Quick Answer: How Can a New Nonprofit Executive Director Succeed?

A new nonprofit executive director can succeed by prioritizing organizational stability, supporting staff, building fundraising relationships, understanding financial reports, and managing operations effectively. Strong executive directors also seek advice from experienced peers, develop leadership skills, and balance immediate financial needs with long-term strategic planning.

In This Episode

• How the executive director role differs from program leadership
• Why running a nonprofit requires business management skills
• The three major responsibilities of nonprofit executive directors
• How to approach fundraising when it is outside your professional background
• Why financial stability should come before organizational expansion
• How to strengthen employee morale and organizational culture
• Where new executive directors can find mentorship and training
• How to assess whether your time is being spent effectively
• Why confidence, adaptability, and self-care matter in nonprofit leadership

The Executive Director Role Is Different From Other Nonprofit Leadership Positions

A program director or department head may already be an experienced leader, but becoming an executive director changes the scope of that leadership.

The executive director is responsible for the organization as a whole.

Jocelyn ‘s previous leadership responsibilities were primarily internal. She led clinicians, oversaw programs, monitored results, and helped ensure clients received the services they needed.

As executive director, her role became much more outward-facing.

The executive director is often the public face of the nonprofit. Donors, community leaders, board members, employees, partners, and sometimes the media look to that person for guidance.

At The Christi Center, which provides grief support services, that responsibility also means responding when tragedies affect the surrounding community and people turn to the organization for help.

Instead of asking only, “How do we deliver excellent programs?” an executive director must also ask:

• Is the organization financially sustainable?
• Are we raising enough money?
• Is our staff supported and motivated?
• Are we communicating our impact effectively?
• Are our operations running efficiently?
• What should our organization look like two or three years from now?

Moving from managing one part of a nonprofit to being responsible for the entire organization is one of the biggest adjustments a new executive director must make.

Think of a Nonprofit as Both a Mission and a Business

One of Jocelyn’s biggest surprises was discovering how much running a nonprofit resembles running a small business.

That does not mean abandoning the mission or focusing solely on money. Quite the opposite.

Sound business management makes the mission possible.

An organization cannot provide services if it cannot make payroll, maintain its facilities, pay its bills, retain employees, and generate sufficient revenue.

This can be especially difficult for executive directors who come from direct-service backgrounds.

Their instinct may be to ask, “How can we help more people?”

The executive director must also ask, “How can we afford to continue helping people?”

For Jocelyn, that meant learning more about budgets, financial reports, grants, fundraising, facilities, personnel, and the many operational issues that occur behind the scenes.

New executive directors should recognize early that financial management is not separate from the mission. Financial stability protects the mission.

Three Core Nonprofit Executive Director Responsibilities

Although every nonprofit is different, Jocelyn/s experience highlights three major areas where executive directors often spend significant time: leadership, fundraising, and operations.

Understanding these three responsibilities can help a new executive director prioritize an otherwise overwhelming workload.

1. Leadership: Support Your Staff and Set Priorities

Employees are among a nonprofit’s most important assets.

Jocelyn spends substantial time meeting with staff, answering questions, providing guidance, solving problems, and ensuring employees have the support they need.

This becomes particularly important when an organization has experienced financial difficulties, turnover, or low morale.

Executive directors can become so consumed by urgent financial and operational issues that they unintentionally neglect their teams. But a nonprofit cannot thrive over the long term without employees who feel supported and understand where the organization is going.

Leadership also means determining what not to do.

When Jocelyn became executive director, the organization needed greater focus. Instead of constantly adding programs or pursuing every available grant, the team had to ask difficult questions:

• What are we really good at?
• What can we afford to do?
• Which activities are central to our mission?
• Which activities should we reconsider?
• Are we pursuing grants that require us to create programs outside our priorities?

Sometimes good nonprofit leadership means saying no.

2. Fundraising: Learn to Communicate Your Organization’s Impact

Fundraising is one of the areas many new nonprofit executive directors struggle with most.

Someone who entered the nonprofit sector as a social worker, educator, program professional, or advocate may never have imagined asking people for money.

Jocelyn certainly did not.

But she eventually realized something important:

Fundraising is not simply about asking for money. It is about telling the story of why your organization’s work matters.

A donor is not simply giving an organization money. That donor is helping make an outcome possible.

Support may help a family receive counseling, provide services to hundreds of people, operate a community program, retain an essential employee, or keep the organization’s doors open.

An effective executive director learns to connect those outcomes with people who want to make them possible.

That makes storytelling one of the most important fundraising skills an executive director can develop.

Learn how to explain:

• What problem does your nonprofit solve?
• Who do you help?
• Why does your work matter?
• What happens because your organization exists?
• What impact does a donor’s contribution create?

When an executive director can answer those questions clearly, fundraising becomes less about asking for money and more about building relationships with people who believe in the mission.

3. Operations: Keep the Organization Running

Executive directors also spend considerable time dealing with things nobody notices until they stop working.

Facilities. Technology. Payroll. Insurance. Personnel. Vendors. Compliance. Equipment.

And, in Jocelyn ‘s case: in the Texas heat, air conditioning.

These responsibilities are not glamorous, but they matter.

In a larger nonprofit, specialized employees may handle many of these functions. At a smaller organization, the executive director may become responsible for making sure practically everything gets done.

That makes delegation particularly important.

An executive director does not need to become an expert in every function. Instead, effective leaders recognize where their knowledge is limited and surround themselves with people who have the expertise they lack.

Stabilize the Organization Before Pursuing Big Strategic Goals

New executive directors often arrive with ambitious ideas.

They want a new strategic plan, expanded programs, new communities to serve, additional fundraising initiatives, and greater impact.

But sometimes the first job is not growth.

It is stability.

When Jocelyn became executive director, she quickly realized the organization’s immediate financial challenges had to take priority.

Long-term strategic planning is difficult when leadership is worried about whether the organization can make it through the next several months.

As Stephen Halasnik observed during the conversation, organizations sometimes need to put out the fires before they can start rebuilding.

Once the organization’s finances, staff, and operations are stable, leadership can shift from survival mode toward longer-term planning.

That is when questions about expansion, community needs, new programs, underserved populations, and multiyear strategic objectives become much more productive.

Why Nonprofit Financial Management Matters for Executive Directors

New nonprofit executive directors do not necessarily need to become accountants or CFOs. They do, however, need enough financial knowledge to understand the organization’s position and ask informed questions.

That includes reviewing budgets, monitoring revenue and expenses, understanding available cash, and recognizing the difference between expected funding and money that is actually available to spend.

Nonprofit cash flow can become especially challenging when revenue depends on grants, donations, or reimbursements that arrive at irregular intervals.

An organization may have funding commitments and still experience a temporary shortage of working capital if payroll, rent, insurance, or other operating expenses come due before the money arrives.

New executive directors should work with their financial staff, accountants, treasurers, or board finance committees to understand:

• How much cash is currently available for operations
• Which revenue sources are restricted or unrestricted
• When grants and major contributions are expected to arrive
• Which expenses must be paid in the coming weeks and months
• Whether the organization has adequate operating reserves
• What contingency plans exist for funding delays or unexpected expenses

A nonprofit line of credit may be an option for managing a temporary cash flow gap when reliable expected revenue has not yet arrived. However, borrowing does not replace the need for sustainable funding, financial oversight, and responsible budgeting.

The goal is to make financial decisions that allow the organization to continue delivering services without placing its long-term stability at risk.

Build a Network of Other Nonprofit Executive Directors

One of Jocelyn’s most effective strategies for learning the executive director role was surprisingly simple.

She talked to other executive directors.

A lot of them.

Instead of pretending she knew everything, she was willing to acknowledge what she did not know and ask experienced leaders what had worked for them.

She found the nonprofit community remarkably willing to help.

Other executive directors recommended resources, shared experiences, discussed mistakes, suggested courses, and explained what had worked inside their organizations.

This is an underused resource for new nonprofit leaders.

If approaching another nonprofit in your immediate community feels uncomfortable because you compete for donors or grants, look outside your geographic market.

Find a successful organization doing similar work in another city or state. Contact its executive director and ask whether they would be willing to share what they have learned.

Stephen also discussed the value of benchmarking against organizations in other markets. For a nonprofit working in grief support, for example, another established bereavement organization may offer useful ideas about fundraising, programming, or community partnerships.

Experienced nonprofit leaders may be more willing to help than you expect.

Invest in Nonprofit Management and Leadership Education

Experience is important, but education can shorten the learning curve.

Jocelyn took nonprofit management courses that helped her understand subjects such as nonprofit budgeting. She also participated in a nine-month community leadership program that exposed her to leaders from outside the nonprofit sector.

That broader exposure proved valuable.

New executive directors should consider education in areas such as:

• Nonprofit financial management
• Fundraising and donor development
• Board governance
• Leadership and staff management
• Strategic planning
• Human resources
• Marketing and communications
• Grant writing
• Nonprofit operations

You do not need to become an expert in every area.

You do need enough knowledge to ask intelligent questions, understand the information being presented to you, and make good decisions.

Regularly Ask: Am I Spending My Time on the Right Things?

One useful exercise for any nonprofit executive director is to track your time for a week.

Write down where your time actually goes and then divide those activities into categories.

For example:

• Leadership and staff
• Fundraising and donor relationships
• Strategy
• Board management
• Programs
• Operations
• Financial management
• Community outreach

Then ask yourself:

Is this where I should be spending my time?

An executive director can easily become consumed by urgent tasks that are not necessarily the highest-value use of their time.

Your calendar should increasingly reflect the areas where your leadership creates the greatest impact.

Confidence Comes From Doing the Job

Perhaps one of the most encouraging lessons for new executive directors is that you do not need to know everything on your first day.

Jocelyn did not.

Over time, however, her perspective changed. She became more comfortable telling the organization’s story, more confident about fundraising, more knowledgeable about nonprofit management, and better able to think beyond the next immediate crisis.

The problems did not disappear.

The nature of the problems changed.

Instead of worrying primarily about survival, she could begin thinking about where the organization should be one, two, or three years into the future.

That is progress.

Successful nonprofit executive directors are not people who have every answer. They are leaders who learn, build strong teams, ask for help, develop new skills, make difficult decisions, and remain focused on why their organization exists.

Most importantly, they understand that taking care of themselves matters too.

Nonprofit leaders spend their careers thinking about other people. Burnout can ultimately undermine both the leader and the organization.

Whether it is exercise, meditation, prayer, a walk, coffee with a friend, or simply stepping away from work, executive directors need ways to recharge.

The best way to remain a strong nonprofit leader is to build not only a sustainable organization, but also a sustainable approach to leadership.

Frequently Asked Questions About Becoming a Nonprofit Executive Director

What are the main responsibilities of a nonprofit executive director?

A nonprofit executive director typically oversees organizational leadership, fundraising, financial management, operations, staff, board relationships, and strategic planning. The specific responsibilities depend on the organization’s size, structure, and mission.

What should a new nonprofit executive director focus on first?

A new executive director should begin by understanding the organization’s financial position, supporting staff, reviewing operational needs, building relationships with the board, and identifying immediate risks. If the organization is experiencing financial or operational difficulties, stabilizing those areas may need to come before expansion.

Does a nonprofit executive director need financial management experience?

Executive directors do not necessarily need formal accounting credentials, but they should understand budgets, financial reports, nonprofit cash flow, and basic financial controls. They should also know when to seek guidance from financial professionals or board members with relevant expertise.

How can a new executive director improve fundraising skills?

Start by learning to communicate the organization’s mission, impact, and needs clearly. Build relationships with donors, learn from development professionals, participate in fundraising training, and practice explaining how contributions support measurable outcomes.

How should a nonprofit executive director work with the board?

The executive director should maintain open communication with the board, provide timely financial and operational information, seek guidance on strategic matters, and establish clear boundaries between board governance and day-to-day management.

When should a nonprofit executive director focus on strategic planning?

Strategic planning is important, but organizations facing immediate financial or operational challenges may first need to establish stability. Once essential operations are secure, leadership can more effectively evaluate expansion, community needs, and long-term priorities.

How can nonprofit executive directors avoid burnout?

Executive directors can reduce burnout risk by delegating appropriately, building supportive professional networks, establishing reasonable boundaries, making time for personal well-being, and recognizing that organizational leadership does not require handling every problem alone.

Can a nonprofit line of credit help an executive director manage funding delays?

A nonprofit line of credit may help an organization manage a temporary working capital gap when expected revenue has not yet arrived. It should complement sound financial management rather than substitute for sustainable revenue or solve recurring operating deficits.

Final Thoughts

Becoming a successful nonprofit executive director takes more than dedication to a mission. It requires learning to lead people, build fundraising relationships, understand finances, manage operations, and make decisions that support the organization’s long-term sustainability.

As Jocelyn Chamra Barrera’s experience demonstrates, those skills develop through experience, education, collaboration, and a willingness to ask for help.

At Financing Solutions, we understand that even well-managed nonprofits can experience temporary cash flow challenges when funding arrives later than operating expenses. A nonprofit line of credit can provide access to working capital during qualifying short-term funding gaps, helping organizations manage their obligations while awaiting expected revenue.

To learn more about nonprofit financing options, visit Financing Solutions.

Full Podcast Transcript

Stephen Halasnik (00:20.77)

Welcome, everyone. My name is Stephen Halasnik. And for those of you who don’t know me by profession, and other than being a host for this podcast, I am the co-founder of Financing Solutions and for the last 15 years, we have been the largest provider of lines of credit to small nonprofits in the United States. And if you’re interested in learning about

Stephen Halasnik (00:43.37)

this great tool, please feel free to visit our website at nonprofitmbapodcast.com. Today, I am very excited to be speaking with Jocelyn Chamra Barrera

Stephen Halasnik (00:56.04)

Barrera from The Christi Center. And today we’re going to be covering a topic called how new nonprofit executive directors can thrive.

Stephen Halasnik (01:07.59)

And a little bit about Jocelyn. Jocelyn is a bilingual licensed clinical social worker and expert on the areas of mental health, child abuse and neglect, intimate partner violence and significant trauma. She currently serves as the executive and clinical director of The Christi Center, a nonprofit organization that offers hope after the death of a loved one by providing support networks, community education and therapeutic activities that are free, peer based and ongoing.

Stephen Halasnik (01:37.06)

By combining her expertise in mental health with her passion for community, Jocelyn is dedicated to helping people connect with their emotions by actively listening to their stories.

Stephen Halasnik (01:48.97)

Jocelyn, welcome to today’s. Nonprofit MBA Podcast.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (01:53.95)

Thanks for having me.

Stephen Halasnik (01:55.98)

So for, for context. You. You’ve been an executive director at The Christi Center for how long?

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (02:06.69)

I began my journey here as an executive director. starting in January of 2024 so I’m going on my third year now

Stephen Halasnik (02:14.86)

Third year. Tell us maybe a little bit about the circumstances that led up to becoming an executive director.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (02:24.83)

Yeah, so we were kind of in a… A tough spot. I originally… was Before this role, I was serving as the program director here at The Christi Center for a little less than a year. And so then when…

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (02:41.97)

We had some transition. the board had approached me because our The ED that I served under was leaving. They approached me and and asked me if I would do a combined role, which was new to me, new to them. And I think they put a lot of.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (03:00.62)

like a hope and a prayer and see if it worked for both of our both ends. just because we were having we were in such a tight spot financially but then also our Our team morale was really low. And so we we didn’t want to hire. I know. They didn’t want to hire from outside. And so. I thought I thought it was you know what I have to do this it’s my it’s what I think that needs to be done for now until we figure out our next steps.

Stephen Halasnik (03:30.90)

So what was your role at the organization before you became an executive director or co-… but you know half half executive director yeah

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (03:38.55)

Cool. Half and half. So I was the director. but So my title was director of programs and clinical services. So I oversaw all of our direct client work via our peer groups, our individual counseling, school support services, and led the clinical team doing that work.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (04:01.28)

And, you know, of obviously oversaw the data and the reports and and things like that. And so, yeah, and I had been in that role for a little less than a year. Before that, I had been program manager.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (04:11.72)

I’ve kind of worked. all the jobs here. I was originally a a school services coordinator and and then I transitioned over to our children or I also took on our children’s programs and so then then I did program management.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (04:26.81)

And of course I can run payroll and all these things. So I’ve done a little bit of everything just because we are a pretty small small nonprofit, which is not uncommon in a lot of small nonprofits.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (04:36.53)

But yeah, that was my originally what I had hoped to, like I had been in my dream role, if you will.

Stephen Halasnik (04:36.85)

Yeah.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (04:43.66)

And then I was approached to be the ED.

Stephen Halasnik (04:46.29)

but From the context standpoint, what’s what’s the revenue yearly revenue of the nonprofit?

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (04:51.17)

Sure. Ours is pretty small. we’re about $600,000 is our budget.

Stephen Halasnik (04:54.49)

Mm hmm. Ciao. Okay… actually you’re a typical client for us just so you know so yeah yeah I mean

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (04:59.79)

Oh!

Stephen Halasnik (05:02.25)

Something on their under five million is a typical.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (05:04.30)

Yeah.

Stephen Halasnik (05:04.38)

client first. So. you You…

Stephen Halasnik (05:13.38)

I’m trying to see if I want to hit you with the hard questions first. So.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (05:17.54)

Go for it.

Stephen Halasnik (05:18.22)

Yeah, yeah. so the What’s been the biggest difference between being an executive director? and your prior role.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (05:29.12)

Well, they’re both leadership positions and people are looking to you for. direction and guidance I think the biggest difference for me is like Whereas the director of programs and the clinical director, it it feels more, the leadership is much more internal.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (05:48.23)

of you know you’re guiding the clinicians and kind of our programs and and yes obviously There’s external pieces of it, like people are looking to seeing what you’re doing, what’s innovative, what’s new, what programs The Christi Center is bringing. But ultimately, like that, the executive director is the face, right, of the agency. And so people. Look and…

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (06:10.19)

I listen for guidance. You know, I’ve been called for awful, you know, tragedies that have happened in our community. You know, when we had our the the Fourth of July floods, like people were turning to us. I happened to be on maternity leave during that time. So it felt like we were just kind of in this big like.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (06:28.03)

like on the spot and then no one knew where to go like

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (06:31.49)

who to turn to and who to talk to, for example, with that. But, you know, we’ve we’ve also had other big tragedies here in Austin and people look to The Christi Center and and ask, you know, like, how do we support our… families how do we support our community what should they like look for in their grief and you know luckily I wear a clinical hat of knowing what’s what happens or what to expect in grief but it’s that that outward facing that’s really the biggest difference that I’ve noticed as being the executive director

Stephen Halasnik (07:02.03)

What what was what’s been the hardest part of being the you know switching roles to be an executive director?

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (07:10.25)

. Actually, none of this. It’s been much more of the… Running a small business. I have never, ever.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (07:21.20)

I wanted to do that in my life. My husband will tell you, like, I’m the worst budgeter. I blow every budget we’ve ever set. I am not good at making sure, like.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (07:31.100)

oh yeah this our house needs this oh yeah I’ll put it on a to-do list you’re doing that every day at a non-profit now right and so you know making sure like you’re meeting the quotas and the needs and they’re and it’s just different language right it’s a report it’s a grant it’s a you know it’s making sure the house like our our building is is running and things and so I feel like that’s the part that I…

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (07:58.40)

am still struggling with because ultimately deep down I’m a social worker at heart right that’s my training and I want to give away all of our services and I want to make sure everybody’s getting the support that they need.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (08:09.49)

And that doesn’t translate into money and revenue and making sure our…

Stephen Halasnik (08:11.89)

A budget.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (08:14.56)

Services stay free because we have the overhead to be able to do that. And yeah, running a small business is is a big challenge that I…

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (08:24.57)

was not… ready for.

Stephen Halasnik (08:27.68)

Hmm. Did the arm If you had to look at your day or your week. And say the top three things that you.

Stephen Halasnik (08:38.37)

arm. are Doing. What would number one be?

Stephen Halasnik (08:47.60)

As far as time goes.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (08:49.23)

Yeah. I would say time is… Meeting with… staff and making sure things are everybody’s feeling good here at the center like they’re getting what they need and they’re getting their support we have a lot of you know

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (09:05.89)

clients that are it’s a there’s a lot of struggle right now in the mental health world, in the grief world. And we have calls, you know, just right now on our way in, we had somebody who was like, somebody’s really upset over the phone. Can somebody help me take this call? Right. And so a lot of it is just making sure.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (09:24.58)

like my top priority. And I think what takes up most of my time is meeting with staff and making sure they’ve got what they need clinically, but then also making the right decisions of like, are we meeting with this family’s needs? Is this client getting the support that they need? Should we be doing this with our groups and things like that?

Stephen Halasnik (09:41.98)

So lead leadership.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (09:42.20)

And. Yes. Yeah.

Stephen Halasnik (09:44.33)

Yeah. And. Did it take you three years? to realize that that was one of the most important because You said morale was low before you came in.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (09:58.07)

Mm hmm.

Stephen Halasnik (09:58.57)

Did you? instantly recognize that. that was going to be your top priority.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (10:08.68)

No, when we like I mentioned before, I think my the. biggest priority, I think. When I first started was finances.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (10:19.25)

Our finances were a wreck and.

Stephen Halasnik (10:20.36)

Mm.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (10:22.30)

I was not the one to break the ship, but I had to have people on my team who knew how to do that and how to, you know, help us correct what was done. And then being able to.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (10:33.27)

you know, kind of meet with our team and be like, what are our priorities? Like, what is that we want? What is it that we’re doing good at? What is it we can let go of? What are grants we shouldn’t be going for because they’re requiring us to make a new program or do this new? And and it’s like, no, we we can’t focus on anything new. We just have to.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (10:53.43)

focus on what we do good at and what we can afford to do right now and that That was obviously challenging in and of itself, and but I don’t, yeah, I don’t think it’s unique to us. I think it’s a lot of nonprofits go through that where it’s just like, man.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (11:08.64)

tough financial season. What do we have to cut in that? is terrifying to me especially again social worker love my job love giving out services like love making sure people get the support that they need and then suddenly I’m at the oh my gosh who who keeps their job and then, or who.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (11:28.27)

you know, who doesn’t get services?

Stephen Halasnik (11:29.89)

yeah Well, what’s number number two on the list? so if leadership was number one. where you’re spending the most amount of time on it and good kudos for you to kind of recognize that

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (11:37.88)

Mhm.

Stephen Halasnik (11:41.58)

Well. And at first it was stabilizing the finance side. correct so you gotta put out the fires before you can start rebuilding. Right.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (11:51.24)

correct

Stephen Halasnik (11:52.42)

What was the second thing that now? Or… in the last three years that you’ve spent the most time on? You know, leadership is number one.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (12:01.57)

yeah I would say. I guess kind of. bigger buckets of you know what is it that we want out of a the development side of.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (12:13.95)

are non-profit because As much as I’m not a development person, I’m not a fundraiser. I was not trained or taught to do any of those things. Suddenly. It is, you know, like.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (12:28.79)

we can’t just start going out and asking for money. That’s not how it works. Other than like trying to get us out of a bind, but that’s not how we.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (12:40.29)

any nonprofit should operate. It’s more about like what. How what? The ask why are we asking why is our work important? How do we tell our story and I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time with development consultants, development people.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (12:57.95)

trying to make sure that’s my like, has been a second priority. And it’s been a challenge, right? Like, because I do think we had good develop. meant.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (13:08.69)

priorities and fundraising priorities in the past. And so now it feels like we’re trying to recreate that with. less resources than we’ve had. but yeah I think the way we tell our story the way we tell our impact the way we Do that.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (13:25.60)

Takes a lot of time and a lot of like because you’re talking not just to the staff, but you’re talking to the board. And why am I doing this outreach? Because I think it’s important and eventually it will lead to donor money. It will eventually lead to a grant. And so a lot of my time is spent.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (13:43.27)

doing that. work.

Stephen Halasnik (13:46.27)

So it’s… Is it? we’re talking about fundraising. that in that bucket.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (13:50.52)

Yes. Yeah, I would say fundraising. Yes.

Stephen Halasnik (13:51.99)

Right. So number one, leadership. Number two is fundraising. And the last one.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (13:57.34)

The last one I would say probably… day-to-day operations of you know making sure our center is up and running, that we’ve got everything we need. we’ve got the staff and personnel.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (14:14.71)

Because, yeah, like I think as much as I want to say like clients or direct services are my third, I really don’t get to do that anymore because it is, you know, like we I live here. we’re based out of Austin, Texas, and we have pretty hot summers. Our AC has gone out every single year this summer. Right. And so somebody has to be here to write that ship of like, all right, who’s calling the AC? How much is it going to cost? Right. Things like that where it’s just like making sure. Everything else.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (14:42.56)

in the background that no one notices until it’s not working is working. to make sure we have we’re able to see clients and do our services. And that takes a lot of my time.

Stephen Halasnik (14:54.61)

. Did you find… From what I hear when I talk to a lot of executive directors, which I do. Is that… the fundraising part of it. is what people dislike the most.

Stephen Halasnik (15:07.23)

And did you find that with yourself or did you find that? natural tap transition. the transition from a clinical social worker to you know spending second amount of your most time.

Stephen Halasnik (15:22.44)

in fundraising to be. A difficult. challenge.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (15:27.53)

I I Well, it sounds like I’m in good company. Yeah, it is not my favorite. It’s not my favorite area to work in, unfortunately. Because it’s a huge part of the job because at all times you’re selling yourself, you’re selling the agency of like. This is why we’re important. And I feel like, you know.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (15:50.73)

we I came in with this misconception of like, I remember in grad school, we had two tracks and it was direct. services of being a clinical social worker and the non-direct of like grant writing and the background of being in a nonprofit social work as a nonprofit social worker. And I was like, never, I’m never doing that side. I don’t ever want to do that. And, you know, of course, when I started this role, I was like kicking myself, like I should have at least taken a grant class, right?

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (16:15.84)

Because it does, kind it you know, like, I think we come in with this misconception of like, I don’t want to ask people for money. but you know, That’s not what we’re doing. It’s more about like you’re not you’re you’re telling people the story of why our work is important. And it’s it’s hard. Right. Like I think part of it, too, is like obviously the changing landscapes of grants and donors and.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (16:40.03)

the ebbs and flows of our, you know. the finances and communities and things. But ultimately, it’s the same. thing. All you’re doing is you’re showing your work, why we we do what we do, why it’s important. and It’s…

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (16:55.73)

sharing that story. You’re not going to somebody and saying like, hey, give me $5. No, you’re saying like… any, you know, like all gifts are really helpful and This is why this gift is so important is because look at what you funded like we got to do a camp we got to do we got to keep our lights on because you know

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (17:16.19)

The AC went out again. We were able to support, you know, 700 people last year in our grief services, right, in our adult groups. that’s because of donors right and because of the the work that we the we’re able to do because of that and so I think there is like some misconception of like oh man, I feel like I’m just directly asking for money.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (17:38.35)

It’s like, no, you’re building relationships so people know and trust you. And then they understand that the the work that you do.

Stephen Halasnik (17:45.78)

Hmm.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (17:45.64)

And so it’s not my favorite, but I. understand it and I can understand why people don’t like it.

Stephen Halasnik (17:52.67)

Yeah, yeah yeah Now… When you came in in your first year as an executive director. Huh? How? how stressed out were you were you stressed out or did you kind of work the problem and you know, and You know, so maybe tell me a little bit more about that.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (18:14.92)

It was. it was definitely tough it was an interesting time in my own personal life as well and so it was I guess stressful on both ends. And so it was, but you know, I have, again.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (18:31.78)

we our team here we have a small team here at The Christi Center there’s about There was at the time five of us. And then we had a development consultant who was on the outside. And they it was just.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (18:42.41)

It was stressful because, again, we were in a financial crunch, worried about people losing their jobs, having to cut programs. and so I would say you know like I lost a lot of sleep and I lost you know like waking up in the middle of the night like, oh my gosh, I forgot to call this person back. Oh my gosh, I forgot to do this or that. and but

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (19:04.50)

you know remembering that I have a team I have support I had people at home I had my com my own community that I could lean on it but it was yeah like I’m not yeah it was just it Is it stressful? it can be a stressful job Yes, and it continues to.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (19:21.34)

Be a stressful job.

Stephen Halasnik (19:22.50)

Oh, so I was gonna that was when my next question. have Yeah, have some of those anxieties for the job subsided a little bit.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (19:30.77)

Different anxieties, right? I think… You know, we’re not in a place where I’m very proud to say we’re not in a place where where we’re going to, you know, shut down or close or anything like that. We are able to, you know, maintain everything. But yeah, things like, oh my gosh, another AC went out.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (19:50.92)

And I keep bringing up the ACs, man. It stays summer here in Austin for quite some time.

Stephen Halasnik (19:54.37)

No, it’s Texas. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (19:56.22)

And so. Yeah, it it has it’s different. stresses, right? I think back then it was looking at the short-term goals and hoping and praying that I’m thinking that the long-term goal, like that I’m on the same page with everybody on the long-term goals. But really it was like.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (20:15.54)

what is the coup. what is our first hurdle and just getting through that great what’s the next hurdle and now I would say I’m past that and much more looking at like, okay, what’s our goal for the end of the year? What’s our goal in neck next year, two years, three years? And that’s a challenge. That’s scary, right? Because our our environments are constantly changing and shifting. and and

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (20:39.25)

we’re also, you know. I think nonprofit. I think any job where you’re running a small business, you’re looking at you’re making projections for things that you’re like. Bye.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (20:50.25)

think this is what’s going to happen, or I hope this is what’s going to happen. And you plan for as best you can for. that plan a and plan b but yeah I think the longer term stresses are just different stresses

Stephen Halasnik (21:04.85)

It sounds like to me like the area you’ve gotten work. Well, let’s just say. It sounds like to me that you’re more. confident and optimistic than you were.

Stephen Halasnik (21:15.82)

three years ago. that the organization is going to survive.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (21:21.38)

Yes. Yes. I think there is. we’ve done a lot. we’ve done a lot of great work. for outreaching and educating our community of why. grief work is important why we’ve been you know like why we’re one of the only ones here in Austin doing this work and why we need to continue to be.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (21:41.62)

here, be here in Austin in and in general. So I feel like that. has really shifted in the last couple years where before it felt like it was Yeah, people.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (21:53.30)

Yeah, people had heard of us, but I feel like we’ve really made a name for ourselves out there of of getting our name out there and what we the work that we do. So I feel like that.

Stephen Halasnik (22:00.71)

Yep.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (22:02.38)

has definitely changed but yeah it’s keeping that momentum going right it’s not like stop and start because if we stop now then the same pattern is going to repeat itself right like and then two years from now we’re going to be drive for cash and having to work and and and do all those things all over again.

Stephen Halasnik (22:21.99)

Hmm.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (22:22.75)

I’m sorry.

Stephen Halasnik (22:23.06)

So if if you’re looking forward… to your

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (22:25.97)

Mm hmm.

Stephen Halasnik (22:28.88)

where you think the organization needs to go.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (22:33.74)

Yeah, so…

Stephen Halasnik (22:33.82)

How do you… Yeah, I mean, how do you… First, how do you kind of… Tackle. strategic, what What is the process within your organization that you’ve set up to determine?

Stephen Halasnik (22:49.93)

. strategic strategic direction.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (22:54.59)

Those are very lofty. goals. I think part of it, you know, when we did do strategic planning, we kind of did some big bucket goals and not necessarily like going into the deeper dive of like okay what does this goal really mean for us and our for our agency and who

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (23:17.48)

Who’s doing that? what’s the buy-in from those folks and then how is it really impacting that community I I would say like we still need to do that.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (23:28.24)

I do think the needs. are there in general but for us to really get into the nitty-gritty of like okay which communities are we not serving what’s changed in the grief world who what should we really be focusing on I think those are still up in the air that we really need to do dig deep into once it feels like.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (23:49.73)

And this sounds really counterintuitive, but really once. like everyone feels like we’ve got our feet. on stable ground, which we do now. And so but it’s taken.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (24:01.40)

again like a couple years so

Stephen Halasnik (24:03.20)

Hmm.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (24:03.71)

I remember walking in and being like, we need a strategic plan. We don’t have a strategic plan. What are we doing? And it was. it was challenging because I feel like we all had different goals. Like my goal was like, oh my gosh, make it to the end of the month, make it to the end of the year. and we’re the you know like Like you’re saying, like…

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (24:21.67)

Well, okay, should we be looking at… like surveying outside of austin what about our pop you know goal you know like what if we expanded these services what about reaching our black communities like I’m like no no no no like we have to like how do we keep our doors open for the end of the month right very different goals and so

Stephen Halasnik (24:37.32)

Yeah.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (24:39.49)

the stability was really important first before setting all of that and so finally now feeling like okay let’s actually do some community needs assessments

Stephen Halasnik (24:48.81)

how How have you grown? into this role. So what is, you know… Thinking it back. three years ago when you first came on to where you are today.

Stephen Halasnik (25:00.93)

we’re. Have you seen incredible? improvements in yourself. for this role.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (25:09.65)

I feel like… confidence of like you know, I was often told and kind of what I was alluding to with the fundraising is that we’re all Fundraisers?

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (25:22.14)

Even though we don’t like it and we don’t want to label it that way, I think everybody who works at a nonprofit is a fundraiser. And I mean that as like, you know, you’re not going to go and write a grant or ask for money, but you have to know how to.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (25:38.98)

market what we do and being able to talk about it in a meaningful way we all have these

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (25:45.10)

wonderful client success stories and it’s that’s what the work is right like that’s what’s so impactful of fundraising is storytelling and we’re all capable of that and I remember so many people telling me like you’re already a really great fundraiser like I heard like you just telling the story about this client that you worked with or you talking about how you did this you grew this program and it’s like that’s what fundraising is about it’s just how do you

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (26:13.85)

say that or how do you say that in the in every little scenario you’re going to run into right like when you’re talking to another client it’s like no I’ve seen other clients struggle with this too and this is what’s what’s been helpful for them this might be helpful for you okay well now you’re talking to a former client. Now you’re talking to a donor. Now you’re talking to a room full of people. Right. And so it’s just the way of shifting that. I feel like I’ve grown a lot in that and feeling much more confident and being able to say like.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (26:42.84)

Oh yeah, I do have these stories that are… really impactful of and show the work that we are doing here at The Christi Center.

Stephen Halasnik (26:52.91)

You know, I read this is the first time we’ve met. but… You do seem to be at ease. much more you know I mean but you do seem to be much more confident at ease you feel like you kind of know where you have to go, the organization has to go.

Stephen Halasnik (27:08.27)

So it seems like the three years have been. A… Has… has grown you as an executive director, fair enough to say?

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (27:20.31)

yeah for sure yeah I think it’s all obviously been really positive for my professional growth and for, yeah, working as a non-professional. nonprofit professional. It’s…

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (27:37.03)

It’s… its own skill yeah because I do think you know had I gone into private practice I wouldn’t have any of these skills and being able to tell the story that.

Stephen Halasnik (27:45.71)

Yeah.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (27:47.96)

tell the stories and the the work that we do.

Stephen Halasnik (27:51.37)

What have you done? over the last three years to get educated to Do it. Train yourself. to to address the things that you think an executive director needed to do because Okay, so we talked about… really the three most important roles of an executive director really.

Stephen Halasnik (28:11.77)

Number one is leadership. And that involves morale building. and and leading the organization… which also includes strategic.

Stephen Halasnik (28:23.13)

Number two, we talked about fundraising.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (28:26.03)

Mhm.

Stephen Halasnik (28:26.30)

Right? And number three, we talked about. in essence, like a little bit of an operations director, depending on the size of the organization, right? So really, those are the three buckets that you know, maybe maybe many of our listeners can look to and say is Where am I spending my time? I mean one of the things that I do often throughout my career which is not an executive director.

Stephen Halasnik (28:51.18)

is I will take a week. and track all my time. where I’m spending it and then I put it into buckets and then I say

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (28:56.61)

Yeah.

Stephen Halasnik (28:59.43)

Is this where I should be spending my time? Is this the the best use of my time and the best use for the organization?

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (29:01.74)

Mm hmm.

Stephen Halasnik (29:07.10)

and you know to see if it meets what I thought it was going to do. And he seems like you. intuitively now have a good understanding what’s needed. so

Stephen Halasnik (29:18.41)

Where did you… get the training and Or where did you get educated? to know about those three buckets.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (29:30.47)

That’s a good question. I And. you know, a lifelong learner. I love taking classes and doing like continuing education part of our licensure for social work we have to every two years we have to get at least 30 continuing education units for our licensure and so kind of always expected to do that but when I started this role I

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (29:59.28)

Literally, I talked to… So many EDs, so many EDs. And I think I found everybody was so encouraging and welcoming to the community of Lake.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (30:12.88)

I… Let me show you like this resource or hey, have you tried this or hey, did you ever hear about X? It was just. everybody was so helpful. And that’s here in Austin, right? We have just such a tight knit.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (30:29.21)

nonprofit community. But then also, you know, it didn’t feel competitive either, where it’s like, well, technically, we’re competing for the same funds, right, for all with all of these, like, mental health nonprofits or nonprofits in general. But it didn’t.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (30:43.29)

like no one I felt like maybe I was going to start that way where people are like oh I don’t want to share trade secrets right but I I said I would say I met with a lot of eds to

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (30:55.50)

just be like, hey, I don’t know what I’m doing. I know of your organization or I know someone at your organization. I also had a lot of people reach out to me when I first started this role and it was just so helpful to just like, I don’t. like be candid and be like hey I don’t know what I’m doing but I really want to hear from you and what was helpful you know what do you have at your nonprofit that maybe we should have?

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (31:19.95)

I also had a lot of people telling me, you know, take this class, take a nonprofit management class, like a certification. And so I did some of those programs through our local universities here that were really helpful of like.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (31:34.03)

How to… basic 101, like how to read a budget, right? A nonprofit budget, because I was so used to being like, oh, here’s the… the the program budget now I have to look at the whole thing right and so being able to do those basic things was really helpful of, you know, where to go, how to get those classes.

Stephen Halasnik (31:44.81)

v Yeah.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (31:52.92)

And then I took a leadership course through, it’s the, oh my gosh, I think it’s called Leadership Austin here. And I think they’re kind of all over the nation.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (32:04.10)

But it was a like a nine month course where we literally met once a month with. people in the community who weren’t necessarily in the nonprofit world but were like people looking to be leaders in their own community. So it was people who, for example, worked in a for-profit, but they were in charge of, you know.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (32:27.21)

And they’re planning giving for that program. And so they were like, I am really involved in our community and I want to know more about. you know water here in Austin and and sustainable resources for that. And so we got to… we all it was a big class of like 65 or so and one of the things in that course is that we had to

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (32:49.67)

we called They called them walk-in talks. And so we would meet, we would schedule one-on-ones with every single person in our program and got to know them on a personal level, but then also like, what do you do? Why is it important? And I would say that really changed.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (33:03.02)

my perspective, because it does feel like sometimes, especially in the nonprofit world, it feels like we’re in a container of like, we’re the only ones caring about our community, but it’s not, we’re not right. Like people just don’t happen to go into nonprofit fields. and, and yeah, just getting the word out to like, you know, I, I remember I’m thinking of one person who was like worked for EA Games. Right. And I was like, we would have never crossed paths.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (33:25.53)

And now I get to talk to you about what you do on a daily basis, but then also why you think it’s important to fund our community and be able to support these important things in your in your world.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (33:36.93)

And here’s what about The Christi Center and then why I think it’s important as well.

Stephen Halasnik (33:41.26)

Wow. Cool. Yeah, I… So my my wife passed away five years ago and I had to go to… I went to… a grief center.

Stephen Halasnik (33:52.10)

and with with my son. and I became a little, I can became. very involved for a year in fundraising for them. And they’re about I think they’re about.

Stephen Halasnik (34:05.95)

$10 million. dollar grief organization.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (34:08.03)

Big one. Yeah.

Stephen Halasnik (34:08.65)

Yeah. In, in New Jersey, they have two locations. And, So just on a side note. you You may want to take take a look at the organization, Good Grief.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (34:21.19)

Good grief. Yeah, they’re pretty big.

Stephen Halasnik (34:21.88)

Yeah.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (34:22.51)

Yeah.

Stephen Halasnik (34:22.75)

in New Jersey. Yeah. And, I think their fundraising is pretty good. Yeah. So you may want to take a look at that for your organization to see if you could benchmark against them.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (34:33.82)

Yeah.

Stephen Halasnik (34:34.15)

You know, like I was a little bit involved in it. And and so I you know kind of saw. you know. how they were raising money, what they were doing. And. You know, and it…

Stephen Halasnik (34:47.91)

So. something for you to like, I’m a big fan of talking to finding other organizations. And when you, you know, like you were saying,

Stephen Halasnik (34:59.83)

Oh, you felt uncomfortable in Austin talking to somebody who’s maybe going for the same dollars that you’re going out and going for. And if you feel that way. reach out to organizations that.

Stephen Halasnik (35:10.89)

are not in your. your area. Right?

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (35:14.47)

That’s a good point. Yeah, for sure.

Stephen Halasnik (35:15.52)

Yeah.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (35:15.71)

Yeah, I think, especially in the bereavement field, there are lots of… we’re part of an alliance, the National Alliance for Children’s Grief. And so we’re all kind of partners in this.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (35:27.79)

And so, yeah, it’s easy to be able to pick up the phone and call New Jersey, but we all, you know, like there’s also one in Houston that’s really close and they’re always like, come on over.

Stephen Halasnik (35:36.97)

Yeah.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (35:37.55)

We’ll tell you a little bit about what we do and what’s the difference.

Stephen Halasnik (35:38.98)

Yeah. And they’ll accept the calls.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (35:40.07)

soon

Stephen Halasnik (35:41.05)

I mean, what an executive director wouldn’t if you said, hey, this is Jocelyn from The Christi Center.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (35:41.42)

Yeah.

Stephen Halasnik (35:46.90)

And I’m. I just want to pick your brain.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (35:51.64)

Yeah, absolutely

Stephen Halasnik (35:51.75)

you know, on on what you’re doing for fundraising and how I can go from where I am now to where, where you know, how did how did you do it? You know? And I mean, I did that a lot of times in my own business and people thought, wow, competitor’s going to give you that information. And I was like, yeah. that they you know as long as they’re not in my backyard yeah they’ll they’ll do it all the time And because they want to learn too.

Stephen Halasnik (36:14.80)

You know, so.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (36:15.11)

yeah for sure I think it it does feel you know like having been I work like I’ve worked at nonprofits where it felt like the ceo or the ed was really like impenetrable like their office they were never there the office was closed it doesn’t feel like an open door policy and you know I try to be the opposite here like I constantly leave my door open so much so that my staff like closes it for me they’re like you’re on the phone

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (36:40.15)

But anyways, I think there’s this like misconception that EDs are like, we hold all the trade secrets and we’re going to keep them to ourselves because we have all the info. And it’s like, no, we want to make sure like the community is thriving, that they’re getting what they need. And maybe, yeah, like.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (36:55.88)

new jersey for example I know a little bit they’re attached to a hospital and so I think that was a big part of their how they got started.

Stephen Halasnik (37:02.78)

Hmm.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (37:03.61)

And so, yeah, like it’s, it’s, you know, like hearing these stories there. almost always, well, like, let’s let me tell you how we started. Let me tell you what worked, what didn’t work. Here’s our missteps, right?

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (37:13.68)

Like people can be really candid about that, which is really helpful because it’s also like, oh, you made mistakes too.

Stephen Halasnik (37:16.77)

Oh yeah.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (37:20.32)

Or like, oh, okay, like this agency has gone through some tough times as well. And it’s not like this amazing success story all the time.

Stephen Halasnik (37:23.96)

Yep.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (37:27.15)

And that really helps, right? Because it feels like, oh no, we’re the only one struggling. Oh no, we’re the only ones going through this.

Stephen Halasnik (37:34.46)

Well, it was a great podcast. I learned a lot and I always do. That’s why I love doing them. And I think they’re great for other people. That’s why I do them. And so. I want to thank Jocelyn for for coming on today’s podcast. Jocelyn again is from The Christi Center.

Stephen Halasnik (37:51.53)

And Jocelyn, if anyone wants to get in touch with you, how would they go about doing that?

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (37:56.93)

Yeah, you can either reach out to us on our website. We have a get in touch with us on our website that goes directly to me. Or you can visit my LinkedIn, Jocelyn Chamra Barrera, LCSW on LinkedIn.

Stephen Halasnik (38:10.95)

Great. Thanks for coming on today.

Jocelyn Chamra Barrera (38:12.80)

Yeah, thanks for having me.

Stephen Halasnik (38:14.36)

Now, if anyone is interested in a line of credit for your organization, please feel free to visit our website at nonprofitmbapodcast.com. And then the last thing I want to say is what I always end the podcast with, because I think it’s it’s very near and dear to my heart.

Stephen Halasnik (38:29.78)

You know, there’s a lot of problems going on in this world right now, and we need you. We need the executive directors. You guys are in the front lines. I know k The Christi Center, well, she’s doing a lot.

Stephen Halasnik (38:40.84)

and I’m trying to do the best I can as well my own way but you guys christy and everybody else out there you’re on the front lines and burnout in this industry is a big deal It happens a lot and you want to make sure that everybody.

Stephen Halasnik (38:55.59)

is taking good care of themselves so that you have that energy to really solve today’s world problems. because often you know, people in a nonprofit community are thinking of everybody else first and they’re they don’t think about themselves.

Stephen Halasnik (39:10.99)

So make sure that you’re thinking about yourself every day what what do you need to take good care of yourself it could be just a nice walk if you’re calling a friend grabbing a cup of coffee exercising, meditating, praying. all the things that we know to keep us sane and human. So please think of that. And I want to thank you again for listening to the Nonprofit

Stephen Halasnik (39:33.31)

MBA Podcast. I’m sorry, I hit the… Intro button by… Accident. So here we go. Thanks. Have a great day, everybody.

Stephen Halasnik (39:43.89)

See you later.

About Our Experts

Jocelyn Chamra-Barrera, LCSW is a bilingual licensed clinical social worker and expert on the areas of mental health, child abuse and neglect, intimate partner violence, and significant trauma. She currently serves as the executive and clinical director of the Christi Center, a nonprofit organization that offers hope after the death of a loved one by providing support networks, community education, and therapeutic activities that are free, peer-based, and ongoing. By combining her expertise in mental health with her passion for community, Jocelyn is dedicated to helping people connect with their emotions by actively listening to their stories.