“I think we continuously miss the opportunity to talk about what we need and how what we do makes an impact. Because if we told that story of how what we need to accomplish includes having a rock solid back office, I don’t think donors would be offended at that.”

Jess Birken

In this episode of The Beacon, Margaret Gardner talks with charity and nonprofit lawyer Jess Birken about the poverty mindset and how it and the Overhead Myth are hurting nonprofits. 

Jess discusses:

• What the poverty mindset is and some of the common symptoms
• What the Overhead Myth is
• How together they hinder the important work of a nonprofit and, importantly, how nonprofits can get beyond them to thrive

About our Guest

Jess Birken has worked with nonprofits for most of her career and currently is the owner of the Birken Law Office, where she helps nonprofits solve problems so they can quit worrying and get back to what matters most – The Work.  

She is the former CEO and managing partner at Urban Birken PLLC, a boutique firm that specialized in serving the nonprofit community.

Jess holds a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Hamline University and is author of the free e-book, “Starting a Nonprofit: 5 Things Every Founder Must Know” and host of the Charity Therapy podcast.

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn
Birken Law
A Graphic Revisioning of Nonprofit Overhead
The Way We Think about Charity is Dead Wrong