698. Contagious Culture: Why Better People Build Better Organizations - Kyle S. King

Kyle S. King started his nonprofit journey as a college junior, raised $100K, and never stopped. Eight books, a publishing company, a keynote career, and the Growth Alliance later — he's spent over a decade helping mission-driven organizations do the deeper work first: aligning leadership, tightening operations, and sharpening the stories that actually move donors to act. 💪In this episode, you'll hear:Why burnout isn't a wellness problem or a leadership problem — it's an organizational culture issue, and that distinction changes everything about how you solve itThe three pillars of "contagious culture" (kindness, community, capital) and why skipping step one means you'll never reach step threeThe counterintuitive advice Kyle gives every leader who wants to grow: stop adding. Play defense first. Stop the leaks.This conversation will challenge how you think about culture, leadership, and the small moments where real impact actually happens. 🩵Episode Highlights:Meet Kyle King (00:41)Roots: Sankofa and the backstory that built everything (3:15)Contagious Culture: Kindness, Community, Capital (6:44)The root cause mistake nonprofit leaders keep making (10:00)Why burnout is an organizational culture problem (15:05)Leading with heart when you're running on empty (20:00)Play defense: building momentum by stopping the leaks (25:30)The barbershop story and the $800 check (30:26)One good thing: better people build better organizations (35:01)Episode Show Notes: https://www.weareforgood.com/episode/698Join us at ImpactUp: Story! Join us online from 12-1:30 CST for a free virtual session including a keynote with storytelling phenom, Afdhel Aziz, and a roundtable convo with 4 amazing nonprofit leaders. Then that evening, in nearly 50 cities around the world are hosting local meetups to keep the conversation going in person.Find a meetup near you or join us virtually! Make the most of Monthly Giving Awareness Week 💛During Monthly Giving Awareness Week (May 11-16), Givebutter is giving back. For every new monthly donor who gives $5 or more, your nonprofit earns a $10 donation. $25,000 in matching funds are available to organizations just like yours! Get all the details and get started today here!  //Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.comSay hi 👋LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter