What does it really take to lead a nonprofit like a business—without losing sight of mission? In this episode, I sit down with Tom Ulbrich, CEO of Goodwill of Western New York, to unpack the balance between vision and execution, the triple bottom line, and why your team is your greatest asset. If you’ve ever wondered how to innovate, grow, and avoid organizational “whiplash,” this conversation is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.
Episode Highlights
00:01 Entrepreneur and Nonprofit Leader
02:32 From Family Business to Nonprofit Leadership
04:58The Triple Bottom Line and Why It Matters
08:34 Financial Health, Teams, and Leadership Dynamics
15:01 Innovation, Risk, and Avoiding Organizational “Whiplash”
25:00 Succession Planning, Structure, and the Future of AI in Nonprofits
My guest for this episode is Tom Ulbrich.
Tom Ulbrich is an entrepreneur, educator, speaker, author, social sector CEO at Goodwill of Western New York, a member of the Forbes Non-Profit Council and Executive in Residence for Entrepreneurship at the University at Buffalo School of Management.
He is an entrepreneurial leader with broad-based management experience in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. His passion for social innovation is focused on nurturing strong relationships and building consensus across diverse groups of stakeholders in the academic, for-profit, non-profit and government sectors.
Connect with Tom:
https://www.goodwillwny.org/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasulbrich/
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