Cause & Purpose

The show about leaders, innovators, and change agents, working on the front lines to solve some of the world's greatest social challenges. We strive to make every episode informative, entertaining, and easily relatable. If nothing else, we hope you come away knowing that there are some amazing people grappling with the some of the same challenges you are.

Episode

43

Transforming Global Humanitarian Aid & International Development Through Human-Centered Design, with Jocelyn Wyatt

Jocelyn Wyatt, CEO of Alight, shares her 25-year journey transforming humanitarian aid through human-centered design—from recognizing the disconnect between Washington decision-makers and field realities to leading a $90 million organization serving 4 million displaced people annually. Through powerful stories from Bolivia's forests to Sudan's war zones, she demonstrates why treating refugees as customers with choice rather than passive beneficiaries creates more dignified and effective aid, and how maintaining optimism in the face of massive funding cuts and global crises isn't just philosophical—it's strategic.

Episode

42

Data-Driven Impact: Andrew Means on Transforming Philanthropy Through Strategic Intelligence

Data scientist, impact strategist, and entrepreneur, Andrew Means joins Mike Spear to reveal why many nonprofits are "flying blind" without basic data infrastructure, offering practical frameworks like the "data hierarchy of needs" while speaking plainly about charity evaluators that measure overhead instead of actual impact. The conversation explores how data democratization—not expensive consultants—can transform organizations, and why Andrew joined Altruous as an advisor to help build transparent, evidence-based philanthropy that focuses on the only question that matters: are beneficiaries actually better off?

Episode

41

Artificial Intelligence in the Social Impact Sector and the Why Behind Altruous with Jim Carter III

Technologist and philanthropist Jim Carter III joins Mike Spear to demystify AI for the social impact sector, sharing practical strategies including his three-question framework for identifying AI opportunities and revealing how he helped facilitate $10 million in cryptocurrency donations to nonprofits. The conversation challenges the nonprofit sector's technology resistance, with both hosts arguing that AI adoption is now an imperative for organizations serious about their missions, while demonstrating through real examples—from digital clones to Altruous's AI-powered evaluation system—how artificial intelligence amplifies rather than replaces human judgment in philanthropy.

Episode

40

Fighting for Education Equality for Native American Scholars, with Native Forward CEO Angelique Albert

In this episode of Cause & Purpose, we sit down with the CEO of Native Forward, Angelique Albert. Angelique shares insights from her life growing up on tribal lands in Montana, talks about some of the historical context that shapes the way Native Americans relate to Education, and shares insights from scaling Native Forward to serve more Native American scholars.

Episode

39

Elemental Excelerator: Driving Innovative Solutions to Combat Climate Change at a Massive Scale with COO, Avra van der Zee

In this episode of Cause & Purpose, we sit down with the COO of Elemental Excelerator, Avra van der Zee. Avra's dedication to combatting climate change has spanned her entire career. From e-bikes, to sustainable pre-fabricated construction materials, to the 150+ startups in Elemental Excelerator's portfolio, Avra has worked to help build and scale innovative climate solutions that will help shape our environment for generations to come.

About our Sponsor:

Altruous

Altruous is an impact discovery and management platform for the next generation of philanthropy.
Click here to learn more →

About our Sponsor:

Altruous

Altruous is an impact discovery and management platform for the next generation of philanthropy.
Click here to learn more →

About our Sponsor:

Altruous

Altruous is an impact discovery and management platform for the next generation of philanthropy.
Click here to learn more →

Cause & Purpose

The show about leaders, innovators, and change agents, working on the front lines to solve some of the world's greatest social challenges.

Contact Us!

Cause & Purpose

The show about leaders, innovators, and change agents, working on the front lines to solve some of the world's greatest social challenges.

Contact Us!

Cause & Purpose

The show about leaders, innovators, and change agents, working on the front lines to solve some of the world's greatest social challenges.

Contact Us!