Aisha Benson: The Hidden Power of Nonprofits in Finance, Community, and Social Change
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Aisha Benson: The Hidden Power of Nonprofits in Finance, Community, and Social Change
In this episode of The PlayFull Podcast, host Kristine Michie welcomes Aisha Benson, CEO of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, as part of the Brave Voices series. Aisha shares her journey from Harlem to national leadership, where she champions nonprofits as essential drivers of community well-being and economic power. Alongside the serious realities of inequitable funding, she brings a spirit of play, joy, and resilience that offers listeners both inspiration and encouragement. This conversation is a reminder of how leadership, grounded in equity and joy, can shape lasting impact.
Key Takeaways:
Nonprofits are powerful economic engines that generate $1.4 trillion in impact and employ 12.5 million people, yet they are often undervalued.
Many nonprofits face systemic challenges like delayed government and philanthropic payments that force them to front costs without timely reimbursement.
Aisha argues nonprofits must be funded at their full cost to prevent cycles of scarcity, patchwork budgets, and staff burnout.
Nonprofit leaders are urged to clearly communicate both the financial realities and the social impact of their work to inspire changes in funder practices.
Advocacy is core work at Nonprofit Finance Fund for addressing inequities in funding systems and promoting trust-based philanthropy.
Aisha’s personal journey was shaped by seeing how capital could be co-designed with communities for social good.
Joy and playfulness are essential for resilience in leadership, and for Aisha, they come from her nine grandchildren, her ministry, and ice cream rituals.
"Nonprofits are thought of as charity, and it is a charitable sector, but it is not about charity. Nonprofits are economic engines, and we see it with employment. We see it with contribution to the tax base." — Aisha Benson
"Demand is on the rise, and at the same time, resources are disappearing. And I’m going to say resources are being stolen away and redistributed to those with wealth and power." — Aisha Benson
"Nonprofits are too often treated as a stepchild instead of a partner." — Aisha Benson
More about Aisha Benson:
Aisha Benson is a community development finance leader with over 30 years in banking and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). She is CEO of Nonprofit Finance Fund, a CDFI lender, consultant, and advocate advancing nonprofits to build community wealth and well-being.
She previously served as COO at TruFund Financial Services, leading lending, tax credit deployment, and advisory programs, and has held finance roles at Carver Federal Savings, Banco Popular, and JPMorgan Chase. Over her career, she has implemented numerous multimillion-dollar capital access, guaranty, and grant programs.
Aisha serves on boards including OFN, the NMTC Coalition, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Community Advisory Group, and the Carsey Center for Impact Finance. She earned her B.A. in Psychology, Cum Laude, from Columbia University and a certificate in Social Impact Management and Leadership from the Institute for Nonprofit Practice.
Connect with Aisha:
Website: https://nff.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aisha-benson-3a198227/
Connect with Kristine:
Website: https://www.impactfullinc.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impactfull_inc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristine-breese-michie/
Sources from this episode:
State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey: https://nff.org/learn/survey
Rusty Stahl: Defending Civil Society in a Time of Political Threats: https://www.impactfullinc.com/playfull-podcast/rusty-stahl
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