Jun 3, 2026 · 34 min · 11 segments
***“When you make the transition from operator to leader, you have to be intentional about how you’re defining success.”—Melissa Russell*** What does it *actually* take to scale a nonprofit without…
Melissa RussellGuestTed VaughnHost
[instrumental music] Every nonprofit right now has, like, a 2030 vision or a vision 2030.
But our team is like, we want to know the bigger, deeper, why I wake up in the morning.
Across the world, six hundred and ninety-six million people lack access to clean and safe drinking water.
According to charity:water's research, unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation cause eighty percent of diseases and lead to more deaths every year than all forms of violence, including war.
Not only do they have two decades of experience making a massive difference globally, their innovation to engage donors in seeing exactly where their donation goes is second to none.
And I can't think of a better person to lead this charge than Melissa because she spent her career building organizations that scale.
I especially respect her commitment to clarity and culture through seasons of growth and development, and she's created environments where both results and people matter.
Before charity:water, Melissa was the president of International Justice Mission, or IJM.
In previous episodes, we've heard from IJM's Chief Marketing Officer, Ben Webb, and you can hear the alignment between how Ben and Melissa operate.
So in today's episode, you'll hear how Melissa found her way into nonprofit leadership, or perhaps how it found her, along with what she's learned in such high-level roles about leadership, vision casting, culture, and innovation.
[upbeat music] You're listening to Future Nonprofit, a podcast about what it will take to build and scale the nonprofits of tomorrow.
I'm your host, Ted Vaughn, a nonprofit change consultant and author of Culture Built My Brand.
Join me as we unpack the stories and lessons of today's most innovative leaders working to make this world better.
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[instrumental music] Every nonprofit right now has, like, a 2030 vision or a vision 2030.
But our team is like, we want to know the bigger, deeper, why I wake up in the morning.
Across the world, six hundred and ninety-six million people lack access to clean and safe drinking water.
According to charity:water's research, unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation cause eighty percent of diseases and lead to more deaths every year than all forms of violence, including war.
Not only do they have two decades of experience making a massive difference globally, their innovation to engage donors in seeing exactly where their donation goes is second to none.
And I can't think of a better person to lead this charge than Melissa because she spent her career building organizations that scale.
I especially respect her commitment to clarity and culture through seasons of growth and development, and she's created environments where both results and people matter.
Before charity:water, Melissa was the president of International Justice Mission, or IJM.
In previous episodes, we've heard from IJM's Chief Marketing Officer, Ben Webb, and you can hear the alignment between how Ben and Melissa operate.
So in today's episode, you'll hear how Melissa found her way into nonprofit leadership, or perhaps how it found her, along with what she's learned in such high-level roles about leadership, vision casting, culture, and innovation.
[upbeat music] You're listening to Future Nonprofit, a podcast about what it will take to build and scale the nonprofits of tomorrow.
I'm your host, Ted Vaughn, a nonprofit change consultant and author of Culture Built My Brand.
Join me as we unpack the stories and lessons of today's most innovative leaders working to make this world better.