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What does values-driven leadership look like when a nonprofit is growing rapidly, facing increasing demand, and making difficult decisions about where to focus? In this episode of the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, Rob Harter sits down with Angelique Albert, CEO of Native Forward Scholars Fund, the largest direct provider of scholarships to Native students in the United States. Angelique shares how her upbringing on the Flathead Indian Reservation and her connection to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have shaped her approach to leadership, service, and community impact.
Angelique also offers an inside look at how Native Forward has scaled its impact, growing from roughly $4 million in annual revenue to an annual budget of approximately $26 million while significantly expanding its net assets and student support. She explains why strong nonprofit leadership requires knowing what to say no to, building the infrastructure needed for sustainable growth, bringing in outside expertise, and balancing long-term organizational strength with immediate mission impact. The conversation also explores Native Forward’s transformational unrestricted gifts from MacKenzie Scott and how those investments strengthened the organization’s capacity to serve more Native scholars.
Key Topics Include:
- How Angelique Albert’s Native heritage and connection to community shape her values-driven leadership approach
- Why nonprofit leaders need to identify what their organizations can do exceptionally well—and be willing to stop doing the rest
- How Native Forward narrowed its focus to college access and college success while partnering with others for complementary services
- The importance of strategic planning, organizational infrastructure, documented systems, and strong internal processes when scaling a nonprofit
- Why outside consultants and third-party perspectives can help nonprofit leaders identify blind spots and build stronger strategies
- How unrestricted funding from MacKenzie Scott helped Native Forward invest in infrastructure, scholarships, wraparound services, marketing, and long-term sustainability
- How nonprofit leaders can balance immediate mission impact with investments in capacity, fundraising, technology, and future generations
Mentioned in This Episode:
- Native Forward Scholars Fund: https://nativeforward.org/
- The Bridgespan Group: https://www.bridgespan.org/
- MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving: https://yieldgiving.com/
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund: https://www.hsf.net/
- UNCF: https://uncf.org/
This Episode is Sponsored By:
Links to Resources:
- Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob’s website: RobHarter.com
- Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel
- Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
- Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com
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