About this episode

Debra Magaldi discusses her journey from feeding a stray cat to leading a nonprofit focused on spay/neuter surgeries.

"People have to feel like they are making a difference, not earning a buck." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and Neighborhood Cats' TNR Certification Workshop . Debra Magaldi never set out to run a nonprofit. What began as feeding a neighborhood stray in her alley turned into a chance encounter with Helen Sanders herself, and after Helen's passing in 2005, a small fund to feed her jetty cats grew into CatPAWS, a Long Beach and Orange County organization now operating with an all-volunteer board, paid veterinary contractors, and a growing spay/neuter program. Sixteen years in, Debra brings her business background and MBA to a mission she says still runs on a fundamentally different fuel than any company she's worked for. Debra and host Stacy LeBaron dig into what it actually takes to build a volunteer-run organization that lasts. Debra pushes back on the advice to "run your nonprofit like a business," arguing that while structure and strategy matter, people show up because they believe in the cause, not because of a bonus or a quota. She's candid about the cost of starting a new program: it takes far more money than founders expect, and grant and…

People in this episode

Host: Stacy LeBaron

Guest: Debra Magaldi

Topics covered

• nonprofit management
• spay/neuter programs
• volunteer organizations
• animal welfare
• leadership challenges

Sponsors

Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, Neighborhood Cats

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CatPAWS

Places: Long Beach, Orange County

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