We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits 436. Building Sustainable Movements for Systems Change - Deepa Iyer
Meet Deepa. She's played many roles in supporting social movements, weaver, frontline responder, storyteller + guide. Her political and community homes include Asian American, South Asian, Muslim, and Arab ecosystems where she spent fifteen years in policy advocacy and coalition building in the wake of the September 11 attacks and the ensuing backlash. She now leads projects on solidarity and social movements at the Building Movement Project, a national nonprofit organization catalyzing social change through research, relationships, and resources. Don’t miss this conversation that’ll provide the building blocks for building sustainable movements💪
Today's Guest
Deepa Iyer, Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives, Building Movement Project
Episode Highlights
- Deepa’s story and journey to where she is today (3:30)
- Lessons learned from building movements (5:15)
- The role of nonprofits in building movements (8:40)
- The importance of reflection (11:20)
- Overview of the framework within Deepa’s book “Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection” (14:15)
- Deepa’s reflections on her own journey using this framework (17:40)
- Defining solidarity (22:05)
- Deepa’s advice for young professionals that want to be change-makers (26:30)
- Resources and tools from Building Movement Project (30:00)
- A powerful moment of philanthropy in Deepa’s life (32:05)
- Deepa’s One Good Thing: How are we tending to the urgency of now? (34:30)
- How to connect with Deepa (36:00)
For more information + episode details visit: weareforgood.com/episode/436.
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APRIL 29: Working Session Live: Forecast Your Monthly Giving Growth in 2026 with Dana Snyder (and the pathways to get you there!)
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