Making Impact

Making Impact: Working Relationships

This week on Making Impact, Traci Donnelly is joined by longtime business partner and co-founder of Make An Impact, Steve Donowitz. The two dig into what it really means to build something meaningful with someone you trust, exploring the dynamics of working with friends, why great leaders actively seek out differing opinions, and how a strong business mind is just as essential in the nonprofit world as anywhere else.

Making Impact: Aaron Alexander Tells All

This week on Making Impact, Traci Donnelly is joined by poet and The Reel Rejects host Aaron Alexander for a beautiful and deeply honest conversation exploring identity, bullying, body dysmorphia, anxiety, and the healing power of art therapy. Together, they unpack a side of Aaron rarely seen, reflecting on how creativity becomes a refuge, a path toward self-understanding, and a powerful tool for survival and growth.

Making Impact: Coy’s Comic Books Save The World?

In this episode of Making Impact, Traci Donnelly sits down with comic book expert, HBO Max host, and Reel Rejects co-founder Coy Jandreau to explore how comic books have shaped culture, challenged power, and helped generations discover their own inner hero.From superheroes as modern mythology to comics as vehicles for social change, Coy unpacks why these stories matter now more than ever and how fandom can inspire courage, empathy, and action in the real world.Featuring insights from Coy’s work on HBO Max and The Reel Rejects, this conversation reframes comics not as escapism but as blueprints for impact.

Making Impact: And the Emmy goes to...

In this week’s episode of Making Impact, host and President of Make An Impact, Traci Donnelly, sits down with Brandy Curry, Chief of Staff at the Television Academy of Arts & Sciences, creative leader, and producer of the Primetime Emmy Awards. Together, they explore the evolving landscape of impact storytelling and how to navigate today’s political realities while continuing to do essential, mission-driven work.

Making Impact: Unfiltered with Greg Alba of The Reel Rejects

Greg Alba returns for an exclusive, unfiltered conversation—pulling back the curtain on the darker realities of fame, burnout, and the hidden pressures of being both a high-profile content creator and a business owner. In this candid interview, Greg speaks openly about the emotional toll, the expectations, and the personal cost that audiences rarely see. Hosted by Traci Donnelly, this episode offers a rare look behind the brand and into the human side of success.

Making Impact: Return on Impact (ROI Reimagined)

On this week’s episode of Making Impact, Barbara Mulvee—Make An Impact board member and former Executive Director—joins Dr. Claire Wang (stepping in for Traci Donnelly) to explore how the Impact Collaborative pillar is transforming the way organizations work together to create real, lasting impact.

Making Impact: CFOs Are People Too

Make An Impact co-founder Steve Donowitz joins The Reel Rejects' Michael Tessler (stepping in for Traci Donnelly) on this week’s episode as we pull back the curtain on what it really takes to keep impact organizations running. From budgets and burnout to big-picture strategy, Steve brings the wit, wisdom, and war stories only a finance leader can.

Making Impact: The Tools of Tomorrow

In this special episode of Making Impact, Dr. Claire Wang steps in for Traci Donnelly to host an insightful conversation with Lisa Harris about one of the core pillars of Make An Impact. Together, they explore how our expanding network of purpose-driven organizations and innovative impact solutions is reshaping the way communities access support, build capacity, and drive meaningful change.

Making Impact: Universal Basic Income (But Better)

In this episode, host Traci Donnelly, founder of Make An Impact, sits down with Dr. Claire Wang, executive director of Make An Impact, and Leon Greene, Chief Strategy Officer at The Child Center of NY, to unpack the groundbreaking Cash+Community initiative — a program that took the concept of universal basic income and reimagined it through a peer-driven model of empowerment. Together, they explore how this innovative approach is reshaping families’ financial stability, restoring dignity, and redefining what community support looks like in America. For more information, visit: www.makeanimpact.org

Making Impact: Getting Real with The Reel Rejects

What makes a story powerful enough to change a life?In Episode One of Making Impact we sit down with Greg Alba, creator of The Reel Rejects, to explore the emotional force of storytelling and how it shapes the way we see ourselves and the world.Hosted by Traci Donnelly, President of Make An Impact, this conversation brings together Dr. Claire Wang, Executive Director and data scientist, and Michael Tessler, award-winning producer and CEO of Multihouse. Together, they dive deep into the art, science, and heart behind stories that move us, and why impact storytelling matters now more than ever. Don't forget to like and subscribe or visit makeanimpact.org to learn.