Nonprofit Leadership with Mia Hoagberg

Mia Hoagberg, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Minnesota, joins us for an in-depth conversation on leadership and change in the nonprofit sector. Mia started her career in the for-profit sector before shifting into work with nonprofit organizations over the past decade. In our conversation, Mia gives us a look into the challenges of leading, overcoming obstacles, changes in the sector, and diversity as it pertains to Make-A-Wish and the industry as a whole. 

Here are some of the key points from our talk with Mia:

• Being in charge means that everything stops with you, but also falls on you. Regardless of the department and if you have an interest in or affinity for it is still left up to the CEO.
• Managing and leading the board of directors is important. By strategically working with board members it becomes a partnership not just a take relationship. Mia’s approach to growing the board is to find someone with a passion for the mission first and foremost then looking at skill sets and company connections.
• Growing in her leadership role, Mia attributes surprises and constant change as the key to evolving and succeeding. There’s always a new challenge walking in the door and when you’re a leader, you have to be able to roll with those, stay calm, lead your team through uncertainty and really be steadfast and solid.
• Big challenges in the nonprofit sector right now that come to mind for Mia include tax line implications and how that effects donors give. Additionally, Mia mentions burnout and specifically how it affects staff and teams who are doing work like Make-A-Wish that can be exceptionally emotional for some staff.
• Mia’s chapter of Make-A-Wish has a task force for diversity and inclusion that works to ensure to focus on an equitable group of children across the state. We want to make sure that a wish is a wish, is a wish, and it does not matter where you live or where you came from or what part of the cities you live in, or what language you speak.
• Most importantly, Mia talks about the Make-A-Wish work and the long term effect it can have on a child’s life. They are working to change the trajectory of a child’s life through granting wishes that have life-changing outcomes.