Entrepreneurship & Nonprofits: How Heidi Hamels & Alaina Baker Built Uplift Malawi

Entrepreneur Success Unleashed | Cut The Tie

Never Been Promoted Podcast with Thomas Helfrich

Heidi Hamels and Alaina Baker share the mission behind Uplift Malawi, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating sustainable schools, life skills programs, and community partnerships to provide better opportunities for children in Malawi. They discuss the challenges of running a nonprofit, the realities of fundraising, and how they are making a direct impact on the lives of children.

About Heidi Hamels & Uplift Malawi:

Heidi Hamels is the founder of Uplift Malawi, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainable education and community empowerment. Alongside Executive Director Alaina Baker, where she has worked for over a decade to drive sustainable educational initiatives. Alaina has worked closely with Heidi to shape Uplift Malawi into a high-impact organization that prioritizes transparency, direct impact, and community-driven solutions. Their focus is not just on education but on addressing the foundational needs—clean water, nutrition, and life skills—that make quality education possible.

In this episode, Thomas, Alaina, and Heidi discuss:

• Why Uplift Malawi Focuses on Sustainability in Education

Alaina and Heidi explain how their organization builds infrastructure, provides resources, and ensures long-term sustainability to empower communities.

• How Nonprofits Can Operate Like Businesses

Many nonprofits fail due to financial inefficiencies. They discuss how Uplift Malawi has structured its funding model to maximize impact while maintaining transparency and efficiency.

• Fundraising and Overcoming Challenges in a Nonprofit

From rebranding to navigating the complexities of international aid, they share lessons learned in fundraising, donor engagement, and ensuring donations make a direct impact.

Key Takeaways:

• Transparency in Nonprofit Work is Critical

Many large charities retain 80-90% of donations for overhead. Uplift Malawi ensures 100% of certain donations go directly to children’s programs, while operational expenses are covered separately.

• Education Requires More Than Just Schools

Addressing hunger, sanitation, and vocational training is key to making education meaningful and sustainable for communities.

• Small Donations Can Make a Huge Difference

Just $5 can feed a child two meals a day for an entire year. Direct funding models ensure that donors know exactly where their money is going.

“Education alone isn’t enough. You have to create an environment where learning is possible—clean water, food, teachers, and resources matter just as much as books.” — Alaina Baker

CONNECT WITH UPLIFT MALAWI:

Website: https://upliftmalawi.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upliftmalawi/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upliftmalawi

CONNECT WITH THOMAS HELFRICH:
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/thelfrich | https://twitter.com/nevbeenpromoted
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neverbeenpromoted
Website: https://www.neverbeenpromoted.com/
Instagram:

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Kapitel

1. Entrepreneurship & Nonprofits: How Heidi Hamels & Alaina Baker Built Uplift Malawi (00:00:00)

2. Welcome to Never Been Promoted (00:00:56)

3. Meet Heidi and Elena of Uplift Malawi (00:04:15)

4. The Problem with Traditional Nonprofits (00:09:26)

5. Building a Sustainable School in Malawi (00:17:40)

6. Rebranding for Greater Impact (00:26:40)

7. Life Skills Beyond Basic Education (00:39:20)

8. The Incredible Impact of $5 (00:47:36)

9. How to Support Uplift Malawi (00:55:01)