Selected Writing + Interviews

Podcasts, Interviews, Speeches & Online Sessions

From loss to renewal, with Hasangani Edema-Reynolds and Melissa Pitotti, Embodying Change podcast (2025)

Why Resisting Urgency is the First Step in Transforming Organizational Cultures, Bridge of Hope Summit (2025)

Pride in the Plains: Finding and Fighting for Love, Great Plains Anywhere, a podcast of the University of Nebraska Center for Great Plains Studies (2025)

The Sacred Nature of Healing, Keynote Speech to the Creighton University School of Medicine Gold Humanism Honor Society (2024)

How does rest connect with justice and liberation?, The Possibility Project (2024)

Healing & Philanthropy: A year-end reflection, Participatory Grantmaking Community (2022)

Countering toxic narratives about grassroots activists, Partos Innovation Festival, with CIVICUS (2022)

State of DEI initiatives in Global Aid, Fearless Project (2022) – panel discussion starts at 35:00

Why we must “do good” in a society that’s hurting, SeroTunein with Kurien Thomas (2021)

Racism & White Privilege in the Humanitarian and Development Sector, Humanitarian Congress Berlin (2020)

Empathy for Social Good, Empathy Speak with Arvind Venugopal (2020)

Meet Jennifer Lentfer, The Feminist Leadership project (2020)

Jennifer Lentfer and Swatee Deepak in conversation, Healing Solidarity Conference (2020)

Communications Strategist Jennifer Lentfer on Creating a New Narrative for Nonprofits, NGO Storytelling (2019)

Global/Local Community Organizing, Open Gov Stories (2019) with Katie Petitt, listen to the full StoryCorps Archive (2018)

What Can We Do about the White Savior Complex?, Tiny Spark Podcast for Nonprofit Quarterly (2018)

Jennifer Lentfer on acknowledging harm and bringing our hearts, Healing Solidarity Conference (2018)

Amplifying Unheard Voices, Association of Writers & Writing Programs (2017) with Dave Eggers and Mimi Lok

Smart Risks and International Giving with Jennifer Lentfer, Change Making Women podcast (2017)

Know Your Hubber: Jennifer Lentfer, Open Gov Hub (2017)

Jennifer Lentfer – Episode 54, Face2Face with David Peck (2015)

The How Matters!, Kenya Professionals Network (2014)

The “How” of African Development, Impact Africa (2014)

A Discussion with Jennifer Lentfer, creator of how-matters.org, Georgetown University Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs (2014)

Insights on volunteering in southern Africa, Megan Schiebe: MJ Schiebe Radio Show (2013)

Random Nomad: Jennifer Lentfer, International Aid Consultant, Writer & Blogger, The Displaced Nation (2011)

Book & Resources

Donor Transformation Challenge, CIVICUS, 2024

#Globaldev Communicators Connect, Healing Solidarity (2020 – 2023)

Changing the narrative: Weaving #ShiftThePower throughout the #Globaldev sector, 4-part webinar series hosted by Jennifer Lentfer and sponsored by the Global Fund for Community Foundations (2019-2020)

Resources for Communicating Social Change (google doc curated by Jennifer since 2018)

Smart Risks: How small grants are helping to solve some of the world’s biggest problems (2017) Co-edited with Tanya Cothran

The Development Element: Guidelines for the future of communicating about the end of global poverty (2014) with the Spring 2014 International Development Communications class of Georgetown University’s Public Relations & Corporate Communications Masters Program

Articles, Reports & Publications

How to get your organization’s anti-racism work unstuck, Devex (2021)

Can aid organizations really be part of social movements?, Devex (2018)

Yes, charities want to make an impact. But poverty porn is not the way to do it, The Guardian UK (2018)

9 Things an Executive Director Should Consider Before Deciding to Step Down, The Chronicle of Philanthropy (2018)

‘International development’ is a loaded term. It’s time for a rethink, The Guardian UK (2017)

To the U.S. Resistance Movement: America is not exceptional, Bright Magazine (2017)

‘Grassroots means no brains’: How to tackle racism in the aid sector, The Guardian UK (2017) with Rashida Petersen

Thousand Currents Annual Reports: 2024, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016

Wrestling with my white fragility, OpenDemocracy (2016)

Going on holiday? Here’s how to switch off, The Guardian UK (2016)

5 Food Systems Lessons the U.S. Can Learn from Africa, Civil Eats (2016)

It begins and ends with trust, Alliance Magazine (2016)

Five reasons funding should go directly to local NGOs, The Guardian UK (2015)

“Politics of Poverty” blogs and publications for Oxfam America‘s Aid Effectiveness Policy Team (2013-2015)

The Joke’s on All of Us—Comics Take on Global Poverty, Take Part (2014)

A quiet renaissance in American aid: How US reforms are making America a better partner in the fight against poverty, Oxfam US (2013)

Is Feed the Future helping farmers adapt to climate change?, The Guardian UK (2013) with Emmanuel Tumusiime

Wanted: ways to revolutionise the international aid system, The Guardian UK (2013)

Local organizations are overlooked in aid effectiveness debate, The Broker (2012)

Quoted

Grim And Hopeful Global Trends To Watch In 2020 (And Fold Into A Zine), NPR (2020)

Comic Relief Tries To Improve Its Charity Ads. How’s It Doing?, NPR (2018)

The Poverty Porn Awards and How to Avoid Winning One, Nonprofit Quarterly (2017)

Ed Sheeran Comic Relief film branded ‘poverty porn’ by aid watchdog, The Guardian UK (2017)

At What Point Does A Fundraising Ad Go Too Far?, NPR (2015)

Poetry & Essays

“My body refused to be flat,” Lucky Jefferson, Issue No. 12 “Ember”, (2024)

“A story of us”, EcoTheo Review (2021)

“This body is made”, Poems of Persistence, Solidarity, and Refuge, Split This Rock (2020)

“Stealth Operation (Fury and Fuel)”, Yemasee Journal (2019)

“Bend in the Trees”, “Shelter”, and “Reason for Me”, Featured poet in the Poached Hare’s Monthly Special (2019)

“The Bed”, Lucky Jefferson (2019)

“Enough, a deconstruction”, Fredericksburg Literary and Art Review (2017)

Here’s to the disruptors: a poem for the development community, The Guardian UK (2014)