John Miller, President and CEO of the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, joins the Ask A CEO Podcast to share his captivating journey as a philanthropist, his strategies for growing nonprofits organizations to generate profits, and his tips for the CEOs.

Key Facts:

• John’s LinkedIn
• Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind’s website 
• John is the President and CEO at Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind and America’s VetDogs
• Former President and CEO at Tourette Association of America
• Former CEO and Executive Director at American Red Cross 
• Former Chief of Staff at Food Bank for New York City
• John has received several leadership awards such as King of Long Island in 2016, Leader of the Year in 2020, Business Achievement Award in 2014, Outstanding CEO Award, and Top “40 under 40” Award
• Former President George HW Bush was also assigned a service dog, Sully, from the Guide Dog Foundation. It granted the organization a great deal of credibility and fam

Key Takeaways:

• John started his career as Chief of Staff at Food Bank For New York City 
• At the Food Bank, John started working on day-to-day food operations. But, due to his dedication and eagerness to understand the business further, he was given an additional KPI of managing strategic planning, meetings, and core functions 
• At Food Bank, John distributed approx sixty-eight million pounds of food amongst the less privileged 
• At the Food Bank, John observed how non-profit organizations strived to streamline operations and spread awareness of their mission. This led John to work on developing unique business models to help non-profit organizations 
• John believes that spreading awareness is the key pillar of a non-profit organization’s growth 
• At Food Bank, John also served  as a CFO (Chief Financial Officer) to fill the financial officer’s gap in the company 
• John showed exceptional knowledge and skills in different capacities at the Food Bank, such as the chief of staff,  strategic management, and financial management. 
• At Food Bank, John partnered with the Red Cross, which helped him help thousands of less privileged communities with food during disasters 
• During the collaboration tenure of the Food Bank and the Red Cross, John got the opportunity to consult the Red Cross in creating more awareness, strengthening its operations, and generating profits. This helped Red Cross extend its humanitarian services to millions of residents
• In 2016, John decided to dedicate his career to helping communities and non-profit organizations and joined the Tourette Association of America. Tourette Association deals with people suffering from Tic disorders and Tourette syndrome
• In 2018, John continued his career by joining two more non-profit organizations. This is how America’s VetDogs and Guide Dog Foundation evolved and became his major achievements
• John currently runs a non-profit organization named Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind. Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind helps people with visual impairments to experience a life with a guide dog free of charge 
• John has served communities during crises such as The Great Recession, Hurricane Irene and Sandy, etc. Even currently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he is glad that he could help a lot of people in need 
• John personally thinks that staying passionate about what you do can make non-profit organizations stay honest with their work, which is the ultimate secret for non-profit organizational growth

Best Advice for CEO

“It’s all about building trust, right communication, and being passionate.” John believes trust, communication, and passion are the key attributes that help people work together for a greater cause.

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