386: Nonprofits Aren't Broken: The Design Is with Pierre Berastain

What if nonprofits weren't just backstops for broken systems—but laboratories for building better ones? In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Pierre Berastain, CEO of the Safe Alliance in Austin, Texas, for a powerful conversation about systems change, abundance, and coherence in nonprofit leadership. Drawing from his lived experience, global work, and frontline leadership in domestic and sexual violence services, Pierre shares how nonprofits can move from constant crisis response to designing humane, effective systems that truly help communities thrive.

Episode Highlights

01:16 Meet Dr. Pierre Berastain

05:26 Understanding Systems Change

09:19 Nonprofits as Civic Laboratories

15:06 Fundraising, ROI, and Real Financial Impact

21:39 Flipping the Script: From Scarcity to Abundance

My guest for this episode is Dr. Pierre Berastaín.

Dr. Pierre R. Berastaín is a leader whose life and work sit at the intersection of justice, healing, and systems transformation. Pierre is the CEO of The SAFE Alliance in Austin, Texas—one of the nation's largest and most comprehensive organizations supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence, trafficking, and child abuse.

What makes Pierre's leadership so powerful isn't just his résumé, though it's extensive. He has led a global nonprofit, co-founded national centers on domestic violence and systems change, expanded housing systems for survivors in Washington, D.C., and directed Harvard University's efforts to respond to interpersonal harm.

But beneath all of that is a personal story: Pierre immigrated from Peru in 1998 and lived undocumented for 14 years. That experience of living between systems, often unprotected by them, continues to shape his belief that safety, dignity, and belonging must be intentionally built through community, courage, and collective imagination.

Connect with Dr. Pierre:

@safeatx on all platforms.

SAFE's website: https://www.safeaustin.org/

Pierre's personal website: https://pierreberastain.com/

 

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