214: Kevin Wilkins - Turning Vision into Sustainable Impact

Kevin Wilkins, Founder & CEO of Trepwise, shares how purpose-driven organizations can achieve sustainable impact through strategic planning, systems thinking, and organizational effectiveness. With a background at Procter & Gamble and in financial services, Kevin recounted how his experiences in post-Katrina New Orleans inspired his shift toward supporting nonprofits, foundations, and mission-driven organizations. His work centers on helping leaders move beyond passion alone to build structures that enable long-term effectiveness.

A key message Kevin emphasized is that vision without a plan is simply hope — and hope is not a strategy. Too often, organizations lean heavily on mission statements without putting equal weight on execution. Through Trepwise, Kevin works with leaders to transform big ideas into actionable and measurable strategies, ensuring resources, partnerships, and systems align. He highlighted how collaboration, rather than isolated efforts, unlocks greater impact — citing an initiative that united more than 100 Louisiana organizations around youth trauma to achieve outcomes no single nonprofit could reach alone.

Kevin also explored the financial and cultural dimensions of sustainability. On funding, he encouraged organizations to adopt responsive, scenario-based planning rather than reactive, fear-driven decisions. He warned against performative corporate social responsibility, instead advocating for authentic models that align with core business values and foster meaningful employee engagement. For Kevin, real impact comes when organizations embed social good into their culture and behavior. This episode offers a roadmap for nonprofits, funders, and corporations looking to build resilient organizations that deliver measurable change and lasting value.