Nonprofit Management And Staffing
Build a high-performing organization with practical tools for leading people, managing performance, and shaping a culture where teams thrive.
This expert-led video collection brings real-world guidance on executive leadership, team structure, volunteer engagement, HR best practices, employee performance, and conflict management. Whether you’re hiring your first staff member or scaling a growing organization, these lessons help you align people with purpose and create workplaces rooted in mission, trust, and smart systems.
Learn how to assemble a mission-driven team, cultivate employee engagement and retention, and lead your people through change without burnout. Each episode offers actionable advice for navigating the organizational side of doing good—so your mission lasts and your people lead with confidence.
Nonprofits struggle less with mission and more with alignment and execution
The GOST framework (Goal, Objective, Strategy, Tactic) operationalizes strategy into daily action
Burnout is driven by lack of clarity and decision overload, not just workload
“Energy budget” is as critical as financial budget
Strategic planning must be continuous (daily/weekly), not annual
Donor strategy should shift from transactional to relational
GOST creates a decision filter, reducing distractions and “shiny object syndrome”
Massive leadership turnover is underway (100 leaders/day; 30% of nonprofit CEOs retiring within 5 years)
Fundraisers are the most natural internal candidates for CEO roles
Succession planning is not optional—it’s operational risk management
Internal talent development improves performance, retention, and sector strength
Career advancement in nonprofits often requires job movement
Advocacy (self + organizational) is a critical leadership skill
Boards often default to internal hires for speed, trust, and continuity
Leadership transitions should include honoring legacy leaders—not just replacement mechanics
A nonprofit model that transforms artisans into entrepreneurs through training, partnerships, and ethical global market access.
Nonprofit artisan economic development models are reshaping how organizations approach global impact—and this conversation shows exactly how.
Rebecca Van Bergen, Founder and Executive Director of Nest, shares how her nonprofit built a scalable system supporting artisans across 128 countries by combining business training, ethical sourcing, and strategic partnerships. This isn’t about charity—it’s about building sustainable microenterprises that connect directly to global markets.
At the core is a powerful shift: treating craft not as “supplemental income,” but as a legitimate economic sector. As Rebecca explains, “Nobody saw it as an investable sector… not that it was a massive economic opportunity.” That perception has changed—and nonprofits that recognize this shift can unlock entirely new pathways for impact.
This episode breaks down how Nest operationalizes its model:
A global artisan guild providing free training and business resources
Strategic partnerships with organizations like Environmental Defense Fund and CARE
Ethical supply chain certification that connects artisans to major retailers
A growing focus on resilience, including climate adaptation and recovery tools
But the bigger takeaway is strategic. Nonprofits can no longer operate in silos. Rebecca makes it clear: “No organization can do all of that… how can we work in partnership with others to support people as holistically as we can?”
For nonprofit leaders, this is a blueprint for:
Expanding mission through partnerships
Building scalable program models
Aligning impact with market systems
Responding to global disruptions like climate and supply chain shifts
The future of nonprofit work isn’t just service delivery—it’s ecosystem building. And this conversation shows how to do it.
#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitStrategy #GlobalImpact
“Job hugging” is reshaping nonprofit hiring, slowing recruitment and limiting innovation as professionals prioritize stability over career movement.
Nonprofit hiring challenges in 2026 are shifting in unexpected ways—and it’s not about a lack of talent. It’s about behavior. In this episode, we explore how “job hugging” is reshaping the nonprofit workforce and slowing hiring across the sector.
Dana Scurlock, Managing Director at Staffing Boutique, breaks down a growing trend where nonprofit professionals are choosing stability over opportunity. Rather than pursuing new roles or promotions, many are holding tightly to their current positions due to uncertainty in funding, policy changes, and broader economic pressures.
As Dana explains, “It’s not for lack of candidates—it’s for lack of candidate interest in moving jobs.” This shift has major implications for nonprofit leaders trying to fill roles, build teams, and drive innovation.
Nonprofits must treat succession planning as risk management to ensure leadership continuity, retain talent, and protect mission delivery.
Nonprofit succession planning strategy isn’t just a governance exercise—it’s a core risk management function that directly impacts mission delivery. Joan Brown (Third Sector Company) and Erick Seelbach break down how nonprofits can proactively prepare for leadership transitions without creating fear or disruption.
Too often, succession planning is treated as a reactive process—something triggered by a resignation or crisis. But as Joan explains, “A succession plan is a set of shared understandings and activities…that ensures we have the right people in the right places to deliver on our mission.” When embedded into organizational culture, succession planning becomes a stabilizing force—not a threatening one.
This important convo draws a clear distinction between succession planning and transition planning—two concepts frequently confused but critically different. Succession planning focuses on long-term leadership continuity across the organization, while transition planning addresses the tactical steps when a specific role changes hands.
Strong people management systems help nonprofits improve retention, performance, and mission impact while avoiding costly leadership and staffing failures.
Nonprofit people management strategy is often overlooked—but it may be the single biggest driver of organizational success, staff retention, and mission impact. In this episode of The Nonprofit Show, Allison Wyatt, Founder and CEO of Agility Talent Partners, breaks down how nonprofits can build stronger teams by investing in intentional people systems.
Most nonprofit budgets are heavily weighted toward staff, yet many organizations lack a clear strategy for managing and developing their people. As Allison explains, “To not have a strategy behind that… seems just irresponsible.” Without strong management, organizations face hidden costs—high turnover, stalled growth, poor performance, and even major financial loss.
How nonprofits can use data for decision making starts with a simple shift: recognizing that data is just information you already have. In this episode, Dr. T’Ping Westbrook and Dr. Allison K. Holmes break down how nonprofit leaders can move from confusion to clarity by using data as a strategic tool—not a reporting burden.
For many organizations, data feels overwhelming, technical, or even intimidating. But as Dr. Westbrook explains, “Data is information. If you have information, you have data.” This powerful reframe removes the barrier and puts nonprofits back in control of their decision-making.
The conversation challenges a common mistake across the sector—collecting data primarily to satisfy funders instead of strengthening internal strategy. Instead, the guests emphasize starting with a critical question: what information do you actually need to run your organization effectively?
From there, nonprofit leaders can begin building a data-driven culture grounded in clarity, shared language, and purpose. Organizations that succeed in this space align their teams around a common understanding of their work, ensuring that data is accessible, relevant, and actionable across departments.
This episode explores how nonprofits can fix fragmented data systems by centralizing information, improving reporting, and building scalable infrastructure that supports growth and better decision-making. A strong nonprofit data management strategy is no longer optional—it’s essential for scaling impact, improving reporting, and saving valuable staff time.
Cherry Yang, CEO of Claribase and an award-winning Airtable consultant, shares how nonprofits can move from fragmented systems and spreadsheet overload to centralized, scalable data operations. If your team is constantly switching tools, copying and pasting data, or struggling to produce reports, this conversation offers a clear path forward.
Cherry explains why most nonprofit systems fail: they operate in silos. Fundraising platforms, program data, financial tools, and spreadsheets often live separately—creating inefficiencies and increasing risk. As she notes, “People end up doing a lot of copy and pasting… and it just doesn’t work. It’s not efficient, and people waste so much time.”
Instead, she advocates for centralized data systems that connect teams, automate workflows, and provide real-time dashboards for leadership. With the right structure, nonprofits can eliminate manual processes, reduce errors, and give decision-makers immediate access to insights.
The nonprofit development assistant role responsibilities are often misunderstood—but getting this position right can dramatically increase fundraising results and operational efficiency.
In this Fundraisers Friday episode, Julia Patrick and Tony Beall break down why this role is not just administrative support—but a strategic investment that frees your fundraising team to focus on revenue generation, donor relationships, and long-term growth.
As Tony explains, “Nonprofit fundraising professionals need to have the bandwidth to be away from their desk… making connections and stewarding relationships.” Without that support, highly paid development leaders end up doing low-value administrative work—limiting your organization’s return on investment.
This conversation dives into the real responsibilities behind the role, including donor database management, acknowledgments, reporting, event coordination, CRM oversight, and campaign support. These are not small tasks—they are the operational backbone of effective fundraising.
Julia highlights a critical mindset shift: “Even just opening your heart and your mind to having this support might be a little bit of a challenge.” Many organizations—and even development professionals—struggle to delegate, which creates bottlenecks and slows growth.
You’ll also learn:
When a nonprofit should consider hiring a development assistant
How to structure the role (full-time, part-time, or shared)
Why customer service skills are essential in fundraising operations
How this role supports donor experience and retention
Career pathways and talent pipelines (including interns and volunteers)
Most importantly, this episode challenges nonprofit leaders to think in terms of time value and ROI—are your highest-paid fundraisers doing the work that actually drives revenue?
If your organization is serious about scaling fundraising and improving efficiency, this is a conversation you need to hear.
#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitLeadership #FundraisingStrategy
How Gen Z is reshaping nonprofit work and donor expectations.
What happens when four generations share one nonprofit workplace, but each generation brings a completely different relationship to work, authority, technology, flexibility, and purpose? In this eye-opening conversation, Julia Patrick sits down with Katie Warnock of Staffing Boutique to explore one of the most consequential workforce shifts facing nonprofit leaders right now: the rise of Gen Z in the sector.
Katie explains that this next-generation workforce is digital-first, mission-aware, highly collaborative, and deeply resistant to outdated systems and top-down leadership habits. For nonprofit organizations, that creates both friction and opportunity. If your internal operations are clunky, if your leadership style depends on “because that’s how we’ve always done it,” or if your organization cannot connect daily work to visible impact, younger talent may not stay long. As Katie puts it, “Mission alignment is huge.”
This discussion goes far beyond stereotypes about younger workers. Instead, it frames the issue as a strategic business matter for nonprofits. Retention, recruitment, management structure, workplace flexibility, and leadership communication all come into play. Katie makes a powerful distinction between work-life balance and work-life integration, noting that younger workers are not willing to sacrifice mental health, fitness, hobbies, or autonomy for a job title. They want work to fit into life, not life to be consumed by work.
The conversation also reaches into fundraising and donor behavior. Julia and Katie connect the workforce conversation to the next wave of philanthropic engagement, pointing out that younger donors often want proof, performance, and measurable outcomes rather than emotional appeals alone. Katie says it plainly: “They want to know the numbers before they launch a project.” That same instinct shows up in how they uate employers, missions, and charitable giving.
For nonprofit executives, this episode is a call to rethink leadership assumptions. The next generation is not waiting to adapt to legacy culture. Organizations that want to attract talent, retain strong performers, and earn long-term donor trust will need to respond with sharper systems, better communication, real flexibility, and visible evidence of impact.
#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitStaffing #WorkforceStrategy
Leadership transitions can either rattle a nonprofit or reset it for real success, and this conversation makes the case for why professional interim leadership can be one of the smartest business decisions a board makes.! Joan Brown, Chief Operating Officer of Third Sector Company, and professional interim executive Kevin Lynch walk through what really happens when an interim steps into an organization during a period of stress, uncertainty, or executive turnover.
This discussion moves far beyond the idea that an interim is simply there to “hold things together.” Kevin makes it clear that the role is much bigger than that. A strong interim is assessing the organization, working closely with the board, identifying governance gaps, preparing the path for a future leader, and helping the organization become more stable and more attractive to top executive talent.
Joan brings a powerful governance lens to the conversation, reminding viewers that effective interim work starts with alignment and honesty. She says, “You have to agree on where you are.” Before a board and executive can move forward together, they need a shared view of the organization’s reality, including finances, culture, board practices, staff morale, and priorities.
Kevin also offers a practical look where nonprofit boards often stumble. He explains that many of the conditions that created problems for the prior executive will still exist for the interim unless expectations are reset early. That means boards must be willing to look at themselves, not just the staff or the previous CEO. Governance habits, budget assumptions, micromanagement, and bypassing the executive can all weaken the transition if left untouched.
For boards, executives, and leadership teams, this learning session is a wake-up call and a roadmap. Interim leadership is not a stopgap. Done well, it is a strategic bridge to stronger governance, better hiring, and long-term organizational health.
Leadership transitions don’t have to be terrifying revenue cliffs. In this conversation, Travis Craddock, CFRE and Founder of Craddock Strategies, reframes interim development leadership as a powerful strategic advantage—not a temporary patch.
Too often, organizations view interim fundraising support as “a warm body in an empty seat.” Travis challenges that mindset directly. “It prevents rushed or misaligned hires that can be expensive,” he explains, positioning interim leadership as a disciplined pause that protects both donor relationships and long-term revenue health.
Fundraising is built on trust. When leadership shifts, donors notice. Travis prioritizes immediate communication, transparency, and clarity so nothing falls through the cracks. Renewals are tracked. Grants are monitored. Donors are reassured. Strategy stays in motion.
But here’s where the real opportunity emerges.
An interim professional arrives without emotional baggage. That means clearer data analysis, honest conversations about ROI, and strategic uation of legacy traditions. Should the gala continue? Is it delivering meaningful return? Are event attendees being cultivated into major donors? These are business questions—asked gracefully, but directly.
Travis describes himself as “gracefully honest,” and that honesty becomes catalytic. Interim work isn’t simply maintenance. It’s an opportunity to elevate roles, revise job descriptions, shift from event-driven tactics to relationship-based fundraising, and align hiring with long-term strategic direction.
He emphasizes data-driven decisions, CRM fluency, relationship-centered fundraising, and partnership with CEOs and boards. In many cases, he becomes the strategic driver—project-managing fundraising momentum while executives focus on mission execution.
Three months may be the minimum engagement window. Six months may be ideal. But within that time, organizations can stabilize revenue, recalibrate strategy, build infrastructure, and hire with intention.
Anything is possible when nonprofits embrace transition as transformation!
A visit with Doug Chapiewsky, CEO & President of Kanso Software, and Cameron Bowman, CAAS Solutions Consultant at JMT Consulting, for a fast-moving, systems-first conversation on one thing every nonprofit runs on: trustworthy data.
Cameron frames the moment we’re in as “the golden age of software”—more tools, more dashboards, more integrations, and more AI than ever before. But that abundance comes with a price: fragmented systems, duplicated entries, and competing versions of the same truth. His fix is refreshingly operational. Data integrity isn’t a buzzword; it’s a checklist: accurate, complete, consistent across systems, timely, and traceable/auditable. When any one of those breaks, nonprofits pay for it in grant compliance headaches, restricted-fund confusion, audit stress, and board decisions made on shaky information.
Doug brings the lens of housing—where data errors don’t just create inconvenience; they disrupt funding, compliance, and real people’s stability. Kanso’s mission is to simplify a highly regulated, high-stakes domain where sensitive data is everywhere and staffing capacity is often thin. As Doug puts it, “Trust outweighs technology… and if we don’t have that trust, it really gets right to your mission.” The episode drills into the reality that single-vendor “one system does it all” is fading fast; modern organizations operate in an ecosystem. That’s why both speakers prioritize open systems paired with serious guardrails—especially when handling social security numbers, income data, and family composition.
The conversation turns tactical with a Business Process Review (BPR): mapping where data originates, how it moves, who owns it, what controls exist, and where manual workarounds (shadow spreadsheets, email approvals, offline tracking) weaken audit trails and invite risk. Cameron lands a line every operations leader should post near their monitor: “Technology will amplify your process. It won’t correct your misaligned workflows.”
Finally, the duo urge nonprofits to build a cadence—monthly, quarterly, at least annually—to revisit processes, configuration, and integrations as funding rules, reporting needs, staff, and tech keep shifting. The message is clear: clean data isn’t a finance luxury—it’s a mission accelerant.
#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitTechnology #DataIntegrity
We lean into a timely business truth: nonprofit sustainability is built as much through belonging as through budgets. Cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tim Sarrantonio welcome Rachel D’Souza, Founder and President of Gladiator Consulting, for a conversation that reframes community-building as a practical growth strategy for donors, volunteers, staff cohesion, and long-term resilience.
Rachel describes nonprofits as one of society’s last best “third spaces”—those informal gathering places that used to create trust across differences. With remote work, the pandemic’s aftershocks, and algorithm-driven polarization, many people have fewer natural pathways into civic life. That shift creates risk for organizations relying on legacy participation habits. It also creates opportunity: nonprofits can intentionally become the place where people reconnect around shared purpose and shared outcomes.
The discussion moves from theory into operating reality: boards at impasses, teams facing funding gaps, and leaders stuck in fight-flight-freeze. Rachel offers a pragmatic path forward—start with shared facts, clarify who holds which decisions, and practice disagreement before the stakes spike. “If you want to be better at conflict, that means you have to practice it, just like anything else,” she said, recommending simple meeting exercises that build the muscle of respectful debate.
Tim grounds this in organizational dynamics leaders recognize instantly: misalignment between finance and fundraising can derail systems decisions, contracts, and staff trust—without anyone “hating” anyone. The fix is not heroics; it’s earlier conversations, shared language, and a commitment to being in the room together.
Rachel draws a bright line leaders need: discomfort is part of growth, but it is not the same as harm. When emotions run hot, the first move is often a pause—reset the temperature so people can listen to process, not just respond. This convo offers a hopeful business case: build community on purpose, and capacity follows.
#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitLeadership #CommunityBuilding
Starting a new role as a nonprofit’s fundraiser can feel like stepping onto the field mid-game—high expectations, limited time, and a lot of “what happened before I got here?” On this Fundraisers Friday, cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall offer a practical, confidence-building roadmap for what a new development officer should focus on in the first 30 days—with the business realities of nonprofit revenue, relationships, and systems front and center.
Julia sets the tone with honesty and heart, and Tony brings the steady reassurance every new fundraiser needs: “It’s all about listening, learning, and building trust in your first 30 days.” From there, they lay out the early priorities that protect both results and stamina. First: get anchored in the mission. Tony makes the point that mission alignment isn’t sentimental—it’s operational. If you don’t truly connect with the purpose, the work becomes an uphill climb.
Next, they move into relationship strategy: creating a thoughtful internal and external “relationship tour” so you can meet leadership, board members, and key stakeholders the right way. The emphasis isn’t speed—it’s sequence, context, and smart preparation so those early conversations build momentum instead of misunderstanding.
Then comes the systems side: CRMs, reporting, access issues, and the real-world obstacles that appear when prior staff have departed. Tony offers a realistic view of getting up to speed quickly, and Julia adds the on-the-ground reminder that you’ll be meeting people immediately—so you’ll need to document interactions in the CRM from day one.
Finally, they elevate culture as a performance driver. Julia notes how pressure often lands on the development officer as “the savior,” and Tony reframes it: fundraising works best as a team effort, not a solo canoe trip. As Julia puts it, “It’s the nucleus of the whole organization.” If you’re new in the seat, this episode gives you both direction and permission: respect the past, build trust first, and then earn the right to recommend change.