With the kind of energy that makes you sit up straighter: Tim Sarrantonio, now Chair of the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP), leads a boardroom-level conversation about one of the biggest business threats to nonprofits today: misinformation.

Tim pulls back the curtain on what FEP actually is—an ambitious collaboration where major CRM and data partners contribute anonymized giving data that is organized into a secure warehouse overseen by GivingTuesday and the AFP Foundation. The result: monthly, real-world insights into donor behavior at a scale that fundraisers rarely get, and fast enough to influence decisions in real time. For nonprofit leaders trying to forecast revenue, frame strategy, or explain retention trends to a board, this is not “nice-to-know” information—it’s operational intelligence.

From there, the discussion pivots into how misinformation sneaks into our sector: vendor marketing that cherry-picks success stories, “benchmark” claims without context, and social posts engineered for clicks rather than truth. Tim’s advice is blunt and practical: follow the sources, examine methodology, and treat data as a tool for leadership—not a headline to repeat. As he puts it, “All data is the electronic representation of relationships.” That single line reframes retention drops and donor shifts as more than numbers—they’re signals about trust, connection, and experience.

The conversation closes with a future-facing lens on AI. Tim urges nonprofits to treat generative tools like a junior staff member—helpful, fast, and absolutely in need of editing. He even teases a new project: an educational role-playing game for fundraisers that uses AI to interpret workshop artifacts and accelerate learning. The takeaway is clear: in a world full of noise, nonprofits win by becoming disciplined stewards of evidence, context, and credibility.

Find us Live daily on YouTube!

Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!

Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show

Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PT

Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

In 2026, nonprofit finance isn’t just about reporting what happened — it’s about shaping what happens next. Ellie Hume (Regional Director, at Your Part-Time Controller) leasds a forward-facing conversation on financial leadership that starts with one powerful idea: your organization’s strongest advantage is what you choose to control.

If your nonprofit is ready to “spiral up,” this episode offers a finance-and-management playbook that turns mindset into momentum—so you can stay steady, stay strategic, and stay fundable.

Ellie reframes today’s uncertainty—funding volatility, staffing pressure, new compliance expectations—as a call to build resilience through intentional decisions. She challenges leaders to stop relying on “SALI” (Same As Last Year) and instead strengthen revenue diversification: monthly giving programs, new grant relationships, and smarter prospecting that expands beyond familiar funders.

From the finance seat, Ellie makes scenario analysis feel practical and doable. Build multiple budget versions, monitor what’s changing, and be ready to adjust the levers as reality shifts. Financial data becomes fuel for action when it’s used for forecasting and decision-making—not just for looking in the rearview mirror.

The conversation also brings AI down to earth. AI isn’t “coming someday”—it’s already embedded in accounting systems and donor databases. Ellie talks about adopting tools with purpose, using them to reduce administrative drag, increase speed, and free staff to focus on higher-value work. As Ellie puts it: “Control what you can control, and that is your mind and the actions that result from what you want to do.”

Finally, Ellie connects governance, compliance, and cybersecurity to financial stewardship. Cyber risk and fraud are rising, and boards have fiduciary responsibility to protect organizational assets. That means budgeting for safeguards, setting internal guardrails for AI use, and even seeking funding specifically for infrastructure that protects mission delivery.

Find us Live daily on YouTube!

Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!

Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show

Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PT

Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Why don’t nonprofit boards do their work — and what can executive leaders actually do about it? In this episode we welcome back executive coach, author, and speaker Hardy Smith, creator of the Amazon bestseller Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game. Hardy tackles the question nonprofit leaders lose sleep over: when boards underperform, is the problem really “the board”… or the way we build the board?

Hardy makes a bold case that disengagement often starts long before the first meeting — in recruitment that’s rushed, vague, and driven by panic. Too many organizations wait until seats are empty and the annual meeting is looming, then scramble to fill slots with “busy, well-known names” without real vetting or alignment. The result? Board members who cannot prioritize your mission, and leaders frustrated that nothing changes.

From there, Hardy goes straight to the business mechanics of governance: expectations, clarity, and accountability. If fundraising is part of board service, say it early. If meeting attendance matters, define it. If board members are being recruited for their influence, then design roles that actually use their influence. Hardy warns that when organizations avoid the “money talk” out of fear, they create a trust gap that’s hard to repair: “That’s called bait and switch. And it’s illegal.”

Most importantly, Hardy explains what makes great board members shut down: a board experience that wastes time. His prescription is practical and board-chair-ready—make meetings matter by structuring them around strategic progress, decision-making, and real conversation, not passive report approval. And if you want board ownership, involve them in the plan from the beginning—because as Hardy reminds us, “If they help bake the cake, they own the cake.”

Ready to stop blaming and start building a board that performs? This episode gives you a playbook to recruit with purpose, set expectations with confidence, and design meetings that earn engagement.

Find us Live daily on YouTube!

Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!

Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show

Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PT

Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Organizational assessments can sound intimidating—like a test, a grade, or a “gotcha.” We sit down with Joan Brown, Chief Operations Officer at Third Sector Company, to reframe assessments as one of the smartest business moves a nonprofit can make—especially during leadership transition.

Joan explains that a strong organizational assessment is not about blame. It’s a systematic look at operations, performance, systems, and culture to answer one question: Are we operating in the best possible way to serve our mission? The real value is that it creates clarity and alignment across the organization—so decisions can be made with facts, not feelings or assumptions.

This conversation is especially timely for boards and leaders navigating an interim period. Joan shares why assessment belongs at the top of the interim playbook: it builds a shared reality of where the organization truly stands. And that shared reality becomes the foundation for priorities, staffing decisions, resource deployment, and even a far more accurate CEO/ED job description—particularly after a long-term “legacy leader” has held an outsized set of responsibilities for years.

You’ll also hear the nuanced difference between transitions when a beloved CEO departs versus when a leader has been let go: in one case, people may defend the past; in the other, emotion can flood the process. Either way, a transparent and participatory assessment helps separate noise from truth and turns tension into forward motion.

Joan says it best: “The main goal of the assessment process is shared reality.” When nonprofits build that shared reality early—using data, participation, and transparency—they gain the power to prioritize confidently, stabilize culture, and position the next leader for success.

If your board is preparing for leadership change, facing recurring “fires,” or simply wants better decisions with limited resources—this episode is your push to start the assessment conversation now.

Find us Live daily on YouTube!

Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!

Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show

Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PT

Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

2026 is already rewriting the fundraising playbook—and your nonprofit can’t afford to run last year’s plays. In this Fundraisers Friday conversation, Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall lay out the business realities that will separate thriving organizations from the ones that stall out: AI adoption, the Great Wealth Transfer, next-gen talent shifts, and smart technology investment.

First, they make it plain: AI has moved from optional to operational. As Julia says, “AI now is not a nice to have. It is a must have.” But they also challenge leaders to use it with intention—protecting donor privacy, building internal standards, and using AI to improve work rather than replace human judgment and relationship-building.

Next, they turn to the Great Wealth Transfer—an unprecedented movement of generational assets that will reward organizations that build long-term relationships now. Planned giving can’t sit quietly on a webpage anymore. Your team needs a proactive approach, stronger data practices, and a donor experience that earns loyalty over time.

They also address the talent landscape: retiring leadership, the need to develop the next generation of fundraisers, and the reality that donor behavior has shifted. Next-gen donors want fewer commitments with deeper impact, fast and easy giving, visible transparency, and experiences that build trust.

Finally, they land on a theme every executive team should bring into budget season: technology requires true investment—time, talent, and treasure—and the ROI is found in better donor experiences, better systems, and stronger sustainability.

If your 2026 plan doesn’t include AI policies, planned giving momentum, and a tech strategy built for speed and trust—this episode is your wake-up call.

00:00:00 Welcome back and 2026 fundraising forecast
00:01:10 The Architecture of Fundraising and why it matters now
00:02:10 Trend 1 AI is a must have for fundraising
00:04:55 AI standards donor privacy and internal policy
00:06:00 Trend 2 The Great Wealth Transfer and what it means
00:07:15 Planned giving must become proactive
00:11:45 Trend 3 Retiring leadership and building next gen fundraisers
00:16:55 Next gen donor behavior what changed and why
00:20:45 Legacy giving impact over recognition
00:25:40 Tech adoption requires time talent treasure and ROI

#TheNonprofitShow #FundraisingStrategy

Find us Live daily on YouTube!

Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!

Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show

Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PT

Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Nonprofit work is purpose-driven, but the business reality is relentless: tight budgets, heavy caseloads, public scrutiny, and a pace that rarely fits inside “normal hours.” In this episode we welcome Rahul K. Maharaj, known as “Mr. Trauma Talks,” for a timely conversation about stress, trauma, and what leaders must do to protect the people who power the mission.

Rahul opens by reframing the myth of the “fresh start.” Many professionals don’t begin January renewed they begin January carrying last year’s exhaustion into a new calendar. That’s not just personal; it’s operational. When burnout becomes normal, performance dips, turnover rises, and the mission takes the hit. Rahul offers an empowering reminder that healthy culture is not a perk it is a productivity strategy. As he puts it, “Your worth is who you are.” That message lands hard in a sector where many teams have been conditioned to endure, absorb, and keep going.

The discussion also moves into Rahul’s children’s book Mellie and the Pandemic, a “labor of love” designed to help kids name emotions and start honest conversations early. Rahul explains how the story becomes a simple bridge between children, families, and schools, giving language to feelings that otherwise turn into frustration, isolation, or silence. Connecting this to the nonprofit sector’s front-line reality: we often serve people shaped by trauma, yet we rarely address the emotional load carried by our own staff.

From social media’s role in amplifying stress to the way workplace disrespect and discrimination compound pressure, Rahul makes a clear case: mental health support belongs inside organizational strategy. He even proposes a practical model organizations can adopt placing a trusted counseling professional within the workplace to provide consistent, confidential support.

This episode is a leadership call to action: build systems that help teams stay well, so they can do well and keep the mission strong.

#NonprofitLeadership #WorkplaceWellbeing #TheNonprofitShow

Find us Live daily on YouTube!

Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!

Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show

Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PT

Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

What if the biggest thing holding your nonprofit back isn’t budget, bandwidth, or the board… but the size of the goal itself?

In this energizing conversation, Julia C. Patrick turns the spotlight inward for a rare public coaching session with Keith Ellis, “The Impossible Success Coach.” Together they tackle a leadership problem every nonprofit executive and development team knows too well: the endless list of “important” goals that leaves you busy, stressed, and still frustrated come October.

Keith’s premise is bold: stop aiming for incremental wins and start committing to the goal you genuinely believe you can’t reach — the one you keep dismissing because it feels out of reach. Why? Because “normal” goals create too many options. If your organization wants to raise 20% more this year, you can name 1,000 tactics… and you’ll spend the year guessing which ones matter most. But when you pursue a truly audacious target, the noise fades fast. Suddenly, there are only one or two moves that can realistically change the outcome — and your operational strategy gets clean, focused, and decisive.

The conversation also goes straight at board dynamics. Julia asks the question every nonprofit leader has whispered after a board meeting: how do you keep governance from chasing shiny objects? Keith reframes it as leadership sales: connect the vision to what board members already want, then “herd the cats” toward one clear, motivating aim that’s bigger than everyone’s comfort zone.

Most powerful: the episode redefines success as more than results. Keith argues the real payoff is who you become while building the capacity to achieve the goal — and that’s exactly how nonprofits scale beyond last year’s limits.

“If you set an impossible goal, it’s actually easier to achieve than a normal goal.” — Keith Ellis

00:00:00 Welcome and transformational goals
00:01:26 Why Keith Ellis uses the word impossible
00:02:09 Wishes come true and you are your own genie
00:04:07 Why aiming bigger can make progress simpler
00:06:11 How to choose one goal instead of 100
00:09:04 Fundraising example 20% vs 200% vs 500%
00:12:40 Tracking goals and building motivation
00:16:40 Keeping boards focused and aligned
00:19:27 Preventing board disengagement when work gets hard
00:23:27 The real payoff becoming more capable
00:28:38 Homework question to find your audacious goal

Find us Live daily on YouTube!

Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!

Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show

Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PT

Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

We welcome Katie Warnock, CEO and Founder of Staffing Boutique, for a “New Year Trend Forecasting” conversation—focused squarely on what nonprofit leaders must do to operate smarter, steadier, and more sustainably.

Katie opens with a morale boost that’s grounded in real numbers: philanthropy is getting culturally “cool,” even as many executive directors and development leaders report that fundraising has felt exhausting and uphill. She points to GivingTuesday results and rising volunteer participation as signals that generosity isn’t disappearing—it’s changing shape. When donors can’t always give more dollars, many still show up with time and energy. And for organizations, that means the business of fundraising still comes down to relationship strength and trust built over time. As Katie puts it, “relationships matter so much… who are they giving to… all the fundraisers that they’ve stayed connected with through the years.”

From there, the conversation turns practical: AI is no longer a novelty—it’s becoming a daily operating strategy. Katie shares how nonprofits can start small and immediately reduce drag in workflows: faster acknowledgements, cleaner data entry, and smarter automations inside fundraising systems. She also describes tools that tame inbox overload and speed scheduling—freeing leaders to spend more time on high-value work that only humans can do.

Then the discussion gets candid about operating in a heated political environment. Katie suggests nonprofits create scenario-based plans that anticipate policy shifts, funding constraints, and communication traps—so boards and leaders aren’t improvising under pressure. Finally, she names what many are privately feeling: cultural fatigue. Burnout at the top is real, and retention can’t rely on salary alone. Katie offers a menu of “value-add” investments—from professional development to flexible schedules—supported by listening systems in HR and a dedicated budget line.

It’s a trend episode with a strong business bottom line: sustainable mission delivery depends on smarter systems, healthier leaders, and talent practices that actually match today’s workforce realities.

00:00:00 Welcome and New Year trend forecasting kickoff
00:01:45 What Staffing Boutique does for nonprofits and education
00:03:24 Philanthropy is cool and what the data suggests
00:06:28 Why relationships still win when giving gets tough
00:07:05 AI as a day-to-day operating strategy for nonprofits
00:09:00 Inbox overload and AI tools that reduce admin time
00:11:13 AI agents as the next evolution of alerts and research
00:12:33 Planning for a heated political environment
00:18:37 Culture fatigue and leadership burnout in 2026
00:22:00 Retention through investment beyond salary increases
00:27:24 Closing thoughts on people, staffing, and execution

#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitLeadership #NonprofitHR

Find us Live daily on YouTube!

Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!

Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show

Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PT

Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show