Nonprofit Leadership Podcast

What does it take to become a better nonprofit leader, and what can we learn from our biggest leadership mistakes? In this episode of the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, host Rob Harter sits down with Dolph Goldenburg, nonprofit consultant, former executive director, and host of the Successful Nonprofits Podcast. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, leadership, and organizational management, Dolph shares powerful lessons from both sides of the microphone. He opens up about his personal journey from becoming what he describes as a toxic leader to helping nonprofit organizations thrive without sacrificing their people or their values. Rob and Dolph explore the importance of building healthy nonprofit cultures, developing stronger teams, navigating fundraising challenges, and rebuilding trust with donors. Dolph shares the remarkable story of how he restored a damaged donor relationship that eventually resulted in a nearly $400,000 gift. They also discuss why nonprofits need to think bigger, advocate for fair compensation, set bold organizational goals, and make difficult decisions to prevent leadership burnout. This conversation offers practical nonprofit leadership strategies for executive directors, development professionals, and anyone seeking to create lasting social impact while building healthier, more sustainable organizations. Key Topics Include: Learning from leadership mistakes: How Dolph’s experience as a nonprofit executive director taught him the dangers of toxic leadership and the importance of personal growth, self-awareness, and organizational culture. Building stronger nonprofit teams: Why thoughtful recruitment, onboarding, employee development, and a people-first leadership approach are essential for long-term organizational success. Rethinking nonprofit fundraising: How nonprofit leaders can confidently approach donors and foundations, negotiate realistic grant expectations, and recognize when funding opportunities are not worth pursuing. Rebuilding donor trust: The power of patience, authentic relationships, and donor-centered fundraising, including Dolph’s remarkable story of securing a nearly $400,000 donation after repairing a broken relationship. Setting bold goals for greater social impact: Why nonprofits should challenge conventional assumptions, pursue ambitious goals, and invest in competitive salaries, employee benefits, and operational efficiency. Preventing nonprofit leadership burnout: How prioritization, intentional decision-making, and accepting that not everything can get done can help nonprofit leaders manage compassion fatigue and protect their well-being. Creating a more sustainable nonprofit sector: What Dolph has learned from interviewing other leaders and why the future of nonprofit leadership must emphasize equity, fair compensation, organizational effectiveness, and helping both employees and communities thrive. Mentioned in This Episode: Dolph Goldenburg – Successful Nonprofits – Learn more about Dolph’s nonprofit consulting work, leadership expertise, and resources for nonprofit organizations. Successful Nonprofits Podcast – Explore Dolph’s podcast featuring conversations with nonprofit leaders and experts on fundraising, management, and organizational success. This Episode is Sponsored By: Donorbox Links to Resources: Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob’s website: RobHarter.com Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel Suggestions for the show? Email us at [email protected] Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at [email protected] Subscribe and Share Listen and subscribe to the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with other nonprofit leaders!

Beth Wanner Offering parental leave is one thing, but creating a workplace where employees can confidently take that leave without worrying about their careers, their coworkers, or the organization’s mission is another. For nonprofit leaders managing tight budgets and lean teams, supporting parental leave can feel complicated and costly. Yet without a thoughtful plan, organizations risk employee burnout, decreased productivity, and losing valuable staff. So how can nonprofits build parental leave policies and practices that truly support employees while maintaining organizational effectiveness? In this episode, Rob Harter sits down with Beth Wanner, Founder and CEO of Mother Cover, an agency that provides interim and fractional staffing solutions for organizations navigating parental and caregiver leave. Drawing from her personal experience with pregnancy discrimination and her years as a marketing executive, Beth shares why traditional parental leave policies often fall short and what nonprofit leaders can do differently. Together, they explore practical strategies for planning employee absences, maintaining organizational continuity, preventing burnout, and creating a smoother return-to-work experience. Beth also explains how nonprofits can provide meaningful parental leave support without breaking their budgets, ultimately strengthening employee retention, workplace culture, and long-term mission impact. Key Topics Include: Why parental leave policies aren’t enough: The difference between offering parental leave benefits and creating an organizational culture that genuinely supports employees before, during, and after their leave. Planning for employee absences: How nonprofit leaders can develop effective parental leave coverage plans, document responsibilities, establish decision-making authority, and ensure critical work continues. Preventing employee burnout and improving retention: Why distributing an absent employee’s workload across an already stretched team can lead to burnout, resentment, and costly staff turnover. Using fractional leadership and interim staffing: How nonprofits can leverage experienced fractional professionals to maintain operations, protect donor relationships, and support organizational leadership during parental leave. The financial ROI of supporting parental leave: Understanding the hidden costs of inadequate leave coverage, including disrupted programs, lost productivity, damaged donor relationships, and employee turnover. Creating a successful return-to-work transition: Why re-onboarding, documented updates, gradual workload transitions, and regular check-ins are essential for supporting employees returning from parental leave. Practical parental leave solutions for nonprofits on tight budgets: How leaders can create a simple, one-page coverage plan, prioritize essential responsibilities, identify internal growth opportunities, and provide meaningful support without requiring full-time replacement staffing. Mentioned in This Episode: Mother Cover – Founded by Beth Wanner, Mother Cover helps nonprofits and other organizations maintain operational continuity through interim and fractional staffing solutions during parental and caregiver leave. Nonprofit Leadership Podcast – Explore additional episodes, nonprofit leadership resources, and interviews with experts helping nonprofit organizations strengthen their leadership and impact. This Episode is Sponsored By: Donorbox – An online fundraising platform that helps nonprofits streamline fundraising, maximize donations, and simplify giving with customizable donation forms, digital wallet payments, donation tracking, and automated receipts. Links to Resources: Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob’s website: RobHarter.com Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel Suggestions for the show? Email us at [email protected] Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at [email protected] Subscribe and Share Listen and subscribe to the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with other nonprofit leaders!

This is repost of a previously published episode. In this episode, Dr. Rob Harter sits down with Aidan Reilly, co-founder of The Farmlink Project, a nonprofit that began as a college passion project and grew into a national food recovery movement. What started in 2020 as two friends trying to make a difference during the COVID-19 pandemic quickly evolved into a logistics powerhouse that has since delivered over 350 million pounds of food—soon to be half a billion. Aidan shares the compelling origin story of Farmlink and how a group of students bridged the gap between farms with surplus food and food banks in desperate need. With impressive agility, grassroots organizing, and a deep sense of purpose, Farmlink has scaled nationwide and is now exploring international efforts. Aidan also discusses how Farmlink is addressing food waste, hunger, and climate change simultaneously—and how their innovative model may one day make their own work unnecessary. Key Topics Include: The founding of Farmlink during the pandemic by college students looking to make an impact How Farmlink grew from a local food rescue effort to a national nonprofit operating in 27+ states The logistics of moving nearly half a billion pounds of food and partnering with over 1,200 food banks and 400 farms The systemic causes of food waste in the U.S. and how Farmlink is creating long-term infrastructure solutions How Farmlink measures and communicates its climate and hunger relief impact to donors The role of AI, predictive analytics, and capacity mapping in scaling nonprofit operations Why public-private partnerships and policy advocacy are essential to solving food insecurity at scale Mentioned in This Episode: The Farmlink Project Abundance: The Farmlink Documentary (YouTube) This Episode is Sponsored By: DonorBox Links to Resources: Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob’s website: RobHarter.com Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel Suggestions for the show? Email us at [email protected] Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at [email protected] Subscribe and ShareListen and subscribe to the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with other nonprofit leaders! Summary The conversation with Aidan Reilly from the Farm Link Project explores the organization’s journey from a student-led initiative to a national movement addressing food waste and hunger. Aidan shares insights on the importance of partnerships, innovative solutions, and the impact of their work on communities and the environment. The discussion highlights the challenges faced in scaling their efforts and the vision for a sustainable food system that eliminates waste and hunger. Quotes“We shouldn’t, let’s try to help.”“We rescued 50 million apples.”“We work with all food banks.” Chapters00:00 The Birth of Farm Link Project02:54 Scaling Up: Partnerships and Systems05:48 Connecting Farms and Food Banks08:40 Addressing Food Waste and Consumer Preferences11:35 Measuring Impact: Hunger Relief and Climate Outcomes19:54 Harnessing AI for Nonprofit Scalability22:34 Eliminating Waste and Hunger: A Guiding Philosophy26:18 Building Infrastructure for Zero Waste29:10 Overcoming Operational Challenges in Scaling33:58 Strategizing for Future Growth and Impact

Ever wondered how philanthropy and charity first began? The answer may surprise you! The Greek roots for the word “philanthropy” refer to the “love of humankind”. Rob’s guest today is author Paul Vallely who has written a new book that serves as an encyclopedic review of the origins and history of philanthropy and charity over the centuries. Paul argues that today, too many people and organizations have lost the true purpose of charity and he offers a way back to the roots of good philanthropy. Paul Vallely, author of “Philanthropy: from Aristotle to Zuckerberg” Paul shares what led him to research the history of philanthropy, what surprised him most about how money moves through philanthropic organizations and who really benefits from donations. He also talks about how organizations can help recapture the missing element in philanthropy, particularly as it relates to the relationship between the rich and the poor. In short, Paul argues for having a more human and holistic vision of philanthropy that marries the head and the heart. Finally, Paul digs into why more nonprofit leaders need to focus on building partnerships by listening to and respecting the people they are trying to help and how the pandemic has actually strengthened philanthropy as a third pillar in society alongside government and the market.  *This episode previously aired #Remix #FromTheArchives This podcast is sponsored by @Donorbox Learn more about Paul’s book here: Paul Vallely: Website | Twitter |   If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at [email protected] To be added to the monthly email update, go to http://nonprofitleadershippodcast.org/

This is repost of a previously published episode. 2020 skyrocketed the move to online giving for all donors who give to nonprofits. Organizations who already had a clear and robust process for donors to give online really  benefited—those who didn’t, really struggled. They struggled to keep their giving on par with  previous years. Now, the question for all nonprofits of how to “future-proof” fundraising is constantly on our collective minds. So how does your organization go about doing that? Rob’s guest shares some fascinating data points gleaned from a recent report on the “state of philanthropy” within the nonprofit sector and why an easy and efficient online giving experience for your donors is absolutely essential for your organization’s future success and sustainability. Elizabeth Pun, Manager of Content at Classy Rob’s guest today is Elizabeth Pun, Manager of Content at Classy. Classy is a B-Corp that  focuses on closing the gap between nonprofit and for-profit businesses and Elizabeth is the  primary editor of Classy’s recent report entitled: The State of Modern Philanthropy 2021.  Elizabeth explains how empowering your event attendees to fundraise can organically increase your donations and provide more engagement. She breaks down why recurring giving, subscription services, and donation matching are excellent strategies to drive more funds and donations to your organization. Finally, Elizabeth shares valuable insight about creating a more robust online giving experience, and a powerful reminder that if you want to maximize donations to help safeguard and scale your organization, you must be able and willing to meet donors where they are. (This episode previously aired) #FromTheArchives Links to Resources: Classy: Website  Read the report here. Collaborative Virtual Sessions Conference If you have questions or want to come on the show, email Rob at [email protected] To be added to the monthly email update, go to http://nonprofitleadershippodcast.org/