Fund the People: A Podcast with Rusty Stahl

Download the Episode Transcript in .pdf formatIn this episode of the Fund the People Podcast, you'll gain practical insights into how centering workers' perspectives -- and sharing power between employees and management -- can dramatically improve job quality in nonprofit organizations.Host Rusty Stahl sits down with Brianna Rogers and Rob Hope of Rework The Bay to unpack a bold funding experiment supported by the James Irvine Foundation and conducted in partnership with Jobs for the Future. Eight California nonprofits engaged frontline staff as participatory researchers to examine their own working conditions and to co-create improvements with their organizations’ top executives.The results challenge assumptions. While compensation is foundational, workers most emphasized voice, transparency, shared leadership, professional growth, and healthier work boundaries as essential components of a quality job. The project surfaced five key lessons: workers can surface what truly matters; leaders grow when they listen; power must be intentionally shared; strategies must be tailored to organizational context; and job quality is an ongoing process—not a one-time fix.Through concrete examples—from four-day workweeks to anonymous feedback systems and participatory decision-making—this conversation offers nonprofit leaders and funders actionable ideas to advance shared leadership, transform funding practices, and elevate collective voice.Part of our ongoing California Voices Series, this episode is a roadmap for anyone committed to building nonprofit workplaces where staff can thrive—and where stronger internal culture leads to stronger community impact.Speaker Bios:ReWork the Bay Initiative Officer Brianna Rogers partners on ReWork’s fundraising efforts and leads our systems change projects focused on building worker power, workforce training and advancing job quality. Brianna grew up in Berkeley, attended Berkeley City College where she served as one of two student delegates to the Peralta Community College District, then transferred to UC Berkeley as a first-generation, re-entry student parent, earning her bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric Studies. While at UCB, Brianna developed innovative programming for the UC Berkeley’s African Student Development Center and the Department of Equity and Inclusion. She went on to receive her master’s degree from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, got her start in philanthropy as a National Urban Fellow at the Andrus Family Fund in New York City. In October 2020, she joined the San Francisco Foundation’s Partnership for HOPE SF team, where she worked until joining the ReWork team in 2022.ReWork the Bay Director Rob Hope is responsible for leading execution of ReWork the Bay’s strategy, as well as fundraising, grantmaking, budget management and partnership building. Rob joined ReWork the Bay in October 2017, after serving as Chief Program Officer at Rubicon Programs. Prior professional experience includes all levels of workforce development direct services, program evaluation and policy analysis, and community building work. Rob has a Bachelor’s in Sociology from Vassar College and a Master’s in Public Policy from UC Berkeley.For more on Brianna and Rob, visit the staff page of ReWork the Bay.Links to Resources Discussed:Featured Initiative:Rework The BayJob Quality Project Report (June 2025)Project Partners:Jobs for the FutureThe PATH GroupFunding PartnerJames Irvine FoundationHost Organization:San Francisco FoundationParticipating Nonprofits Highlighted in the Episode:Canal AllianceCreating Restorative Opportunities and Programs (CROP)Related Fund the People Resources:Playlist for FTP Podcast’s CA Voices SeriesReport on FTP’s 2024-25 California ConveningsFTP Podcast Premium on PatreonFund the People - A Podcast with Rusty StahlFund the People WebsiteListen to this episode:This Episode on Apple PodcastsThis Episode on Spotify

In this episode of the Fund the People Podcast, listeners will gain practical insight into how philanthropy can evolve to meet today’s interconnected crises—and what funders can do differently right now to support justice, sustainability, and nonprofit workers. Host Rusty Stahl is joined by nationally recognized philanthropic leader, lawyer, and author Dimple Abichandani, whose new book, A New Era of Philanthropy: Ten Practices to Transform Wealth into a More Just and Sustainable Future, offers a bold reimagining of philanthropy’s purpose and practice.Together, Rusty and Dimple explore why so many funders are skeptical that philanthropy can rise to this moment, tracing those doubts back to the field’s historical roots in Andrew Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth” and the enduring legacy of Gilded Age thinking. They focus especially on the importance of investing in nonprofit people, with Dimple sharing concrete examples from her time as a foundation CEO—including "healing justice" grants that helped address burnout, trauma, and precarity in grantee organizations of General Service Foundation before and during the pandemic. The conversation closes with a compelling invitation to move beyond 'gilded philanthropy' toward 'true alchemy': transforming wealth through care, listening, and solidarity, so that communities can genuinely thrive.Gust bio: Dimple Abichandani is a nationally recognized philanthropic leader, writer, and lawyer, and author of a forthcoming book, A New Era of Philanthropy: Ten Practices to Transform Wealth Into a More Just Future, that offers fresh answers to the question of how philanthropy can meet this moment.Related episodes:How Funders Can Support Nonprofit Workers in the Age of Burnout, Part 3 – with Desiree Flores, Executive Director, General Service FoundationLinks to Resources:A New Era of Philanthropy book by Dimple AbichandaniDimple Abichandani websiteFor Philanthropy, This Actually Isn’t 2016 All Over Again⁠, Dimple Abichandani letter in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, November 2024To Ensure Nonprofit Wellbeing, Invest in Wages, Workloads and Working Conditions Rusty Stahl’s guest post on Center for Effective Philanthropy blog, June 2024

Download the transcript of this episode in .pdf format⁠Join our premium version of the FTP Pod on Patreon, For just $6 a month, you get extended versions of this and all episodes; bonus content; community; and our Patreon-only show, Riverside Reflections.What happens when a nonprofit uses a six-figure, one-time gift not to launch a new program—but to fundamentally improve job quality for its staff?In this episode, Rusty Stahl sits down with Janelle Miller Moravek, Executive Director of Youth and Family Counseling (YFC) in Lake County, Illinois, to share a powerful case study of how investing in nonprofit workers can dramatically improve retention, service delivery, and program outcomes.Facing 40% staff turnover, YFC made a bold decision: use a transformational donor gift to raise salaries and redesign work conditions—with intention, transparency, and sustainability. The result? A healthier, more resilient workforce; lower turnover; more therapy sessions delivered; and improved clinical outcomes.This conversation offers a rare, inside look at how compensation, workload design, management practices, and workplace culture can work together to create an upward spiral—for staff and for the communities they serve.This episode challenges one of the nonprofit sector’s most persistent myths: that investing in staff compensation is risky or unsustainable. Instead, Janelle shows how strategic workforce investment can unlock greater access, quality, and financial resilience—even in Medicaid-funded, high-demand service environments.For executive directors, funders, board members, and major donors, this is a concrete example of how funders and nonprofits can collaborate on talent-investing to drive mission impact.Topics covered:​Why raising pay alone isn’t enough—and what else must change to retain staff​ How YFC redesigned compensation using transparent salary scales and performance-based progression​ The role of reasonable workloads and boundary-setting in preventing burnout​ How investing in caring, well-equipped managers strengthens the entire organizationWhy workplace fun and connection—on paid work time—matterWhat this model means for foundation executives, boards, and major donors who are skeptical of investing in wagesResults discussed:​100% of staff transitioned to a new, transparent salary scale within nine months​ Staff turnover reduced from 40% to 28% in under a year​1,300 more sessions delivered in the first three quarters of 2025 vs. 2024​Increased treatment completion and improved client outcomesGuest Bio:Janelle Miller Moravek is a nonprofit leader and mental health advocate. She has led Youth & Family Counseling as Executive Director since 2009, driving its growth and impact across Lake County, Illinois. With a deep commitment to increasing access to mental health services, she oversees strategy, programming, and operations while fostering strong partnerships throughout the community. Janelle plays a key leadership role in the region, serving on the board of the Lake County Alliance for Human Services and co-chairing the Lake County Behavioral Health Action Team. Her prior experience includes development roles at Carmel Catholic High School and Barat College. She lives in Libertyville with her husband and three children.Related Episodes:​How One Nonprofit Models Talent-Investing - with Abby Wolensky & Ashley Pesi, Auberle (S2:E15)​Talent-Investing is the Best Capacity-Building - with Tom Fuechtmann, Community Memorial Foundation (S3:E6)​Talent Matters Remix, Part III: Culture of Care - with Michele Booth Cole, SafeShores DC (S2:E10)​6 Practices for Embedding Equity in Nonprofit Compensation - with Mala Nagarajan, Vega Mala Consulting (S4:E6)​A Model for Systematically Improving Nonprofit Workplaces - with Arum Lee Lansel (S7:E9)Resources & Links⁠​Youth and Family Counseling (YFC)​MIT Living Wage Calculator​Janelle Miller Moravek on LinkedIn (mention you found her through your Fund the People Podcast)

In this episode, you’ll learn how nonprofits are really rated—and why the sector’s obsession with overhead could finally be ending. Charity Navigator CEO Michael Thatcher joins host Rusty Stahl to explain how nonprofit ratings are shifting toward impact, leadership, and organizational health—and why investing in people matters more than lean budgets. In a candid moment, Thatcher hints at a future where overhead is no longer part of Charity Navigator’s ratings formula, signaling a potentially major change in how nonprofits are judged. Listen in, spread the word, and become part of the shift.Download the episode transcriptGuest Bio:Michael leads Charity Navigator in its efforts to make impactful philanthropy easier for all by increasing the breadth and depth of evaluation methodologies to facilitate ratings coverage of substantially larger numbers of charities and expand how the information engages new and existing audiences. Prior to joining Charity Navigator Michael spent more than fifteen years with Microsoft, the last ten of which, as their Public-Sector Chief Technology Officer responsible for technology policy initiatives and engagements with governments and academic leaders in Asia, the Middle-East and Africa. Michael's eclectic background includes years at sea conducting oceanographic research with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, composing music and dancing internationally as the co-founder and co-director of Dance Music Light. He has held various board positions within the nonprofit and tech sector, holds several patents in enterprise systems management and has a degree in Music from Columbia University in New York.Links to Resources:Organizations & WebsitesCharity Navigator — ⁠https://www.charitynavigator.org⁠Charity Navigator Nonprofit Portal (Claim Your Profile / Submit Data) — ⁠https://www.charitynavigator.org/portal⁠Fund the People — ⁠https://fundthepeople.org⁠Fund the People Podcast — https://apple.co/3iDT21T ⁠Fund the People Podcast Premium on Patreon — ⁠https://www.patreon.com/fundthepeople⁠Candid (formerly GuideStar & Foundation Center) — ⁠https://candid.org⁠BBB Wise Giving Alliance — ⁠https://www.give.org⁠Overhead Myth Open Letter to America’s Donors from FTP’s research archives (2013) — https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwddBi7Cib_xMHpyRXd6WGpFREU/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-ZFQ-F9JdQ0v3O1buOgFhXQ Overhead Myth Letter to America’s Nonprofits from FTP’s research archive (2014) — https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwddBi7Cib_xcy0wbEhmRGJtZUU/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-N9yoZdjKvoRuPX-SDTZwtwFunding for Real Change (resource-rich website based on BDO’s research on improving funding for indirect costs) — ⁠https://www.fundingforrealchange.com/ Concepts, Research & Sector InitiativesMacArthur Foundation — ⁠https://www.macfound.org⁠Staff Operating Support article in The Nonprofit Quarterly - by Rusty Stahl (Fund the People) — ⁠ https://bit.ly/NonprofitsNeedSOSPodcasts ReferencedFund the People Podcast brief bonus episode announcing the Staff Operating Support (SOS) funding concept — ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-staff-operating-support-s-o-s-grants-concept/id1531813289?i=1000735122772Fund the People Podcast episode featuring John Palfrey (CEO of MacArthur Foundation) — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/macarthur-president-chooses-courage-not-quiet/id1531813289?i=1000712429747 NGO Soul + Strategy Podcast episode featuring Michael Thatcher — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/051-charity-navigators-changing-expectations-and-its/id1498390711?i=1000598151900Thinkers & Influential Voices MentionedDan Pallotta — ⁠https://danpallotta.com⁠ Simon Sinek — ⁠https://simonsinek.com⁠LinkedIn — ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/charity-navigator⁠Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/charitynavigator ⁠Facebook — ⁠https://www.facebook.com/CharityNavigator⁠ X (Twitter) — ⁠https://x.com/charitynav⁠Tik Tok — ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@charitynavigator⁠

Click here for edited transcript (pdf format)According to the Trump Administration, nonprofits and philanthropic foundations are “terror-supporting organizations.” Peaceful protestors are “terrorists.” Violent mobs are simply tourists having a picnic. And the masked gunmen they’ve deputized are hard-working joes just trying to do their jobs.As we recall how Dr. King and his colleagues used non-violent civil disobedience to end legal segregation, host Rusty Stahl discusses how nonprofit workers, activists, and protestors, can challenge the reality-distorting propaganda we face today.It’s a new year, and it’s a new season of your Fund the People Podcast! We’re glad you’re here. We’ve got tons of incredible guests, ideas, research, stories, and examples to inspire and help you invest in the nonprofit workforce in your sphere of influence.We publish new episodes every Wednesday morning on all podcast platforms – so keep your eyes peeled and your ears open!Links related to this episode:Dr. King, AmeriCorps, & Nonprofit Work - with Michael Smith, AmeriCorps" (Season 4 Bonus Episode, January 2023, 46 minutes)One Year of Trump. The Time to Act is Now. While We Still Can. M. Gessen, The New York Times, January 19, 2026. (Paywall).Other exciting FTP announcements and podcast info:New Publications:Article: New article by Rusty in The Nonprofit Quarterly: SOS - Nonprofits Need Funding for Staff Operating Support. Based on the new funding concept that we shared a few months back on LinkedIn. Take a look. We’d appreciate if you share it with your colleagues on linkedin or elsewhere, and tag Fund the People and Rusty Stahl. You can email him if you have feedback, questions, and ideas: rusty@fundthepeople.org.Blog Post: New post by Betsy Leondar-Wright on the Center for Effective Philanthropy blog! It's about the FTP report she wrote called Long-Haul Grantmaking. Read the blog post. And find the report here. You can watch a recorded webinar about the report.Webinar Series:This year we'll introduce a conversational webinar series about the power and potential of the nonprofit workforce - and how to address the existential crises confronting us.February: We'll kick things off on Thurs., Feb. 12 at 1-2 pm ET / 10-11am PT. This free session will feature data from Mounting Pressure, the latest research from the Center for Effective Philanthropy on U.S. nonprofits and foundations in the current political context. Our guest will be Elisha Smith Arrillaga, CEP's Vice President of Research.March: We'll continue in March with a discussion of the Staff Operating Support (S.O.S.) funding concept. Rusty will share the idea and invite your ideas, questions, concerns, hopes, and discussion. Data and additional speakers TBA.To ensure you get the registration information, make sure you're on our mailing list. Go to fundthepeople.org and click on Connect in the main menu and sign-up!Podcast Updates:Format of Episodes - This season we’re making an effort to make episodes in the public feed more compact and tightly edited, so you get the information you need faster and more easily. We're aiming for episodes on the public feed to average about 30 minutes (down from around 55 minutes).Podcast Video - We are adding video to the show! A video version of our public episodes will be posted on all platforms that support video podcasts. This will be rolled-out gradually as we sort out the technical aspects of adding video.Patreon:Extended Episodes with full interviews AND bonus content are now published and available only on the "premium" version of the show on Patreon. These extended episodes will likely average closer to 55-60 minutes, and feature more discussion about our guest's lived experiences, more of their expertise on tangential topics, and more rants and responses from your host.Video Versions of these extended episodes are already available on Patreon! There are four episodes already up on the patreon site, with lots more to come!

In this brief holiday bonus, you’ll get behind-the-scenes highlights of Season 8. Plus a sneak-peek at some of the provocative guests and valuable topics we’ll cover in season 9!Season 9 will start in late January 2026. If all goes according to plan, S9:E1 will drop on Wed., Jan. 21, 2026 at 8am ET. From thereon, new episodes will publish weekly on Wednesday mornings throughout the season.You’ll also learn about our the new FTP Podcast Premium at patreon.com/FundThePeople. For just $6 a month, you provide grassroots support for production of this ad-free show. And you offer monthly earned income for Fund the People, the national nonprofit organization that advocates for investment in the nonprofit workforce. Your support helps us remain an independent, bold voice for the nonprofit workers. You help us produce thought-leadership, research, tools, communications, educational programs, and advocacy for investment in the nonprofit workforce.As a Patreon member, you get:​Extended episodes with audio and video ​Tons of bonus content, including special messages from Rusty, extras from new episodes, and video footage from our back catalogue of over 100 episodes​Discussions with Rusty and the FTP Pod community​Participation in live episode sessions, so you can ask your questions and participate in the conversation​A whole-new Patreon-only weekly show called Riverside Reflections. Patreon members can watch the video version of this episode, filmed down by the river in New York's Hudson Valley (where we record Riverside Reflections, our new podcast available exclusively on Patreon).Also on this episode, Rusty acknowledges the people who worked with him to make S8 happen:​Erin Giunta, producer​Carla Paez, Editor​Jonny Taylor, Sound Engineer​Kayla Weathers, Administrative AssistantAnd thanks our major foundation supporters this year, who helped make this show and all our programming possible:​The James Irvine Foundation​Barr Foundation​The Kresge Foundation​Raymond John Wean Foundation Thanks for listening, and thanks for all you do! Have a restful holiday season and we’ll talk to you in the New Year!

Get the Extended Version of this episode on our Premium show on Patreon: patreon.com/FundThePeople.​Engage with Rusty and guests during episode recording​Learn with other listeners, guests, and Rusty in our discussion forum​Access extended episodes with video​Enjoy Riverside Reflections (RR), our new Premium-only extra show! Get the inside scoop from Rusty while getting outside for a waterside walk.​Tap into older episode’s video footage, bonus content, and more fun and valuable surprises!More extended and RR episodes are going up every week. Click here to listen to our first RR episode and view the post-episode video for free.Now on with the show…In our Season Finalé, you’ll get an inspiring discussion on defending the nonprofit sector, with a call to action for funders to act with courage rather than caution. The message is clear: a strong country depends on a strong, well-resourced nonprofit workforce, and philanthropy must choose to lead boldly in this moment. Host Rusty Stahl speaks with Dr. Sherece West-Scantlebury, President and CEO of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. Reflecting on more than 30 years in philanthropy and her forthcoming retirement, West-Scantlebury offers a candid assessment of what has and hasn’t worked in the sector. She traces the evolution of the Foundation’s mission, its focus on Arkansas working families, and how COVID reinforced the urgency of addressing low wages, systemic inequities, and the root causes of poverty. Throughout the conversation, she challenges philanthropy to confront the real costs of sustaining a healthy civil society and to move beyond outdated, restrictive funding models.West-Scantlebury also details the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation’s commitments to capacity building, nonprofit workforce pay and benefits, leader wellness, and innovative approaches such as enterprise capital. She argues that investing in nonprofit people is essential to nonprofit sustainability and impact. Her message is clear: a strong democracy depends on a strong, well-resourced nonprofit workforce. Philanthropy must choose to lead boldly in this moment.Download an edited transcript of this episode⁠This is part 2 of our 2-part Season 8 Finalé. Check out part 1, a conversation with Andrea Levere of Capitalize Good (S8:E12), from December 10, 2025.Guest Bio:Sherece Y. West-Scantlebury, PhD, is a nationally recognized equity advocate and transformational leader whose career spans housing advocacy in New York City to executive roles at some of the Southeast’s most prominent foundations. For nearly two decades, she has led the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, where she will retire at the end of 2025, after previously serving as the founding CEO of the Foundation for Louisiana and at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Known for speaking life into leaders and organizations, Sherece brings deep expertise in public policy, strategic philanthropy, and program design. She is also the founder of Executive West Coaching & Consulting, where she supports women leaders and leaders of color with a trusted space to think clearly, lead with courage, and align leadership with their values and vision.Related Episodes:​Enterprise Capital: A Framework for Sustainable Nonprofits - with Andrea Levere (S8:E12)​Lowering Our 'Revenue Risk,' with Gretchen Upholt, BDO (S8:E11)​'Silence Isolates, Solidarity Shields,' with Tonya Allen, McKnight Foundation (S8:E7)Links to Resources Discussed in the Episode:​Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation​Fund the People​Annie E. Casey Foundation​Foundation for Louisiana​Capitalize Good​United for ALICE (ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed)​ALICE in the Nonprofit Workforce​Enterprise Capital Explainer​Capacity Building in Philanthropy​MIT Living Wage Calculator​Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow​Audre Lorde (referenced on silence and complicity)

In this episode, you’ll learn about a powerful alternative to restricted, project-based funding: enterprise capital for nonprofits. Guest Andrea Levere, founder and CEO of Capitalize Good, explains why nonprofits—like any enterprise—need multi-year, flexible capital that strengthens their balance sheets, builds reserves, and supports the people and systems that drive impact. Andrea breaks down the basic financial principles that determine nonprofit sustainability, and how enterprise capital enables organizations to innovate, hire essential staff, invest in technology, and create high-quality jobs. She also shares compelling examples—from affordable housing developers to workforce builders—showing how this kind of capital supports everything from salaries and benefits to new program development and strategic growth.Andrea and Rusty also dig into the relationship between talent-investing and enterprise capital, the pitfalls of scarcity-based philanthropy, and how funders can more effectively match their “sources of funds” to the actual needs of organizations. Andrea shares stories from Capitalize Good’s partnerships with funders like the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and the Citi Foundation's Community Progress Makers, as well as the emerging work in Arkansas to pilot enterprise capital approaches statewide. Listeners will come away with a clear understanding of how enterprise capital works, why it matters, and how both nonprofits and funders can adopt this transformative approach.Download an edited transcript of the episode in .PDF formatLinks to Resources:Gift to Listeners: 6 Months Free Subscription to FTP Podcast Premium on Patreon (up to 50 people). Offer will no longer be available after 12/31/25 at 11:59pm ET.Fund the People websiteLong-Haul Grantmaking Report (Fund the People)Guest Organization & Initiatives MentionedCapitalize Good websiteCapitalize Good “Blueprint for Enterprise Capital”Capitalize Good “Deeper Dive” FAQ sectionAndrea Levere on LinkedInCapitalize Good on LinkedInYale School of ManagementNonprofit Finance FundWinthrop Rockefeller FoundationCiti Foundation – Community Progress Makers

In this episode, nonprofit finance expert Gretchen Upholt joins Rusty to introduce Nonprofit GPS, BDO’s free new online toolkit for scenario planning, business model resilience, and short-term coaching. Learn how your organization can navigate revenue risk and make informed financial decisions in 2026, as the impact of the Trump Administration's War on Charity continues to roll across the sector.Itching for more Fund the People Podcast? Join the new Premium version of the show on Patreon! Visit ⁠patreon.com/fundthepeople⁠ to join. You'll get extended episodes, videos, bonus content, and community conversations. Plus, you'll get Riverside Reflections, an entire new weekly show only available to premium subscribers! Get the inside scoop on Fund the People while getting outside for a walk and an intimate conversation with host Rusty Stahl. Download an edited transcript of this episode.Related Episodes:Funders Confront Reality and Myth of Nonprofit Overhead with Rodney Christopher, BDOMacArthur President Chooses Courage, Not Quiet with John Palfrey, MacArthur FoundationHow Many-Year Grants Strengthen Nonprofit Jobs and Impact with Betsy Leondar-Wright, Fund the PeopleResources Mentioned:Nonprofit GPS website (free tools from BDO and their partners)Strong Nonprofits websiteNonprofit Financial Commons websiteBDO Nonprofit and EducationFunding for Real Change, the website that resulted from the Real Change, Real Costs InitiativeOn our 'PodPage', stream this and all episodes, find links to our show on your favorite podcast player⁠⁠, and more.Resources Mentioned:Nonprofit GPS website (free tools, templates, webinars, coaching from BDO and their partners)Strong Nonprofits websiteBDO Nonprofit and EducationFunding for Real Change, the website that resulted from the Real Change, Real Costs InitiativeGuest Bio:As a Managing Director with BDO’s Nonprofit and Grantmaker Advisory practice, Gretchen Upholt leads the team’s Cohort & Initiative programs, where BDO partners with funders to provide large-scale capacity building programs for their grantees. She also serves as a lead for several key product areas including training and finance technology consulting, and as a representative of BDO to nonprofits and funders in the Midwest region. In addition to her leadership in the practice, she splits her time between playing an active role as trainer, coach, and curriculum developer for cohort and other training initiatives and as consultant to nonprofit clients across the country, helping nonprofit leaders improve their financial management skills and processes. An experienced staff and program manager, Gretchen is skilled in training, capacity building, research, and program and volunteer management. Previously, Gretchen served as the head of the Volunteer Department at the Thabyay Education Network in Thailand. In that role, Gretchen developed a strategic plan to improve monitoring and evaluation and program management in her department. She also served on the leadership team for the organization, where she reviewed and approved budgets for the organization’s 22 programs and worked on a plan to restructure the organization’s finance and operations staffing and systems.  Gretchen’s widely diverse nonprofit experience includes working on the corporate citizenship team at the TCC Group, designing and implementing a pilot research study on nonprofit talent costs for the Talent Philanthropy Project (now Fund the People), as a project manager with the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, and as Chorus Manager for The Choral Arts Society of Washington. She also served as a Community Development Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine, where she designed project frameworks, wrote grants, and led a committee tasked with making funding decisions for USAID-funded grants.

Get the extended version of this episode on our Patreon site: Subscribe for just $6 per month and support our advocacy for the nonprofit workforce: patreon.com/FundThePeople.This episode explores the stages of foundation responses to the Trump Administration’s War on Charities, through the lens of a place-based funder network. Rusty sits down with Megan Thomas, CEO of Catalyst of San Diego and Imperial Counties. This regional funder association has worked with its members and local nonprofit advisors to build several rounds of collaborative funding, including cash flow assistance loans. You’ll hear:​The stages of local funder reaction and response to the Trump Administration's shock-and-awe tactics in their 2025 attacks on nonprofits and philanthropy;​Why and how local funders began organizing with one another to create collective funding;​How persistent leadership and courage can spur collective, partnership-based responses;​The consequences of the Trump Administration’s actions on the local social sectorMegan is a longstanding leader in the philanthropic community, and her organization, Catalyst, is one of Fund the People's partners in the California Talent Justice Initiative.This episode is part of our biweekly Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy Series, as well as our ongoing efforts to feature our California Talent Justice Initiative partners across the Golden State. Transcript:​Edited PDF of Episode Transcript with Time StampsRelated episodes from FTP Podcast:​Defend Nonprofits, Defend the Social Safety Net - with Edward Hershey, CEO, Home of Guiding Hands (San Diego)​Nonprofit Staff Resilience and Wellbeing in Turbulent Times - with Loretta Turner, Founder and Strategist, Do Good Leadership Collective​MacArthur President Chooses Courage, Not Quiet - with John Palfrey, President, MacArthur FoundationResources mentioned in the episode:​Catalyst of San Diego and Imperial Counties​USD Nonprofit Institute Report (March 2025)​Coordinated Regional Response Collaborative​Resilient Response Fund​Sustained Support Fund​San Diego Solidarity Network​Community-Centric FundraisingGuest bio:Megan serves as Catalyst’s president & CEO, providing strategic leadership and partnership to the entire Catalyst staff, board, members, and community partners. Megan oversees Catalyst’s facilitation of collaborative efforts among its funder members and other stakeholders; leads the production of philanthropy and impact investing skills-building and issue based learning; and spearheads Catalyst’s work related to championing equity and opportunity. She strengthens Imperial and San Diego County communities through shared learning and pooled and aligned funding strategies, and initiatives fiscally sponsored by Catalyst.Megan brings 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic fields to this role, having most recently served as Executive Director of San Diego Coastkeeper where she built partnerships among the nonprofit, business, and public sectors to advance environmental goals across San Diego County. Megan received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University and her Masters in Business Administration from Yale School of Management. She serves on the board of directors for the United Philanthropy Forum (national) and the Museum of Us (San Diego).

In this powerful episode of Fund the People’s Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy series, Rusty sits down with Tonya Allen, President of the McKnight Foundation, to explore how philanthropy can respond to the Trump Administration’s War on Charity, and serve as an active force for transformation. Tonya shares her roots in Detroit activism, lessons from community leaders who shaped her understanding of philanthropy as “an active verb,” and her belief that funders must embrace—not shy away from—power to change systems. She urges foundations to reject fear and isolation in the face of political attacks, reminding listeners that “silence isolates, and solidarity shields.”Tonya and Rusty also discuss how McKnight has transformed under her leadership—expanding its grantmaking to historic levels, adopting bold investment and climate commitments, and launching the $5 billion GroundBreak Coalition to build wealth for communities of color in the Twin Cities. She offers candid insights on trust-based philanthropy, supporting nonprofit workers, and how the Unite in Advance initiative is helping the social sector stand strong against coordinated threats. This episode is a master class in courageous, values-driven leadership in philanthropy.Guest Bio:Tonya Allen is a leader and a change agent with a passion for co-creating an equitable, sustainable world. In 2021, she became president of the McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation that advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and the planet thrive.In 2024, McKnight granted over $145 million—the highest charitable payout in the Foundation’s history at 7 percent of its endowment—in support of equitable communities, a clean energy economy, global food systems, artists and culture bearers, and innovative neuroscience research. Beyond this increase in grantmaking, Tonya has worked to ensure that McKnight uses every tool in its toolbox as a philanthropic organization. In her first year at McKnight, Tonya championed using the Foundation’s investments to advance net zero goals, and elevated McKnight’s voice and leadership to rebuild Twin Cities neighborhoods and small businesses impacted by Covid-19 and the 2020 civil unrest. In 2022, Tonya helped launch the GroundBreak Coalition, an ambitious, multi-sector effort to close wealth gaps in Minneapolis-St. Paul. In 2023, GroundBreak announced nearly $1 billion in commitments towards its goals.Prior to joining McKnight, Tonya served as president and CEO of The Skillman Foundation, and as a program officer at the Charles Stewart Mott and Thompson McCully foundations. She was a co-founder and architect of Detroit Children’s Fund, and the founder and director of Detroit Parent Network.Similar Episodes:MacArthur President Chooses Courage, Not Quiet – with John Palfrey, MacArthur FoundationNonprofits, the U.S. Constitution & the ACLU – with Mike Zamore, ACLUEpisode Links:Tonya Bio and Headshot.McKnight’s “All in On Mission” blog postTonya’s essay "Why We Increased Our Giving"Unite in Advance Op-Ed in Nonprofit Quarterly Council on Foundations’ Sign-On Statement from PhilanthropyInside Philanthropy story on the GroundBreak CoalitionStatement from Tonya following the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis

In this brief Bonus Episode, Rusty Stahl introduces the concept of Staff Operating Support (S.O.S.) Grants. It's a new type of grant for the new type of existential crisis we face.Download our new S.O.S. Grants Concept Paper (http://bit.ly/3WwR489)Share this flyer about the S.O.S. Grants Concept PaperAn S.O.S. Grant is restricted for investments in a grantee's people and the systems that support their team. Within that restriction area, an S.O.S. Grant is flexible, responsive, and trust-based. Why? Read our concept paper to find out! Rusty and our team at Fund the People developed the S.O.S. Grants Concept as a new part of our Funding that Works Framework. It is meant to help funders and fundraisers support nonprofit workers in response to the current crisis, but also in reaction to the chronic deficit of investment in America's nonprofit workforce.Have feedback? Leave comments in your podcast app, or email rusty@fundthepeople.org.

Advocacy expert Bethany Snyder joins Rusty Stahl to reveal how nonprofit leaders can reclaim their power, speak out boldly, and protect the sector from political attacks.In this powerful episode of Fund the People, host Rusty Stahl sits down with advocacy strategist Bethany Snyder, founder of Snyder Strategies, to explore how nonprofits can — and must — use their voices boldly in today’s political climate. Snyder argues that the nonprofit sector is “on the menu” under the Trump administration’s attacks on civil society, and the only way off is to reclaim a seat at the policymaking table. With a mix of urgency and humor, she calls on nonprofit leaders to act from a place of strength, not fear, reminding them that their power is exactly why they’re being targeted.Drawing on her career spanning grassroots campaigns, public policy, and a stint as a staffer for Senator Al Franken, Snyder shares practical guidance for organizations to build strategic advocacy programs — not “random acts of advocacy.” She breaks down her Advocacy Roadmap process, showing how nonprofits can engage their members, train effective advocates, and communicate clearly with lawmakers. Whether at the local, state, or federal level, her message is clear: advocacy isn’t optional — it’s essential to protecting your mission, your community, and the nonprofit sector itself.Guest Bio:Bethany Snyder, MPP, is the powerhouse behind Snyder Strategies, LLC, where she helps nonprofit and membership organizations build bold and effective advocacy programs that drive real change. With nearly 25 years of experience spanning communications, advocacy, and public affairs, Bethany has worn many hats—grassroots advocacy director, lobbyist, consultant, communications director, and even a U.S. Senate staffer—bringing a wealth of expertise to every project she touches.She is also the recent former Director of the Iowa Nonprofit Alliance, during which she Bethany championed the work of Iowa’s 23,000 nonprofit organizations and the professionals who power them, ensuring their voices were heard and amplified.A proud Hawkeye with a BA from the University of Iowa and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Minnesota, Bethany’s dedication to community runs deep. She leads Central Iowa Rainbow Families, chairs One Iowa Action and the Urbandale Civil Rights Commission, and serves on the board of Family Equality, all while advocating for a more equitable future.Links to Resources:Bethany Snyder – Snyder Strategieshttps://www.snyderstrategies.me/Bethany helps nonprofits and social justice organizations find their advocacy voice and build lasting policy impact.Snyder Strategies Quiz - What’s Your Advocacy Edge? https://snyder-strategies.involve.me/nonprofit-advocacy-quizAdvocacy With Sass (Bethany’s blog)https://www.snyderstrategies.me/advocacy-with-sassA three-minute questionnaire to help you understand where you are on your advocacy journey—so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.Senator Al Franken (D-MN) Bethany previously served as a staffer for Senator Franken during his first term in office.CDC Smokefree Programs - Background on the national movement to promote smokefree air policies — the kind Bethany helped advance early in her career.Foundations on the Hill - A national gathering where foundation and philanthropic leaders meet with federal lawmakers to advocate for charitable giving and organized philanthropy.Bolder Advocacy (Alliance for Justice) - A top resource for nonprofit and foundation advocacy training, tools, and legal guidance.The Adventures of Baron von Munchausen (One of the most under-rated yet joyfully wacky and amazing films of all time, according to Rusty)

Is your nonprofit stuck in an understaffing cycle, in which you need expertise but can't afford senior-level salaries? Are you overwhelmed by wearing multiple hats as an executive director, lacking specialized skills in fundraising, HR, or communications? What if there was a way to access experienced professionals without the full-time commitment?Through this episode, you’ll learn about working with “fractional executives” – a practice where nonprofits engage a portion of an experienced professional's time to provide both strategic guidance and hands-on implementation of a key organizational function. You’ll get tips for when organizations are ready for fractional executives; how to find them; and how best to work with them. Our guest is Cindy Wagman, a Canadian fundraising consultant who has become a leading voice in the fractional executive practice for nonprofits. Wagman shares her journey from university fundraiser to consultant, how she evolved her own fractional executive model, and the training and matching services she has developed to help more people become fractional executives specifically for nonprofits, and help more nonprofits find them.Wagman defines fractional executives as a unique blend of strategic thought and implementation, typically requiring 7+ years of direct experience in their function. Unlike traditional consultants who provide advice, fractional executives create plans and then execute them, working on retainer and focusing on deliverables and outcomes. She emphasizes this isn't a cost-saving measure but rather an optimization strategy, allowing small and mid-size nonprofits to access senior-level expertise they couldn't otherwise afford. The typical investment is comparable to hiring a junior-level employee but with significantly more experience and strategic capability.The conversation covers practical guidance for both sides of the equation. For nonprofits considering fractional executives, and professionals considering becoming fractional consultants. Wagman has built an entire ecosystem around this model, including training programs through her Nonprofit Fractional Academy, a matchmaking service at nonprofitfractionals.com, and multiple podcasts. She advocates for funders to embrace investing in people and trust organizations to choose how to best structure their teams, whether through traditional hiring or fractional arrangements.About Cindy Wagman:Cindy Wagman helps seasoned nonprofit pros build six-figure consulting businesses—without the burnout. A former in-house leader turned business coach, she’s the founder of Cindy Wagman Consulting and the Nonprofit Fractional Network, and has guided 100+ consultants to grow profitable, values-driven practices.She’s the bestselling author of Raise It!, co-host of Confessions with Jess and Cindy, and host of Fracture, a private podcast for nonprofit fractional execs ready to stop fixing broken systems and start building something better.Nonprofit Executive's Guide to Hiring a Fractional Leader (free) Matchmaking Service (find a fractional executive for your org)

Remember that old activist saying, "Don't mourn; organize"? Well, what if you're feeling deep disillusioned and disempowered by attacks on nonprofits and communities you love? Feeling dread as you witness beloved institutions and ideas get damaged or destroyed? How are you going to sustain morale through all this?This episode offers language, tools, and pragmatic resources to help you or your team mourn, so that you can continue to organize. Our guest Meico Marquette Whitlock shares the concept of social impact grief. Whitlock discusses how this emotional response to setbacks, policy reversals, and systemic resistance is part of changemaking work, but often goes unacknowledged, creating a dynamic among activists he describes as "driving with the parking brake on."The discussion includes practical strategies and exercises for both individuals and organizations to get back into gear. Meico emphasizes that grief isn't linear and shouldn't be avoided, but rather embraced as fuel for continued work.The episode concludes with information about Whitlock's books, retreats, and consulting services, which position self-care as essential for sustainable social change work.BIO:Meico Marquette Whitlock is The Mindful Changemaker and The Mindful Techie. He works with changemakers who want to improve their well-being so they can sustainably increase their well-doing in changing the world. He's the author of the Amazon bestseller How to Thrive When Work Doesn’t Love You Back: A Practical Guide for Taking Care of Yourself While Changing the World and The Intention Planner. He has worked for more than two decades across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors, during which time he has used information technology to improve well-being in underserved communities as a software and web developer, communications director, trainer and facilitator, and mindfulness teacher.According to his website, Meico is a former triathlete, loves salsa dancing, and makes the world’s best vegan chili. He holds an M.S. in Information Science from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from Morehouse College. He is also a certified trauma-informed mindfulness teacher.Related Episodes:Nonprofit Staff Resilience and Well-Being in Turbulent Times with Loretta TurnerWellbeing as Strategy: Reimagining Philanthropic Practice with Laura BaconHappy Healthy Nonprofit People with Beth KanterResources Discussed in Episode:Services:Speaking engagementsCoaching and consulting for individualsCoaching and consulting for organizationsVirtual Wellness Retreat for Changemakers (August 2025)Publications:Mindful Techie websiteNewsletter (scroll down main page to “Sign up for Updates” just above footer)Book: How to Thrive When Work Doesn’t Love You Back (here’s a digital preview of the book)Book: The Intention PlannerSocial Media:LinkedInYouTube (includes Meico’s podcast, “Dear Mindful Changemakers”)InstagramOnline Courses:Leading Your Team Through Change and UncertaintyCultivating Well-Being & Resilience in Challenging Times2025 Life Planning Masterclass & Guide for ChangemakersPost-Election Email Series:In the episode, Rusty mentions that Fund the People used Meico's tips to help their team debrief after the election in fall 2024. Here are the emails Meico shared at that time. Although the election is in the rear view, the messages and tips are still relevant:Protecting Your Digital Well-being in Stressful TimesNavigating Workplace Grief, Disruption, and UncertaintySelf-Care for Team Leaders in Difficult TimesWhat to Say to Your Team Post-Election DayGrow Not Weary in Well-Doing: You Were Made for Times Like ThisManaging Your Team’s Post-Election StressEasing Your Team’s Election AnxietyFinding Balance in Turbulent Times

In the season premiere of Season 8, your host Rusty Stahl (Founder, President & CEO of Fund the People) outlines the season’s focus on strengthening and defending the nonprofit sector. He previews upcoming conversations with influential leaders such as Tonya Allen of McKnight Foundation, Deepak Bhargava of Freedom Together Foundation, and Michael Thatcher of Charity Navigator. Rusty shares a new Fund the People research report and webinar (10/10 at 10am PT) on ‘long-haul grantmaking’ that emphasize better jobs in nonprofits and will be featured on the podcast this season, alongside a forthcoming concept from Fund the People called “Staff Operating Support” (or “S.O.S.”) Grants, a new type of strategic, responsive funding meant to provide direct investments in nonprofit workers.Rusty frames this season within the broader context of what he calls the Trump Administration’s War on Charity (#TrumpWarOnCharity), citing efforts to undermine First Amendment freedoms, nonprofits, charitable giving, and the nonprofit workforce. He discusses how euphemisms have obscured the severity of these threats, and emphasizes the need to speak plainly about the challenges facing the sector. He encourages nonprofit leaders to stand in solidarity with all other nonprofits. He invites listeners to make their nonprofit values visible by wearing FTP Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy gear.The episode addresses current events, including the politicization of the horrific Charlie Kirk assassination, which Rusty argues has been exploited by the Trump Administration to justify attacks on progressive philanthropy and nonprofits. He details the flawed logic behind these narratives, putting his M.A. in Philanthropy from Indiana University up against a J.D. from Yale Law School. Finally, Rusty closes with a call to remain vigilant,and to follow Season 8 for research, tools, and practices to help you invest in the nonprofit workforce despite (or because of) the ongoing siege on our sector.Bio:Rusty Stahl serves as Founder, President, and CEO of Fund the People. Fund the People works to strengthen the effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of philanthropy and the social sector by maximizing investment in America’s nonprofit workforce. Rusty is a tenacious, mission-focused thought-leader, social entrepreneur, and student of the field. Alongside his colleagues, Stahl has studied, developed ideas, and written extensively on what it takes to invest in the nonprofit workforce. This podcast is one of the places such exploration and learning takes place. Before launching the organization, Rusty completed R&D for Fund the People as a Visiting Scholar in Residence at NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service. Previously he served as Founding Executive Director of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) and as a Program Associate at the Ford Foundation. He holds an M.A. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University.Resources:Long-Haul Grantmaking report Long-Haul Grantmaking webinarMeet the Moment CommitmentUnite in AdvanceFund the People’s Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy workFund the People’s Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy Merch StoreRelated Episodes:MacArthur President Chooses Courage, Not Quiet - with John PalfreyNonprofits, The Constitution, and the ACLU - with Mike Zaymor, American Civil Liberties UnionMeet the Moment: A Call to Action for Funders - with Shaady Salehi, Trust-Based Philanthropy Project

What happens when a major foundation president decides to speak out boldly during a crisis? How can philanthropy surge resources to protect nonprofit workers facing unprecedented job losses? In this season finale of the Fund the People Podcast, host Rusty Stahl sits down with John Palfrey, President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, to explore how courage becomes contagious in times of sector-wide attacks. You'll discover the real math behind foundation payout increases, learn why one foundation moved from 5% to 6% giving (adding $150 million over two years), and understand the strategic thinking behind multi-year general operating support.Palfrey shares the behind-the-scenes story of how MacArthur Foundation responded to federal cuts targeting nonprofits—from increasing their payout rate to joining solidarity campaigns that have gathered nearly 700 institutional signatures. He offers frank "real talk" about the trade-offs of long-term funding, explains why he believes in the constitutional "freedom to give," and discusses how foundations calculated that nonprofit grantees lost about 12% of their federal funding. This conversation reveals both the possibilities and limitations of philanthropic response during crisis.As attacks on nonprofits continue through 2025, this episode provides essential insights for anyone working in or with the social sector. Whether you're a nonprofit leader wondering how to navigate funding relationships, a foundation professional considering how to increase impact, or simply someone who believes in the power of organized giving, you'll gain practical knowledge about how major philanthropy is adapting to meet this unprecedented moment—and why taking summer breaks might be the most important advice of all.Funding for Real Change - fundingforrealchange.com (true cost initiative tools)Season 5, Episode 7: "The Great Double Standard" (Rusty's rant about foundation overhead policies)Season 4, Episode 10: “MacArthur Foundation Makes Changes to End Nonprofit Starvation Cycle – with Kenneth Jones, MacArthur Foundation” interview about MacArthur's indirect cost policy Season 7, Episode 17: “Meet the Moment: A Call to Action for Funders – with Shaady Salehi, Trust-Based Philanthropy Project”Season 7, Episode 1: “Do Funders Understand the Nonprofit Burnout Crisis? – with Elisha Smith Arrillaga, CEP” on the 2024 State of NonprofitsHR 9495 - "The Big, Bloated Bill" (link to Congress.gov full text)Center for Effective Philanthropy “State of Nonprofits 2025: What Funders Need to Know” John Palfrey's guest post on CEP blog “Courage in Unity: A Funder’s Response to the ‘State of Nonprofits’” (June 3, 2025 response to the report)Council on Foundations public solidarity sign-on campaign - (694+ institutional signatures supporting philanthropy's freedom to give)"Meet the Moment" commitment - Trust-based philanthropy pledge (nearly 200 institutional signatures)The Courage Project - Coalition of nonprofits and foundations launched May 2025BioJohn Palfrey is President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, one of the nation’s largest philanthropies with assets of approximately $8 billion.Prior to joining the Foundation, Palfrey served as Head of School at Phillips Academy Andover. During his tenure, the number of faculty members of color doubled, and the student body grew more diverse. Palfrey was the Henry N. Ess III Professor of Law and Vice Dean for Library and Information Resources at Harvard Law School. Palfrey served as Executive Director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. He is founding board chair of the Digital Public Library of America, and is the former board chair of LRNG.Palfrey has published extensively on how young people learn in a digital era, as well as the effects of new technologies on society at large. Palfrey holds a JD from Harvard Law School, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and an AB from Harvard College.

Why are so many talented community organizers burning out and leaving the field just when we need them most? What would it look like if nonprofits collectively committed to improving wages and working conditions for the people doing the most essential work in our movements? How can funders shift from perpetuating a cycle of underpayment to investing in the workforce that drives social change?In this episode, you’ll get promising ideas from guests who are answering these questions with practical, real-world efforts on the ground. Host Rusty Stahl sits down with Kara Park from All Due Respect, and Gaby Hernandez from Órale, to explore a groundbreaking project in Southern California where 20 organizations came together to create shared labor standards for the community organizers on their teams. Through candid conversation, they reveal findings from their compensation study showing that organizers are making an average of $57,000 while directors wish they could pay $65,000, and that there's a troubling salary plateau that pushes experienced organizers out of the field after five years. The guests share how their collective, multi-organizational approach moved beyond individual organizations to create more system-wide change, including transparent pay scales, wellness budgets, and a direct appeal to funders.This conversation offers practical insights for any nonprofit leaders grappling with staff recruitment, compensation, and retention, funders seeking to make meaningful impact, and anyone who believes that the people fighting for justice deserve to thrive while doing that work. Kara and Gaby demonstrate that addressing burnout requires both better compensation and improved working conditions - you can't have one without the other. Their work provides a roadmap for how organizations can move from accepting poverty wages as inevitable to collectively demanding the resources needed to sustain a powerful movement for social change.Resources:All Due Respect websitePublications page on All Due Respect websiteAll Due Respect: Building Strong Organizations by Creating Fair Labor Standards for Organizers (initial national study by All Due Respect, April 2022)What is the Status of Organizer Compensation in Southern California? (All Due Respect, April 2024)SoCal Organizer Compensation and Benefits Standards (All Due Respect, December 2024)Compensación y Beneficios para Organizadores del Sur de California (Diciembre 2024)Órale website (en español)Fair Labor Standards for Community Organizers – with Kinzie Mabon and Kevin Simowitz, All Due Respect, FTP Podcast episodeBiosKara Park is an organizer, facilitator and coalition builder with over a decade of experience in state and national social justice movements. Her work has included grassroots organizing, issue-based advocacy, civic engagement, leadership development and political education, including consulting on curriculum and training for multiple organizations. Kara has served as the Director of Programs for Asian American organizing efforts in both Minnesota and Oregon, building state-based power and leading organizational strategy and program development. In 2017, she helped to pass Oregon's landmark Reproductive Health Equity Act, which has since become a model for multiple other state policy campaigns. Kara has also worked as Civic Engagement Manager for Forward Together, a national organization that unites communities to win rights, recognition and resources for all families, and co-created an Asian and Pacific Islander reproductive justice storytelling project called We Carry Oceans.Gaby Hernandez is the Executive Director of ÓRALE, an immigrant-led organization dedicated to dismantling the criminalization of immigrants and securing protections that allow communities to flourish. Gaby is a graduate from the Coaching for Healing, Justice, and Liberation program, a certification training designed for social justice movement leaders.

This episode updates you on how the Big, Bloated Bill in Congress will impact nonprofits and philanthropy. And this week’s interview offers a deep dive into how the proposed law would impact nonprofits that hold up America’s social safety net.What happens when government cuts to essential services threaten to recreate the horrors of decades past? How do nonprofits navigate serving vulnerable populations while fighting for their very existence? In this powerful episode, Edward Hershey, CEO of Home of Guiding Hands, reveals the critical connection between defending democracy and protecting society's most vulnerable members—people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who depend on services that are now under unprecedented threat.Hershey shares the stark reality of operating a $35 million nonprofit with 1,200 employees while 90% dependent on government funding that's facing massive cuts. From paying payroll on credit cards due to delayed government payments to witnessing a 40% underfunding crisis finally addressed only to be threatened again, his organization's story illuminates how attacking nonprofits, government programs, and philanthropic funding creates a dangerous triple threat to democratic values. The conversation traces a direct line from the horrific institutional conditions exposed by Geraldo Rivera in the 1970s to today's policy decisions that could force a return to those dark days.Through personal accounts of rallying 300 constituents, confronting elected officials, and maintaining hope among staff and clients, Hershey demonstrates that defending democracy isn't abstract—it's about ensuring that government remains "of the people, for the people" by protecting the infrastructure that cares for those who cannot advocate for themselves. His message is clear: we are judged as a society by how we treat our most vulnerable, and preserving that care is preserving democracy itself.You can find all the episodes of this podcast plus our blog, toolkit and other resources at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fundthepeople.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Resources:Fund the People BlogHome of Guiding HandsGeraldo Rivera’s Expose Rate StudyEdward Hershey’s Op EdRally footage/media:KPBS Monday 5/26KPBS "San Diego News Now" podcast (2:07 mark) FOX 5 aired footage 5/26 at 1:05 pm and re-aired 5/27 at 6:08 am and 9:08 amKUSI aired footage 5/26 4:07 pm, 6:08 pm, and 5/27 at 5:16 am  10 News mentioned the rally in their morning newscast at 5:42 amBio:Edward Hershey is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Home of Guiding Hands. He assumed his role with HGH on September 1, 2021. Edward began his career at HGH in 2015 as the Vice President of Operations and was then  promoted to Chief Operating Officer. Edward has 27- years of management experience in directing all facets of business operations, with expertise in operations and project management. Prior to joining Home of Guiding Hands, Edward worked for Father Joe’s Villages as their Vice President of Operations for 12 years, and for the Employment Development Department where he specialized in Veteran’s needs. Edward served in the US Navy during the Gulf War and was honorably discharged in 1993. He serves on the Board for the California Disability Services Institute, and the California Disability Services Association. He volunteers his time for Boy Scouts of America and the VFW. Edward holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management with a Specialization in Strategic Innovation and Change Management from Colorado State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership with a Specialization in Public and Non-Profit Management. Edward is a graduate of the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities, a licensed California Contractor, and is a member of the John Maxwell team certified as a leadership coach, speaker, and trainer. He lives in El Cajon with his wife of 16 years Jessica and their three children, Julia, Niko, and Ethan.

Are you curious about the true scope and scale of nonprofit employment in America? Ever wonder how nonprofit jobs weathered the pandemic compared to for-profit jobs? In this episode, host Rusty Stahl speaks with Dr. Alan J. Abramson and Chelsea Newhouse, both of George Mason University, about the numbers behind the nonprofit workforce, and their implications for funders, policymakers, and nonprofit leaders.The conversation reveals crucial facts about nonprofit employment based on George Mason’s latest report. Abramson and Newhouse discuss how nonprofits lost 580,000 workers during the early pandemic but weathered the initial downturn better than for-profits. They explore common misconceptions about nonprofit funding and highlight how the sector has struggled to fully restore its workforce.Our guests introduce their Nonprofit Works, a free, user-friendly tool that provides high-level data about how many Americans earn a living through nonprofit work, and how much money nonprofits add to the economy in annual wages. The database allows users to segment this data by sub-sector and geography, and compare it to business and government jobs. The numbers are drawn from federal Department of Labor data, but the nonprofit employment data are published extremely infrequently, and only with help from scholars at a private, nonprofit university. Alan and Chelsea argue that better, more frequent releases of nonprofit workforce data – including relevant data collected by other federal agencies – would help nonprofit workers gain the visibility and support they deserve in public policy, the media, academic research, and among private funders.You can find all the episodes of this podcast plus our blog, toolkit and other resources at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fundthepeople.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Bios:Alan J. Abramson is director of the Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise, in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He teaches and conducts research on the nonprofit sector and philanthropy, and has worked to save and sustain work done at Johns Hopkins University by his late colleague, Dr. Lester Solomon. For more than a decade, Dr. Abramson directed the Aspen Institute’s Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program. Before that he worked at the Urban Institute. Alan is the author and coauthor of numerous books and articles, and is involved with multiple academic associations related to the nonprofit sector. Dr. Abramson received his PhD in political science from Yale University.Chelsea Newhouse is a consultant on the George Mason University’ Nonprofit Employment Data Project and Senior Program Manager at East-West Management Institute. Prior to joining the East-West Management Institute in 2022, Chelsea was at the the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, where she worked closely with late Center Director Lester Salamon on the Nonprofit Economic Data Project and the Nonprofit Works Interactive Database, the Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project, and a variety of other research projects focused on the nonprofit, philanthropic, and volunteer sector. Following Dr. Salamon’s passing, she helped transfer the Nonprofit Employment Data Project to George Mason University. Chelsea has also served as a consultant with Maryland Nonprofits and the New York Council of Nonprofits.Resources:GMU Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social EnterpriseGMU Nonprofit Employment Project websiteGMU Nonprofit Works websiteDirect link to the 2024 Nonprofit Employment ReportA link to the UN TSE Sector Handbook project, which provides guidance and background on the nonprofit satellite accountJHU Center for Civil Society StudiesStanding Up for Nonprofits, a 2024 book on nonprofit advocacy that Ben Soskis and Alan Abramson wrote. It's available for free online from Cambridge University Press