Changemaker Conversations: The Podcast for Nonprofit Leaders

20 Episodes

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Nonprofit Burnout: A Sneaky Solution No One Is Talking About

2026-10-2824:30

46% of nonprofit CEOs now say their own burnout is "very much" a concern, according to the Center for Effective Philanthropy's State of Nonprofits 2026 report. A year ago, it was 29%. Who is surprised? Not us, and if you're a nonprofit CEO, probably not you, either. But what's the answer?! We can't keep trying to put the same Band-Aids on this longstanding problem that just keeps getting worse. Compensation, benefits, and time off matter. Of course they do. But they won't fix burnout on their own. Why? Because its real root cause isn't just that our sector's leaders are underpaid and overworked. The REAL root of the problem is that our leaders are answering to far too many stakeholders all at once, with no clear way to prioritize. In this episode, we make the case that burnout is (at least partly) a strategy problem. Then, we argue that a Shared Power™ strategic plan, built around the people you serve, is one of the most overlooked ways to fix it. Here's what you'll learn in this episode: Why "10 bosses" burn nonprofit CEOs out faster than the workload does How a strategic plan can finally clarify priorities and minimize burnout Why a Shared Power™ plan is the only way to stop answering to everyone, all at once, and instead center around the priorities of the people you serve What to do when you're "too busy" to plan What boards and funders can do right now to help minimize burnout | MENTIONED | Center for Effective Philanthropy: State of Nonprofits 2026 Episode 17: The Board's Role in Nonprofit Strategic Planning Episode 8: The Four Roles That Make or Break Your Strategic Planning Process Prosper Strategies' Strategic Planning Services This Episode's Blog Post | CONNECT | ChangemakerConversations.com for show notes and additional resources Prosper-Strategies.com to learn more about our strategic consulting practice [email protected] with topic suggestions, guest recommendations or questions On LinkedIn with Alyssa Conrardy, Lindsay Mullen and Prosper Strategies

The Staff’s Role in Nonprofit Strategic Planning

2026-09-1026:08

Most nonprofit leaders know staff should be involved in strategic planning. Far fewer can say what "involved" means: which staff, at which points, deciding what (and how their expertise should be weighed against board and beneficiary input). In this episode of Changemaker Conversations, Alyssa Conrardy and Lindsay Mullen pick up where last month's board episode left off. They dig into what staff should own, what they shouldn't, who "staff" actually means when you're building a planning committee, and why the closest people to the work still aren't a substitute for the voices of the communities you serve. Here's what you'll learn in this episode: Why plans built by boards alone fail at implementation, even when the strategy itself is sound The four problems that surface when staff receive a plan they didn't help build, including the one that has nothing to do with disagreement What to do when a board says it can't speak transparently with staff in the room (hint: it isn't a strategic planning problem) How to size and staff a cross-functional planning committee, and how everyone not on it should still be engaged Why staff can't serve as a proxy for the people your organization serves, and how Shared Power™ strategic planning keeps institutional position from deciding whose voice counts | MENTIONED | Episode 17: The Board’s Role in Nonprofit Strategic Planning Episode 15: What Does a Facilitator Actually Do in Nonprofit Strategic Planning? Episode 8: The Four Roles That Make or Break Your Strategic Planning Process Prosper Strategies’ Strategic Planning Services This Episode's Blog Post | CONNECT | ChangemakerConversations.com for show notes and additional resources Prosper-Strategies.com to learn more about our strategic consulting practice [email protected] with topic suggestions, guest recommendations or questions On LinkedIn with Alyssa Conrardy, Lindsay Mullen and Prosper Strategies

The Board’s Role in Nonprofit Strategic Planning

2026-08-1414:47

Picture your last strategic planning retreat. A full agenda, a room full of smart people, big things to decide...but at some point, things go off the rails. Staff shrinks into the background. Someone takes the whole day off track by trying to relitigate a program decision from six months ago. The loudest, usually wealthiest, voice in the room starts running the show. If that sounds familiar, you're not alone, and it's not your board's fault, nor is it yours. These situations occur simply because no one has ever clearly explained what a board's role in strategic planning is actually supposed to be. In this solo episode of Changemaker Conversations, Alyssa Conrardy goes deep on just one seat at the table: the board. She breaks down what board members are legally responsible for, why over-involved and under-involved boards both create problems, and how board involvement changes once you build your strategic plan the Shared Power™ way, with the people you serve at the center. Here's what you'll learn in this episode: The two ways boards get their role in strategic planning wrong The three legal duties every board member carries (and what they actually require) What your board should and shouldn't be doing in an effective strategic planning process How Shared Power™ strategic planning reframes the board's role and differentiates hierarchy of voice versus hierarchy of labor How to answer the most common pushback from boards used to running the show | MENTIONED | Episode 3: How to Build an Engaged Nonprofit Board Episode 8: The Four Roles That Make—or Break—Your Strategic Planning Process Prosper Strategies' Strategic Planning Services This Episode's Blog Post | CONNECT | ChangemakerConversations.com for show notes and additional resources Prosper-Strategies.com to learn more about our strategic consulting practice [email protected] with topic suggestions, guest recommendations or questions On LinkedIn with Alyssa Conrardy, Lindsay Mullen and Prosper Strategies

How Should Your Nonprofit Approach Strategic Planning?

2026-07-0923:38

Strategic planning used to be handled the same way at most nonprofit organizations: hire a consultant, have them conduct research and facilitate a retreat, make some important decisions, and write the plan. It also used to be only the domain of those with a significant budget. However, that is changing rapidly. In this solo episode, Prosper Strategies principal Alyssa Conrardy shares not one but three distinct ways to approach nonprofit strategic planning, and explains which sort of organization each option may be a fit for. She also shares how the philosophy underlying those options is as important as the approach itself. Here's what you'll learn in this episode: The three approaches to strategic planning — DIY, facilitation, and full-service — and what each actually costs How to know which approach fits your organization's size, internal capacity, and budget When an outside facilitator's neutrality matters Four common planning philosophies, and why Shared Power (stakeholder-centered) planning outperforms the rest How to make smart choices next time your nonprofit is about to embark on strategic planning | MENTIONED | Nonprofit Strategic Planning Toolbox: strategicplanningtoobox.com Strategic Planning Decision Guide: https://prosper-strategies.com/strategic-planning-decision-guide/ | CONNECT | www.ChangemakerConversations.com for show notes and additional resources Prosper-Strategies.com to learn more about our strategic consulting practice [email protected] with topic suggestions, guest recommendations or questions On LinkedIn with Alyssa Conrardy, Lindsay Mullen and Prosper Strategies.

What Does a Facilitator Actually Do in Nonprofit Strategic Planning?

2026-06-1131:03

Picture your last board retreat. Smart, well-meaning people in a room. An agenda. Everyone fired up. And then, three hours in, you're still relitigating the same two sticking points and the day ends in frustration instead of clarity. If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you, because you probably need a facilitator. In Episode 15 of Changemaker Conversations, Alyssa Conrardy interviews Lindsay Mullen on what a strategic planning facilitator actually does, and just as importantly, what they don't do. This episode is a candid look at when bringing in an outside facilitator is worth it, when it isn't, and how to tell the difference. Here's what you'll learn in this episode: What a facilitator actually does day-to-day during strategic planning (and what they don't do) The four roles every planning process needs to understand up front: community, board, leadership and staff, and facilitator The difference between facilitation-only and full-service strategic planning, and which fits which kind of organization Why "have you worked with a nonprofit like ours?" is the wrong first question to ask a facilitator Why DIY-ing your stakeholder engagement (with facilitator templates and guidance) builds the muscle most nonprofits are missing | MENTIONED | Prosper Strategies Facilitation Services | CONNECT | ChangemakerConversations.com for show notes and additional resources Prosper-Strategies.com to learn more about our strategic advising practice. [email protected] with topic suggestions, guest recommendations or questions.

#box-pro-ellipsis-179473618636155{-webkit-line-clamp:2;}Changemaker Conversations: The Podcast for Nonprofit Leaders

Changemaker Conversations: The Podcast for Nonprofit Leaders