Episodes

Too often in our sector, nonprofit leaders are discussed as if we are walking, talking deficits -- empty vessels needing to be filled with competencies, skills, and knowledge. The truth is that the nonprofit workforce is one of the greatest assets available to our organizations, our funders, and our society! Despite all the challenges we face, nonprofit people are powerful, skilled, visionary, determined, and enduring. Our workforce is a significant part of our economy and our society. During Se...

This season, our podcast is exploring the state of the nonprofit workforce, and the chronic and current challenges it faces. In Episode 3, Rusty sits down with Frances Kunreuther and Sean Thomas-Breitfeld, two of the most brilliant thinkers in the field, to discuss their research on the racial and inter-generational barriers facing nonprofit leaders. Listen in to hear more about: Frances Kunreuther and Sean Thomas-Breitfeld Building Movement Project messages and findings of Race to Lead Revi...

In this episode, Rusty talks with Kathy Reich, who works at the Ford Foundation, and previously worked at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. They discuss how, in each foundation, Kathy discovered the need to provide support to the staff of grantee organizations. Listen in to hear more about: Kathy’s journey in philanthropy and the non-profit workforce What changed Kathy’s practices as a funder Lessons learned with the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and impact on talent investing i...

Vu Le is a writer, speaker, vegan, Pisces, and the former Executive Director of RVC, a nonprofit in Seattle that promotes social justice by developing leaders of color, strengthening organizations led by communities of color, and fostering collaboration between diverse communities. Vu’s passion to make the world better, combined with a low score on the Law School Admission Test, drove him into the field of nonprofit work, where he learned that we should take the work seriously, but not ourselve...

Do you love nonprofit work, but find yourself frustrated by the starvation cycle, the overhead myth, the racial and economic inequity, and the toxic burnout culture that dampens our effectiveness? Do you want to see change, but you’re now sure how to address these harmful outdated mental models and practices? Or what to replace them with? Then this is the podcast for you. Every episode, I sit down with fascinating thought-leaders from across our sector to gather stories, research, and practical...