Jan. 28, 2026

Getting the Overhead Myth Out of Our Heads -- And Out of Nonprofit Ratings (Guest: Michael Thatcher, Charity Navigator)

Getting the Overhead Myth Out of Our Heads -- And Out of Nonprofit Ratings (Guest: Michael Thatcher, Charity Navigator)
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Season 9

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 transcript


Guest 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.


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