The Nonprofit Leadership Podcast discusses important issues facing nonprofit leaders in our community and features real stories from real leaders about what strategies and practices have made them successful. Enjoy the show!
How to Move From Providing Job Security to Career Security
May 11, 2026
Show notesSteve Cadigan
In this episode of the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, Dr. Rob Harter speaks with Steve Cadigan, talent strategist, author of Workquake, and LinkedIn’s first Chief HR Officer. Steve shares how the employer-employee relationship has changed dramatically in recent years, especially as AI, remote work, frequent career changes, and shifting expectations around purpose and flexibility continue to reshape the workplace.
Steve explains why nonprofit leaders can no longer rely on traditional ideas of long-term retention or job security. Instead, he encourages leaders to offer “career security” by helping employees grow, learn, and become better prepared for an uncertain future. For nonprofits, this shift creates a powerful opportunity to attract mission-driven talent, build stronger alumni relationships, redesign roles for shorter talent cycles, and create cultures where people want to contribute deeply—even if they do not stay forever.
Key Topics Include:
Why the “workquake” is changing how leaders recruit, retain, and develop talent
The difference between job security and career security
How nonprofit leaders can build stronger talent strategies in a short-tenure workplace
Why employees are increasingly loyal to learning, growth, and purpose
How nonprofits can attract people in career transition through “tour of duty” roles
The value of alumni communities and maintaining relationships with former employees
Why reverse mentoring can help younger employees contribute, grow, and stay engaged
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 nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com
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!
How Leaders Sustain Long-Term Impact in Mission-Driven Work
May 04, 2026
Show notesCaitlin Baron
In this episode, Dr. Rob Harter welcomes Caitlin Baron, CEO of the Luminos Fund, to discuss how nonprofit leaders can sustain long-term impact while scaling mission-driven work. Caitlin shares her personal journey from growing up in Brooklyn, where she saw firsthand how education changes opportunity, to leading international education initiatives that help children who have been denied access to school.
Caitlin explains how the Luminos Fund creates second-chance education programs for out-of-school children across Africa, helping students cover three years of learning in just one year. She also shares practical leadership insights on scaling impact, building strong partnerships, staying focused on mission, cultivating joyful learning environments, and growing as a leader while an organization expands.
Key Topics Include:
How the Luminos Fund helps out-of-school children catch up and reenter school with peers their own age
Why nonprofit leaders should focus on community assets instead of only looking at needs or deficits
How Luminos scales impact through African-led community-based organizations and government partnerships
The importance of open-source tools, teacher guides, and the Luminos Method for expanding education access
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 nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com
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!
Critical Conversations: Special Four-State Panel Discussion Addressing Today’s Top Trends
Apr 26, 2026
Show notes
In this special four-state panel discussion, Rob Harter brings together nonprofit leaders from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado to discuss the biggest trends impacting nonprofit leadership today. Guests Jill Bennett of the Utah Nonprofits Association, Kevin Bailey of the Idaho Community Foundation and Idaho Nonprofit Center, Jodi Shields of the Wyoming Nonprofit Network, and Lloyd Lewis of arc Thrift Stores share practical insights on financial sustainability, fundraising challenges, staff burnout, AI, board governance, collaboration, and social enterprise.
Together, the panel explores how nonprofit organizations can continue to serve rising community needs while facing funding uncertainty, workforce pressure, and rapid technological change. This conversation offers honest encouragement and practical strategies for executive directors, board members, fundraisers, and nonprofit staff who are navigating today’s complex nonprofit landscape.
Key Topics Include:
How nonprofit leaders are responding to financial uncertainty, changing donor behavior, and reduced grant funding
The growing challenge of nonprofit staff burnout and how organizations can better support and retain employees
Why mission alignment, flexible work, clear expectations, and healthy workplace culture matter for nonprofit retention
Practical ways nonprofits are using AI and technology to save time, improve communication, and strengthen operations
Board governance best practices, including the role of the board, ideal board size, and when to use advisory boards
How nonprofit collaboration, mergers, shared services, and collective impact models can increase effectiveness
The importance of joining state nonprofit associations and building a stronger collective voice for the sector
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 nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com
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!
How Leaders Navigate Through Change While Staying True to the Mission
Apr 19, 2026
Show notesPierre Le Manh
In this episode of the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, Rob Harter talks with Pierre Le Manh, President and CEO of Project Management Institute (PMI), about how nonprofit leaders can stay grounded in their mission while navigating rapid change, uncertainty, and transformation. Pierre shares why clarity of purpose, adaptive execution, transparency, and values-based leadership are essential for keeping teams aligned and motivated even when conditions are shifting.
Rob and Pierre also explore why project management skills are no longer reserved for people with the project manager title. From prioritization and stakeholder alignment to AI adoption, enterprise agility, and long-term thinking, this conversation offers practical leadership insights for nonprofit executives who want to improve execution, avoid mission drift, and lead change with empathy. Pierre also points listeners to PMI’s resources and his LinkedIn profile for continued learning.
Key Topics Include:
How nonprofit leaders can stay anchored in purpose during seasons of rapid change and uncertainty
Why adaptive execution often works better than overplanning and overregulating in mission-driven organizations
The growing importance of project management skills for nonprofit leaders, CEOs, and teams leading transformation
How prioritization, planning, and stakeholder trust directly improve mission outcomes
What it looks like to integrate AI with empathy, experimentation, and people-first leadership
How to avoid shiny object syndrome and build practical guardrails around new technology adoption
Why resilience, reflective practice, and long-term thinking help leaders sustain impact over time
Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com
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!
What is the Fundraising Report Card?
Apr 12, 2026
Show notesGreg Warner
In this episode of the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, Dr. Rob Harter sits down with Greg Warner, founder of MarketSmart, to explore how nonprofit leaders can use fundraising data more effectively. Greg shares the story behind the Fundraising Report Card, a free tool designed to help organizations better understand donor retention, lapsed donors, giving trends, and overall fundraising performance.
The conversation also dives into the future of fundraising, including how AI can create efficiencies, improve donor engagement, and free up development teams to focus more on meaningful relationships. Greg offers a powerful reminder that donors should never be treated like ATMs, but rather as people looking for purpose, trust, and connection through their giving.
Key Topics Include:
What the Fundraising Report Card is and how it helps nonprofits assess donor trends, retention, and lapsed giving
Why lifetime donor value is one of the most important metrics nonprofit leaders should understand
Common data challenges organizations face, including poor data hygiene and activity-based measurement
How AI can improve fundraising efficiency by handling repetitive tasks and supporting donor cultivation
Why donor relationships should be approached relationally rather than transactionally
How empathy for the donor experience can lead to more transformational gifts
What nonprofit leaders should prepare for as fundraising continues to evolve in the years ahead
Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com
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!
How Airbnb Is Doing Something Very Different with Their Social Impact
Apr 06, 2026
Show notesChristoph Gorder
In this episode of the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, Rob Harter sits down with Christoph Gorder, leader of Airbnb.org, to explore how Airbnb has built a social impact model that looks very different from a traditional corporate foundation. As an independent 501(c)(3), Airbnb.org operates separately from Airbnb while still leveraging the company’s technology, host network, and infrastructure to provide emergency housing for people displaced by disasters and other crises.
Christoph shares how Airbnb.org is rethinking disaster response by using millions of available homes around the world to provide fast, flexible, dignified shelter for families in need. He also talks about leadership, scaling nonprofit impact, the role of AI and technology in modern nonprofit operations, and why strategic partnerships are essential for responding effectively in moments of crisis. This conversation is packed with insights for nonprofit leaders who want to innovate, collaborate, and maximize their mission impact.
Key Topics Include:
How Airbnb.org is structured as an independent 501(c)(3) with its own board and mission
Why Airbnb.org’s model is different from a traditional corporate social responsibility or philanthropic arm
How the organization scaled from responding to 8 disasters in 2023 to 78 disasters two years later
What nonprofit leaders can learn about focus, standardization, and scaling wisely
How Airbnb.org used local partnerships like 211LA and Catholic Charities to respond quickly during the Los Angeles wildfires
Why giving displaced families choice and control is such an important part of effective disaster housing
How AI, technology, and collaboration can help nonprofits become more efficient and responsive
Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com
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!
How Can We Best Alleviate Poverty?
Mar 29, 2026
Show notes
David Beckmann joins Dr. Rob Harter for a conversation on poverty alleviation, public policy, and the practical steps nonprofit leaders can take to reduce hunger and hardship in the United States and around the world. A pastor, economist, activist, and former president of Bread for the World, David shares insights from decades of advocacy work and discusses the central ideas in his book, Poverty Abolitionists.
In this episode, David reflects on the significant progress that has been made in reducing poverty over recent decades, while also warning that recent policy shifts are reversing some of those gains. Rob and David explore the role of nonprofit advocacy, the intersection of faith and public policy, and why leaders in the social impact sector need a vision that extends beyond their own organizations.
Key Topics Include:
Why David Beckmann believes poverty is a solvable problem in the U.S. and globally
What decades of data reveal about the dramatic decline in global and U.S. poverty rates
How advocacy can help nonprofit leaders influence policies that affect hunger and poverty
The impact of government funding cuts, tariffs, and immigration policies on vulnerable communities
Why nonprofit organizations play a unique role in offering both practical support and personal connection
How faith, spirituality, and beliefs about justice can shape public support for anti-poverty policies
Why nonprofit leaders need a mission bigger than their organization to create lasting change
Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com
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!
Guided by a Mission Bigger Than You
Mar 22, 2026
Show notesAsiaha Butler
In this episode Dr. Rob Harter sits down with Asiaha Butler, co-founder and CEO of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood (R.A.G.E.), to explore how one resident’s decision to stay transformed into a powerful, resident-led movement for community healing, ownership, and revitalization. Asiaha shares the defining moment that changed her life: seeing a young girl playing in a vacant lot filled with broken glass and deciding that leaving Englewood was no longer the answer.
Through this conversation, Asiaha unpacks how grassroots leadership, deep relationship-building, and a mission bigger than yourself can spark lasting change. From helping residents reclaim vacant lots to promoting homeownership, economic justice, and neighborhood belonging, her story offers nonprofit leaders a compelling model for building trust, preventing mission drift, and leading with both courage and joy.
Key Topics Include:
How a single moment in a vacant lot inspired Asiaha Butler to stay in Englewood and invest in her community
The founding story ofR.A.G.E. (Resident Association of Greater Englewood) and its resident-led approach to transformation
Why “community development of the mind” is essential before physical redevelopment can succeed
How relationship-building, belonging, and “porch life” help restore social fabric in disconnected communities
The role of vacant land activation, homeownership, and the Buy the Block Homebuyer Grant in advancing economic justice
How nonprofit leaders can document their story, reflect on their journey, and share their mission more effectively
Asiaha’s leadership lessons on rest, reflection, joy, and preventing burnout in mission-driven work
Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com
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!
What is Behind the Recent Growth of Nonprofit Consulting?
Mar 15, 2026
Show notesJulia Devine
In this episode, Dr. Rob Harter sits down with Julia Devine of Relatable Nonprofit to explore the rapid rise of nonprofit consulting and why more professionals are moving into this space. Drawing from a new industry report based on responses from 381 nonprofit consultants, Julia shares what is fueling this post-COVID shift and why nonprofits are increasingly turning to consultants and fractional experts to solve urgent capacity gaps.
Rob and Julia also unpack some of the biggest myths about nonprofit consulting, including the idea that only certain specialties earn more or that consulting is simply an easy career pivot. They discuss what today’s nonprofit consultants actually do, how retainers and project-based work are shaping the field, and what nonprofit leaders should understand about hiring outside expertise in a changing funding environment.
Key Topics Include:
Why nonprofit consulting has grown significantly over the last five years, especially after COVID
How layoffs, federal funding cuts, and reduced grant support are pushing professionals toward consulting
Why nonprofits are hiring consultants and fractional workers instead of adding full-time staff
What Julia Devine’s report revealed about consultant earnings, hourly rates, and business models
The difference between nonprofit consulting and fractional roles such as CFO, COO, or CEO support
Why niche positioning and problem-specific marketing matter more than offering general services
How retainer agreements and project-based work are helping consultants build sustainable income
Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com
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!
How Healthy Delegation Reduces Burnout and Builds Sustainable Leadership
Mar 08, 2026
Show notesStefan Feuerstein
In this episode, Dr. Rob Harter sits down with Stefan Feuerstein to explore why healthy delegation is essential for nonprofit leaders who want to avoid burnout and build sustainable organizations. Drawing on years of leadership experience in the humanitarian sector, Stefan explains that delegation is not about getting work off your plate, but about empowering team members, clarifying responsibility, and helping others grow into greater leadership.
Rob and Stefan unpack the fears that often keep mission-driven leaders from delegating well, especially the fear that the mission will suffer if someone else takes on key responsibilities. Stefan shares practical insights from his A-B-C Delegation Framework and explains how leaders can create healthier teams by defining responsibility, building trust, and developing people in ways that strengthen both the organization and its impact.
Key Topics Include:
Why delegation is a leadership skill every nonprofit leader must develop
How poor delegation contributes to burnout, bottlenecks, and micromanagement
The fear and control issues that keep leaders from letting go
What healthy delegation looks like in a growing organization
How Stefan’s A-B-C Delegation Framework creates clarity and trust
Why delegation should be used to develop people, not just distribute tasks
A practical first step leaders can take this week to reduce overwhelm
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 nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com
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!
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
Stay Connected
