Charity Therapy

A nonprofit was built to run like a co-op. Everyone's equal. There's no HR. Is that your dream, or a nightmare that feel suspiciously like high school? I'm joined by Dr. Pablo Otaola , CEO of Thriving Culture LLC , to tackle a listener question about this exact scenario. An executive director walked into an organization built on flat structure ideals, but instead of a utopia they found bullying, c...

You're sitting on a nonprofit board. You haven't done anything wrong. Could someone really sue you personally over it? The unfortunate answer is YES, and the costs can pile up fast. I'm joined by Cody Wiswasser, an insurance professional at Community Partners Insurance Group , to tackle a question from a small animal rescue trying to decide whether directors and officers insurance is actually wort...

Your nonprofit hosted its first ever strategic planning retreat… and it was a complete disaster. So, what do you do now?? I'm joined by R. Perry Monastero , owner of RPM Consulting Group , to dig into a listener question that had us both saying "oof" out loud. A brand new board member sat through a nightmare retreat full of college-style exercises and definition debates. They want to help the boar...

So you've submitted your IRS application and you're anxiously awaiting the letter in the mail with their response. But what if it just… never comes?? Meghan and I tackle a listener question from a new nonprofit that did everything right – they got their tax-exempt status (yay!) but still can't find the actual letter. What do you do? Real Listener Question: "My org got approved as a 501(c)(3) accor...

So a nonprofit hires an Executive Director, skips all the onboarding, sets no goals, and now… wants to fire them. Yikes! I'm joined by Debbie Rabishaw , founder of HR consulting firm Next Step Advisory , to tackle a listener question that has more layers than an onion. A small nonprofit is in the middle of transitioning from a working board to a governing board, their new ED is getting mixed revie...

So you're a charity grounded in religious values. Does that make you a church in the eyes of the IRS? Meghan and I dig into a listener question that had me doing a genuine double take. A religious nonprofit submitted the 1023-EZ short form and got rejected because the IRS decided they were a church. What gives?! Real Listener Question: "The IRS rejected our 1023-EZ because they think we are a chur...

You scraped together your own money to start a brand-new nonprofit. You're out the money, but can you at least take a tax deduction? Meghan and I are back with a question from a new nonprofit founder who wants to know if the startup cash they put in before getting their 501c3 status counts as a tax-deductible donation. It's one of the most common questions we hear from new founders, and the answer...

Your nonprofit is doing real work, but do your financials show it? In this episode, Meghan and I tackle a listener question from a small nonprofit that's running into a big problem: their numbers don't match their story. The for-profit company supporting them pays for nearly everything, but none of that shows up on the books, and funders are raising eyebrows. Real Listener Question: "Our employees...

Your nonprofit closed its doors because of ICE enforcement or federal funding cuts. Is there an insurance policy that could actually help? Maybe, but the answer is a lot more complicated than you'd hope. In this episode, I'm joined by Cody Wiswasser, an insurance professional at Community Partners Insurance Group , to dig into my questions. With so much uncertainty hitting nonprofits right now, I...

Do you know someone eyeing their retirement accounts to fund their nonprofit dreams? We need to talk! In this episode, I'm joined by Jeff Beck , a wealth advisor at COE Financial Group , to tackle a listener question that had me equal parts fascinated and horrified. Real Listener Question: "My partner has a traditional IRA with about $100,000 in it. Can she invest that money in my 501(c)(3) withou...

Finding a lawyer should not feel harder than solving the legal problem itself. And yet, here we are. In this episode, Meghan and I talk about something that comes up constantly in my nonprofit law practice: how nonprofit leaders and boards actually find a good lawyer and how to tell whether someone is the right fit. Real Listener Question: "I am a board member tasked with finding my small nonprofi...

Nonprofit newsflash - your donation platform might be quietly annoying your biggest donors 😬 In this episode, Meghan and I dig into some nonprofit LinkedIn drama sparked by a post from the one and only Eve Borenstein . Here's the situation: You gave a big donation, and you received an auto-generated donation receipt from the org's donation platform. The problem?   The gift acknowledgement letter...

Nonprofits are tax-exempt, so lots of people assume that nonprofits don't have to worry about taxes ever. Right???? Well, not quite 😐 In this episode, Meghan and I dig into a question I hear all the time from people who want to help their communities but are confused about how nonprofit tax rules actually work. Real Listener Question: "I own a couple of restaurants and we have several events to r...

You're getting donations for a nonprofit – and that's great! But sometimes generosity comes with strings you never expected. In this episode, Meghan and I dig into the wild world of donor gifts and why nonprofits need clear guardrails to protect themselves from gifts that actually hurt the nonprofit. Real Listener Question: "We have a donation button on our website where people can give online and...

Think an audit is something to fear for your nonprofit? I get it! But what if it's actually a powerful tool for growth? In this episode, I sit down with nonprofit auditor Hannah Hugen from Abdo to unpack what an audit really is and why it's not nearly as scary as it sounds. Real Listener Question: "We filed the 1023-EZ and said we'd stay under $50K… but now a funding opportunity would push us past...

If your team is exhausted, overwhelmed, and constantly working nights and weekends, you might be dealing with more than a scheduling issue. You might be dealing with a culture problem that is hurting your mission. In this episode, I invited my friend and people strategy expert Rachel Platt of Plattinum Consulting to talk with me about the hidden issues inside nonprofit overwork and what it really...

You've got a great business idea, people want to donate to help, and you're thinking… "What if I just start a nonprofit?" Hold up — let's talk about it. In this episode, Meghan and I tackle one of the most common (and most frustrating) misconceptions out there — when entrepreneurs try to mix business ventures with nonprofit structures. Real Listener Question: "I'm coaching a small business owner w...

Nonprofit HR can be messy — but it doesn't have to be. Let's talk about when it's time to call in reinforcements (and what "reinforcements" actually look like). I sat down with Mark Bromberg , a Business Performance Advisor at Insperity and one of my favorite people to send clients to when HR headaches start taking over. We dug into what PEOs (Professional Employer Organizations) really do — and w...

What happens when a for-profit giant "helps" nonprofits without asking first? Spoiler: chaos, confusion, and a lot of angry fundraisers. In this episode, I sat down with my good friend and fundraising pro, Ephraim Gopin of 1832 Communications , to unpack the wild story of GoFundMe auto-creating donation pages for 1.4 million nonprofits — without their consent. Real Listener Question: "What do we d...

If your board hasn't met in ten months, that's not just awkward — it's a big problem. In this episode, Meghan and I dive into a basic (but often overlooked) part of nonprofit governance: how often a board needs to meet, and what happens when it doesn't. Real Listener Question: "My wife joined the board of a small arts nonprofit, but they haven't met once in ten months. The executive director sends...

Think a PEO will solve all your nonprofit's HR headaches? Not so fast — the fine print might surprise you. In this episode, I'm joined by HR consultant Jess Holst from Aligned HRC to answer a listener's question about whether a professional employer organization (PEO) is the right solution for their growing nonprofit. Real Listener Question: "We've grown from four employees to nearly twelve. I've...

Worried your nonprofit's DEI programs might be illegal now? You're not alone — and I can bet you won't be able to find the right answer on social media. In this episode, I'm joined by Megan Fuciarelli from US2 Consulting to dig into what the latest EEOC guidance actually means for nonprofits trying to foster inclusion. Real Listener Question: "My nonprofit has employee resource groups (ERGs) for L...

Think your nonprofit's old emails and files are harmless? Think again. What you keep — and what you don't — could save or sink your organization. It's Jess Birken here, and I'm back with my co-host Meghan tackling a topic that sounds boring but is way more important than you think: data retention policies and how they protect your nonprofit. Real Listener Question: "I work at a nonprofit that serv...

If your business is struggling, can you save it by turning it into a nonprofit? Short answer: probably not. It's Jess Birken here, and I'm back with my co-host Meghan tackling a super common question from business owners who think running a nonprofit might be an easier path. Real Listener Question: "I'm an instructor at a small figure skating school. It's been around for 30 years, but we're not ma...

Have you heard? The IRS just gave churches the green light to endorse political candidates.  It's Jess Birken here, and I'm back with my co-host Meghan to dig into a recent IRS policy change that could shake up the nonprofit and political landscape. Real Listener Question: Not a listener question this time — Meghan brought the heat herself: "Did the IRS really just say churches can endorse politic...