Nonprofit CEO SPARK

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever avoided a conversation because the person causing the problem wasn't technically yours to manage?  In this episode of Nonprofit CEO SPARK, I share the story of a nonprofit leader whose shared office space was creating chaos his clients could feel the moment they walked in. He knew what needed to happen, but kept telling himself it wasn't his place to say an...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever watched someone get let go with no explanation, and spent the next week filling in the blanks yourself? Most nonprofit leaders prepare carefully for the exit conversation after a restructure or layoff, but few prepare for the conversation with the people who stay.  In this episode of Nonprofit CEO Spark, I share what I learned from a jarring personal experience with...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever assumed a younger team member's pushback on your process was disrespect, only to realize it might be something else entirely? What looks like entitlement is often a collision between two very different worlds. In this episode of Nonprofit CEO SPARK, I explore why Gen Z isn't hard to manage, they've simply been shaped by a lifetime of environments that...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is sponsored by Tessa Bridge Coaching. Do you ever lie awake at night wondering, Am I doing this right? Am I making enough of a difference? What does it say about me if I can’t keep this up? For values-driven leaders, caring deeply about the mission can sometimes blur the line between commitment and self-sacrifice.  You may find yourself doing more, giving more, and p...

Send us Fan Mail Q4 always seems to arrive faster than you expect, and by the time October ends, the pressure to make Giving Tuesday work is already on.  In this episode of Nonprofit CEO SPARK, I share the ten years I spent playing catch-up every single Q4, and the one team shift that finally changed everything.  Then I walk through a simple three-month framework nonprofit leaders can use to run a...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features a paid partnership with Content One / Cause Circle. Claim your complimentary digital health check for your organization exclusive for our listeners. You probably didn't wake up this morning thinking about your website.  You may have woken up wondering why donations feel flat, why your team seems stretched thin, and why more people aren't finding you...

Send us Fan Mail What if your nonprofit’s biggest branding problem isn’t your logo, messaging, or website, but the way you treat your people?  In this episode of Nonprofit CEO SPARK, Marcia Beckner talks with Bradley Hein about the powerful connection between leadership, empathy, communication, culture, and brand reputation.  They explore why genuine human connection matters, especially during dif...

Send us Fan Mail What if the best thing you can do for your nonprofit isn’t to keep pushing…but to step away and truly rest?  In this episode of Nonprofit CEO SPARK, Marcia Beckner talks with Karen McNeil-Miller about the power of executive sabbaticals, sustainable leadership, and why nonprofit CEOs shouldn’t have to burn out to prove their commitment.  Karen shares how a four-month sabbatical pro...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when you step into the CEO role after someone else has built the organization from the ground up? In this episode, Marcia talks with Elana Silber, CEO of Sharsheret, about succeeding a founder, honoring a powerful legacy, and finding your own way to lead. In this episode, you’ll learn: • How Elana moved from being the founder’s “number two” to leading the organization...

Send us Fan Mail The best board meetings don't feel like a reporting session…they feel like a strategic conversation. In this finale episode of the Board-CEO Partnership Series, Marcia sits down with entrepreneur and Zeck co-founder Robert Wolfe to explore why so many board meetings leave everyone frustrated and what leaders can do to change that. After building multiple companies and serving...

Send us Fan Mail What separates a board that simply functions from one that truly strengthens the mission? It isn't bigger budgets, better resumes, or more experience. It's the culture the board intentionally creates together. In this final episode of the Board-CEO Partnership Series, I bring together the five elements of the CARES Framework and share why healthy board culture is one of...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever left a board meeting wondering why no one spoke up, even though you knew people had something to say?  Silence is rarely a sign that everything is fine. More often, it's a sign that people don't feel safe sharing unfinished ideas, asking hard questions, or respectfully disagreeing.  In this episode of Nonprofit CEO SPARK, I explore why psychological safety...

Send us Fan Mail What if the reason your board isn't fully engaged has very little to do with attendance?  In this episode of Nonprofit CEO Spark , Marcia explores why board engagement is built through relationships, not just responsibilities.  Drawing from my own experience serving on a nonprofit board, she shares how a board can do everything "right" on paper and still miss the co...

Send us Fan Mail It doesn't take conflict to weaken a board and CEO relationship. Sometimes it starts with people who genuinely want to help. In this episode of Nonprofit CEO Spark, I share a story from my coaching work that highlights how easy it is for well intentioned board members to step into management without realizing the impact. It's an honest conversation about trust, clear rol...

Send us Fan Mail You can have a board full of people who care deeply about the mission and still have a CEO who doesn't feel supported. It happens more often than we realize. In this episode, Marcia shares why appreciation is about much more than saying "thank you." It's about creating a board culture where people know their expertise is trusted, their contributions matter, and...

Send us Fan Mail It's easy to assume a healthy board is one where everyone shows up, serves on committees, and believes in the mission. But what happens after the meeting often tells the real story.  In this episode, Marcia explores why commitment is about far more than attendance. It's about keeping promises, taking ownership, and creating a board culture where CEOs and Executive Direct...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the first episode of a special 8-part Board-CEO Partnership Series on Nonprofit CEO SPARK! Throughout August 2026, I'll be releasing two short episodes each week to help you strengthen one of the most important relationships in your organization: the partnership between your board and your CEO or Executive Director. Each 8–12 minute episode is packed with practical...

Send us Fan Mail Culture doesn't happen by accident. It's built one leadership decision at a time. Many nonprofit leaders accept high turnover, burnout, and 60-hour workweeks as part of the job.  But Rachel Hutchens believes there's a better way. "If you can't do your job in 40 hours, there's too many things in your job." — Rachel  In this episode of Nonprofit CE...

Send us Fan Mail What if recurring donors aren't the result of better fundraising...but stronger relationships? Many nonprofit leaders focus on acquiring the next donor.  But the organizations with the strongest recurring giving programs think differently. They focus on earning trust, deepening connection, and helping supporters feel like they're part of something meaningful. In this epi...

Send us Fan Mail What if the thing making you a "good leader" is actually burning you out? Many nonprofit CEOs wear perfectionism like a badge of honor. But what if it's really fear disguised as commitment? In this thought-provoking conversation, Marcia sits down with Tessa Bridge, author of Do Your Part: Bold, Sustainable Leadership for Social Impact Leaders in a Time of Polycrisis...

Send us Fan Mail Most leadership stories begin with a crisis and end with a comeback. But what about everything in between? In this episode, we're talking about the messy middle, that season where funding is uncertain, difficult decisions have to be made, your team is looking to you for answers, and you have no idea how the story will end. My guest, Annie Bacci, CEO of TGTHR on a mission to e...

Send us Fan Mail As nonprofit leaders, many of us assume we need to excel at everything. Vision. Strategy. Fundraising. Culture. Operations. Communication. Systems. Execution. But what if one of the biggest reasons leaders feel overwhelmed isn't because they're doing too little—it's because they're trying to do too much? In this episode of Nonprofit CEO SPARK, Marcia shares a l...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Nonprofit CEO SPARK, Marcia Beckner talks with Dr. Patton McDowell about one of the biggest challenges nonprofit leaders face today: how to lead with confidence when everyone has an opinion, meetings take over the calendar, and decision-making starts to stall. With more than 35 years of nonprofit leadership experience, Patton shares practical strategies for redu...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to lead with confidence when the world feels increasingly uncertain? In this episode of Nonprofit CEO SPARK, Marcia Beckner shares key insights from the 2026 AFP ICON Conference in San Diego, where she attended as press and interviewed more than two dozen nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, speakers, exhibitors, and technology partners. From AI and donor behavior to...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Nonprofit CEO SPARK, Marcia Beckner sits down with a true industry culture leader, Lorii Rabinowitz, to discuss how nonprofit CEOs can successfully navigate growth without sacrificing team well-being, culture, or mission alignment. Under Lorii’s leadership, the Denver Scholarship Foundation has grown from 32 to more than 90 team members while maintaining an extr...