Charity Therapy

A board member regularly makes flirty comments to the executive director – does this count as sexual harassment? The board decides to let go an independent contractor due to a program closure, but they're accusing the nonprofit of racial discrimination. The board wants to ask their employees to "volunteer" for other responsibilities – is that legal? Sometimes the answers to these questions are not...

There's a large and thriving part of the nonprofit sector made up of arts organizations – but not every arts org can or should be a nonprofit. So, what's the difference really? And if nonprofit isn't the right fit, how are you supposed to get funding then?? Andy Sturdevant, the Artist Resources Director at Springboard for the Arts , joins me to answer these questions and more! Join me on Facebook...

As the world slowly (or quickly) re-opens this summer, tons of nonprofits are left wondering what their post-pandemic offices and operations will look like. That's why I asked my friend and business law attorney Inti Martínez-Alemán of Ceiba Fôrte Law Firm to join me and answer some of the big re-opening questions. Can you require your employees to be vaccinated? Who does HIPAA apply to anyway? Ho...

Ephraim Gopin of 1832 Communications is a nonprofit marketing whiz, and he joined me in this episode to answer our listeners' burning questions. Should nonprofits have an employee giving program? How can you convince an old organization to modernize? What's really the difference between marketing and fundraising? Get Ephraim's e-book, Employee Giving: Does Charity Begin in the Office? Join me on F...

Lots of nonprofits had to change up their operations during in the past year – but how do you know what changes to make? My guest Maria Huntley, Executive Director of Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians , says that no matter what you decide, you first need to go back to your mission. In this episode, Maria and I put on our creative hats to answer listener questions about how to make big decisio...

We all saw the news not too long ago that Bill and Melinda Gates are getting a divorce – but what does that mean for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation? In this episode, we dive into the world of family foundations and answer the most common questions I've been hearing. Will the nonprofit be divided up in the divorce? What happens to the funding when the Gates aren't a family anymore? Tune in to...

This week we're covering the dreaded nonprofit disease – founders syndrome, aka founderitis. Nonprofit expert Reid Zimmerman joins me to answer listener questions about what it is and how you can fix it if your nonprofit has already infected. Tune in to learn more! Order Reid's book Join me on Facebook Subscribe to my newsletter

All nonprofits, no matter their size or mission, need to think about fundraising. Where's all the money going to come from to continue to power your mission? In this episode, Ellen Bristol, fundraising expert from Bristol Strategy Group , joins me to answer listener questions about the right way to approach fundraising. Here's a hint for you – it's not just about searching up foundations to ask fo...

Where there are people, there are people problems. And in voting member nonprofits, you've got a lot of people. So in this episode, we tackle listener questions about members and the issues that can come from the voting membership. What do you do when you have one member that causes a ruckus? Or what if you want to get rid of your voting members? Tune in to find out! Join me on Faceb o ok Subscrib...

April showers bring… May tax returns. That doesn't quite have the same ring to it, huh? But it's true – we're coming up on tax season! So while nonprofits rush to prepare their Form 990s, I'm answering listener questions about them. What do you do if a donor accuses you of filling out the 990 wrong? Or, what happens if you (or your CPA) drops the ball and files nothing at all? Tune in to find out!...

When you're running a nonprofit, you're tasked with making the RIGHT decisions for the organization – even in the face of unexpected challenges (hello, global pandemic!). There's no one-size-fits-all approach to deal with a crisis, so making those decisions is tough. In today's episode, we're answering questions from folks making some big, unplanned changes for their organization. Join me on Faceb...

Lots of nonprofit boards use Robert's Rules to run their board meetings – but should they? Robert's Rules is a parliamentary procedure that's meant to keep things orderly and make it easier to make group decisions. But sometimes, the rules make things harder, not easier. Tune in to this episode to hear some listener questions about what to do when Robert's Rules go off the rails. Go to www.birkenl...

Nonprofit dissolution is a difficult decision , no matter your mission. But once you make that decision, do you really know what it means to dissolve your nonprofit? Today, we answer the big questions from listeners in that exact situation: How do you know when it's time to call it a day and close down? And when it is time to close, what steps do you have to take? Tune in to find out! Join me on F...

Not everyone who works in nonprofits is an expert in handling nonprofit funds - and that's okay! If you're getting a gut feeling that something just isn't right (or maybe your nonprofit treasurer is...), you should listen . This episode is a throwback to March of 2020 when hosts Jess and Meghan were joined by Jim Hall to talk through some tricky nonprofit questions. What happens to leftover money...

  Nonprofits are only as good as the people who run them. So what happens if you can't find talented, dedicated people? Or if the awesome people you find keep leaving? Jason Viana, Executive Director of The Open Door, joins me for this conversation about finding, and keeping, great employees. Join me on Facebook Subscribe to my newsletter

  It's the end of a tough year, and nonprofits have been hit hard. Year-end giving is more important than ever. But how do you know who is a good charity to give to? Tune into this episode, revived from 2019, to find out the best (and worst!) ways to decide who deserves your donation. • Join me on Facebook •  Subscribe to my newsletter

Charles McDonald, Executive Director of Community Engagement Partners , joins us for another round of listener questions! If you lose your tax exempt status, can you just switch to a for-profit? Or, how open do nonprofits have to be about who is on their board of directors? Can you hire employees...but not pay them? Get the answers to these questions and more in this week's episode! Join me on Fac...

Are your nonprofit board meetings productive as they can be? Or do you walk away feeling like you wasted time and didn't get much done? It doesn't have to be that way! Matt Homann from Filament joined me to answer some burning nonprofit questions about how to hold a better meeting. Get Matt's meeting planning tool here. Join me on Facebook Subscribe to my newsletter

Nonprofit founders are visionaries - they have a clear picture of how they can make a difference in their community. But breaking down that vision to the nitty-gritty details for your IRS application's narrative statement can be tough. Tommy Hoffman, founder of Sober Farms, was in this exact spot. He knew what he wanted to do, but he wasn't sure how to communicate that to the IRS. Listen to our co...

Here's a Halloween trick: we're going back in time ONE YEAR to our very first episode of Charity Therapy! Jordan Couch, lawyer from Tacoma and friend of the pod, joined me to answer nonprofit questions. Are you haunted by unfinished business at your nonprofit? Spooked about witchy board members? Don't worry ghouls & goblins, we have advice to avoid being haunted by nonprofit leadership skeletons!...

It's easy to find ways that new nonprofit founders can go wrong. But we don't often hear the stories of founders that do things right. I sat down with Heidi Semann, the founder and executive director of Parotid Patient Project , to talk about her journey to starting and running a nonprofit. Listen in to learn from Heidi's hard work and dedication and how she found the community to make this new or...

Lots of people assume that folks who work in nonprofits have good intentions. While that's true most of the time, there are people who want to scam the system in EVERY industry. Our intern Chloe joins us for another round of nonprofit questions, like: Can you set up a nonprofit to pay for your own art? Or can you use a nonprofit's tax exemption to buy a house? Listen and find out! Join me on Faceb...

Join us for an episode with Kelly Rietow, HR Consultant at ROO Solutions , as we discuss people problems that nonprofits can face. What do you do if your boss is crossing boundaries during work? How can we prioritize paying nonprofit employees a living wage, and what are the challenges with that? Listen in and find out! Join me on Facebook Subscribe to my newsletter

How do you keep your donors engaged and invested in your mission? Matt Barnett of Bonjoro sat down with me to talk about the future of donor engagement - personalized video. Listen in to find out how personalized videos can set you apart from other orgs and help create donors that are superfans of your nonprofit. Check out Bonjoro Join me on Facebook Subscribe to my newsletter

Jess and Meghan are joined with Jason Viana, Executive Director of the Open Door , in answering another batch of nonprofit questions found on the internet.  What can you do to reanimate a nonprofit that's been lying dormant? How can you raise money for your organization during a pandemic? How can founders manage their mental health while running a nonprofit? Listen in and find out! Join me on Face...