Future Nonprofit

“When you make the transition from operator to leader, you have to be intentional about how you’re defining success.”—Melissa Russell What does it actually take to scale a nonprofit without losing culture or clarity along the way? There’s no one better to show us the way than Melissa Russell. Melissa carries a wealth of nonprofit leadership experience as the current President of charity: water and...

“Much of what I've encountered throughout my career is people building a campaign to keep the organization happy versus meeting a clear, objective goal.” –Ben Webb (Did you miss Part 1? You can find it here. ) Which department is accountable for a nonprofit’s revenue? If you said fundraising, you’d be with the majority. But according to Ben Webb, CMO of International Justice Mission (IJM), you’d o...

As a leader, facing distractions is part of the job. Ben Webb, CMO of International Justice Mission (IJM), is committed to finding what he calls “sandcastles” in leadership—the areas we put our energy that just wash away without moving us closer to the ultimate outcome. Through his approach to marketing, he’s helping build an entire culture at IJM of stronger cross-department collaboration, commun...

“If you have one person in burnout, you can't address it by dealing directly with the symptoms of that person. It's the system that's making people burnout, not individuals.” Rachel Currie Triska learned the hard way that driving at full speed eventually burns out the engine. As a CEO, founder, and social change leader, Rachel’s default is high performance. But when burnout brought collapse, she w...

“I don't think there’s a generosity crisis. What I think we're seeing is less about the heart of people and more about the struggles people are going through right now.” –Jaclyn Jones Ongoing retention decline has nonprofits chasing quick wins and short-term ROI. But when you believe without question that humans are generous like Jaclyn Jones, you play the long game. As the Chief Philanthropic Eco...

“We're tackling the crisis of food insecurity, but we're also tackling this epidemic of disconnection. And we're building bridges and building connections that people are just craving right now.” –Dan Zauderer What if joy fed more than just the soul? What if it could fill a parking lot with a hundred volunteers, rescue pallets of unpurchased food, and drive it city-wide to families in need? It’s n...

“I do not believe that nonprofits live in a separate world. I believe that they live in the same world [as every other brand].” –Jim Moriarty Nonprofits aren’t operating in a separate marketplace than for-profits. They’re competing for the same attention, trust, and loyalty as every other brand. Jim Moriarty, brand strategist and former CEO of the Surfrider Foundation, believes this is the case—po...

Many leaders build for today. Strategic leaders build for tomorrow. Steve Woodworth is one of those rare leaders who’s spent his life focused on legacy—measuring success not just by what happens during his time, but by what’s made possible for those who come after. “Did I set the organization up for the next generation to do even more than what we've done in my generation of leadership?”—Steve Woo...

How do you fight global sex trafficking? With a global solution.  Jeremy Vallerand (Atlas Free) shows how networked partnerships, not duplication, drive faster, measurable impact against exploitation. Jeremy founded Atlas Free to strengthen what already works: resourcing effective local partners instead of reinventing programs. Today, Atlas Free supports a global network focused on ending sex...

“What we're trying to do is build a forged family for people that have been despised, outcast, lost and forgotten, and pushed to the furthest fringes of society.”—Alan Graham Before you truly see an issue, you only know part of the story. But once you develop empathy for the people it affects, you can’t unsee its importance. That’s what happened for Alan Graham, who has now dedicated nearly three...

“If we're gonna see real change, it has to be done on a local level. My personal mission for the rest of my life is reintegrating localism back into modern society.”—Bob Dalton Do you ever feel like it’s harder than ever to engage people in your mission? Nonprofits today compete with influencer culture, political fatigue, and content overload. Bob Dalton has cracked the code on how localism rebuil...

“And the way things are looking in Ukraine, even if the war stops today, it's going to take decades to rebuild and rebuild lives.”—Yuriy Boyechko In 2016, Yuriy Boyechko founded Hope for Ukraine to serve the underserved—children impacted by HIV/AIDS, families in extreme poverty, and people with disabilities who had little access to care. But when Russia invaded in 2022, Yuriy and his team had to a...

How do you honor a 200-year legacy without losing relevance for today? That’s the question Dr. Jennifer Holloran has been asking since becoming the first female president of American Bible Society in 2024. In this episode, Jennifer shares how her leadership was shaped by hardship, faith, and an openness to follow where God was leading, even when the path wasn’t clear. From rebuilding an organizati...

“When you understand the humans and the interests, needs, desires, and context within which they function, you can design systems that reflect those needs.” - Amy Anderson How do you innovate within a system that has been stagnant for years? This is the question that guides Amy Anderson’s work as Executive Director of RESCHOOL Colorado—a nonprofit committed to creating an equitable education syste...

“If you're a positive adult who can offer support, there's a huge impact. 86% of our kids quadruple their literacy learning rate.” - Michelle Curren Sometimes the most meaningful journeys in life are unexpected, aren’t they? When Michelle Curren set out to change the world, she didn’t see herself helping kids learn to read in her hometown of Chico, CA. She thought she’d be actively combatting sex...

“So many people are not voicing their power.” - Holly Smithson What if your biggest strength is the thing you’ve been told is your greatest weakness? In this episode, Ted sits down with Holly Smithson, CEO of Athena , a global leadership platform dedicated to fast-tracking women in STEM (short for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). This is an incredible organization that is partnering wi...

“There was no real mechanism for measuring what we meant when we said build trust… Who was creating the surveys? What was the methodology? What were the metrics assessing relationships?” - Meme Styles You use data every day. In the stories you tell donors. In the statistics you share on social media. In the decisions you make about the future of the organization. But data-informed decision-making...

Today, your audience is more aware than ever before of injustices impacting our world. They’re eager to help, but unsure of the best way to make a difference. As a nonprofit leader, it’s your job to channel their passion into action. How? By sharing your story—and making it easy for others to amplify it. On Future Nonprofit, we often explore how to improve the way your organization operates . But...

“Leadership is not just something that is relegated to middle management, upper management, executive leadership. Leadership is a culture that exists inside of your organization. If you truly want to make breakthrough products, experiences, campaigns; if you want your entire team from entry-level individuals up to your C suite to really be pushing the organization forward, every single person need...

“When you see horrible things happen to innocent people, you can choose one of two paths. You can either go a route of bitterness and hatred and perpetuate a problem, or you can think—does this have to be like this?” - Thomas Keown Who is best equipped to drive lasting change for people facing challenging circumstances? Our latest guest on Future Nonprofit, Thomas Keown, has discovered a powerful...

“For me, that's really where you get the highest ROI. Just to hear from a person: this matters.” - Ryan Sisson When’s the last time you thought to yourself, “Wow, this is real community”? That magical, visceral feeling of true human connection? It’s rare—feels like lightning in a bottle. Many nonprofit leaders have tried to capture it within the community they cultivate for their team, their donor...

“[She] asked me, ‘What's one thing we can give you so you never go back on the streets?’ And I told them, ‘If you give me a computer, I would never go back on the streets. And they did. And that gadget captured me from what the streets were offering and I teleported into a new world of possibilities.’” - Emmanuel Trinity How do you create generational prosperity when the prevailing model of charit...

“I really think that we all have something we want to produce and give to the world, and that should be our ambition. And people are going to love you for what you give to the world. They're going to love you for your ambition.” - Remi Sobomehin What’s the best way to make progress toward your mission? It’s a question many nonprofit leaders wrestle with.  The truth is, sometimes making a real...

Running a nonprofit can be hard. You’re leading a dedicated crew into the heart of challenging crises. But if you’re like most nonprofit leaders, no one trained you on how to set healthy boundaries, offer emotional support, or ensure your team’s time and talents aren’t undervalued. Juggling all of this while also striving to make a positive impact through your mission can leave even the most fearl...

“As an employee of a nonprofit, you're maybe blessed to get paid for the work you do every day, but it doesn't mean you care about it any more or less than the people that are giving you money. And so, by drawing them in, you build an army of committed advocates and activists for your cause. You're having an impact on the hearts of your donors by drawing them in. You're making the world a better p...