Nonprofits Now: Leading Today

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Nonprofit leaders are overworked, struggling to retain top talent, and facing budgetary shortfalls. In Nonprofits Now: Leading Today, host Stacy Palmer interviews innovative leaders who have developed smart solutions to common, tough challenges. The podcast series springs from an exclusive Chronicle of Philanthropy survey that uncovered troubling pain points in leadership and a looming threat of leadership turnover. Nonprofits Now: Leading Today offers actionable strategies to address the most urgent challenges leaders face. Palmer and her guests explore proven ways to prevent burnout, manage intergenerational workplaces, hire strong senior teams, and much more. Starting April 15, tune in and turn the tide at your nonprofit.

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Episodes

How to Stave Off Burnout

As federal spending cuts, government policy shifts, and economic turbulence roil the nonprofit world, nearly 90 percent of leaders are worried they’re burning out, according to a new study by the Center for Effective Philanthropy. To help leaders figure out how to avoid exhausting themselves and their staffs, we turned to Sean Goode, an executive coach, to tackle this topic for our final episode of the first season of Nonprofits Now: Leading Today . Goode led Choose 180 , a Seattle nonprofit tha...

Jun 24, 2025•22 min

Navigating Leadership Challenges

As leaders at every nonprofit — no matter the size or cause — grapple with challenges to their missions and finances, it’s especially important to tap into the wisdom of executives who have helped their organizations weather previous threats. Barron Segar is one of those leaders. He took over as head of World Food Program USA just a few months before Covid ripped across the globe. Before that, he worked as executive vice president and chief development officer at Unicef USA , and he is a foundin...

Jun 17, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 8

How Valerie Jarrett Builds a Strong Executive Team

Valerie Jarrett is no stranger to the tough challenges nonprofit leaders face today. She is now head of the Obama Foundation , which is working to build an extensive library and community center in Chicago. From that perch she collaborates closely with leaders who pursue a wide range of social-change and economic development efforts. Jarrett built many of her leadership muscles decades ago, when she served as a key senior adviser to President Barack Obama through all eight years of his presidenc...

Jun 10, 2025•38 min

The Power of 4 Generations Working Together

Like all workplaces, nonprofits are now filled with up to four generations of workers as boomers work along with millennials and people in Generations X and Z. Each generation approaches work and careers differently, which leads to struggles at some organizations. But at the best-run nonprofits, leaders are ensuring that differences in work styles and life experience enhance an organization’s ability to meet its mission. In this episode of Nonprofits Now: Leading Today , host Stacy Palmer talks ...

Jun 03, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 6

Leading Amid Economic Uncertainty

Nonprofits are facing a series of financial hits — or bracing for them. Federal spending cuts have already forced many organizations to trim programs and lay off workers — and with policymakers considering more far-reaching reductions, additional austerity is likely. Meanwhile, the growing possibility of a recession could spell trouble for nonprofits that depend on foundations, corporations, and individuals for support. To help organizations navigate this period, Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer turne...

May 20, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Smart Solutions to Hire and Retain Top Talent

With the prospect of an economic downturn looming ― and the number of nonprofit layoffs on the rise ― many leaders are coping with a jittery workforce and new pressures to keep staff members motivated. These new developments come on top of one of the most challenging staff recruitment landscapes in recent memory, after the Covid pandemic changed how and where work gets done. In search of solutions, Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer talked to two leaders who have found ways to attract and retain outstan...

May 13, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Lessons in Leadership From Women of Color

As nonprofit leaders grapple with increasingly dire threats to their funding and missions, it’s more important than ever to understand what it takes to lead resilient organizations. For a look at what skills are most important, we hear from Vanessa Priya Daniel, who interviewed 45 social-justice leaders for her new book, Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning . Daniel combines her extensive research for the book with her own experiences as an organizer and founder o...

May 06, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 3

Two CEOs on How to Get Boards to Help With Fundraising and More

Two leaders, Kathleen St. Louis Caliento and Nick Grono , join Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer to explain how they have engaged their board in financial efforts. St. Louis Caliento runs Cara Collective , a Chicago nonprofit that helps low-income people find jobs. Grono heads the Freedom Fund , an organization that pools funds from donors who want to fight modern-day slavery. He’s the author of How to Lead Nonprofits: Turning Purpose into Impact to Change the World , published in 2024. As nonprofits f...

Apr 29, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 2

How to Make Headway in a Polarized World

Tim Dixon, co-founder of More in Common , joins Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer to offer research-based strategies leaders can use to bridge divides in the workplace and in their communities. More in Common helps political leaders and social-change movements strengthen their coalitions by including unlikely allies. Bridging divides is top-of-mind for nonprofit leaders today. Nearly two-thirds of nonprofit executives say the nation’s divisions are making their jobs tougher, according to an exclusive C...

Apr 15, 2025•31 min

Introducing "Nonprofits Now: Leading Today"

Nonprofit leaders are overworked, struggling to retain top talent, and facing budgetary shortfalls. In Nonprofits Now: Leading Today , host Stacy Palmer interviews innovative leaders who have developed smart solutions to common, tough challenges. The podcast series springs from an exclusive Chronicle of Philanthropy survey that uncovered troubling pain points in nonprofit leadership and a looming threat of leadership turnover. Nonprofits Now: Leading Today offers actionable strategies to address...

Apr 04, 2025•1 min

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