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- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
10,001 - 25,000 - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
25,001 - 75,000 - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
5,001 - 15,000
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On the show
Recent episodes
From Nice to Confident: How Executive Directors Take Back Authority
May 5, 2026
11m 28s
5 C's to Leading Your Nonprofit with Confidence
Apr 28, 2026
13m 51s
Culture by Default or Design: How Colorado College Hit $20M Ahead of Schedule
Apr 23, 2026
29m 31s
The Five Conditions Every Nonprofit Team Needs to Actually Thrive
Apr 23, 2026
21m 11s
I Was a Nonprofit CEO With No Roadmap. Here Is What I Built Instead
Apr 23, 2026
14m 41s
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| Date | Episode | Description | Length | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/5/26 |  From Nice to Confident: How Executive Directors Take Back Authority | Send us Fan Mail Leading with Confidence Series #2 What happens when your desire to be a kind, supportive leader starts costing your team more than it helps? In this episode, we unpack a pattern many executive directors quietly fall into…holding onto the wrong person for too long in the name of being fair, loyal, or “nice.” What starts as good intention can slowly erode trust, morale, and performance across your entire organization. Through a real client story, you’ll see how one high-perform... | 11m 28s | ||||||
| 4/28/26 | 5 C's to Leading Your Nonprofit with Confidence | Send us Fan Mail Leading with Confidence Series #1 of 12 Welcome to the Leading with Confidence series where we will dive into the various challenges and opportunities to lead your team with more conviction and clarity. We will talk about executive presence and how to build confidence while navigating your organization each day. In this first episode, you'll learn the 5 C's framework. Even strong nonprofit CEOs and executive directors can find themselves quietly second-guessing decisions, rep... | 13m 51s | ||||||
| 4/23/26 | Culture by Default or Design: How Colorado College Hit $20M Ahead of Schedule | Send us Fan Mail Proof beats promises every time. Here it is. Colorado College's Advancement team was coming out of a pandemic, shrinking staff, leadership transitions, and a culture that had quietly drifted from healthy to unstable. Sound familiar? They didn't ignore it. They decided to fix it by design, not by default. In this episode Marcia sits down with Kimberly Elahab, Director of Prospect Research at Colorado College, who was inside the Culture CARES process from the beginning and is s... | 29m 31s | ||||||
| 4/23/26 | The Five Conditions Every Nonprofit Team Needs to Actually Thrive | Send us Fan Mail You didn't become a nonprofit leader to spend your days managing conflict, navigating HR investigations, and losing sleep over staff dynamics. But here you are. If the culture inside your organization feels like it's running you instead of the other way around, this episode is the one you've been waiting for. Marcia Beckner breaks down why even the most mission-driven nonprofits quietly unravel from the inside out and what it takes to fix it at the root. Culture problems are ... | 21m 11s | ||||||
| 4/23/26 | I Was a Nonprofit CEO With No Roadmap. Here Is What I Built Instead | Send us Fan Mail What if the thing that broke you became the thing that built everything else? Before Marcia Beckner was a nonprofit culture strategist, she was a nonprofit CEO navigating cancer, divorce, and the crushing weight of leadership with no roadmap and no one to call. She built the framework she wished she'd had. Now she's handing it to you. In this first episode Marcia shares the story behind Culture CARES and why she dedicated her career to nonprofit leaders specifically. You'll h... | 14m 41s | ||||||
| 4/17/26 | Don’t Miss This: What Nonprofit CEOs Need Before AFP ICON 2026 | Send us Fan Mail This is a timely conversation for nonprofit CEOs and executive directors who are thinking about how to strengthen fundraising, lead with more confidence, and position their organizations for sustainable growth. In this episode, Marcia sits down with Art Taylor, President and CEO of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, to explore what’s actually working across the sector right now and to hear his perspective on the current state of giving and where leaders may be leav... | 43m 07s | ||||||
| 4/14/26 | When Executive Directors Hit a Breaking Point - It's Not You, It's the System | Send us Fan Mail When leadership starts to feel unstable, many executive directors quietly wonder if they’re the problem. In this episode, we unpack why that thought shows up—and why it’s often not true. Through Mary’s story, you’ll hear what happens when a leader becomes the system holding everything together, and why that approach eventually breaks down. This conversation reframes the real issue: it’s not about working harder or communicating better—it’s about building a structure and cultu... | 13m 08s | ||||||
| 4/7/26 | What Strong Boards Do Differently to Drive Results (with CEO Melanie Ulle) | Send us Fan Mail What if the biggest lever for your organization’s growth isn’t your next fundraising strategy, hire, or strategic plan, but your board? In this episode, Marcia sits down with philanthropy expert Melanie Ulle to unpack what most nonprofit leaders are getting wrong about board development and engagement, and how to fix it in a way that actually works. If you’ve ever felt frustrated by lack of follow-through, unclear expectations, or that subtle tension between you and your boar... | 37m 51s | ||||||
| 3/31/26 | Nonprofit Social Media and AI: How to Engage Real Humans (with Julia Campbell) | Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever felt like your nonprofit organization is posting consistently, but still not seeing meaningful engagement, it may not be a content problem. In this episode, I sit down with digital marketing expert and Nonprofit Nation Podcast host Julia Campbell to unpack what’s actually driving connection, trust, and donor engagement online right now. Because social media is not a strategy on its own, it’s a tool. And when it’s used without intention, it can quickly become ju... | 33m 20s | ||||||
| 3/24/26 | Grant Writer or Freelancer? A Guide for Executive Directors | Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Marcia Beckner sits down with grant writing expert, author, and Grant Writing & Funding podcast host Holly Rustick for a candid conversation about what nonprofit leaders need to know before hiring fundraising support. They explore a question many Executive Directors and nonprofit CEOs are quietly asking right now: is it smarter to hire an in-house grant writer, or bring in a freelance specialist? But this conversation goes far beyond staffing models... | 40m 47s | ||||||
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| 3/17/26 | Are You Leaving Major Gifts on the Table? | Send us Fan Mail If fundraising feels unpredictable, overwhelming, or too dependent on luck, this episode is for you. Marcia talks with major gifts expert and former Executive Director Rhea Wong about how nonprofit leaders can stop relying on vague donor lists and start building a real major gifts system that creates more clarity and more predictable revenue. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why a donor list is not the same as a fundraising strategyHow a consent-based approach makes donor ... | 33m 45s | ||||||
| 3/10/26 | (Part 2 of 2) What Nonprofit CEOs and EDs Are Thinking, But Rarely Say Out Loud | Send us Fan Mail In Part 2 of this candid two-part series, we take burnout head-on, not as a personal failure, but as a predictable outcome of leading inside systems that haven’t kept pace with growth. After interviewing nonprofit CEOs and Executive Directors across the sector, one theme was impossible to ignore: leaders are exhausted, carrying responsibility that keeps expanding without enough structure to support it. Burnout doesn’t usually arrive all at once. It creeps in through longer ho... | 15m 25s | ||||||
| 3/3/26 | What Nonprofit CEOs and EDs Are Thinking, But Rarely Say Out Loud (Part 1 of 2) | Send us Fan Mail In this first episode of a two-part series, we name what many nonprofit CEOs and Executive Directors are carrying privately. After personally interviewing leaders across missions, budgets, and growth stages, one pattern became clear: the challenges aren’t isolated. They’re sector-wide. Board misalignment. Staff exhausted from constant pivots. Key leaders leaving with no bench in place. The quiet pressure to have answers in moments of deep uncertainty. You’ll hear the exact wo... | 15m 55s | ||||||
| 2/24/26 | Leading Gen Z Without Losing Your Confidence | Send us Fan Mail Many nonprofit leaders struggle to navigate the new workforce, where five generations are working side by side. In this episode, Marcia Beckner shares practical strategies for engaging Gen Z, setting clear expectations, and building a culture that supports everyone. Through the episode, Marcia addresses common challenges, including misunderstandings, generational tension, and the pressure CEOs and EDs feel to get it “right.” Drawing on research and her own experie... | 11m 47s | ||||||
| 2/17/26 | 85% Retention Rule: Building an A-Team Culture that Thrives (with CEO Kelly Dunkin) | Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Nonprofit CEO Spark, Marcia Beckner welcomes Kelly Dunkin, President and CEO of the Colorado Gives Foundation. Kelly leads a team of nearly 30 people and drives record-breaking fundraising outcomes, even through challenging years. Kelly shares practical strategies for building a high-performing culture without burning out, including how to stop taking things personally, use culture metrics to guide hiring and retention, and create an inclusive, aligne... | 30m 22s | ||||||
| 2/10/26 | Turbulence Ahead: How Nonprofit Leaders Stay Grounded (Lessons from an Ex-Flight Attendant) | Send us Fan Mail Before her nonprofit career, Marcia Beckner worked as a flight attendant after college. While she didn’t realize it at the time, this role unexpectedly prepared her for leadership in ways no classroom or certification ever could. In this episode, Marcia shares how calm, trust, and effective systems are far more powerful than heroics or title-based authority. Marcia reflects on a late-night flight where the landing gear was stuck down and her team had to execute an emergency l... | 12m 37s | ||||||
| 2/3/26 | The Mindset Shift You Need To Take Your Nonprofit From Survival To Smart Growth | Send us Fan Mail In tough times, abundance isn’t necessarily about having more, it’s about protecting what matters most. In this episode, Marcia Beckner explores how nonprofit leaders can navigate financial and operational constraints with clarity, courage, and creativity. Using the “defensible core” strategy, leaders can focus on mission-critical work, make smart decisions under pressure, and maintain a culture of trust and confidence. In the episode, you’ll learn how to shift from a scarcit... | 12m 56s | ||||||
| 1/27/26 | Why Clear Hybrid Roles Build Fair, Connected Nonprofit Cultures | Send us Fan Mail Navigating hybrid work policies in nonprofits can feel like walking a tightrope, somehow trying to balance fairness, mission delivery, and staff morale. In this episode of Nonprofit CEO Spark, Marcia Beckner shares actionable strategies to turn hybrid work from a source of tension into a tool for trust and connection. She covers how to design hybrid policies that feel fair across different roles and explains why clarity and transparency matter more than the perks. Plus, she d... | 7m 56s | ||||||
| 1/20/26 | How Clear Decision Roles Help Nonprofit Teams Make Better Decisions | Send us Fan Mail Do your staff meetings ever feel like they’re spinning in circles, leaving decisions unclear and energy drained? Marcia Beckner shares what she learned from her program and operations manager that streamlined her nonprofit organization’s decision-making using two simple frameworks: RACI and DACI. In the episode, Marcia explains how clarity around roles and authority can save time, reduce conflict, and make your team more effective, without sacrificing inclusivity or res... | 11m 06s | ||||||
| 1/13/26 | How I Turned Staff Drama Into Team Trust and Financial Results | Send us Fan Mail Staff conflict isn’t necessarily inevitable. In fact, it can be thought of as a leadership choice. In this episode, Marcia Beckner shares her personal journey navigating a nonprofit in crisis, where internal factions and low trust threatened the survival of the organization she founded.. She reveals how decisive leadership and aligned teams can transform your organization, even in the toughest seasons. You’ll learn how to recognize when conflict is eroding culture, mora... | 14m 03s | ||||||
| 1/5/26 | New Year's Resolution: Stop Sacrificing Yourself and Lead Smarter | Send us Fan Mail As a nonprofit leader, it’s easy to get caught in the cycle of long hours, constant email triage, and running on little more than adrenaline. In this episode, Marcia Beckner challenges you to make a New Year’s resolution to stop personally sacrificing your peace, health, and joy to keep the mission running. In the episode, you’ll learn three practical strategies to make this resolution stick: Choose a powerful mantra that anchors your intentions and guides your decision... | 11m 30s | ||||||
| 12/16/25 | 4 Trust-Building Secrets From Nonprofit Leaders That Actually Work | Send us Fan Mail Nonprofit leaders are really good at reflecting on what truly works to sustain trust and morale during difficult times. Marcia Beckner asked four experienced nonprofit leaders their #1 strategies for keeping teams engaged, aligned, and resilient even amidst staff transitions, funding shifts, and high-pressure environments, and in this episode, she’s sharing what they had to say. You’ll learn how to: Model behaviors and follow up to proactively build trustPrioritize one-... | 10m 27s | ||||||
| 12/9/25 | Reclaiming Your Agency as a Nonprofit CEO or ED | Send us Fan Mail Feeling stretched thin as a nonprofit leader? Between shifting policies, demanding boards, and staff burnout, it’s easy to feel like you’re running on empty. In this episode, Marcia Beckner explores the concept of agency, explaining how to reclaim control over your time, your decisions, and your culture, even when the world feels chaotic. She shares advice on how to steer your organization and culture with intention instead of reaction and empower your team to take owne... | 10m 38s | ||||||
| 12/2/25 | Closing the Clarity Gap: A Communication Lesson from a Starbucks Mix-Up | Send us Fan Mail Have you ever left a meeting thinking everyone’s on the same page, only to find that your team ended up running in completely different directions? Miscommunication is one of the hidden drains on nonprofit leaders’ time, trust, and energy. In this episode, Marcia Beckner shares a simple yet powerful story about a Starbucks mix-up that reveals why what we say isn’t always what people hear. Marcia explains why clarity often breaks down in organizations, and how avoi... | 8m 12s | ||||||
| 10/28/25 | Protecting Your Culture: A Leadership Lesson (With a Little Help from Disney) | Send us Fan Mail What happens when a staff member who’s great on paper slowly drains the energy of your whole team? Sometimes the hardest decision as a nonprofit CEO or Executive Director isn’t about strategy, it’s about people implementing the plans. In this episode, Marcia Beckner shares the story of Claire, a healthcare nonprofit leader whose year-long struggle with one toxic employee pushed her staff to the breaking point, and the lessons she learned about protecting culture, morale... | 13m 12s | ||||||
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