In this episode of the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, Rob Harter talks with Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, about the urgent need to rebuild trust, strengthen local communities, and rediscover what it means to be a good neighbor. Walter shares how declining trust, loneliness, polarization, and compassion fatigue are affecting generosity, volunteerism, and civic life across the country.

Walter also introduces the Good Neighbor Day America movement, a nationwide call to service designed to help churches, nonprofits, and community groups take simple, practical steps toward neighborliness. From cleaning up parks to supporting local schools, feeding people, and partnering across differences, Walter explains how small acts of kindness can grow into meaningful community transformation.

Key Topics Include:

• Why trust is declining in communities, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations
• How polarization and ideological conflict affect generosity and volunteer engagement
• The importance of relational proximity in rebuilding trust at the local level
• How compassion fatigue, loss of agency, and lack of access can prevent people from serving
• Why small, visible acts of kindness can create lasting cultural change
• The vision behind Good Neighbor Day America and how organizations can participate
• How nonprofit leaders can model service, humility, empathy, and neighborliness

Mentioned in This Episode:

• National Association of Evangelicals: https://www.nae.org

This Episode is Sponsored By:

• DonorBox: https://donorbox.org

Links to Resources:

• Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob’s website: RobHarter.com
• Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel
• Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
• Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com

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Listen and subscribe to the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with other nonprofit leaders!

In this episode of the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, Dr. Rob Harter speaks with Steve Cadigan, talent strategist, author of Workquake, and LinkedIn’s first Chief HR Officer. Steve shares how the employer-employee relationship has changed dramatically in recent years, especially as AI, remote work, frequent career changes, and shifting expectations around purpose and flexibility continue to reshape the workplace.

Steve explains why nonprofit leaders can no longer rely on traditional ideas of long-term retention or job security. Instead, he encourages leaders to offer “career security” by helping employees grow, learn, and become better prepared for an uncertain future. For nonprofits, this shift creates a powerful opportunity to attract mission-driven talent, build stronger alumni relationships, redesign roles for shorter talent cycles, and create cultures where people want to contribute deeply—even if they do not stay forever.

Key Topics Include:

• Why the “workquake” is changing how leaders recruit, retain, and develop talent
• The difference between job security and career security
• How nonprofit leaders can build stronger talent strategies in a short-tenure workplace
• Why employees are increasingly loyal to learning, growth, and purpose
• How nonprofits can attract people in career transition through “tour of duty” roles
• The value of alumni communities and maintaining relationships with former employees
• Why reverse mentoring can help younger employees contribute, grow, and stay engaged

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Steve Cadigan’s website: https://stevecadigan.com
• Steve Cadigan’s book, Workquake: https://stevecadigan.com/workquake/
• Steve Cardigan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cadigan/

This Episode is Sponsored By:

• DonorBox

Links to Resources:

• Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob’s website: RobHarter.com
• Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel
• Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
• Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com

Subscribe and Share
Listen and subscribe to the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with other nonprofit leaders!

In this episode, Dr. Rob Harter welcomes Caitlin Baron, CEO of the Luminos Fund, to discuss how nonprofit leaders can sustain long-term impact while scaling mission-driven work. Caitlin shares her personal journey from growing up in Brooklyn, where she saw firsthand how education changes opportunity, to leading international education initiatives that help children who have been denied access to school.

Caitlin explains how the Luminos Fund creates second-chance education programs for out-of-school children across Africa, helping students cover three years of learning in just one year. She also shares practical leadership insights on scaling impact, building strong partnerships, staying focused on mission, cultivating joyful learning environments, and growing as a leader while an organization expands.

Key Topics Include:

• How the Luminos Fund helps out-of-school children catch up and reenter school with peers their own age
• Why nonprofit leaders should focus on community assets instead of only looking at needs or deficits
• How Luminos scales impact through African-led community-based organizations and government partnerships
• The importance of open-source tools, teacher guides, and the Luminos Method for expanding education access
• Why joyful learning, play-based instruction, and safe classroom environments accelerate academic outcomes
• How Caitlin’s leadership evolved from hands-on program builder to steward of strategy, culture, hiring, and risk management
• Why nonprofit CEOs must stay in dialogue with the external environment while keeping internal teams aligned

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Luminos Fund: https://luminosfund.org
• The Luminos Method: https://luminosfund.org/luminos-method
• Luminos Method on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com

This Episode is Sponsored By:

• DonorBox

Links to Resources:

• Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob’s website: RobHarter.com
• Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel
• Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
• Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com

Subscribe and Share
Listen and subscribe to the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with other nonprofit leaders!

In this special four-state panel discussion, Rob Harter brings together nonprofit leaders from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado to discuss the biggest trends impacting nonprofit leadership today. Guests Jill Bennett of the Utah Nonprofits Association, Kevin Bailey of the Idaho Community Foundation and Idaho Nonprofit Center, Jodi Shields of the Wyoming Nonprofit Network, and Lloyd Lewis of arc Thrift Stores share practical insights on financial sustainability, fundraising challenges, staff burnout, AI, board governance, collaboration, and social enterprise.

Together, the panel explores how nonprofit organizations can continue to serve rising community needs while facing funding uncertainty, workforce pressure, and rapid technological change. This conversation offers honest encouragement and practical strategies for executive directors, board members, fundraisers, and nonprofit staff who are navigating today’s complex nonprofit landscape.

Key Topics Include:

• How nonprofit leaders are responding to financial uncertainty, changing donor behavior, and reduced grant funding
• The growing challenge of nonprofit staff burnout and how organizations can better support and retain employees
• Why mission alignment, flexible work, clear expectations, and healthy workplace culture matter for nonprofit retention
• Practical ways nonprofits are using AI and technology to save time, improve communication, and strengthen operations
• Board governance best practices, including the role of the board, ideal board size, and when to use advisory boards
• How nonprofit collaboration, mergers, shared services, and collective impact models can increase effectiveness
• The importance of joining state nonprofit associations and building a stronger collective voice for the sector

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Utah Nonprofits Association
• UTAHGIVES
• Idaho Community Foundation
• Idaho Nonprofit Center
• Idaho Gives
• Wyoming Nonprofit Network
• WyoGives
• arc Thrift Stores
• arc Thrift Stores Gala

This Episode is Sponsored By:

• DonorBox

Links to Resources:

• Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob’s website: RobHarter.com
• Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel
• Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
• Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com

Subscribe and Share
Listen and subscribe to the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with other nonprofit leaders!

In this episode of the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, Rob Harter talks with Pierre Le Manh, President and CEO of Project Management Institute (PMI), about how nonprofit leaders can stay grounded in their mission while navigating rapid change, uncertainty, and transformation. Pierre shares why clarity of purpose, adaptive execution, transparency, and values-based leadership are essential for keeping teams aligned and motivated even when conditions are shifting.

Rob and Pierre also explore why project management skills are no longer reserved for people with the project manager title. From prioritization and stakeholder alignment to AI adoption, enterprise agility, and long-term thinking, this conversation offers practical leadership insights for nonprofit executives who want to improve execution, avoid mission drift, and lead change with empathy. Pierre also points listeners to PMI’s resources and his LinkedIn profile for continued learning.

Key Topics Include:

• How nonprofit leaders can stay anchored in purpose during seasons of rapid change and uncertainty
• Why adaptive execution often works better than overplanning and overregulating in mission-driven organizations
• The growing importance of project management skills for nonprofit leaders, CEOs, and teams leading transformation
• How prioritization, planning, and stakeholder trust directly improve mission outcomes
• What it looks like to integrate AI with empathy, experimentation, and people-first leadership
• How to avoid shiny object syndrome and build practical guardrails around new technology adoption
• Why resilience, reflective practice, and long-term thinking help leaders sustain impact over time

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Pierre Le Manh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierre-le-manh-3a4158
• Project Management Institute (PMI): https://www.pmi.org/

This Episode is Sponsored By:

• Donorbox

Links to Resources:

• Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob’s website: RobHarter.com
• Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel
• Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
• Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com

Subscribe and Share
Listen and subscribe to the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with other nonprofit leaders!

In this episode of the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, Dr. Rob Harter sits down with Greg Warner, founder of MarketSmart, to explore how nonprofit leaders can use fundraising data more effectively. Greg shares the story behind the Fundraising Report Card, a free tool designed to help organizations better understand donor retention, lapsed donors, giving trends, and overall fundraising performance.

The conversation also dives into the future of fundraising, including how AI can create efficiencies, improve donor engagement, and free up development teams to focus more on meaningful relationships. Greg offers a powerful reminder that donors should never be treated like ATMs, but rather as people looking for purpose, trust, and connection through their giving.

Key Topics Include:

• What the Fundraising Report Card is and how it helps nonprofits assess donor trends, retention, and lapsed giving
• Why lifetime donor value is one of the most important metrics nonprofit leaders should understand
• Common data challenges organizations face, including poor data hygiene and activity-based measurement
• How AI can improve fundraising efficiency by handling repetitive tasks and supporting donor cultivation
• Why donor relationships should be approached relationally rather than transactionally
• How empathy for the donor experience can lead to more transformational gifts
• What nonprofit leaders should prepare for as fundraising continues to evolve in the years ahead

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Greg Warner on LinkedIn
• MarketSmart: iMarketSmart.com
• Fundraising Report Card: FundraisingReportCard.com

This Episode is Sponsored By:

• DonorBox

Links to Resources:

• Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob’s website: RobHarter.com
• Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel
• Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
• Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com

Subscribe and Share
Listen and subscribe to the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with other nonprofit leaders!

In this episode of the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, Rob Harter sits down with Christoph Gorder, leader of Airbnb.org, to explore how Airbnb has built a social impact model that looks very different from a traditional corporate foundation. As an independent 501(c)(3), Airbnb.org operates separately from Airbnb while still leveraging the company’s technology, host network, and infrastructure to provide emergency housing for people displaced by disasters and other crises.

Christoph shares how Airbnb.org is rethinking disaster response by using millions of available homes around the world to provide fast, flexible, dignified shelter for families in need. He also talks about leadership, scaling nonprofit impact, the role of AI and technology in modern nonprofit operations, and why strategic partnerships are essential for responding effectively in moments of crisis. This conversation is packed with insights for nonprofit leaders who want to innovate, collaborate, and maximize their mission impact.

Key Topics Include:

• How Airbnb.org is structured as an independent 501(c)(3) with its own board and mission
• Why Airbnb.org’s model is different from a traditional corporate social responsibility or philanthropic arm
• How the organization scaled from responding to 8 disasters in 2023 to 78 disasters two years later
• What nonprofit leaders can learn about focus, standardization, and scaling wisely
• How Airbnb.org used local partnerships like 211LA and Catholic Charities to respond quickly during the Los Angeles wildfires
• Why giving displaced families choice and control is such an important part of effective disaster housing
• How AI, technology, and collaboration can help nonprofits become more efficient and responsive

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Airbnb.org

This Episode is Sponsored By:

• DonorBox

Links to Resources:

• Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob’s website: RobHarter.com
• Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel
• Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
• Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com

Subscribe and Share
Listen and subscribe to the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with other nonprofit leaders!

David Beckmann joins Dr. Rob Harter for a conversation on poverty alleviation, public policy, and the practical steps nonprofit leaders can take to reduce hunger and hardship in the United States and around the world. A pastor, economist, activist, and former president of Bread for the World, David shares insights from decades of advocacy work and discusses the central ideas in his book, Poverty Abolitionists.

In this episode, David reflects on the significant progress that has been made in reducing poverty over recent decades, while also warning that recent policy shifts are reversing some of those gains. Rob and David explore the role of nonprofit advocacy, the intersection of faith and public policy, and why leaders in the social impact sector need a vision that extends beyond their own organizations.

Key Topics Include:

• Why David Beckmann believes poverty is a solvable problem in the U.S. and globally
• What decades of data reveal about the dramatic decline in global and U.S. poverty rates
• How advocacy can help nonprofit leaders influence policies that affect hunger and poverty
• The impact of government funding cuts, tariffs, and immigration policies on vulnerable communities
• Why nonprofit organizations play a unique role in offering both practical support and personal connection
• How faith, spirituality, and beliefs about justice can shape public support for anti-poverty policies
• Why nonprofit leaders need a mission bigger than their organization to create lasting change

Mentioned in This Episode:

• David Beckmann’s website: https://www.davidbeckmann.net
• David Beckmann’s book: Poverty Abolitionists
• Bread for the World: https://www.bread.org
• Alliance to End Hunger: https://alliancetoendhunger.org
• Feeding America: https://www.feedingamerica.org

This Episode is Sponsored By:

• DonorBox

Links to Resources:

• Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob’s website: RobHarter.com
• Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel
• Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com
• Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com

Subscribe and Share
Listen and subscribe to the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with other nonprofit leaders!