The only show that helps YOU invest in the nonprofit workforce!
Here you’ll get the ideas, tools, data, and stories you need in order raise or give money to support and develop nonprofit workers and leaders in your organization or your community.
This unique podcast invites you into casual, provocative conversations with diverse leaders from foundations, nonprofits, academia, and capacity-building groups.
We give you the big picture view, and we dig into specific issues, such as executive transitions, burnout, HR, fundraising for staff, how public policy impacts nonprofit workers, and more.
Fund the People is the national organization that works to maximize investments in America's nonprofit workforce. It was founded in 2014 by Rusty Stahl with support from The Kresge Foundation, NYU Wagner, and Tides.
We’ve launched the podcast in 2020, and have published over 100 episodes across 8 seasons.
We launched a private version of the show on Patreon in 2025. It features community conversations, extended episodes, and a Patreon-only show where Rusty gives you the inside view while getting outside for a walk in New York’s Hudson Valley. Visit patreon.com/fundthepeople.
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The ‘Courageous Operating System’ for Nonprofit Leaders – with Eveline Shen, Author, Choosing to Lead Against the Current
Saison 10 · Épisode 4
vendredi 9 octobre 2026 • Durée 42:02
How are you bringing courage and integrity to your leadership right now? What does it take to lead a nonprofit or social movement when the current is pushing hard in the opposite direction? In this inspiring and tactical episode, you’ll get lessons from more than two decades of leadership.
Host Rusty Stahl talks with longtime reproductive justice leader and author Eveline Shen about her book, Choosing to Lead Against the Current. You'll learn Eveline's “Courageous Operating System,” an approach to nonprofit leadership that brings purpose, values, integrity, strengths, success, failure, and other 'assets' into alignment. They explore the courage required to say no, set boundaries, claim power, support leaders, build healthier organizational cultures, resist burnout and despair, and move collectively rather than hunkering down in isolation. Eveline also shares four practices for navigating 'turbulent times': centering, connection, creativity, and change.
About Our Guest: Eveline Shen’s book is “Choosing to Lead Against the Current: The Courageous Operating System for Changemakers – Empowering Leaders to Transform the World with Integrity, Impact, and Purpose.” It was published in August 2025 by North Atlantic Books. A coach and consultant, Eveline primarily works with grassroots and philanthropic leaders of color to step into their power to make change in the social and reproductive justice movements. Shen offers leadership programs, keynotes, coaching, and team-building which include movement, breath, music and engaging activities. Eveline spent more than two decades as a nonprofit founder and Executive Director, helping to build and grow the reproductive justice movement.
Forward Together (national reproductive justice nonprofit where Eveline was Executive Director): https://forwardtogether.org/
Choose 180 (youth-serving nonprofit that established $70,000 salary floor; discussed as example of courageous organizational leadership and going against the current): https://choose180.org/
Upgrading Nonprofit Workplaces: Flourishing with Fewer Hours - with Betsy Leondar-Wright, Ph.D. (Guest Host), Adam Jespersen, and Juliet Schor, Ph.D.
Saison 10 · Épisode 3
mercredi 30 septembre 2026 • Durée 52:40
What if one of the most powerful ways nonprofits can strengthen their workforce is to make people spend less time at work?
Today's co-host Dr. Betsy Leondar-Wright (Fund the People) introduces the Upgrading Nonprofit Workplaces case studes, which documents how nonprofits are improving job quality and working conditions to increase their impact. This episode focuses on our case study on work time.
Adam Jespersen (Montana Nonprofit Association) describes how his organization moved from pandemic exhaustion to a four-day workweek with no reduction in pay—and why the change has stuck.
Then Dr. Juliet Schor (Boston College and Four Day Week Global) puts the case study into context. Drawing on research involving hundreds of organizations, she discusses what happens to workers, jobs, and organizational performance when work time is reduced.
The episode closes by considering what shorter workweeks could mean for nonprofits in an era of AI-driven productivity gains.
Adam Jespersen, MBA, became the executive director of the Montana Nonprofit Network after more than a decade of progressive experience in nonprofit leadership.
Betsy Leondar-Wright, PhD, is the Research Director at Fund the People, coordinating the Upgrading Nonprofit Workplaces study. A long-time economic justice advocate, she is the author of Missing Class and a co-author ofand
“We Can’t 5% Our Way Out of This” — with Brenda Solórzano, The California Endowment
What does it look like when a major foundation decides that a crisis calls for more than business as usual? Bold but smart!This episode offers amazing insights and inspiration from Brenda Solórzano, President and CEO of The California Endowment. Brenda shares about how philanthropy can respond when nonprofits face rising demand, shrinking resources, and mounting pressure. She discusses how The California Endowment decided to substantially increase its spending, eliminate grantee reporting requirements, accelerate resource flows, and experiment! She explains why the Endowment signed the Level Up pledge and how it's spending the additional funds.
For funders and nonprofit leaders alike, this conversation offers practical ideas for moving from risk-aversion toward responsive partnership. Solórzano discusses what it takes to build trust between foundations and nonprofits; why multi-year funding alone isn't enough; how funders can create relationships where grantees feel safe talking honestly about burnout; and why philanthropy may need to rethink payout. perpetuity, and the business model of foundations. She also makes the case that, rather than simply trying to preserve existing systems, funders can help communities build what comes next.
Level Up: Helping Funders Give More, Faster - with Jodeen Olguín-Tayler, CHANGE Philanthropy
Saison 10 · Épisode 1
mercredi 9 septembre 2026 • Durée 50:06
Synopsis:
In this episode, you’ll learn about a current organizing effort to get institutional funders to ‘level up’ their giving in response to attacks on nonprofits and communities. Host Rusty Stahl speaks with Jodeen Olguín-Tayler (CHANGE Philanthropy) about the Level Up campaign and its three-part pledge, in which funders agree to (1) increase giving for at least two years; (2) move money quickly and equitably to support 'frontline' communities; and (3) share how the commitments are put into practice.
The conversation also explores why increased payout rates matter right now; the role of donor advised funds; protecting racial justice grantmaking; and how funders can learn from one another to overcome internal barriers and turn commitments into action. This Season 10 premiere is an installment of our Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy Series. In a companion episode (S10:E2) next week, Brenda Solarzano shares why The California Endowment signed the Level Up pledge, and how its moving money in response to the current crisis.
Jodeen Olguín-Tayler (she/ella) is Director of Programs and Campaigns at CHANGE Philanthropy, where she supports the Level Up Campaign. Jodeen has served in executive roles in philanthropy, business, and nonprofits for over 20 years with a focus on democracy and an economy rooted in racial and gender equity. Her board service has included Movement Voter Fund, Poder Latinx, Chicana Empowerment Fund, Inclusive Democracy and Climate Equity Fund, and Movement Strategy Center. Her staff leadership has included the National Domestic and MoveOn. Full bio: https://changephilanthropy.org/about/team.
Essential Links:
Level Up Campaign:
FTP Podcast Season 10 Starts 9/9! Find Your People @ Fund the People!
Saison 10
mercredi 2 septembre 2026 • Durée 02:48
Hi everybody – this is Rusty Stahl, CEO of Fund the People and host of your Fund the People Podcast. Season 10 starts next Wednesday, September 9th. New episodes will be available every Wednesday throughout the fall.
So I wanted to say a quick hello to get you ready!
As you probably know, Fund the People is the only national organization dedicated entirely to increasing investment in America's nonprofit workforce.
Our podcast equips YOU to invest in the nonprofit workforce! Whatever your role in the sector, we provide you with the ideas, research, tools, and leading voices you need to hear in order to invest in the nonprofit people around you!
Why does this matter? Because there's a chronic deficit of investment in the nonprofit workforce, which has undermined the effectiveness and impact of the sector for decades. But when nonprofits have the funding and incentive to invest in their people, they can dramatically increases the performance, results, and sustainability!
During the current era of political attacks, federal funding cuts; heightened levels of burnout, churn-out, and crisis across the nonprofit sector, investing in nonprofit people is an even more essential strategy to save nonprofit jobs, services, and organizations. Which means it’s time for all of us to learn the art of talent-investing.
Thankfully we’re making that easier than ever.
As we enter our seventh year of podcasting, the show just keeps getting better and better. More incredible guests. More real talk. More hard-hitting coverage of our sector's workforce issues. In fact, our guests are so great that the show is now ranked # EIGHT on the top list of 100 Best Nonprofit Podcasts in the U.S (FeedSpot).
This fall, Season 10 brings you even more wisdom and practical resources from across the sector. So come "find your people" on Fund the People: bee sure to subscribe, listen or watch, and share the show!
Narrative Resilience for the Nonprofit Sector - with Vanessa Wakeman, The Wakeman Agency
Saison 9
mercredi 22 juillet 2026 • Durée 30:26
As nonprofits navigate the aggressively hostile political and policy environment of the current federal administration, communications strategist Vanessa Wakeman argues that organizations need more than legal and financial preparedness.
In this special summer bonus episode, you’ll learn about “narrative resilience,” - a term and concept developed by Wakeman. Learn how nonprofits – and their funders – can strengthen public trust; counter harmful storylines; and build lasting communications infrastructure that helps defend both the nonprofit sector and democracy itself.
An accomplished leader with deep knowledge about the politics of social change and mastery at advancing the efforts of values-driven organizations, Vanessa is a trusted advisor to organizations around the globe. She has been successfully leading initiatives to support communications for nonprofits, socially responsible companies and other stakeholder groups since she founded The Wakeman Agency in 2003.
Vanessa helps clients to build and restore trust with internal and external audiences, to develop ongoing communications that strengthen organizational positioning and amongst key audiences. Vanessa has increasingly been called upon by a host of organizations to help them reimagine their values, culture and operations through the lens of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. Her approach to communications uses behavioral science practices to shift perceptions and behaviors.
Links
Resources:
The Wakeman Agency – Strategic communications firm serving nonprofits, foundations, and mission-driven organizations.
How Nonprofits Fight Back Against Today's Biggest Federal Threats - with Sarah Saadian, National Council of Nonprofits
Saison 9
mercredi 8 juillet 2026 • Durée 41:20
Sarah Saadian of the National Council of Nonprofits explains how the Trump Administration policies are reshaping the nonprofit sector through a three-pronged effort to cut-off funding, silence organizations, and erode trust in nonprofits—and why these threats affect every nonprofit, regardless of mission. She shares practical ways nonprofit leaders can take action together to defend civil society, strengthen nonprofit advocacy, and protect the communities they serve.
Transcript of Audio Version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y0sOKOxON29a-IRA6T3xGBGUqiUep1zj/view?usp=sharing
Transcript of Video Version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F3WG1qNKqerTrDwu8hyNa1xzfMx9klrq/view?usp=sharing
Guest Bio:
Sarah Saadian is Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Campaigns with the National Council of Nonprofits. She has more than fifteen years of experience with national advocacy campaigns and has successfully advanced federal policies on Capitol Hill. Prior to joining NCN, Sarah served at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Enterprise Community Partners and Rapoza Associates. She graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law after receiving her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, and she is a member of the Virginia State Bar.
Anger, Hope, Funding, and the Future of Nonprofits with Vu Le, Nonprofit AF
Saison 9 · Épisode 18
mercredi 20 mai 2026 • Durée 37:13
Vu Le is our guest for the Season Nine Finalé, which also serves as an installment of our ongoing Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy Series. Recorded with a live zoom audience during our spring webinar series, Vu discusses his burnout, funding instability, philanthropy’s power dynamics, and what it will take to strengthen nonprofits in an era of rising authoritarianism. Vu argues that nonprofits and funders must stop normalizing scarcity, invest deeply in leaders and infrastructure, and organize collectively for long-term change.
Drawing from his new book Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Vu challenges conventional assumptions about fundraising, nonprofit leadership, and philanthropy itself. The conversation explores why progressive movements struggle to sustain leaders, how conservative leadership infrastructure has been built strategically over decades, and what nonprofit professionals can do right now to protect democracy and each other.
Vu Le is a prominent writer, speaker, and former executive director of Seattle-based Rainier Valley Corps. Widely recognized for his irreverent, no-nonsense approach to social justice and philanthropy, he authors the viral blog Nonprofit AF, and is a co-founder of the Community-Centric Fundraising movement. Most recently he is author of the book, Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy. In 2020, Vu was our first guest on the Fund the People: A Podcast with Rusty Stahl.
Protect Direct Democracy: Ballot Measures, Funders, and Nonprofits - with Liz DiLauro, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Saison 9 · Épisode 17
mercredi 13 mai 2026 • Durée 33:23
In this installment of our Defend Nonprofits Defend Democracy Series, you’ll get a deep dive into one of the least-discussed but most important democracy issues facing nonprofits and philanthropy today: attacks on ballot initiatives and direct democracy. Elizabeth DiLauro of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation joins Rusty Stahl to discuss how ballot measures have become critical tools for advancing health equity and why efforts to restrict citizen-led initiatives threaten both democracy and the nonprofit sector.
Liz shares how RWJF is funding organizations defending ballot access in multiple states, helping other funders understand the legal pathways for engagement, and why funders using their public voice matters as much as their grantmaking right now. The conversation also explores democratic backsliding, gerrymandering, philanthropy’s role in this moment, and why protecting democratic participation is foundational to every social justice mission.
Elizabeth DiLauro serves as a Senior Policy Officer with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where she shapes strategy and grantmaking at the state level to advance long-term change in the social policies that impact our nation’s health and well-being.
Previously, Liz served as the senior director of advocacy at ZERO TO THREE, where she led the organization’s advocacy strategy to advance a policy agenda for young children and families. Earlier in her career, Liz worked with the Pew Charitable Trusts where she crafted state campaigns to increase access to children’s dental care, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry where she advanced strategies to support children’s mental health policy. She has also worked in federal and state advocacy with Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) USA.
Liz holds a Master of Public Administration from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, with a specialization in public and non-profit policy and management.
From 7% to 107%: Investing in Organizers Supercharges Impact - with Geraldine Alcid (Filipino Advocates for Justice) and Rebecca Gorena (All Due Respect)
Saison 9 · Épisode 16
jeudi 7 mai 2026 • Durée 44:01
In this episode (S9:E16), you’ll hear compelling evidence that investing in nonprofit workers isn’t a distraction from program results—it actually supercharges impact!
Burnout is widespread in the nonprofit sector, particularly in social justice groups. But it doesn’t have to be. Our guests share their research, experience, and thinking, based on a cohort of Northern California nonprofits working with All Due Respect to improve working conditions for organizers in their ranks. Geraldine and Rebecca vividly describe how better pay, stronger systems, and a culture of wellness can significantly improve job quality, employee retention -- and program results. Download an edited transcript in .pdf format
Our Guests:
Geraldine Alcid is Executive Director of Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ). Established in 1973 in response to the discrimination and alienation faced by Filipino immigrant newcomers, FAJ builds a strong Filipino community by organizing constituents, developing leaders, providing services, and advocating for just policies. Geraldine is also a founder and leads FAJ’s sibling 501C4 organization, FAJ Action Fund, established in 2022. She was born in Makati, Philippines, grew up in Chicago, IL. and currently lives in Oakland, CA.
Rebecca Gorena (she/ella) is Senior Program Director at All Due Respect. She is a community advocate and campaign manager with over 14 years of experience across states and social justice sectors. Rebecca has led organizing and policy campaigns across many issues with an emphasis on developing the skills and autonomy of the organizers she works alongside. This has resulted in her passion for building stronger movement spaces and leaders.
Meet the Moment: A Call to Action for Funders with Shaady Salehi, Trust-Based Philanthropy Project (S07:E17 published 04/02/25): https://fundthepeople.org/meet-the-moment/
MacArthur President Chooses Courage, Not Quiet with John Palfrey, MacArthur Foundation (S07:E27 published 06/11/25): https://fundthepeople.org/palfrey
Do Funders Understand the Nonprofit Burnout Crisis? with Elisha Smith Arrillaga, Center for Effective Philanthropy (S07:E01 published): https://fundthepeople.org/funders-understand
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