Charity Therapy artwork

Non-Profit · Jess Birken, MNM, JD

Charity Therapy

by Jess Birken, MNM, JD

What if you could hang out with experienced nonprofit professionals and ask them your burning questions about the day-to-day life of nonprofits? What if you could take their wisdom and bring it back to your organization, for free? That's what we do on Charity Therapy. Hosted by Jess Birken - owner and lawyer at Birken Law Office. Every episode is an in-depth look at how to run a nonprofit, from fundraising to IRS woes to people problems and more! Our goal is to empower nonprofits to achieve your mission by doing things right.

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

173: Let It Go! | What Happens to the Money When a Nonprofit Closes?

When a nonprofit closes its doors, it opens up a bunch of questions. What happens to the mission? Are there other organizations or groups doing this work? And a big one –

Sep 17
15 min

172: Nonprofit PTSD | Nonprofit Board Basics, Explained by a Teenager

What happens when you ask a 14 year-old to give advice to a bunch of board members who can't get along? Well, sometimes your local teenager might just give you the BEST t

Sep 3
20 min

171: You Don't Need Some Guy on a Yacht | Ditching the Fundraising Myths with Patrick Kirby

Fundraising doesn't have to be intimidating, jargon-filled, or a total drag. I'm joined by Patrick Kirby, the nonprofit and fundraising consultant behind Do Good Better

Aug 20
25 min

170: Shots Fired! | Can a Nonprofit Fire Its Own Board?

What if you could just... skip the whole "having a board of directors" part of running a nonprofit? Turns out, you're not the only one who've thought about it! We all k

Aug 6
15 min

169: Different Flavors, Same Ice Cream | How Can a Nonprofit Organization Offer Retirement Benefits? with Christopher Tipper

Your nonprofit is doing well, but you're worried you'll lose good employees if you don't offer retirement benefits. You've heard of a 401(k), but is that the right move?

Jul 23
25 min

168: Oh, You Dreamers | Can a Flat Organizational Structure Work for a Nonprofit? with Dr. Pablo Otaola

A nonprofit was built to run like a co-op. Everyone's equal. There's no HR. Is that your dream, or a nightmare that feel suspiciously like high school? I'm joined by Dr

Jul 9
29 min

167: A Lawsuit Magnet | Do Nonprofits Really Need Directors and Officers Insurance? With Cody Wiswasser

You're sitting on a nonprofit board. You haven't done anything wrong. Could someone really sue you personally over it? The unfortunate answer is YES, and the costs can pi

Jun 25
14 min

166: This Could Have Been An Email | What Is Nonprofit Strategic Planning? with R. Perry Monastero

Your nonprofit hosted its first ever strategic planning retreat… and it was a complete disaster. So, what do you do now?? I'm joined by R. Perry Monastero, owner of RPM

Jun 11
22 min

165: The Past Tense of Sync | How to Get a New IRS Determination Letter

So you've submitted your IRS application and you're anxiously awaiting the letter in the mail with their response. But what if it just… never comes?? Meghan and I tackl

May 28
16 min

164: Ermahgerd! | How to Evaluate Executive Director Performance with Debbie Rabishaw

So a nonprofit hires an Executive Director, skips all the onboarding, sets no goals, and now… wants to fire them. Yikes! I'm joined by Debbie Rabishaw, founder of HR co

May 14
21 min

163: A Runway of Snacks | Can a Religious Nonprofit Apply for Status with the IRS 1023-EZ Short Form?

So you're a charity grounded in religious values. Does that make you a church in the eyes of the IRS? Meghan and I dig into a listener question that had me doing a genu

Apr 30
15 min

162: No, Not the Tomatoes! | Are Nonprofit Startup Costs Tax-Deductible Donations for the Founder?

You scraped together your own money to start a brand-new nonprofit. You're out the money, but can you at least take a tax deduction? Meghan and I are back with a questi

Apr 16
16 min

161: A Rinky-Dink Outfit | Why Recording In-Kind Donations Matters For Your Nonprofit

Your nonprofit is doing real work, but do your financials show it? In this episode, Meghan and I tackle a listener question from a small nonprofit that's running into a

Apr 1
16 min

160: Indiana vs Minnesota Throwdown | Can Business Interruption Insurance Help Nonprofits Who Closed During ICE Raids? With Cody Wiswasser

Your nonprofit closed its doors because of ICE enforcement or federal funding cuts. Is there an insurance policy that could actually help? Maybe, but the answer is a lot

Mar 19
21 min

159: Reporter on the Street | Can You Use Retirement Funds to "Invest" In A Nonprofit? With Jeff Beck

Do you know someone eyeing their retirement accounts to fund their nonprofit dreams? We need to talk! In this episode, I'm joined by Jeff Beck, a wealth advisor at COE

Mar 5
23 min

158: Is Your Ringer On? | How Nonprofits Can Find and Hire a Good Lawyer

Finding a lawyer should not feel harder than solving the legal problem itself. And yet, here we are. In this episode, Meghan and I talk about something that comes up co

Feb 19
23 min

157: Old Woman Shakes Fist at Sky | How Classy May Be Hurting Your Donor Relationships

Nonprofit newsflash - your donation platform might be quietly annoying your biggest donors 😬 In this episode, Meghan and I dig into some nonprofit LinkedIn drama sparke

Feb 5
20 min

156: Captain Depressio Reporting for Duty | Can Nonprofits Give Tax-Free Money to People?

Nonprofits are tax-exempt, so lots of people assume that nonprofits don't have to worry about taxes ever. Right???? Well, not quite 😐 In this episode, Meghan and I dig

Jan 22
16 min

155: Baby Don't Hurt Me | What To Do When a Donor Gift Harms More Than Helps

You're getting donations for a nonprofit – and that's great! But sometimes generosity comes with strings you never expected. In this episode, Meghan and I dig into the

Jan 8
16 min

154: It's Gravy, Baby! | What is a Nonprofit Audit? with Hannah Hugen

Think an audit is something to fear for your nonprofit? I get it! But what if it's actually a powerful tool for growth? In this episode, I sit down with nonprofit audit

Dec 24 2025
18 min

Chart positions

Where Charity Therapy ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 29, 2026).

#114 NEW Non-Profit US

More podcasts like Charity Therapy

Popular shows in Non-Profit, for your next listen.

Browse charts by category

Daily updated Apple Podcasts rankings for the United States.

About Charity Therapy on Reason.fm

Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Charity Therapy, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

Contact

Questions or issues? Reach us at hello@reason.fm

0:000:00