Charity Therapy

177: Ding, Ding, Ding | What You Can and Can't Do With Restricted Funds

Your nonprofit just got a big donation. Amazing, right? But what if you can't actually spend that money on what your organization needs? Turns out, having money in the ba

176: A Little Bit Martyry | What a Nonprofit Executive Committee Should Actually Do

Your executive committee is doing all the work and making all the calls. The rest of the board just shows up and rubber stamps it. Sound familiar? This setup is more toxi

175: Oopsies, I Take It Back | Can You Revive a Dissolved Nonprofit?

A nonprofit went quiet. Everyone got busy, the work stopped, and somewhere along the way it got "dissolved." Now you're ready to bring it back. Is that even possible? M

174: Click, Click, You're Done | Public Charity vs. Private Foundation

You got your 501(c)(3) letter, so you're all set... right? Not so fast. There's a second designation buried in that letter, and if it's not correct it could derail your g

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 –

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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