Dacia Moore, LPC, NBCC dives right into one of the biggest and all too common drawbacks of the nonprofit sector: BURNOUT. She draws from her training as a Licensed Professional Counselor, nonprofit executive search partner and personal experience with burnout to teach us how to manage our own emotional regulation and find long-term success in the nonprofit sector.

Nurture a Championship Mindset. This isn’t about winning a sports trophy. This is about resilience, optimism, and a burning desire to work with excellence. It sounds like, “I’m in this for the long haul, we’re doing a good job and getting better everyday.” Acknowledge what needs to be improved and give the most energy to what works well. Avoid perfectionism, it will kill you.

Sweeping your own doorstep, an idea she learned from Mother Theresa. Do what you can and what’s in front of you. In a nonprofit leadership context this means not doing other people’s job instead delegate and trust your staff. Then support the staff. Nonprofit leaders need to provide direction and vision and then move over to let staff execute.

Remember that your piece, whatever it is matters. You matter and we can think about a tiny bolt to illustrate this. There was a bolt that got loose and an airplane door flew off midflight. Leaders need to focus on their part. Be the bolt, don’t try to be the bolt, the plane, the FAA…

And as you are working, remember that we all play to mixed reviews. In any group, you will have 40% with you, 40% not with you and 20% on the fence. Recognize the negativity bias, spend the bulk of your energy on those who are on the fence and those who are with you.

As a job seeker, try to determine if the organization has healthy boundaries. Ask about the last person who was in this role, how long did they stay? What are the key traits of the next person who fills this role? How does the person that is interviewing you maintain healthy boundaries? Consider the interview process, was it designed to allow conversation or were you as a candidate just grilled by staff?

Dacia leaves us with two big ideas:

If Oprah and Michelle Obama can do it, so can you. Think of those who you admire. They’re all human. If they can figure out how to achieve excellence and have balance, then you can too.

Protect your mental and physical health; they are too important not to take care of them. The nonprofit sector needs leaders who can sustain their energy and keep coming back to do this challenging work.

Resources:

DaciaMoore.com

From Stuck to Unstoppable: 5 Strategies for Getting Your Second Wind

ABOUT THE GUEST:

For eight years, Dacia L. Moore served as the Executive Director of a non-profit organization, driving its significant growth and success as a vibrant community resource. Her extensive background in fundraising, philanthropy, behavioral health, and non-profit management helped diversify the participants served and staff employed.

Throughout her career, she has established a strong track record of enhancing organizational processes, motivating teams, and exceeding established targets. She now shares this expertise through workshops, keynotes, professional coaching, and counseling. She also contributes as a Senior Recruiter with Moran & Company, assisting non-profits in finding their next great leaders. As a Published Author, Radio Host, and Former Adjunct Professor, she helps organizations and leaders improve mental resilience.

Max Kringen from TellWell Story Co. shows listeners how to use story in their job interview process to stand out from a sea of candidates and make authentic connection.

As Simon Sinek suggests, start with why. Your why is your differentiator. The how is probably similar to other applicants and the organization will want you to buy into their how.

For job seekers to set themselves apart:

• have stories that align with the point you’re making. People remember how they feel more than they will remember stats.

• Use narrative transportation to help make connection. This sounds like, “do you remember when…”

And when asked the inevitable…Tell me about yourself.

• Get real. Start by sharing something not included in your resume or application materials. Be authentic. It could include the first time you realized this mission or organization was important. It may be the heartbeat of your professional life or the moral conviction that drives your work.

The interview process allows many opportunities to build trust. Use the Trust Framework to develop a strong rapport with the hiring team:

1. Introduce: where curiosity is sparked, each party thinks, “there may be something here for me”

2. Educate: build reliability; articulate your skills and experience that align with the job at hand

3. Engage: call to action; ask the interviewer for the opportunity to address any beige or red flags they see in your candidacy;

4. Remind: this one is simple but often overlooked, remind people that you love them, if you’re grateful for the opportunity to interview, share it with the hiring team

Looking beyond the job search, we hear from Max where the nonprofit industry is headed.

With attention spans getting shorter and shorter, it’s not about getting louder and louder: Cut the jargon because clarity is kindness.

Do NOT copy and paste out of AI. **Genuine human connection is going to win.**

The nonprofit sector needs to approach communication with our boards, supporters, beneficiaries and the public at-large aiming to create community and connection. We can apply this same approach in the interview process, lead with authenticity with the goal of making connection.

TellWell Story Co. is a creative studio that helps nonprofits tell more human stories that build trust through film design and web experiences.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Max Kringen is the Founder and Chief Storyteller at Tellwell Story Co., a creative studio based in Fargo, North Dakota, that partners with mission-driven organizations to craft human-first stories that don’t just inspire—they drive action. With a decade of experience helping nonprofits, higher education institutions, and community-based businesses share their stories, Max has become a trusted guide for organizations seeking authentic connection in a noisy world.

Sarah Pomeranz is an expert in career transition. In this episode she shares tools she and her team at Consultants for Impact use to assist consultants in their transitions to social impact careers. Looking to have an outsized impact? Tune in to learn essential steps to defining your career path along with the frameworks and tests to get you there.

• Forget passion, follow these steps instead:

Identify the PROBLEM, find the LEVER, fill in your knowledge and skills GAPS, create 10x IMPACT

• Explore the Career Theory of Change Framework to roadmap your search

• Discover low-effort, high-reward Cheap Tests—from social media following to short-term consulting projects—to test if a role or organization is the right fit before you jump in head first

• Gain new personal insights by using the Weighted Factor Model: Get the formula for moving beyond a simple pros and cons list to objectively compare complex career paths or job offers by weighting your unique priorities like financial stability versus autonomy

Plus, Sarah offers advice on how to translate consulting skills like project management and executive communication to the impact space, how to think about salary trade-offs for mission-aligned work, and her 10 Quit Business Days policy to avoid making desperate career moves. If you want to move on from where you are and make an outsized positive impact on society, this episode is for you.

Resources:

Weighted Factor Model

Exit Interview films

Career Theory of Change

Meet the Member profiles

Giving Green

ABOUT THE GUEST

Sarah Pomeranz is the founder and CEO of Consultants for Impact. Since launching the organization, she has built a global network of 1,200+ consultants and facilitated over 80 career transitions to high-impact roles at organizations including the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Anthropic, Mercy for Animals, the World Bank, and the US and UK governments. Through 800+ personalized career advising sessions, Sarah helps strategy consultants channel their skills toward solving pressing global challenges. Before founding Consultants for Impact, Sarah was a top-performing strategy consultant at Accenture, where she advised clients including the World Economic Forum, Goodwill International, and Feed the Children.

Are you a job seeker trying to land your dream role or a hiring manager struggling to find the perfect fit? In this episode, we're joined by Rachel Platt of PLATTinum Consulting who shares interview process insights from both sides of the table.

Rachel reminds us that it is rare to find the perfect candidate. She reveals why hiring managers often prioritize soft skills over hard skills, explaining that it's much easier to teach someone a new software program than to change their mindset or motivation. So, how do you stand out? Rachel explains that candidates who demonstrate a strong alignment with an organization's specific success factors and values are the ones who get the offer.

We also tackle the push and pull between the urgent need to fill a role and the desire to make a good, long-lasting hire. Rachel offers invaluable advice for both companies and job seekers on how to avoid a bad cultural fit, boiling it down to a powerful quote from Maya Angelou: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."

Finally, we discuss how to use AI to supercharge your interview preparation, from in-depth organization research to identifying potential questions based on a specific job description. Rachel emphasizes that every candidate should be ready with compelling examples of their adaptability, how they handle ambiguity, and their collaboration skills.

Tune in to discover the secrets to a successful hiring journey!

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Sherece West-Scantlebury, a 30-year veteran of the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors and CEO of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. Dr. West-Scantlebury shares her powerful journey, from a 7-year-old who knew things could be better to a leader committed to shifting power and changing systems.

She offers essential wisdom for anyone looking to make a lasting impact. You'll learn what truly sets successful candidates apart in mission-driven work—it's not just about what you've done, but how your unique skills and lived experiences will move the mission forward. Dr. West-Scantlebury reminds us that you don't need permission to do good and that in a world full of challenges, there's only one path forward: “See something, make something happen.”

For Dr. Sherece West-Scantlebury, CEO of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and 30-year veteran of the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, successful candidates succinctly articulate how their contributions will advance the mission. Candidates with staying power join the sector with a social justice heart and are not driven by ego. They are self-aware of their own power, biases and growing edge to serve the mission instead of their individual needs. The best interviewees are those who get to know the organization before the interview and understand how the role they are applying for is pivotal to the organization. They ask questions that are thoughtful and curious, not to impress but to truly understand the work and the people it impacts. They include their accomplishments as well as their lived experience to showcase how they will use their skills and perspective to further the mission.

As early as age 7, Dr. West-Scantlebury – then she went by Sherece and was unimpressed with the broken playground, among other things in her neighborhood – knew things could be better. She started her career in policy and advocacy and grew to become an influential nonprofit and philanthropic executive. After thirty years in the non-profit and philanthropy sectors she knows that lasting change requires a shift in power that leads to a change in systems that hold back the disenfranchised. Listen in to hear about her impactful journey which began in housing advocacy and led her to becoming the founding CEO of the Foundation for Louisiana, the current CEO of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and a founding board member of the Women’s Foundation of the South. She shares more about the policies and systems that affect housing, how underinvestment in communities is a policy choice that spans generations and how people working 2-3 jobs are still economically insecure. Insights from her journey will benefit anyone interested in joining the sector.

Looking at the sector as a whole. At this moment, Dr. West-Scantlebury encourages those new to the sector not to be deterred by the current chaos. In addition to providing necessary services in our communities, the nonprofit sector is a notable portion of our local economies.

She reminds listeners that you do not need permission to do good, to impact systems and to positively impact change. As she puts it, there is only: “see something make something happen. Instead of complaining about the change you want, be the change you want it to be.”

In the future she hopes to see funders and nonprofits working together as co-creators where funders build trust with grantee partners so they are comfortable with community-defined impact and make unrestricted, multi-year gifts. She wants to see nonprofits being leaders instead of lagging behind when it comes to technology or innovative ways of work. This requires that all in the sector hone their craft; she encourages listeners to read, A LOT…alot, alot, and make regular space for thinking and planning.

In this crossover episode, Samar Kargbo of the Sort of Sure podcast interviews Asking for Good host Katherine Pooser about the nonprofit sector, fundraising and overcoming Imposter Syndrome.

Begin your transition to the nonprofit sector by volunteering and making a personally meaningful gift. These interactions with the sector will give any job candidate a leg up as they have demonstrated commitment to the sector.

For those ready to become development professionals, listen in to hear two essential frameworks to become a successful fundraiser:

• Be INTERESTED + INTERESTING to create strong donor relationships

• Every ask is an invitation to change the world and should include these essential elements:

PROJECT + TIMING + AMOUNT

Finally, hear how to overcome Imposter Syndrome in the job search by identifying and reframing Automatic Negative Thoughts.

Lisa Lager is a nationally recognized philanthropy expert, all-around fundraising guru, and mentor to host, Katie Pooser. In this inspiring episode, Lisa shares why she prioritizes mentoring, lessons learned along a robust four-decade career journey, and provides invaluable advice for navigating job interviews and offers with confidence. Listen in as Lisa shares:

✨ See Beyond the Sparkle: Learn why it's crucial to approach new opportunities with open eyes, ditching those rose-colored glasses to truly assess if an organization is the right fit for you.

🤝 Mentorship Magic: Discover the profound impact of mentorship and hear firsthand how Lisa has guided countless professionals toward fulfilling careers.

🧐 Interview Intelligence: Unlock the secret to using the interview process to gather essential information, empowering you to make informed decisions when you land an offer.

🌟 Crafting Your Legacy: Be inspired by Lisa's journey in helping donors create meaningful legacies and how her own career has become a powerful reflection of her values.

Tune in for a dose of career wisdom that will leave you feeling empowered and ready to make a real difference!

Professor David Rhode, author of Passion Isn’t Enough: a practical guide for nonprofit leaders, uses the foundation for nonprofit success outlined in his book to advise job seekers. David has coached hundreds of nonprofit CEOs to grow their organizational capacity and scale. He knows that finding the right people and putting them in the right positions is essential. HIs insights will deepen your understanding of the sector overall and help job seekers artfully navigate the interview process.

Listen in as we discuss:

• Key distinctions between larger and smaller nonprofits. Job seekers should be aware of the advantages and pitfalls to both.

• No matter the organization’s size, job seekers want to show hiring managers that they are passionate, able to problem solve, reliable and can provide strong references.

• Nonprofit hiring managers may not be seasoned in hiring. Job seekers can use the interview process to clarify the role including having a clear sense of what success looks like and how their performance will be evaluated.

• Future fundraisers: David reminds us that many of us are already fundraising be it a bake sale or running a 5k for a cause. Leverage non-professional fundraising experience to showcase and hone your skills.

• Looking ahead, the nonprofit sector will need those with skills in social media and AI.

• Most nonprofit careers are not easily mapped from the outset, get started on the journey and build from there.

About the Guest:

David Rhode founded Dot Dot Org where he mentors nonprofit CEOs and helps nonprofit organizations grow their capacity and impact. David is a nonprofit founder; he scaled and ran the global organization for almost 15 years. David's career began in the for profit sector at blue chip companies like Procter and Gamble, H.J. Heinz and others. David is the author of "Passion Isn't Enough: A Practical Guide for Nonprofit Leaders".

He is a Wharton MBA and currently teaches non profit branding and nonprofit consulting at the University of Pennsylvania.

Show Notes:

Stanford Social Innovation Review

Podcast: How to Hire the Right Person Every Time by Brooke Richie Babbage

Nonprofit Hive

Dot Dot Org