In this brief holiday bonus, you’ll get behind-the-scenes highlights of Season 8. Plus a sneak-peek at some of the provocative guests and valuable topics we’ll cover in season 9!

Season 9 will start in late January 2026. If all goes according to plan, S9:E1 will drop on Wed., Jan. 21, 2026 at 8am ET. From thereon, new episodes will publish weekly on Wednesday mornings throughout the season.

You’ll also learn about our the new FTP Podcast Premium at patreon.com/FundThePeople. For just $6 a month, you provide grassroots support for production of this ad-free show. And you offer monthly earned income for Fund the People, the national nonprofit organization that advocates for investment in the nonprofit workforce. Your support helps us remain an independent, bold voice for the nonprofit workers. You help us produce thought-leadership, research, tools, communications, educational programs, and advocacy for investment in the nonprofit workforce.

As a Patreon member, you get:

• ​Extended episodes with audio and video
• ​Tons of bonus content, including special messages from Rusty, extras from new episodes, and video footage from our back catalogue of over 100 episodes
• ​Discussions with Rusty and the FTP Pod community
• ​Participation in live episode sessions, so you can ask your questions and participate in the conversation
• ​A whole-new Patreon-only weekly show called Riverside Reflections.

Patreon members can watch the video version of this episode, filmed down by the river in New York's Hudson Valley (where we record Riverside Reflections, our new podcast available exclusively on Patreon).

Also on this episode, Rusty acknowledges the people who worked with him to make S8 happen:

• ​Erin Giunta, producer
• ​Carla Paez, Editor
• ​Jonny Taylor, Sound Engineer
• ​Kayla Weathers, Administrative Assistant

And thanks our major foundation supporters this year, who helped make this show and all our programming possible:

• ​The James Irvine Foundation
• ​Barr Foundation
• ​The Kresge Foundation
• ​Raymond John Wean Foundation

Thanks for listening, and thanks for all you do! Have a restful holiday season and we’ll talk to you in the New Year!