Discover insights and empowering stories on the Successful Nonprofits Podcast®, as guests share their stories about embracing failure and achieving success in the nonprofit world. 

11 Stories About Embracing Failure

With over half-a-million downloads, the Successful Nonprofits Podcast  shares insights, tools, and tips to help you and your nonprofit thrive.  Our incredible content is the reason we're ranked in the top 2% of podcasts globally. 

Each week, Dolph interviews nonprofit experts and leaders who share their experiences and wisdom on a wide range of topics relevant to the nonprofit sector. From fundraising and board development to leadership and strategic planning, and more!

We also offer shorter Bonus Break episodes you can listen to while taking a tea break – and get the added bonus of making you and your nonprofit stronger. These Bonus Breaks are solo episodes, where Dolph shares hard-learned (sometimes painfully learned) lessons from his 3 decades in the sector. And he often create worksheets and templates that accompany the bonus breaks.

The podcast is hosted by Dolph Goldenburg, a consultant, coach, and confidant to nonprofit leaders across the nation.

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Joe Mull shares the secret to happy, productive employees who stay: employer loyalty and building humanity within the workplace. You read that right – employer loyalty is necessary before we earn employee loyalty.  In this episode, Joe discusses his new book Employalty: How to Ignite Commitment and Keep Top Talent in the New Age of Work. Joe and Dolph discuss practical strategies for increasing your retention rate, fostering a humane work environment, and transforming your leadership approach to meet your team’s needs.  This episode answers the following questions:  Why are my employees resigning? How can I improve my organization’s retention rate? What is a human-centered workplace? How can I create a more humane workplace? What factors drive my staff members’ decision to leave?    Links mentioned in this episode:  Joe Mull’s Website Employalty (the book)  Joe Mull’s YouTube Channel Boss Better Now Podcast   Looking for more? Check out these amazing episodes:   Ep 284: Attracting Great Development Staff (even when you can’t pay high salaries) with Emily Haynes and Rasheeda Childress (Episode Title on  Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, or  Our Website with Show Notes) Ep 314: Build Stronger Teams and Team Members with John Augusto (Episode Title on  Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, or  Our Website with Show Notes) 

Employer Loyalty --- > Employee Loyalty with Joe Mull

If you’ve ever signed a contract for a new CRM only to regret it a few months later, this episode will help you get the most out of your current donor database (and out of your next one, too). Paul Morris, a veteran in nonprofit fund development, shares invaluable insights from decades of CRM experience. This episode delves deep into the common pitfalls of CRM implementation and provides practical strategies to avoid costly mistakes and maximize the potential of your CRM to enhance donor relationships and streamline fundraising operations. This wide-ranging conversation also discusses the critical role of negotiating your CRM contract and ensuring that your CRM aligns with the unique needs of your organization’s fundraising strategies. This episode answers the following questions:  What are the common pitfalls in CRM implementation for nonprofits? How can I choose the right CRM for my organization? What are effective strategies for negotiating CRM contracts? How can I use my donor database to better engage donors? How do I make sure the data in my CRM is right?    Links mentioned in this episode:   Auxilia’s Website  Paul’s Website, Foundry Fundraising   Paul’s Article: No Shortcuts to Success – A Real-Talk Guide to Successful Fundraising   Looking for more? Check out these amazing episodes:  Ep 114: Everyone Must Get Onboard the Tech Train…or It’s Not Leaving the Station with Peter Gross (Apple Podcasts | Spotify |  Our Website with Show Notes) Ep 164: How to Love Your Next CRM with Maureen Wallbeoff (Apple Podcasts | Spotify |  Our Website with Show Notes) 

Make Your Donor Database Work Harder with Paul Morris

As a nonprofit leader, you navigate the complexities of managing time, resources, staff, and your board. Today’s guest, Huggy Rao, wants you to create friction within your organization that makes the right things easier and the wrong things harder. Huggy and Dolph dive into practical strategies for reducing 'bad friction' that wastes time and energy, while advocating for 'good friction' that fosters deliberation and educated decisions. This episode is a must-listen for nonprofit executives seeking actionable advice on enhancing organizational efficiency and culture. Huggy Rao is co-author of  the best-selling book “The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder,” and other best-selling books. And as a distinguished professor at Stanford Business School, Huggy has also authored “Scaling Up for Excellence” and “Market Rebels.”  This episode answers the following questions:  What is 'bad friction' and how can it be identified and removed? How does 'good friction' benefit an organization? What are the impacts of time poverty and addition bias on organizational efficiency? How can nonprofit leaders effectively manage both types of friction? What simple steps can be taken to make work easier?  Links mentioned in this episode:   Huggy’s Website Friction Project’s Co-Author  Buy the book The Friction Project   Huggy’s LinkedIn Page   Looking for more? Check out these amazing episodes:   Ep 180: Creating a Strong Back Office with Sean Hale [Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, or our website with show notes]  Ep 277: Make the Most of Your Time with Shanice Miller [Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, or our website with show notes) 

Making Work Easier with Huggy Rao

My friend, colleague, and fellow podcaster Tony Martignetti was in the Atlanta area and stopped by to record this incredible episode about planned giving.  Since my podcast studio is super-small, we recorded this week’s episode at my dining room table. (And I’d bet many of the best conversations with your planned giving prospects might happen at their dining room table.)  Together, we explore planned giving’s transformative power to help your organization achieve sustainable funding.  Pull up a chair and get ready to learn why and how your organization should launch a planned giving program.  With years of experience and a passion for helping nonprofits build sustainable funding, Tony offers invaluable insights, practical advice, and inspirational stories that empower organizations to embrace planned giving.  This conversation goes beyond the basics, discussing innovative approaches, common misconceptions, and actionable strategies for making planned giving a cornerstone of your fundraising efforts. Whether you're new to planned giving or looking to enhance your current planned giving efforts, this episode is a must-listen for executive directors and development directors dedicated to making a lasting impact.  This episode answers the following questions:  Should my organization have a planned giving fundraising program? (Yes!) How do I start a planned giving program? When is a donor too old to be solicited for a planned gift in their will?  Should I ask my donors under 60 about planned giving? How do I overcome my board or staff objections to starting a planned giving program?    Links mentioned in this episode:  Planned Giving Accelerator   Tony Martignetti’s Website    Looking for more? Check out this amazing episode:    Ep 157: Generosity Post-Mortem: Legacy Giving with Lori Kranczer (Apple | Spotify | Our Home Page) 

Planned Giving: Your Nonprofit’s Guide to Big Impact with Tony Martignetti

Whether you're grappling with salary negotiations, seeking to enhance donor engagement, or aiming to motivate your team more effectively, Uri's expert analysis provides actionable advice tailored for the unique challenges you face as nonprofit leaders. In this episode, renowned behavioral economist Uri Gneezy and our podcast host Dolph Goldenburg explore the world of incentives and their profound implications for nonprofit leaders. We dive into Gneezy's groundbreaking book, "Mixed Signals – How Incentives Really Work" and uncover the often-overlooked complexities of incentive strategies within the nonprofit sector. From dismantling the overhead myth to harnessing the power of pro-social incentives and understanding the unintended consequences of well-meaning initiatives, this episode offers a treasure trove of insights. This episode answers the following questions:  How do incentives impact nonprofit management? What are the most effective incentives for fundraising and donor engagement? What is the overhead myth, and how can my nonprofit navigate it? How can I effectively use incentives to motivate staff and volunteers? What is the best way to negotiate my salary?  Links mentioned in this episode:   Mixed Signals: How Incentives Really Work   Looking for more? Check out these amazing episodes:  Ep 302: Maximize Your Employee Engagement and Retention with Rob Woronoff (Apple | Spotify |  Our Home Page) Ep 307: Empower Your Team: Unleashing Leadership Potential with Luis Velasquez & Kristin Gleitsman (Apple | Spotify |  Our Home Page) 

11 Stories About Embracing Failure

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