The Nonprofit MBA Podcast with Stephen Halasnik

Becoming a nonprofit executive director can mean moving from leading programs to managing an entire organization, often without formal training in fundraising, finance, or operations.

In this episode of the Nonprofit MBA Podcast, Stephen Halasnik of Financing Solutions speaks with Jocelyn Chamra Barrera, Executive and Clinical Director of The Christi Center in Austin, Texas, about her transition into nonprofit executive leadership.

Jocelyn shares how she stepped into the role amid financial pressure and low staff morale, what she learned about fundraising and financial management, and why leadership, fundraising, and operations became three of her biggest responsibilities.

The conversation also explores how new executive directors can learn from peers, develop management skills, stabilize their organizations before pursuing expansion, and build confidence through experience.

Whether you're preparing to become an executive director or navigating your first few years, this episode offers practical insights into the challenges and opportunities of nonprofit leadership.

Grant funding is becoming more competitive, and even strong nonprofit organizations are seeing proposals rejected.

In this episode of the Nonprofit MBA Podcast, Stephen Halasnik of Financing Solutions speaks with Allison Welch, founder of Spark the Fire Grant Writing Classes, about what grant reviewers actually look for and why some seemingly strong applications fail to receive funding.

Welch brings more than 25 years of grant-writing experience and the perspective of having served as a grant reviewer. The conversation explores how AI is changing grant writing, why generic proposals struggle to stand out, how nonprofits can demonstrate measurable impact, and why funding diversification and organizational credibility matter.

Nonprofit leaders will also learn why answering every part of a funder's question is critical, how data and storytelling can work together, and why a grant proposal should focus on the mission rather than presenting the organization as a financial rescue project.

For executive directors, CFOs, development leaders, and grant writers, the episode offers practical guidance for building stronger and more credible grant proposals in an increasingly competitive funding environment.

What changes when an experienced corporate executive moves into nonprofit leadership?

In this episode of the Nonprofit MBA Podcast, Stephen Halasnik of Financing Solutions speaks with Shaun Carver, Executive Director and CEO of International House UC Berkeley and President of International House Association, about the transition from for-profit to nonprofit leadership.

Shaun shares what surprised him most about working with a nonprofit board, why consensus-building becomes such an important leadership skill, and how the role of an executive director changes as an organization evolves.

Stephen and Shaun also discuss why nonprofit boards need to evolve with the organizations they serve, how to keep board members meaningfully engaged, and why fundraising eventually becomes a major responsibility for many nonprofit CEOs.

Drawing on his experience managing sales teams in the for-profit world, Shaun explains why he views fundraising as a pipeline. Successful fundraising requires identifying the right prospects, building relationships, understanding donor interests, tracking activity, and bringing the executive director into the conversation at the right time.

The conversation also explores how corporate skills in finance, operations, strategy, and organizational management can become valuable assets in nonprofit leadership, while still requiring executives to learn a different approach to governance, fundraising, and mission-driven leadership.

Every nonprofit eventually reaches a point where the leadership skills that fueled its early success are no longer enough to support its next stage of growth. Building an organization requires one set of strengths. Scaling it requires another.

Strong nonprofit leadership requires more than passion. As organizations grow, executive director leadership must evolve from founder-focused decision making to building systems, developing leaders, and strengthening nonprofit organizational culture.

On this episode of the Nonprofit MBA Podcast, Stephen Halasnik, Managing Partner of Financing Solutions, sits down with Dr. Lindsay Whorton, President of The Holdsworth Center, to discuss one of the most overlooked challenges nonprofit executives face: learning to lead a different organization than the one they originally built.

Their conversation isn't about management techniques or productivity hacks. It's about the personal transformation leaders must make as their organizations grow, become more complex, and create greater impact.

Whether you're leading a startup nonprofit or an established organization, the lessons are remarkably consistent. Growth doesn't simply require more resources or larger budgets. It requires leaders who are willing to evolve alongside their organizations.

Stephen Halasnik, Managing Partner of Financing Solutions, speaks with nonprofit leaders and finance professionals about the real-world financial challenges organizations face, including nonprofit cash flow gaps, funding delays, working capital shortages, and the need for stronger fundraising decisions.

In this conversation, Shahar Brukner, Founder and CRO of Impala, explains why having more fundraising data does not automatically lead to better fundraising outcomes and how nonprofits can turn information into actionable intelligence.

Artificial intelligence is changing how nonprofits attract donors, improve visibility, and strengthen fundraising strategies. In this episode of The Nonprofit MBA Podcast, Stephen Halasnik speaks with Catherine LaCour of Blackbaud Giving Fund about AI-powered donor discovery, workplace giving, nonprofit website optimization, and practical ways organizations can use AI to improve fundraising and operational efficiency.

In this episode, Stephen Halasnik speaks with Dr. Adam Aponte about how nonprofits can manage cash-flow gaps, funding delays, and working-capital challenges in today's uncertain environment.

Is your nonprofit mission actually achievable?

In today's uncertain funding environment, nonprofit leaders are being pushed to prove not only that their work matters, but that their mission is realistic, measurable, and aligned with real community needs.

In this episode of the Nonprofit MBA Podcast, Stephen Halasnik speaks with Dr. Zuri Tau, founder and CEO of Social Insights, about how nonprofits can evaluate whether their mission is achievable, why theory of change matters, and how organizations can build stronger evaluation systems without needing massive budgets.

They also discuss how funding instability, shifting public sentiment, and growing accountability pressures are forcing nonprofits to rethink strategy, clarify impact, and define success in ways that truly reflect community needs.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why nonprofit missions should be aspirational but still measurable

• How nonprofits can assess whether their mission is achievable

• Why community-defined success matters

• How theory of change helps uncover blind spots

• Practical ways small nonprofits can begin evaluating impact

This is an important conversation for nonprofit leaders, board members, funders, and anyone thinking seriously about strategy, outcomes, and long-term impact.

Guest: Dr. Zuri Tau, Founder and CEO of Social Insights Host: Stephen Halasnik, Co-Founder of Financing Solutions

Change management in nonprofit strategy has become increasingly important as nonprofit leaders balance mission, funding uncertainty, and leadership transitions. In today's environment, that challenge is becoming far more complex. Funding can shift quickly, leadership transitions can happen unexpectedly, and external events can reshape priorities almost overnight.

In this episode of the Nonprofit MBA Podcast, Stephen Halasnik, Co-Founder of Financing Solutions, speaks with Matt Glazer of Blue Sky Partners about one of the most important issues facing nonprofit organizations today: change management in nonprofit strategy.

Glazer has led strategic planning efforts for more than 50 organizations and works with mission-driven groups on strategy, operations, leadership, and organizational development. Blue Sky Partners helps nonprofits and social impact organizations clarify vision, set priorities, and build practical roadmaps for growth and impact.

The conversation highlights an increasingly clear reality in the nonprofit sector. A strategic plan is no longer enough if it sits on a shelf. In a world of funding interruptions, workforce strain, board turnover, and policy volatility, strategy must become a living process. That is where change management plays a critical role.

This topic is especially timely because the nonprofit sector is facing real pressure. Data from the National Council of Nonprofits shows that nonprofits generate more than 80% of revenue from fees for services and government grants and contracts. At the same time, the 2025 Nonprofit Finance Fund survey found rising demand for services, increasing costs, and growing concern about future government funding.

Nonprofit leaders often overlook website maintenance, security, and speed. Yet, a nonprofit website is critical infrastructure for fundraising, donor trust, and search visibility. In the early days of the internet, a nonprofit's website was little more than a digital brochure: a static page listing a mission statement, a mailing address, and perhaps a grainy logo. Today, that same website is the organization's front door, donation engine, volunteer recruiter, grant validator, and public trust ledger all at once. For nonprofit leaders, the shift has been profound. A slow or insecure website is no longer an inconvenience. It is an operational risk. On a recent episode of the Nonprofit MBA Podcast, Stephen Halasnik from Financing Solutions sat down with Garrett Goldman, co-founder and CEO of StateWP, to explore what nonprofit executives need to understand about website security, performance, and governance in 2026. The conversation revealed a critical truth: nonprofits must stop treating their websites as one-time design projects and start treating them as mission-critical infrastructure.