Send us Fan Mail Leading with Confidence Series #3 of 12 You walk into a board meeting with a major strategic recommendation that could change the future of your organization…only to be met with hesitation, questions, or direct push-back. And suddenly, it’s not just about the recommendation anymore. It’s about relationships. Funding. Trust. Authority. In this episode, we unpack what actually happens in those high-stakes moments when board disagreement surfaces, and why most nonprofit CEOs uni...
May 12
12 min
Send us Fan Mail Leading with Confidence Series #2 What happens when your desire to be a kind, supportive leader starts costing your team more than it helps? In this episode, we unpack a pattern many executive directors quietly fall into…holding onto the wrong person for too long in the name of being fair, loyal, or “nice.” What starts as good intention can slowly erode trust, morale, and performance across your entire organization. Through a real client story, you’ll see how one high-perform...
May 5
11 min
Send us Fan Mail Leading with Confidence Series #1 of 12 Welcome to the Leading with Confidence series where we will dive into the various challenges and opportunities to lead your team with more conviction and clarity. We will talk about executive presence and how to build confidence while navigating your organization each day. In this first episode, you'll learn the 5 C's framework. Even strong nonprofit CEOs and executive directors can find themselves quietly second-guessing decisions, rep...
Apr 28
13 min
Send us Fan Mail Proof beats promises every time. Here it is. Colorado College's Advancement team was coming out of a pandemic, shrinking staff, leadership transitions, and a culture that had quietly drifted from healthy to unstable. Sound familiar? They didn't ignore it. They decided to fix it by design, not by default. In this episode Marcia sits down with Kimberly Elahab, Director of Prospect Research at Colorado College, who was inside the Culture CARES process from the beginning and is s...
Apr 23
29 min
Send us Fan Mail You didn't become a nonprofit leader to spend your days managing conflict, navigating HR investigations, and losing sleep over staff dynamics. But here you are. If the culture inside your organization feels like it's running you instead of the other way around, this episode is the one you've been waiting for. Marcia Beckner breaks down why even the most mission-driven nonprofits quietly unravel from the inside out and what it takes to fix it at the root. Culture problems are ...
Apr 23
21 min
Send us Fan Mail What if the thing that broke you became the thing that built everything else? Before Marcia Beckner was a nonprofit culture strategist, she was a nonprofit CEO navigating cancer, divorce, and the crushing weight of leadership with no roadmap and no one to call. She built the framework she wished she'd had. Now she's handing it to you. In this first episode Marcia shares the story behind Culture CARES and why she dedicated her career to nonprofit leaders specifically. You'll h...
Apr 23
14 min
Send us Fan Mail This is a timely conversation for nonprofit CEOs and executive directors who are thinking about how to strengthen fundraising, lead with more confidence, and position their organizations for sustainable growth. In this episode, Marcia sits down with Art Taylor, President and CEO of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, to explore what’s actually working across the sector right now and to hear his perspective on the current state of giving and where leaders may be leav...
Apr 17
43 min
Send us Fan Mail When leadership starts to feel unstable, many executive directors quietly wonder if they’re the problem. In this episode, we unpack why that thought shows up—and why it’s often not true. Through Mary’s story, you’ll hear what happens when a leader becomes the system holding everything together, and why that approach eventually breaks down. This conversation reframes the real issue: it’s not about working harder or communicating better—it’s about building a structure and cultu...
Apr 14
13 min
Send us Fan Mail What if the biggest lever for your organization’s growth isn’t your next fundraising strategy, hire, or strategic plan, but your board? In this episode, Marcia sits down with philanthropy expert Melanie Ulle to unpack what most nonprofit leaders are getting wrong about board development and engagement, and how to fix it in a way that actually works. If you’ve ever felt frustrated by lack of follow-through, unclear expectations, or that subtle tension between you and your boar...
Apr 7
37 min
Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever felt like your nonprofit organization is posting consistently, but still not seeing meaningful engagement, it may not be a content problem. In this episode, I sit down with digital marketing expert and Nonprofit Nation Podcast host Julia Campbell to unpack what’s actually driving connection, trust, and donor engagement online right now. Because social media is not a strategy on its own, it’s a tool. And when it’s used without intention, it can quickly become ju...
Mar 31
33 min
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