Season 6 | Episode 08

"Ethical storytelling for nonprofits--how do we tell stories in a way that doesn't trap folks in a victim mentality? Or that lets them evolve. … If you show folks what you actually did about the problem, they're more likely to support you instead of if you just play on their emotions all the time.”

- Meghan Speer

Two nonprofit podcast hosts. Zero rehearsal. One refreshingly honest conversation. Matt Kamin (Nonprofit on the Rocks) and Meghan Speer (Nonprofit Hub) team up for the first-ever crossover between their shows — and it's basically two friends geeking out over everything wrong (and right) with the nonprofit world. They get into the real talk fast: how to tell client stories without exploiting people, whether AI is about to change how donors decide who to support, and why nobody can agree on the "right" board size. Along the way: a hot take on why "executive director" undersells one of the hardest jobs in America, a hard line on never passing a budget in the red (your endowment is not a safety net!), a case for more nonprofit mergers, and a rant about leaders who care more about their "legacy" than the mission itself. Candid. A little chaotic. Occasionally emotional. Packed with hard-won wisdom from two people who've spent their careers in the trenches — exactly what happens when you put two podcast hosts in a room and tell them to just talk.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Why the woman on every billboard finally said, "Enough — I moved on seven years ago"

• The case for telling stories about your failures (yes, really)

• CEO or Executive Director? Why the title matters more than you think

• "Don't pass a budget in the red. Period." — Meghan Speer

• Why 80% of nonprofit mergers fall apart (spoiler: it's ego)

• The word "legacy" and why it should make you uncomfortable

• A genuinely moving story about why Matt got into nonprofit work in the first place It's heartfelt, occasionally heated, and 100% worth your time.