What if the defining feature of nonprofit leadership right now isn’t burnout or bravery, but a kind of double vision—an ability to stare straight at worsening conditions and still believe, perhaps stubbornly, that impact can grow?

The Chronicle of Philanthropy joined forces with Mission Partners to take the pulse of the nonprofit world. In this episode of the Mission Forward podcast, Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer talks with Mission Partners's President and CEO Carrie Fox and Chief Strategy Officer Brian Fox about the 2026 Insights on Purpose™ Report, which was built from interviews and a national survey of nonprofit and foundation leaders.

You can download the full report here, and dive into the Chronicle's coverage of its findings here.

This week, we look at what nonprofit and foundation leaders are really carrying right now — what they’ll say out loud, what they’ll admit in private, and why the gap between those two versions matters. This is the story of confidence and strain living in the same institutional body. About “resilience” as something everyone invokes, but fewer people can define in a way that survives contact with payroll, boards, and the calendar. About why planning feels harder when the ground won’t stop shifting — and why the answer probably isn’t a bigger plan, but a different relationship to planning altogether.

If you’re leading an organization, funding one, serving on a board, or simply trying to understand why so many leaders sound calm while feeling anything but, this episode gives you a lens — and a few powerful questions worth keeping close. The report, in their telling, isn’t a stack of charts. It’s a set of voices — unfiltered — trying to say what’s happening before the sector pays for it in closures, mergers, and communities left without the organizations they rely on.

Our great thanks to the Mission Partners for their partnership in bringing this report to life. We hope you’ll take the time to read and share it broadly.

Federal funding cuts and increased demand for their services have left nonprofits across the country and issue areas reeling — with many questioning whether they will survive. The consequences are stark, given the vital work nonprofits do in communities across the country.

To help nonprofits navigate this challenging time, we here at "Nonprofits Now" would like to share this podcast episode by our friends at the Center for Effective Philanthropy. Their podcast, "Giving Done Right," offers essential guidance to donors contributing everything from small sums to major gifts.

In this episode, CEP Vice President of Research Elisha Smith Arrillaga shares just-collected data on what nonprofits are experiencing. In conversation with "Giving Done Right" host and CEP President Phil Buchanan, Smith Arrillaga shares insights into which nonprofits have been hardest hit and what steps they're taking to respond. She also talks with Buchanan about data on the foundation response to the situation and argues that the existential challenges nonprofits are facing require bold, values-driven responses from donors.

• "Mounting Pressure: U.S. Foundations and Nonprofits on the 2025 Political Climate"
• "State of Nonprofits: 2025"
• "Challenging Times"
• For additional resources for funders, see here.

We here at Nonprofits Now would like to introduce you to our friends at the We Are for Good Podcast, where innovative philanthropy leaders share ideas and strategies that change the world. In addition to podcasts, the folks at We Are for Good also run a community hub where nonprofit professionals can connect and learn from each other.

We were honored that the hosts of the We Are for Good Podcast, Jon McCoy and Becky Endicott, wanted to talk with Nonprofits Now host Stacy Palmer about her decades covering the philanthropic world as the longtime top editor and now CEO of the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Take a listen to this episode from our friends at the We Are For Good Podcast, where you'll get to sit down with Stacy 🤝, a dynamic leader and a true force for good in the nonprofit sector. Jon and Becky talk with Stacy about her journey from a curious student journalist to a leader transforming the landscape of philanthropy.

Stacy shares her insights on the future of fundraising, the impact of new generations of donors, and the game-changing potential of unrestricted giving. Her thoughts on curiosity and humor as leadership essentials will leave you inspired and ready to tackle challenges with a smile.

Whether you're a nonprofit pro or just passionate about making a difference, this episode is packed with practical strategies, heartfelt stories, and inspiration to fuel your mission-driven journey. Tune in and let's change the world together. 🎧

Learn:

• Why media drives change and moves audiences to action.
• How to retain staff in high-burnout environments.
• Where resilience leads amidst policy and funding shifts.
• Why understanding new donor generations is crucial.
• How unrestricted giving transforms nonprofit impact.
• Why curiosity and humor are leadership essentials.

We here at Nonprofits Now have loved joining the vibrant community of philanthropy podcasters. We'd like to introduce you to our friends at Becoming The Vision, a podcast that believes we must change ourselves to change the world. Join hosts Dr. Chera Reid, Efraín Gutiérrez, and Dr. Trinel Torian as they interview visionaries inside and outside of philanthropy.

In this episode, Chera, Efraín, and Trinel discuss resiliency — both individual and organizational — during times of profound change with ⁠Jim Canales⁠, President and Trustee at ⁠Barr Foundation.⁠

Jim reflects on resiliency in the context of his upcoming transition from president to board chair at Barr, noting that it’s not just about weathering the winds of change, but about learning from past experiences, mistakes, and challenges — and using those lessons to guide how we lead into the future. Among those lessons for senior leadership: knowing when to step forward and when to step back.

Jim and the hosts speak candidly about the dynamics between executives and boards, and the missed opportunities for alignment that arise when boards become an impediment rather than a partner in leadership. For Jim, resiliency means maintaining clarity and continuity around core values, while leaving room for fresh perspectives and new approaches. In fact, Jim and the hosts suggest that organizations can — and must — balance bold, new leadership with a deep commitment to their founding values. It’s a delicate dance, and one that truly resilient institutions are capable of performing.

As both solution and testimony, Jim brings humility and intentionality to the conversation — offering insight into how senior leaders can create the enabling conditions that empower new leadership to thrive, encourage collaboration, and invite meaningful change.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

We love introducing you to meaningful conversations and powerful ideas, and today, we're thrilled to bring you something a little different — a bonus episode from our friends at the Mission Forward podcast. If you haven’t tuned in yet, Mission Forward is all about the people and stories driving social change, and we think you’ll find a lot to love.

In this special episode, host Carrie Fox sits down with Leonard Burton to explore his powerful journey from a Detroit stage play to national leadership in justice, tracing the mentors, moments, and moral clarity that shaped his vision for a more equitable future. It’s a conversation packed with insight, strategy, and heart — just the kind of content we know you value. So settle in and enjoy this special episode of Mission Forward.

Why are urban and rural America so at odds?

Author Barbara Kingsolver has answers as she joins the second episode of our sister podcast from the Chronicle of Philanthropy: The Commons in Conversation.

The Pulitzer Prize winner frequently writes and talks about the origins of — and cure for — what she calls "urban-rural antipathy." Her most recent novel, Demon Copperhead, aims to dismantle stereotypes of her native Appalachia that she says infect politics and contribute to a mutual loathing between urban and rural Americans.

Kingsolver talks with Chronicle of Philanthropy deputy opinion editor Nandita Raghuram about her writing and philanthropy's role in rural parts of the country. She also shares a bit about Higher Ground, a home she and her husband established for women recovering from addiction.

Visit The Commons, a Chronicle special project exploring how Americans can come together, strengthen communities, and repair our torn social fabric. And sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Watch this interview on the Chronicle's YouTube channel.

Go Deeper

• Read an excerpt from Demon Copperhead.
• Read a New York Times story about the home that Kingsolver and her husband established for women recovering from addiction.
• Listen to a 2023 interview with Kingsolver about Demon Copperhead as "the great Appalachian novel."

We're excited to introduce you to the Chronicle of Philanthropy's latest podcast, The Commons in Conversation — a new show that explores how nonprofits and philanthropy can bring Americans together and strengthen fractured communities.

The Commons in Conversation uncovers solutions in interviews with advocates, leaders, and thinkers, including philanthropist Reid Hoffman, author Barbara Kingsolver, and democracy scholar and nonprofit leader Danielle Allen. Join Chronicle editors and writers as we bridge divides across lines of politics, race, class, gender, and more.

The first season kicks off with an urgent question: How can we reverse the trend of declining trust in institutions? Philanthropist and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman is looking for answers with a $10 million open call for organizations working to build faith in government, the media, public health, universities, and more.

In this episode, Hoffman joins Chronicle editor-in-chief Andrew Simon and Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change, to talk about Hoffman's competition and how philanthropy can help restore trust.

Make sure to subscribe to The Commons in Conversation in your podcast app so you don't miss an episode.

As federal spending cuts, government policy shifts, and economic turbulence roil the nonprofit world, nearly 90 percent of leaders are worried they’re burning out, according to a new study by the Center for Effective Philanthropy.

To help leaders figure out how to avoid exhausting themselves and their staffs, we turned to Sean Goode, an executive coach, to tackle this topic for our final episode of the first season of Nonprofits Now: Leading Today.

Goode led Choose 180, a Seattle nonprofit that works to keep marginalized youth out of the criminal-justice system, and then took a senior role at the Seattle Foundation before he decided to focus full-time on helping mission-driven executives lead better. His experiences have led him to challenge many conventional approaches to nonprofit leadership.

Among Goode's insights:

• Curiosity is an essential trait for any leader.
• Recognize the toll it takes when you only focus on what’s new and what’s next.
• Make fundraising about community engagement, not transactions.
• Being a good CEO is a lot like being a good parent.

Connect with Sean on LinkedIn. And watch a video recording of this interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw_UQNKAji4

For more advice on preventing burnout, check out these articles from the Chronicle:

• (Tool Kit) "How to Prevent Employee Burnout” by Chronicle Staff
• “Making Big Changes? Survey Finds Leadership and Staffing Are Keys to Success” by Jim Rendon
• (Opinion) “Sabbaticals and the Case for More Rest for Leaders of Color” by Cora Daniels
• (Opinion) “Could Term Limits for Nonprofit Leaders Ease the Burnout Crisis?” by Chitra Aiyar
• “Burnout Plagues Nonprofits, With Bad Effects for Mission. Sabbaticals May Help.” by Emily Haynes
• “How Leaders Can Help Fundraisers Avoid Burnout” by Emily Haynes
• “How Fundraisers Can Get Off the Road to Exhaustion and Burnout” by Emily Haynes
• (Training) “Foster a Culture of Well-Being” by Chronicle Staff
• “Leadership at the Crossroads” by George Anders

Nonprofits Now: Leading Today is hosted by Stacy Palmer. It’s produced by Emily Haynes at the Chronicle of Philanthropy and from Reasonable Volume, Mary Dooe is the producer, Mark Bush is our engineer, and Rachel Swaby and Elise Hu are executive producers. Additional support comes from Margie Fleming Glennon, Andrew Simon, Nick Adams, Krista Niles, Amaya Beltran, and Kyle Johnson.

For the latest philanthropy news and analysis, subscribe to Chronicle at philanthropy.com/subscribe.