Next in Nonprofits

Carly Berna is the Fundraiser in Residence at Virtuous, a "modern fundraising platform that creates inspiring moments for donors and grows giving." The State of AI Adoption Report is a free download that details the findings from a study of hundreds of nonprofits regarding their use of Artificial Intelligence tools. The big finding: "92% of nonprofits have adopted AI. Only 7% say it’s actually expanded what their team can accomplish. The rest are stuck on the efficiency plateau: faster drafts, quicker emails, same results." There are some commonalities of organizations which are seeing meaningful impact that are detailed in the report. Carly urges some basics of these success metrics. Elements such as creating and documenting policies, having a cross-functional AI team, and more. The report expresses some urgency to get on board as the tools are changing and becoming more capable. Carly and Steve talk about when and how to use data, such as taking great care to not put identifiable donor data into public versions of LLM (Large Language Model) tools.

Dr. Beth DaPonte is the author of the new edition of Essential Evaluations and a consulting serving nonprofit organizations from Social Science Consultants. Dr. DaPonte has served with the Office of Internal Oversight Services of the United Nations and been a Lecturer, Yale School of Management amongst many other roles. Beth joins host Steve Boland to talk about the new edition of her Evaluations Essentials book, and why and how nonprofit organizations can develop and use program evaluation in their work. She discusses the basics of a theory of change, logic models, and more. The book covers ideas including early literature reviews, the use of a program evaluation reference group to provide a broad array of stakeholders to prioritize questions and access in evaluation. Beth talks about how unexpected challenges over time in evaluation (COVID shut downs for example) can become part of the evaluation story. (Also, thanks to XKCD for the causation v. correlation cartoon!). Get more details on how to subscribe on our podcast page. Please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or your platform of choice. Thanks!

Janie Heitz is the Executive Director, and John Kelsch is founder and Curator, of the Judy Garland Museum. The Museum is home to an eclectic Judy Garland and Wizard of Oz collection and is housed in the 1920’s restored birthplace home of Judy Garland in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. #Podcasthon is an annual event asking podcasts to highlight the work of a single charity John and Janie tell the story of the founding of the museum, the evolution of the work over the decades since it's founding over fifty years ago, and much more. One of the more unusual stories of the Museum involves the theft of the Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz, which were in the Museum at that time for display. The slippers were eventually recovered, and documentaries about that part of the story have been made since that time. The Museum is a part of the Grand Rapids community, but also a larger fan community across the world. Learn more at their website about how to visit the museum and learn more. Donations are welcome! Listen now by clicking the player above, download the file for later here, or subscribe to the podcast on your phone for automatic updates. Get more details on how to subscribe on our podcast page.

Alan Harrison is the author of the Scene Change book series, and has worked for 30 years in the nonprofits arts sector. Alan begins his book series with the first Scene Change book emphasizing the importance of community impact in their missions. The next book speaks to the role of boards of directors in this mission work, and now there is Scene Change 3, with stories of nonprofit arts organizations which can show their impact in community. Alan says art is essential for human beings, and artists are magical in their creation. He goes on to emphasize the need for metrics of success for nonprofits that goes beyond just the production of art and public participation through things like ticket sales. Scene Change 3 contains examples to help charities focus on their changes in community. Subscribe to the podcast on your phone for automatic updates. Get more details on how to subscribe on our podcast page.

Brittan Stockert is a fundraising coach with DonorBox, a donor management platform with a mission "to do everything in our power to support nonprofit organizations in their efforts to make a difference." Brittan's role is to help "nonprofits and social-impact organizations build sustainable fundraising strategies by strengthening donor relationships, improving CRM systems, and simplifying day-to-day fundraising." Brittan joins the podcast to talk about the evolution of thinking in mutual aid - direct giving from donor to recipient without a formal charity in the loop. Brittan talks about the history of mutual aid, and the changes in how mutual aid is moving forward since the pandemic, uprisings, and resistance movements in 2026 and beyond. Britt talks about trust as a key factor in both mutual aid giving and giving to support formal charities. Mutual aid support in the present moment relies on community-based trust, but also relies on traditional nonprofits to eschew "main character energy" and center the immediate needs with trust in community. Younger or new donors may be quicker to let go of control or power, and institutional charities may do well to follow suite and let go of some power in these situations. NEXT in Nonprofits has a blog post on mutual aid in 2026. People interested in connecting with Britt on coaching can view her contact page here. Get more details on how to subscribe on our podcast page.