The Nonprofit Insider Podcast

Swim Karim

Welcome to The Nonprofit Insider Podcast with your host Swim Karim.

  1. Episode 70 — Kicking Off 2026 with Sara Keller (Nusenda Credit Union Foundation)

    JAN 14

    Episode 70 — Kicking Off 2026 with Sara Keller (Nusenda Credit Union Foundation)

    Episode 71: Kicking Off 2026 with Sara Keller (Nusenda Credit Union Foundation) We’re kicking off 2026 with a powerful conversation about philanthropy, leadership, and community impact. In this episode of The Nonprofit Insider Podcast, Swim sits down with Sara Keller, Executive Director of the Nusenda Credit Union Foundation, to explore how New Mexico’s largest credit union has spent the past decade investing deeply in communities across the region. Sara shares her personal journey from nonprofit work in Eastern New Mexico to leading one of the most influential credit union foundations in the Southwest. Along the way, she offers three pieces of advice every nonprofit leader should hear, rooted in humility, service, and a genuine love of community. The conversation also goes behind the scenes of grantmaking at scale. Sara walks listeners through how the Nusenda Foundation distributed $1 million in grants in 2025, what it really takes to review more than 400 grant applications, and how her team approaches relationships with nonprofit partners—even when funding decisions are difficult. Swim and Sara also discuss the Foundation’s Community Rewards® program, a unique way Nusenda members can support local nonprofits simply by using their debit card. Learn how everyday transactions can translate into real dollars for organizations doing critical work in New Mexico and beyond. 🔗 Learn more about the Community Rewards® program: https://www.nusenda.org/foundation/community-rewards Listen on Apple Podcast here: https://bit.ly/Ep71TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastApple Listen on Spotify here: https://bit.ly/Ep71TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastSpotify

    49 min
  2. Faiza Venzant on the State of Nonprofits, DEI, Managing Volunteers and Why Everyone Can Win

    11/05/2025

    Faiza Venzant on the State of Nonprofits, DEI, Managing Volunteers and Why Everyone Can Win

    Faiza Venzant, CVA, Executive Director of the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA) and Principal Investigator with the Assessing Diversity and Equity in Volunteer Inclusion project. With over 25 years of leadership experience in volunteer engagement, Faiza brings both a global and deeply personal perspective to the nonprofit sector. In one of the final interviews of the year, Faiza sits down with Swim to get her perspective of the state of nonprofits in Canada and the U.S., the wave of layoffs across the sector, and the question that never seems to go away: Are volunteer administrators truly being valued? Faiza even gets candid about what she doesn’t like seeing in the nonprofit space right now, why DEI is not dead, what keeps her up at night as an Executive Director, and why she wants to see everyone win. Whether you lead volunteers, fund programs, or are just passionate about community impact, this is an episode you’ll want to hear. Key Topics: The current state of nonprofits in North AmericaWhy layoffs are hitting the sector so hardThe respect (and reality) of volunteer management rolesBalancing identity between the personal and professionalIs DEI dead?What keeps nonprofit leaders awake at nightReal-world advice for emerging nonprofit leadersMore about Faiza Venzant, CVA. Faiza Venzant is the Executive Director of the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration. With 25 years of leadership in volunteer engagement, Faiza has been recognized for excellence with numerous awards, including the 2022 June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism. She’s also a published author and passionate advocate for improving equity, access, and representation across volunteer leadership. Learn more at www.cvacert.org Learn about Faiza and her team here: https://cvacert.org/our-team/

    1 hr
  3. Nonprofit Consulting in the Year 2025: A Conversation with Dana Litwin, CVA

    10/22/2025

    Nonprofit Consulting in the Year 2025: A Conversation with Dana Litwin, CVA

    In this episode, Swim sits down with Dana Litwin, CVA, an internationally recognized consultant and speaker, to talk candidly about the current state of nonprofits in America. Dana brings her trademark honesty and humor to a conversation that touches on layoffs, financial pressures, and what she’s hearing from nonprofit leaders across the country. Dana also dives into the growing “second job” phenomenon among nonprofit professionals, the realities of running a consulting business in 2025, and how organizations are rethinking volunteer engagement. Whether you’re inside the sector or eyeing a leap into consulting yourself, this episode offers both perspective and practical advice. And of course — Dana wraps things up with a #NonprofitHorrorStory you won’t want to miss. Topics Include: Dana's 2025 nonprofit State of the Union reflectionWhat layoffs and “#OpenToWork” trends say about the sector’s healthWhy side hustles are becoming survival toolsThe art (and grind) of consulting for impactDana’s advice for aspiring consultants and future leaders Ready to connect with Dana? Visit her website right here: https://www.danalitwinconsulting.com/ Learn more about Dana's background here: https://www.danalitwinconsulting.com/about Listen to the interview I did with Dana here on her YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/-YZtS0FJsxY?si=e5MlArSAJIy4_hES Learn more about GLAZA, the nonprofit Dana discussed in the episode here: https://www.yahoo.com/news/inside-l-zoos-messy-50-100000216.html Listen now: 🎧 Apple--https://bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastApple 🎧 Spotify--https://bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastSpotify YouTube-https://bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastYouTubeShorts Instagram-bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastInstagram TikTok-https://bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastTikTok #NonprofitInsiderPodcast #AdaptiveSports #InclusiveRecreation #NonprofitLeadership #OutdoorAccess #CommunityImpact ************************************** Be sure to visit today's sponsor, JPP Consulting at www.LearnwithJPP.com/Coaching. My friend Jessica Pang-Parks is giving 10% off to all nonprofits and nonprofit leaders who sign up using the code "InsiderPod". Is your nonprofit ready to take the next leap? Not if you don't have Jessica!

    1h 4m
  4. Ep.67:  Layoffs, Dirty Money & A.I. Use — Oh My!

    07/23/2025

    Ep.67: Layoffs, Dirty Money & A.I. Use — Oh My!

    In this episode of The Nonprofit Insider Podcast, Swim Karim tackles three hot-button topics that have the sector buzzing: 🧨 “Is everyone getting laid off?” Swim breaks down the wave of leadership layoffs sweeping across the nonprofit sector and what it means for morale, mission, and the myth of job security. 💰 “Should your nonprofit take dirty money?” From corporate donors with shady reputations to individual funders with controversial pasts — Swim explores the ethics, hypocrisies, and hard truths behind nonprofit fundraising. 🤖 “Swim uses AI — here’s why.” In Five Fast Minutes, Swim gets real about how (and why) he’s using AI tools behind the scenes—and why he has zero plans to stop. This is a stacked episode with bold opinions, insider insights, and the kind of honest nonprofit talk you won’t hear anywhere else. 🎧 Listen now on Apple--bit.ly/Ep67theNonprofitInsiderPodcastApple 🎧 Listen now on Spotify--bit.ly/Ep66TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastSpotify And be sure to subscribe to us however you take on media: YouTube-https://bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastYouTubeShorts Instagram-bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastInstagram TikTok-https://bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastTikTok #NonprofitInsiderPodcast #MAVA #Volunteerism #NonprofitLeadership #AmeriCorps #NonprofitLayoffs #FundraisingEthics #AIinNonprofit #TechTools ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Be sure to visit today's sponsor, JPP Consulting at www.LearnwithJPP.com/Coaching. My friend Jessica Pang-Parks is giving 10% off to all nonprofits and nonprofit leaders who sign up using the code "InsiderPod". Is your nonprofit ready to take the next leap? Not if you don't have Jessica!

    35 min
5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Nonprofit Insider Podcast with your host Swim Karim.