The Nonprofit Insider Podcast

Swim Karim
  • 5.0 (14)
  • NON-PROFIT
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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

  1. Why Being “Nice” Isn’t Working Anymore for Nonprofits: A conversation with Amira Barger

    FEB 4

    Why Being “Nice” Isn’t Working Anymore for Nonprofits: A conversation with Amira Barger

    AMIRA, AMIRA, AMIRA. The name is making waves in the nonprofit space. And her book is on fire. In this episode of The Nonprofit Insider Podcast, Swim sits down with Amira Barger, author of The Price of Nice: Why Comfort Keeps Us Stuck and 4 Actions for Real Change. Amira shares what she’s hearing from nonprofit professionals across the country, the emotional weight many people are carrying right now, and the moment she knew this book needed to be written. Together, Swim and Amira explore how niceness often shows up as compliance, avoidance, and fear—especially in times of political uncertainty and sector-wide change. The conversation also tackles nonprofit burnout, communication breakdowns, and why “being nice” can erode dignity, humanity, and organizational effectiveness. This episode is thoughtful, challenging, and necessary listening for nonprofit leaders, HR professionals, fundraisers, and anyone feeling stuck between comfort and courage. Listen on Apple Podcast here: https://bit.ly/Ep72TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastApple Listen on Spotify here: https://bit.ly/Ep72TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastSpotify Learn more about Amira Barger here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirabarger/ Pick up the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/800343/the-price-of-nice-by-amira-barger/

    46 min
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. Second Jobs and Side Hustles in the Nonprofit Space

    09/11/2025

    Second Jobs and Side Hustles in the Nonprofit Space

    Episode 68: Nonprofit Wage Penalty, Side Hustles & Second Jobs Have you ever had a second job while working at a nonprofit? You and me both. In 2017, 19% of Americans had two or more jobs during the year. That number has more than doubled in the eight years since. And a growing number of workers are taking on side hustles to bring in extra cash or separate themselves in an ever-competitive market. In my latest episode of The Nonprofit Insider Podcast, I break down the phenomenon of nonprofit workers having second jobs & side hustles, and why organizations should reconsider their stance on a little-known secret within our sector. Listen to the episode on Apple here: https://bit.ly/Ep68theNonprofitInsiderPodcastApple Listen to the episode on Spotify here: https://bit.ly/Ep68theNonprofitInsiderPodcastSpotify 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

    15 min
  6. 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
  7. Ep. 66: Why the 2025 Hurricane Season will be the most political since Hurricane Katrina

    07/08/2025

    Ep. 66: Why the 2025 Hurricane Season will be the most political since Hurricane Katrina

    Follow Swim on Instagram here: https://bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastInstagram Let’s get this out the way early. 2025 will likely be the most political hurricane season since Hurricane Katrina hit NOLA in 2005. The devastation is Kerrville, TX could potentially mark the start of what will be a treacherous hurricane season. Let me also say this: Nonprofits, continue to be on edge. And it’s not directly from the federal government or the Trump administration. Nonprofits are actually more scared of getting backlash from their local community and constituents. In today's episode of The Nonprofit Insider Podcast I detail the three reasons why this Hurricane season could have people from the entire political spectrum talking. YouTube-https://bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastYouTubeShorts Instagram-bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastInstagram TikTok-https://bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastTikTok

    16 min
  8. Ep.65: What happens when you get all $20,000 of your student loans forgiven?

    06/18/2025

    Ep.65: What happens when you get all $20,000 of your student loans forgiven?

    In this personal and powerful solo episode, host Swim Karim shares how working in the nonprofit sector led to $20,000 in student loans being completely forgiven through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. 🎙 What you’ll hear in this episode: A behind-the-scenes look at Swim’s PSLF journey—from paperwork to payoffWhat nonprofit workers need to know about eligibility (and why now is the time to apply)Why PSLF isn’t just a financial program—it’s a statement about the value of public serviceHonest advice for anyone stuck in the PSLF maze or unsure if it’s worth pursuingIf you’ve ever wondered whether the nonprofit path really pays off—this episode might be the answer. YouTube-https://bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastYouTubeShorts Instagram-bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastInstagram TikTok-https://bit.ly/TheNonprofitInsiderPodcastTikTok

    15 min
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5
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Welcome to The Nonprofit Insider Podcast with your host Swim Karim.

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