Two leaders, Kathleen St. Louis Caliento and Nick Grono, join Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer to explain how they have engaged their board in financial efforts.

St. Louis Caliento runs Cara Collective, a Chicago nonprofit that helps low-income people find jobs.

Grono heads the Freedom Fund, an organization that pools funds from donors who want to fight modern-day slavery. He’s the author of How to Lead Nonprofits: Turning Purpose into Impact to Change the World, published in 2024.

As nonprofits face economy headwinds — including losses in federal funding, rising costs, and the possibility of a global recession — nonprofit boards play an increasingly essential role. Trustees help with strategy and can also be powerful donors and fundraisers. Yet fewer than a quarter of respondents to a Chronicle survey described their board members as enthusiastic fundraisers.

Grono and St. Louis Caliento share their advice on how to inspire boards to champion your mission and share insights from their shared experience of working with trustees to manage unrestricted, multimillion-dollar grants from MacKenzie Scott.

Among their key points:

• Ask board members for access to their networks.
• Tap the board’s resources beyond donations.
• Help the board understand the nonprofit’s work and impact.
• Do an annual check-in.

You can connect with Grono and St. Louis Caliento on LinkedIn.

Further Reading:

“A Really Tough Job: Nonprofit CEOs Work to Make Their Roles More Manageable” by Ben Gose

“How to Create a Culture of Fundraising on Your Board” by Lisa Schohl

“How to Retain Skittish Donors Amid Economic Turbulence” by Rasheeda Childress

“Show How Your Nonprofit Is Making a Difference: 10 Do’s and Don’ts” by Lisa Schohl

“Funders Should Support Nonprofit Leadership Transitions — Now” by Nick Grono

“Leadership at the Crossroads” by George Anders

We welcome your thoughts on how the Chronicle can better help you engage your board. Write us at connect@philanthropy.com.

Catch up on all our episodes at https://www.philanthropy.com/podcast/nonprofits-now.

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 the Chronicle at philanthropy.com/subscribe.

Tim Dixon, co-founder of More in Common, joins Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer to offer research-based strategies leaders can use to bridge divides in the workplace and in their communities. More in Common helps political leaders and social-change movements strengthen their coalitions by including unlikely allies.

Bridging divides is top-of-mind for nonprofit leaders today. Nearly two-thirds of nonprofit executives say the nation’s divisions are making their jobs tougher, according to an exclusive Chronicle of Philanthropy survey.

Dixon shared solutions to overcome entrenched division. Among his key points:

• Coalitions of unlikely partners are a key to success.
• Leaders must manage divides within their organization — not ignore them.
• Focus on shared values to build consensus.

You can connect with Dixon on LinkedIn and follow him @dixontim on X. And dig into More in Common’s research here.

Further Reading:

“Born of Political Violence, This Group Helps Nonprofit Causes Find ‘Surprising’ Allies” by Drew Lindsay

“A Really Tough Job: Nonprofit CEOs Work to Make Their Roles More Manageable” by Ben Gose

“To Hell and Back: Polarization and the Nonprofit” by Ben Gose

“A Polarization Expert on What Nonprofits Need to Do — And Stop Doing” by Chronicle Staff

“‘It’s Hard to Hate Up Close’: Philanthropy, Polarization, and the Art of Conversation” by Eden Stiffman

“Leadership at the Crossroads” by George Anders

We welcome your thoughts on how the Chronicle can better help you bridge divides at your nonprofits. Write us at connect@philanthropy.com.

You can find a video version of this episode at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW4KcDyDC5E.

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 Beltrán, and Kyle Johnson.

Explore more of our reporting and interviews on navigating society’s divides at philanthropy.com/commons. For the latest philanthropy news and analysis, subscribe to the Chronicle at philanthropy.com/subscribe.

Nonprofit leaders are overworked, struggling to retain top talent, and facing budgetary shortfalls. In Nonprofits Now: Leading Today, host Stacy Palmer interviews innovative leaders who have developed smart solutions to common, tough challenges. The podcast series springs from an exclusive Chronicle of Philanthropy survey that uncovered troubling pain points in nonprofit leadership and a looming threat of leadership turnover. Nonprofits Now: Leading Today offers actionable strategies to address the most urgent challenges leaders face. Palmer and her guests explore proven ways to prevent burnout, manage intergenerational workplaces, hire strong senior teams, and much more. Starting April 15, tune in and turn the tide at your nonprofit.