Ever tried to juggle visionary ideas, tight budgets, and a team that spans every learning style under the sun? In this episode of The Small Nonprofit, Maria sits down with management coach and EDI powerhouse Marisa Tran (they/them) to unpack what “people-first, consent-based leadership” really looks like when you’re running a small shop.

Marisa is an autistic, gender-queer, Irish-Vietnamese settler with 15 years of experience helping organizations clean up their HR, embed equity, and grow managers into actual leaders. Their superpowers: workplace harm reduction, accessibility audits, and coaching folks who were promoted for being great at their job...but never shown how to lead.

Managing People – The Highlights

• Performance talks should be boringly routine
  Make goals and feedback part of every weekly or bi-weekly check-in so “the big scary review” never sneaks up on anyone.
• Consent in management
  LONG before performance reviews, work with the staffer to create a work plan and a check in cadence. Autonomy = trust.
• Recognition isn’t one-size-fits-all
  Annual raises matter, but some staff love public shout-outs while others want quiet affirmation or extra learning budgets. Ask, don’t assume.
• Leaders own the misses; teams own the wins
  When targets slip, step up and shield your crew. When they soar, hand them the mic and the credit.
• Diversity of thought strengthens strategy
  Pair big-idea generators with detail-oriented implementers and professional problem-spotters. Different brains, stronger outcomes.

3 Actionable Tips for Managing People:

• Bake goals into your meeting agenda
  Create a living doc or dashboard you revisit every check-in. Progress, blockers, next steps; nothing fancy, just visible.
• Run a “How do you like to be celebrated?” survey
  Five quick questions (think love-languages-at-work) will save you from that pizza-party flop and show staff you actually listen.
• Track turnover like a KPI
  Note tenure, role, and identities (where shared). Spikes in departures—especially among marginalized staff—are flashing red lights for culture repair.

Resources and Links

• Connect with our host, Maria Rio
• Connect with our guest, Marisa Tran
• Marisa’s website
• Support our show. We are fully self-funded!
• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Need help with your fundraising?
• Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

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Good Works estimates that a staggering $280 billion in estate wealth is expected to flow into Canadian charities. That’s not a number small nonprofits can afford to overlook. Planned giving doesn’t have to be exclusive, intimidating, or tax-code-heavy. In this episode, we dive into how small nonprofits can approach planned giving in a way that’s equitable, inclusive, and deeply aligned with community values.

We’re joined by Chantelle Ohrling, a thought leader in both the planned giving and Community-Centric Fundraising spaces. She is the Planned Giving Officer at Ecojustice, is the Communications Chair for the Greater Vancouver Chapter of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners and contributes her voice to the Black Canadian Fundraisers Collective and Hogan’s Alley Society. Chantelle also holds a certification in Legacy Giving Psychology from the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy and received the 2023 Birgit Smith Burton R.I.S.E. Award. Chantelle brings not just technical expertise, but a fierce commitment to justice, equity, and community-led philanthropy.

Planned Giving and Community-Centric Fundraising – Episode Highlights

1. Planned giving is not just for the ultra-wealthy.
Many transformational legacy gifts come from long-time supporters who aren’t high-dollar donors. A $50-a-year donor who volunteers, reads the newsletter, and shows up for events? They might be your next million-dollar legacy gift.

2. Racialized communities are generous and underserved.
Research shows Black and racialized communities are among the most generous in Canada. The issue isn’t willingness: it’s access, representation, and trust. Planned giving strategies must meet these communities where they are.

3. Planned giving can close the racial wealth gap.
It’s not just a funding strategy, it’s also a justice strategy. Promoting estate planning in underserved communities supports financial literacy, generational wealth-building, and autonomy over where wealth flows after death.

4. Values-led storytelling beats tax talk.
Don’t lead with tax benefits. Lead with stories. Tell donors about people like them who’ve left a legacy that aligns with their values. Planned giving is emotional, not transactional.

5. Don’t silo legacy giving into major gifts.
Some of the largest bequests come from people who’ve never made a major gift in their lifetime. That’s why Chantelle doesn’t segment her messaging by giving levels—she hand-signs 700 newsletters if she has to.

Resources and Links

• Read more from Chantelle on the CCF Hub
• Read Chantelle’s piece on The Philanthropist
• Connect with our host, Maria Rio
• Support our show. We are fully self-funded!
• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Need help with your fundraising?

Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

Support the show

Too many small nonprofits build their budgets on optimism alone, dreaming big without the strategy or infrastructure to back it up. This episode is all about why that’s a problem, and how to stop the cycle of setting fundraising goals that hurt more than they help.

In this episode of The Small Nonprofit, Maria Rio and co-host Caitlin McBride get real about what it means to set realistic, strategic fundraising goals, and what happens when you don’t. From pressure-filled board expectations to outlier-year budgeting mistakes, they unpack the ripple effects of extremely optimistic thinking and offer grounded ways to move forward.

Want to avoid budget burnout and build goals that actually serve your mission? This episode is your guide. Listen now and share it with your board.

Realistic Fundraising Goals – The Highlights

1. Unrealistic fundraising goals hurt everyone.
When goals are set without evidence or planning, it’s frustrating and it’s harmful. Fundraisers feel like they're being set up to fail, and the community loses access to reliable services.

2. Outlier years aren’t a the baseline.
Got a huge planned gift or a surge of support during a major global event? Great. But don’t build your next budget assuming that lightning will strike twice.

3. The board can’t just wish money into existence.
When leadership insists on big numbers without offering support or resources, they undermine the very people doing the work. Fundraising isn’t magical, it’s methodical.

4. Growth means more than dollars.
A 40% increase in revenue equals a 40% increase in workload. If you’re not adding capacity, you’re adding stress.

5. You need to track leading indicators.
Revenue is a lagging indicator. Things like donor meetings, emails sent, and stewardship actions are what create that revenue. Track what’s in your control.

3 Actionable Tips for Setting Realistic Fundraising Goals:

1. Use real data, not wishful thinking.
Look at historical trends, capacity, and the types of revenue you’ve secured. Don’t budget based on what you want to happen, budget based on what’s likely.

2. Break down your revenue streams.
Separate out grants, major gifts, recurring donors, etc. Goals should be specific to each stream, not one vague number slapped across the board.

3. Consider organizational context.
If your staff just turned over, your website crashed last Giving Tuesday, or inflation is affecting your donors, factor that in. Not every year is a growth year.

• Resources and Links
• Connect with our host, Maria Rio
• Connect with our cohost, Caitlin McBride
• Support our show. We are fully self-funded!
• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Need help with your fundraising?
• Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

Support the show