Stability isn’t something you earn once you’re “big enough” or “finally staffed up.” It’s something you design on purpose—or you pay for it later in burnout, panic fundraising, and house-of-cards vibes.

In this episode, Brooke Richie-Babbage is back to flip the script on what capacity really means. Capacity is about changing the conditions under which your work happens, so the how of the work gets easier, less fragile + way more sustainable.

We’re talking broken mugs, creaky floors, cash cliffs, “build years” vs. “growth years,” and why “stability is a leadership choice” might be the most freeing (and challenging) mindset shift you make in 2026. If you’ve ever thought, “We’ll feel stable when we finally _______,” this episode’s your loving interruption.

You’ll walk away with clarity + next steps to build real capacity, including how to:

• Redefine capacity + stability as design problems, not personal failures
  → Shift from “I just need the right people / next grant / better tool” to “Where is our organization fragile, and how do we strengthen the container—systems, rhythms, decision-making—so the work doesn’t require heroics?”
• Narrow priorities + clean up decision-making so everything stops bottlenecking at the leader
  → Get practical about choosing fewer, deeper priorities; naming what you’re not doing this year; and mapping who actually owns which decisions—so your ED (or you) isn’t secretly holding six out of ten critical calls.
• Build stability through simple financial + operational rhythms (not just more hires)
  → Learn how to read your own “financial weather patterns,” plan for cash cliffs before they hit, decouple capacity from FTEs, and tap tools, fractional support, your board + community as legitimate capacity—not just “nice to haves.”

Episode Highlights:

Dive Deeper:

Episode 614: https://www.weareforgood.com/episode/614

Episode 464: https://www.weareforgood.com/episode/463

Thank you to our partners 🩵

Big gratitude to Givebutter, RKD Group, Whiteboard, and Sowen for their partnership in growing the Impact Uprising. If you’re searching for a new CRM, tech tool, brand partner, direct mail partner, or impact strategist— we’d love for you to start with our trusted recs. We’ve vetted them so you don’t have to. Head to weareforgood.com/recs to learn more.

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Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.
Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com

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People Leave™ — and in 2026, the pace and intensity of transition is accelerating. In this episode, Naomi Hattaway, interim leader and organizational health builder, shares what it actually takes to build nonprofit health through uncertainty before someone resigns. We talk about the hidden fragility that uncertainty exposes (founder dependency, undocumented roles, disengaged boards), and the practical foundations that help teams stay aligned when everything feels on fire.

You’ll walk away with concrete tools for transition readiness, including how to:

• Treat turnover as normal — not a crisis — so you plan for departures instead of getting blindsided
• Build real financial resilience with reserves and budgets that account for searches, interims, and transition support
• Create simple documentation so critical knowledge isn’t trapped in one person’s head
• Grow “endings literacy” by talking openly about departures, loss, and what it means to leave well
• Center humanity in hard moments with grief-aware practices, dignified layoffs, and stay interviews

Because healthy systems don’t stop people from leaving — they make it possible for people to leave well.

Episode Highlights

• Understanding Uncertainty in 2026 (02:06)
• Proactive vs Reactive Approaches (05:39)
• The Importance of Infrastructure (07:54)
• Endings Literacy: Navigating Transitions (13:30)
• Creating a Culture of Grief and Loss (22:00)
• Leaving Well: The Art of Transition (28:26)
• Human-Centered Change in High-Stress Environments (31:25)
• Naomi’s One Good Thing (35:07)

Dive Deeper:

• Naomi's Website
• Transition Archetype Quiz

Episode Shownotes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/673

Thank you to our partners 🩵

Big gratitude to Givebutter, RKD Group, Whiteboard, and Sowen for their partnership in growing the Impact Uprising. If you’re searching for a new CRM, tech tool, brand partner, direct mail partner, or impact strategist— we’d love for you to start with our trusted recs. We’ve vetted them so you don’t have to. Head to weareforgood.com/recs to learn more.

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Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.
Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com

Say hi 👋
LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter

Ever felt that ache of reaching out endlessly, yet still standing alone in a crowded room? You're not alone, true connection is the heartbeat nonprofits are missing right now.

In this episode of Shifts in 2026, Susan McPherson, author of The Lost Art of Connecting and Founder + CEO of McPherson Strategies—returns with her signature warmth and wisdom to explore the deeper meaning of connection in today’s world. Together, they dive into the "reconnection era," shifting nonprofits from communication overload to dialog that rebuilds trust, sparks belonging, and tackles the loneliness epidemic head-on.

Susan shares eye-opening stats, candid truths on AI's limits, and a heartfelt playbook—from leading with twice-as-much listening and empathy, to simple local salons, skills-based volunteering, and brave vulnerability. It's honest, hilarious, and that rare human spark that leaves you lighter and ready to show up differently.

If you're craving deeper ties with your team, donors, and community, this one's pure gold.

Episode Highlights:

• Understanding Loneliness and Disconnection (04:25)
• Evolving Perspectives on Connection (12:11)
• Shifting from Communication to Connection (15:41)
• Actionable Steps for Nonprofit Leaders (24:06)
• Susan’s One Good Thing + Homework (25:00)

Episode Shownotes: www.wearforgood.com/episode/672

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Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.
Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com

Say hi 👋
LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter