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Contents

Building a Healthy, Human-Centered Culture in Nonprofits with Ian Adair

Nonprofit leadership is meaningful work, but it can also feel exhausting. Between fundraising pressure, staff turnover, and board expectations, many leaders quietly run on empty long before they ever consider stepping away.

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Virtuous co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with CEO of the Seattle Police Foundation, Ian Adair, to talk about what it really takes to stay healthy in leadership and build organizations where people want to stay.

You’ll hear Ian, Carly, and Scott dig into:

  • How to recognize when you or your team are approaching burnout, and what to do next
  • Why self care is “not selfish” and why nonprofit leaders struggle to prioritize it
  • What healthy vulnerability looks like in leadership without oversharing or overburdening staff
  • Practical ways to build loyalty, belonging, and professional growth into your culture
  • How to coach and engage your board so they contribute in the right lanes
  • Key steps for turning around struggling organizations and leading through transition
  • Why “adaptive resilience” is a core leadership practice in today’s nonprofit landscape

Connect with Ian on social media:

Learn more about Virtuous at virtuous.org/learnmore and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist

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Learn More

The Responsive Lab is brought to you by Virtuous.

Virtuous is a software company committed to helping nonprofits grow generosity. Virtuous believes that generosity has the power to create profound change in the world and in the heart of the giver. With that in mind, it’s their mission to move the needle on global generosity by helping nonprofits better connect with and inspire their givers. Learn more about Virtuous and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist

author avatar
Riley Young

What you should do now

Below are three ways we can help you begin your journey to building more personalized fundraising with responsive technology.

See the Virtuous platform in action.  Schedule a call with our team for personalized answers and expert advice on transforming your nonprofit with donor management software.

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How smart digital engagement drives donor action, retention, and recurring giving. A practical conversation with Matt Lombardi.
Mid-Level Matters: Turning Overlooked Donors Into Loyal Supporters with Kel Haney

Mid-Level Matters: Turning Overlooked Donors Into Loyal Supporters with Kel Haney

Learn Kel Haney’s five-minute phone ask for mid-level donors and discover how real conversations can grow generosity for your nonprofit.
Using Neuroscience to Strengthen Donor Relationships with Cherian Koshy

Using Neuroscience to Strengthen Donor Relationships with Cherian Koshy

Explore the neuroscience of giving with Cherian Koshy, Scott Holthaus, and Carly Berna, and learn how to stop slowing generous brains down.

Grow generosity with Virtuous

Virtuous is the responsive fundraising software platform proven to help nonprofit organizations increase generosity by serving all donors personally, no matter their gift size.

“Virtuous truly understands nonprofits and the importance of our mission. And their open access to data and built-in custom reports gave us access to the data we need.”
Todd Shinabarger
Chief Information Officer