Most nonprofit boards are quietly failing their organisations and nobody wants to say it out loud. The uncomfortable reality is that too many executive directors are tolerating dysfunctional boards out of politeness, misplaced loyalty, or simply not knowing what a high performing board actually looks like. The broken system of "give, get, or get off" has reduced some of the most passionate volunteers in the sector to ATMs with name badges. There is a hidden truth that the most effective nonprofit leaders already know: your board is either your greatest accelerator or your biggest bottleneck. This episode tears that conversation wide open.

Heather H. Bennett, Managing Director and Partner at Newport LLC, C-suite advisor, board director, and Amazon bestselling author, brings over 25 years of cross sector experience across both for profit and nonprofit governance. In this raw and refreshingly honest conversation with host Marla Moody, Heather dismantles outdated board strategy and replaces it with frameworks that actually work.

Inside this episode you will discover why board size matters more than most leaders admit, how to use a board matrix to build a diversity of skills not just a roster of donors, the truth about board member term lengths and why one size never fits all, how camaraderie and trust are the real engines behind bold board decisions, why executive directors must treat board members as volunteers first and assets second, and how to hold board members accountable without burning the relationship.
Whether you are a nonprofit CEO drowning in a passive board, a board member wondering if you are actually adding value, or a leader building governance from the ground up, this episode delivers the clarity and confidence you need to build a board that moves with you, not against you.

Connect with Heather H. Bennett here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-h-bennett/
Visit Newport LLC: https://newportllc.com
Visit FHSR: https://www.fhsr.org
Subscribe to What Works, drop a comment with your biggest board challenge, and share this with every nonprofit leader who deserves a board that actually shows up.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of What Works!
- Marla and the What Works Podcast team :)

Are you a Leader who would benefit from Leaders encouraging Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits

The nonprofit sector is running on a broken system nobody wants to admit exists. Behind the mission driven work, there’s a hidden truth leaders rarely say out loud scarcity thinking is quietly destroying team performance, leadership growth, and long term impact. This conversation exposes the uncomfortable reality of outdated leadership strategies, why high performing professionals fail when promoted, and what nobody tells you about leading in resource constrained environments. If you care about leadership, team performance, and sustainable impact, this is a wake up call.

In this episode of What Works, Courtney Evans Henke, Managing Director of Partnerships and Communications at Last Mile Health, shares powerful insights from leading global teams across Africa.

From transitioning out of an individual contributor role to managing leaders, Courtney breaks down the real leadership challenges most organizations ignore,lack of systemic training, burnout culture, and the dangerous impact of scarcity mindset.

This episode dives deep into leadership development, nonprofit strategy, management skills, and how to build high performing teams without sacrificing well being.
We hope you enjoyed this episode of What Works!
- Marla and the What Works Podcast team :)

Are you a Leader who would benefit from Leaders encouraging Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits

The nonprofit hiring crisis nobody talks about is quietly breaking organizations from the inside. While leaders focus on funding, programs, and impact, the hidden truth is that poor onboarding and weak leadership practices are silently destroying team retention, culture, and long term mission success. In this powerful conversation, Addie Candib of American Farmland Trust exposes the uncomfortable reality behind nonprofit leadership, farmland protection, and the overlooked systems that determine whether teams thrive or collapse.

In this insightful episode, Addie Candib, leader at American Farmland Trust, joins Coach Marla Moody to unpack the real leadership challenges facing mission driven organizations today. From nonprofit onboarding to intergenerational farm transitions, Addie shares practical insights on building strong teams, supporting farmers, and creating leadership cultures that prioritize people as much as outcomes.

Drawing from her work with farmland preservation, agricultural communities, and nonprofit teams, Addie explains why intentional onboarding is not just an HR function but a strategic leadership tool. She also highlights how food security, farmland protection, and farmer succession are deeply connected issues that require collaboration, mediation skills, and emotionally intelligent leadership.

The conversation dives into the realities of nonprofit management, why retention rates matter more than ever, and how leaders can create environments where both employees and farmers feel supported, valued, and empowered.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of What Works!
- Marla and the What Works Podcast team :)

Are you a Leader who would benefit from Leaders encouraging Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits