Show Notes
What's at stake when nonprofits and democracy are under attack? How can organizations respond effectively to threats against their tax status and Constitutional rights? In this illuminating conversation, Rusty speaks with Mike Zamore, National Director of Policy and Government Affairs at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), about the unprecedented challenges facing nonprofits in today's political climate. Mike Zamore draws from his 22 years of Capitol Hill experience and current ACLU leadership to explain how nonprofits are essential to America's constitutional framework of checks and balances. He details recent fights against attempts to weaponize government power against nonprofits, including legislation that would have allowed stripping organizations of tax-exempt status without due process. The conversation highlights parallels between threats to individual liberties and threats to nonprofit First Amendment freedoms. The discussion concludes with practical advice for nonprofits in red states and red districts to effectively engage with Republican representatives regarding the upcoming tax reconciliation bill that could adversely affect the sector. Zamore emphasizes the importance of solidarity, encouraging nonprofits to stand together against intimidation tactics, and that reminding us that maintaining collective courage is crucial for preserving both Constitutional rights and the ability to serve communities. This episode was recorded the morning of May 9, 2025, before the House Ways and Means Committee revealed the language in their portion of the proposed tax bill, which includes re-introduction of H.R. 9495. Click here for resources on new tax bill. Resources referenced in the episode: ACLU
A Call to Action for Red State Nonprofits on the FTP blog
"Meet the Man Who Wants to Tax Most of the Nonprofit World" by Ben Gose
"‘Five Alarm Fire': How New Tax Law Could Decimate Nonprofits — and What Can Be Done" by Steve Taylor
Filibustered!: How to Fix the Broken Senate and Save America, co-authored by Senator Jeff Merkley and Mike Zamore
"How Will We Know When We Have Lost Our Democracy?"
Harvard statement "Upholding Our Values, Defending Our University" and lawsuit against the government
Statement of Solidarity with Harvard University
FTP Podcast Episode “Dr. King, AmeriCorps, & Nonprofit Work - with Michael Smith, AmeriCorps”
“AmeriCorps members who respond to disasters and help nonprofits are let go in DOGE cuts”
Guest Bio: Mike Zamore is the National Director of Policy & Government Affairs at the ACLU, where he leads efforts to harness the organization’s vast expertise, 4 million members and supporters, paid staff in every state, and electoral work to shape federal, state, and local policy. Mike is a 22-year veteran of Capitol Hill, and spent over 14 years as the Chief of Staff to Senator Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat first elected in 2008. As Merkley’s top aide, Mike managed a 50+ person staff and $4 million budget, counseled the Senator on legislative and political strategy, represented the Senator to various constituencies, and led two successful re-elections. Prior to joining Senator Merkley, Mike was the Policy Director at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, where he assisted the 2008 Senate candidates develop their positions on the issues. Mike earlier served as Policy Advisor to Representative Patrick Kennedy and spearheaded Kennedy’s legislative agenda, including mental health parity legislation that became law in 2008, and spoke frequently on health systems reform. Earlier in his career, he spent several years working on business development projects in the early days of post-Soviet Russia and clerked for Judge Allyne R. Ross on the Eastern District of New York. Mike is an adjunct faculty member at American University’s Washington College of Law. He graduated from Brown University and Harvard Law School, lives in Washington, DC with his wife and two sons.
More from Fund the People: A Podcast with Rusty Stahl
What happens when fear pushes nonprofits to pull back from their missions, and how can the sector respond? In this episode, you’ll get a framework for understanding threats to American democracy and how nonprofits and funders can push back while staying true to their missions. Democracy Fund President Joe Goldman joins Fund the People CEO Rusty Stahl to examine four tests for democratic resilience: free and fair elections, the rule of law, communities’ ability to resist abuses of power, and support for leaders and organizations under attack. Part of FTP’s Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy series, Joe argues that retreating in the face of intimidation puts nonprofit independence at greater risk. He urges philanthropy to stand behind the organizations it funds and calls on nonprofits of every mission to reject isolation, build community, and stand together. From legal defense and donor pressure to neighbors helping neighbors, Joe makes the case for collective action rooted in a shared conviction: nonprofits still have the power to defend democracy and shape what comes next. Download a PDF of the episode transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lXsbmIHtL693H9XEOQqsVdqNG8guGhPa/view?usp=share_link About Joe Goldman: https://democracyfund.org/bio/joe-goldman/ Resources mentioned Joe Goldman, “Hope in the Dark: Four Tests for the Pro-Democracy Movement in 2026,” Nonprofit Quarterly: https://nonprofitquarterly.org/hope-in-the-dark-four-tests-for-the-pro-democracy-movement-in-2026/ “Trump Officials Ramp Up Investigations into Voter Registration Groups,” The New York Times — https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/07/us/politics/trump-voter-registration-noncitizens-investigation.html Free Your DAF — https://freeyourdaf.org/#/ Connect with Joe Goldman Democracy Fund: https://democracyfund.org/ Joe Goldman’s columns in Nonprofit Quarterly: https://nonprofitquarterly.org/series/hope-in-the-dark/ Joe Goldman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joepgoldman/ Fund the People Links: Fund the People website: https://fundthepeople.org/ Fund the People Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/fund-the-people Join the FTP Podcast Premium community over on Patreon for extended episodes, bonus content, and more: http://patreon.com/fundthepeople Related FTP Episodes Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy Series (Spotify Playlist): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45UnbWYeqzDY9U2DVWDcHm?si=jtviLQ_3RbCuilHzTGpmRQ&utm_source=copy-link&pi=i_mnLbmeTjqnk Level Up: Helping Funders Give More, Faster — with Jodeen Olguín-Tayler, CHANGE Philanthropy: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5fImhmrnZXZ1rhdu3UvSfr?si=8EPlBHbhQhSv07OzDgEuYA Minnesota Nice, Nonprofit Fierce: Defending the Sector, Midwest Style — with Nonoko Sato, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3RYBKdgY0yqGOwIRmhzkUY?si=f071f110617e4e87 Silence Isolates, Solidarity Shields — with Tonya Allen, McKnight Foundation: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5tpJidVf192lowo6vBMmbo?si=e2e08b26ba0d43ad
What if one of the most powerful ways nonprofits can strengthen their workforce is to make people spend less time at work? Today's co-host Dr. Betsy Leondar-Wright (Fund the People) introduces the Upgrading Nonprofit Workplaces case studes, which documents how nonprofits are improving job quality and working conditions to increase their impact. This episode focuses on our case study on work time. Adam Jespersen (Montana Nonprofit Association) describes how his organization moved from pandemic exhaustion to a four-day workweek with no reduction in pay—and why the change has stuck. Then Dr. Juliet Schor (Boston College and Four Day Week Global) puts the case study into context. Drawing on research involving hundreds of organizations, she discusses what happens to workers, jobs, and organizational performance when work time is reduced. The episode closes by considering what shorter workweeks could mean for nonprofits in an era of AI-driven productivity gains. Download the transcript in .pdf format. Guests: Adam Jespersen, MBA, became the executive director of the Montana Nonprofit Network after more than a decade of progressive experience in nonprofit leadership. Betsy Leondar-Wright, PhD, is the Research Director at Fund the People, coordinating the Upgrading Nonprofit Workplaces study. A long-time economic justice advocate, she is the author of Missing Class and a co-author of Is It Racist? Is It Sexist? and The Color of Wealth Juliet Schor, PhD, an economist and professor of sociology at Boston College, is a principal researcher on 4 Day Week Global’s international study of companies implementing four day workweeks. She is author of The Overworked American and The Overspent American, as well as the new book Four Days a Week: The Life-Changing Solution for Reducing Employee Stress, Improving Well-Being, and Working Smarter. Links to Resources: Flourishing with Fewer Hours - Fund the People Case Study featuring Montana Nonprofit Association https://fundthepeople.org/case-study-hours-of-work/ Upgrading Nonprofit Workplaces - Research series from Fund the People https://fundthepeople.org/upgrading-nonprofit-workplaces/ Montana Nonprofit Association - Organizational website https://mtnonprofit.org/ Four Days a Week - Book by Dr. Juliet Schor https://www.harpercollins.com/products/four-days-a-week-juliet-schor?variant=43110374866978 The Overworked American book by Dr. Juliet Schor https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/juliet-b-schor/the-overworked-american/9780465054343/?lens=basic-books The Overspent American - Book by Dr. Juliet Schor: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-overspent-american-juliet-b-schor?variant=32154061406242 4 Day Global - International support organization for four-day workweek: https://www.4dayweek.com/ Work Four - The National Campaign for the 4-Day Workweek https://workfour.org/ Doing More With Less: Positive Results of a Four-Day Work Week in the Community Impact Sector - Report by Impact Organizations of Nova Scotia, April 2024 https://ions.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IONS-Possibility-Brief_Spring-2024.pdf All Due Respect appearances on the Fund the People Podcast: From 7% to 107%: Investing in Organizers Supercharges Impact - with Geraldine Alcid (Filipino Advocates for Justice) and Rebecca Gorena (All Due Respect), S9:E16, published 05/06/26, 44 min. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-7-to-107-investing-in-organizers-supercharges/id1531813289?i=1000766550744 Thriving Wages for Community Organizers - with Gaby Hernandez (Oralé), and Kara Park (All Due Respect), S7:E26, published 06/04/25, 53 min. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thriving-wages-for-community-organizers/id1531813289?i=1000711155176 Fair Labor Standards for Community Organizers with Kinzie Mabon (All Due Respect) and Kevin Simowitz (All Due Respect), S3:E8, published 11/09/22, 47 min. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fair-labor-standards-for-community-organizers-with/id1531813289?i=1000585612468
Download PDF of episode transcript What does it look like when a major foundation decides that a crisis calls for more than business as usual? Bold but smart!This episode offers amazing insights and inspiration from Brenda Solórzano, President and CEO of The California Endowment. Brenda shares about how philanthropy can respond when nonprofits face rising demand, shrinking resources, and mounting pressure. She discusses how The California Endowment decided to substantially increase its spending, eliminate grantee reporting requirements, accelerate resource flows, and experiment! She explains why the Endowment signed the Level Up pledge and how it's spending the additional funds. For funders and nonprofit leaders alike, this conversation offers practical ideas for moving from risk-aversion toward responsive partnership. Solórzano discusses what it takes to build trust between foundations and nonprofits; why multi-year funding alone isn't enough; how funders can create relationships where grantees feel safe talking honestly about burnout; and why philanthropy may need to rethink payout. perpetuity, and the business model of foundations. She also makes the case that, rather than simply trying to preserve existing systems, funders can help communities build what comes next. For a Guest Bio, please click here: https://candid.org/authors/brenda-solorzano/ Key Links to Resources: Featured Guest & Institution Links: The California Endowment: https://www.calendow.org The California Endowment: Increased Spending: https://www.calendow.org/tce-board-approves-increased-spending/ Level Up & CHANGE Philanthropy Links: Level Up Campaign: https://levelupphilanthropy.org/ CHANGE Philanthropy: https://changephilanthropy.org CHANGE Philanthropy / Our Work: https://changephilanthropy.org/elementor-397/ Trust-Based Philanthropy Links: The California Endowment’s Go! Gifts: https://www.calendow.org/gogifts/ Headwaters Foundation of Montana’s Go Grants: https://www.headwatersmt.org/what-we-fund/go-grants/ Trust-Based Philanthropy Project: https://www.trustbasedphilanthropy.org CHANGE Philanthropy Member Organizations Links: Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP): https://aapip.org ABFE - A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities: https://www.abfe.org Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy: https://www.epip.org Funders for LGBTQ Issues: https://lgbtfunders.org Hispanics in Philanthropy: https://hipfunds.org Native Americans in Philanthropy: https://nativephilanthropy.org National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy: https://ncrp.org Neighborhood Funders Group: https://nfg.org Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity: https://racialequity.org Women’s Funding Network: https://www.womensfundingnetwork.org Fund the People Links: Fund the People website: https://fundthepeople.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Fund the People Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/fund-the-people Join the FTP Podcast Premium community over on Patreon for extended episodes, bonus content, and more: http://patreon.com/fundthepeople Relevant FTP Podcast Episodes Links: Level Up: Helping Funders Give More, Faster with Jodeen Olguin-Tayler, CHANGE Philanthropy (S10:E01 published 09/09/26) https://www.podpage.com/fund-the-people-a-podcast-with-rusty-stahl/level-up-helping-funders-give-more-faster-with-jodeen-olguin-tayler-change-philanthropy/ Meet the Moment: A Call to Action for Funders with Shaady Salehi, Trust-Based Philanthropy Project (S07:E17 published 04/02/25): https://fundthepeople.org/meet-the-moment/ MacArthur President Chooses Courage, Not Quiet with John Palfrey, MacArthur Foundation (S07:E27 published 06/11/25): https://fundthepeople.org/palfrey Do Funders Understand the Nonprofit Burnout Crisis? with Elisha Smith Arrillaga, Center for Effective Philanthropy (S07:E01 published): https://fundthepeople.org/funders-understand
Synopsis: In this episode, you’ll learn about a current organizing effort to get institutional funders to ‘level up’ their giving in response to attacks on nonprofits and communities. Host Rusty Stahl speaks with Jodeen Olguín-Tayler (CHANGE Philanthropy) about the Level Up campaign and its three-part pledge, in which funders agree to (1) increase giving for at least two years; (2) move money quickly and equitably to support 'frontline' communities; and (3) share how the commitments are put into practice. The conversation also explores why increased payout rates matter right now; the role of donor advised funds; protecting racial justice grantmaking; and how funders can learn from one another to overcome internal barriers and turn commitments into action. This Season 10 premiere is an installment of our Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy Series. In a companion episode (S10:E2) next week, Brenda Solarzano shares why The California Endowment signed the Level Up pledge, and how its moving money in response to the current crisis. Download transcript .pdf: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZpRvZ_zQQQkPSyX9t4FL0Uka0OcQgcAP/view?usp=sharing Guest Bio: Jodeen Olguín-Tayler (she/ella) is Director of Programs and Campaigns at CHANGE Philanthropy, where she supports the Level Up Campaign. Jodeen has served in executive roles in philanthropy, business, and nonprofits for over 20 years with a focus on democracy and an economy rooted in racial and gender equity. Her board service has included Movement Voter Fund, Poder Latinx, Chicana Empowerment Fund, Inclusive Democracy and Climate Equity Fund, and Movement Strategy Center. Her staff leadership has included the National Domestic and MoveOn. Full bio: https://changephilanthropy.org/about/team. Essential Links: Level Up Campaign: http://levelupphilanthropy.org Level Up Campaign email: [email protected] CHANGE Philanthropy: https://changephilanthropy.org/ Fund the People: http://fundthepeople.org Fund the People Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/fund-the-people Fund the People Podcast Premium on Patreon: http://patreon.com/fundthepeople Key Resources from the Episode: Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative: https://www.abfe.org/racial-equity-advancement-and-defense-initiative-readi Free Your Donor Advised Fund (DAF) website: http://freeyourdaf.org CHANGE Philanthropy Member Organizations: Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP): https://aapip.org ABFE - A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities: https://www.abfe.org Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy: https://www.epip.org Funders for LGBTQ Issues: https://lgbtfunders.org Hispanics in Philanthropy: https://hipfunds.org Native Americans in Philanthropy: https://nativephilanthropy.org National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy: https://ncrp.org Neighborhood Funders Group: https://nfg.org Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity: https://racialequity.org Women’s Funding Network: https://www.womensfundingnetwork.org Relevant FTP Podcast Episodes: How Nonprofits Fight Back Against Today’s Biggest Federal Threats w/ Sarah Saadian, National Council of Nonprofits (S9 Summer Bonus, 07.08.26) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-nonprofits-fight-back-against-todays-biggest-federal/id1531813289?i=1000775935067 ‘Silence Isolates, Solidarity Shields’ w/ Tonya Allen, McKnight Foundation (S8:E07, 11.05.25) - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silence-isolates-solidarity-shields-with-tonya-allen/id1531813289?i=100073541767 Meet the Moment: A Call to Action for Funders w/ Shaady Salehi, Trust-Based Philanthropy Project (S7:E17, 04.02.25) - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-the-moment-a-call-to-action-for-funders/id1531813289?i=1000701886889 Want additional relevant episodes? Add our Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy Playlist to your Spotify library: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45UnbWYeqzDY9U2DVWDcHm?si=_KJDjjPpSIKNUdiUIhuDnA
Hi everybody – this is Rusty Stahl, CEO of Fund the People and host of your Fund the People Podcast. Season 10 starts next Wednesday, September 9th. New episodes will be available every Wednesday throughout the fall. So I wanted to say a quick hello to get you ready! As you probably know, Fund the People is the only national organization dedicated entirely to increasing investment in America's nonprofit workforce. Our podcast equips YOU to invest in the nonprofit workforce! Whatever your role in the sector, we provide you with the ideas, research, tools, and leading voices you need to hear in order to invest in the nonprofit people around you! Why does this matter? Because there's a chronic deficit of investment in the nonprofit workforce, which has undermined the effectiveness and impact of the sector for decades. But when nonprofits have the funding and incentive to invest in their people, they can dramatically increases the performance, results, and sustainability! During the current era of political attacks, federal funding cuts; heightened levels of burnout, churn-out, and crisis across the nonprofit sector, investing in nonprofit people is an even more essential strategy to save nonprofit jobs, services, and organizations. Which means it’s time for all of us to learn the art of talent-investing. Thankfully we’re making that easier than ever. As we enter our seventh year of podcasting, the show just keeps getting better and better. More incredible guests. More real talk. More hard-hitting coverage of our sector's workforce issues. In fact, our guests are so great that the show is now ranked # EIGHT on the top list of 100 Best Nonprofit Podcasts in the U.S (FeedSpot). This fall, Season 10 brings you even more wisdom and practical resources from across the sector. So come "find your people" on Fund the People: bee sure to subscribe, listen or watch, and share the show!