When the Problem Is Us: Tackling Nonprofit Internal Challenges with Honesty and Heart
We talk a lot in the nonprofit world about the external challenges we face—unpredictable funding, shifting policies, societal issues that feel bigger than our budgets. But sometimes, the biggest obstacle is closer to home.
This LinkedIn Live brought together three nonprofit leaders—Evan Wildstein, Frances Arias, and Julienne Torres-Hinds—to explore something we don’t say out loud often enough: we might be standing in our own way.
From overburdened teams and unspoken assumptions to cultural habits that go unchecked, this conversation dug deep into the nonprofit internal challenges that keep meaningful change just out of reach. But it wasn’t all tough love—it was also packed with warmth, shared laughter, and clear-eyed hope for doing things differently.
From Collective Agreement to Real Accountability
Acknowledge the Frustration. Name It Together.
“There’s shared frustration. That’s the reality,” said Frances Arias. She reminded us that when we’re working toward internal change, we often skip the part where we say out loud: this is going to be hard. But naming that challenge together can actually be the first step toward alignment.
At McMurry University, where Frances now leads major gifts and planned giving, she brings this mindset into cross-departmental planning. She spoke about creating clarity around shared projects, such as event collaborations or strategic planning. “When we slice it down into pieces and prioritize together, we start building real traction without burning everyone out.”
Change Doesn’t Have to Be Grand to Be Meaningful
Frances brought her operations brain to the conversation with a reminder that progress starts small: “You have to slice it down into pieces… Let’s prioritize. What can we actually achieve?” Accountability isn’t about adding more to the plate—it’s about being honest about what the plate can hold.
At McMurry, her department implemented project management tools like monday.com to create transparency and track small wins. “That helps us celebrate progress along the way and maintain accountability without adding chaos.”
Project Management is a People Problem First
Tools like monday.com can help with planning, but Evan Wildstein was quick to point out: “There has to be a human being who is charged and trusted with this sort of thing.” No software can fix a culture that keeps piling on work without removing anything else.
At The Post Oak School, Evan is actively carving out time for his team to focus. “We’re working through an academic calendar, and everything flows through us,” he shared. With that in mind, he intentionally redistributes tasks to avoid overwhelm: “We’re building in extra time for marketing and communication to breathe, because if we rush everything, we lose both clarity and creativity.”
And when we fail to adjust for capacity? As Evan put it, “Any nonprofit on this call, come find me on LinkedIn. I will work with you for free on how to cut things out.” The message was clear: we can’t keep saying yes to everything and expecting different outcomes.
Culture Isn’t What You Say—It’s What You Tolerate
Psychological Safety Is the Starting Point
Julienne Torres-Hinds brought the conversation home with a powerful statement: “We can’t talk about culture and honest dialogue without going into psychological safety. That needs to exist at every level.”
At March of Dimes Canada, where Julienne leads national strategy and planning, she’s working on redefining accountability in a way that centers equity. “It can’t just be a checkbox. It has to be part of our operating rhythm,” she said. That includes actively considering who’s in the room, who isn’t, and how power and privilege shape dialogue.
Julienne also named what many nonprofit professionals know but don’t always feel safe saying: psychological safety isn’t experienced equally. “Do we actually understand the identities that people are bringing to the table? Or are we making assumptions?”
She spoke candidly about how marginalized staff—including racialized folks, immigrants, and those living with disabilities—often navigate an unspoken fear of speaking up, not because they lack ideas or passion, but because they’ve internalized the cost of standing out.
That fear, Julienne noted, doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s reinforced by leadership cultures—often unintentionally—that prioritize comfort and conformity over inclusion. As she put it, “We say we want new perspectives, but the moment someone challenges the norm, the room gets quiet.”
This pressure to assimilate—to code-switch, to shrink, to be agreeable—often goes unacknowledged in majority-white organizations. Julienne pointed to Shama Shams’ essay Embracing the Immigrant Experience and the Power of Inclusion, which describes this dynamic with haunting clarity:
“No matter how long you’ve been in the country, no matter how many steps you’ve taken to be a part of the fabric of this nation, you can still be treated as an outsider.”
In the nonprofit world, the same can be true. Even when someone has dedicated their life to a cause, they may still feel like a guest at the table—especially in moments of tension or change. That “outsider” feeling, Julienne argued, must be actively dismantled by leadership if we want teams that are not just diverse, but genuinely safe and supported.
Frances Arias echoed this, adding her lived experience as a neurodivergent professional. “Here I am with my little fidget toy,” she shared, holding it up during the conversation. “These things help me stay present in meetings.” Her transparency was a beautiful example of what it means to create an inclusive culture where team members don’t have to hide how they work best.
At McMurry University, Frances is not just advocating for big ideas—she’s also modeling what it looks like to bring your full self to work. And she’s building a team culture where managing “up, down, and across” includes empathy, awareness, and checking in on how people are actually doing—not just how productive they appear.
Honest Dialogue is Bold Action
Sometimes, just telling the truth is the boldest thing a team member can do. But when nonprofits reward silence over transparency, we send a dangerous message. “There are a lot of hills that folks won’t die on because it’s just not worth it,” Julienne said. That’s especially true when people feel like their identity already puts them at risk.
Julienne’s call to action? Map the unspoken hills. What’s not being brought to the table—and why? At March of Dimes Canada, she’s actively building systems that surface those gaps and make space for more nuanced, honest reflection.
Frances added: “How are we advocating for ourselves? How are we advocating for our teams?” It’s not about perfection—it’s about presence. And making space for people to show up fully.
Burnout Isn’t a Badge of Honor
Evan shared a jaw-dropping moment from a recent conference: “They had a slide with NyQuil, DayQuil, Zyrtec—the ‘I refuse to take a sick day’ corner of the desk. And everyone nodded along. That’s not resilience. That’s a red flag.”
At Post Oak, Evan is flipping that narrative. When his child was sick, his boss texted him: “You have one job today—to be home with and for your kid. Work can wait.” He’s now working to model that same level of care to his team, normalizing flexibility and prioritizing human needs.
Those little moments of grace matter. They create the kind of workplace people want to stay in.
Bridging the Gap Between Legacy and New Ideas
Rethinking What “Innovation” Means in Nonprofit Work
Innovation doesn’t have to be flashy, high-budget, or AI-powered. Sometimes it just means simplifying a process, shortening a meeting, or saying no to a legacy project that no longer serves. As Evan put it, “Innovation can be 1% shifts.”
Julienne pushed us to ask: Are we building in time for innovation at all? Or are we so busy surviving that we never get the breathing room to imagine something better?
At March of Dimes Canada, she’s pushing for that breathing room by streamlining internal processes and being intentional about team planning: “We’re experimenting with how to create time for reflection and iteration, even when everyone is already at capacity.”
Frances reminded us that brainstorming doesn’t need to be revolutionary to be valuable. “Find those moments with your team where you can say, ‘Hey, I have an idea.’ That’s how we drive efficiency. That’s how we feel valued.”
Reverse Mentorship is Great. But What About Peer Mentorship?
Julienne offered a subtle but powerful reframe. Instead of seeing experience and fresh perspective as opposites, what if we saw them as peers? “There are people with great ideas who have been in the organization for years and maybe just haven’t had the platform to share them.”
At March of Dimes Canada, she’s helping to create spaces where legacy staff and newer team members can meet as equals: “It’s not about who’s right, it’s about what insights we bring when we listen across experience levels.”
Don’t Just Listen. Uplift.
Evan shared one of his favorite practices: “If someone on my team has a great idea but wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing it in a meeting, I ask them: are you okay if I uplift this with others?”
At Post Oak, this is part of his leadership DNA. “I do this constantly. It shows people their ideas matter, even if they’re not the loudest voice in the room.”
It’s simple, but powerful. We all have more influence than we think. And using it to amplify others is one of the clearest ways to build trust.
Moving the Needle on Nonprofit Internal Challenges Starts Within
Addressing nonprofit internal challenges doesn’t start with new technology or another strategic plan—it starts with us. With honest dialogue, cultural self-awareness, and the willingness to ask not what we’re doing, but how we’re doing it (and at what cost).
This conversation made one thing clear: meaningful change is possible. But only if we acknowledge the friction, create space for discomfort, and shift our expectations around pace, perfection, and performance.
The panelists agreed that sustainable progress means redefining accountability, centering psychological safety, and letting go of outdated habits—even when they’re beloved. As Evan put it, “You have to be able to let go of things. Light a candle, say a little goodbye. But let go.”
What emerged in this conversation wasn’t just critique—it was possibility. A vision for nonprofit work that values people as much as mission. That sees internal culture as central to external impact.
Our Speakers: Leading with Intention and Imagination
During this LinkedIn Live, we heard from three nonprofit leaders who are not only talking about these challenges—they’re actively addressing them within their own organizations.
Frances Arias, Director of Major Gifts & Planned Giving at McMurry University, is applying her strategic and operations mindset to foster clarity, communication, and accountability. From using project management tools like monday.com to slicing large goals into digestible pieces, Frances models how change can feel less overwhelming and more shared. Building on her commitment to bringing your full self to work, Frances is advocating not only for big visions, but also for fostering an environment where each team member’s unique strengths are understood, valued, and developed to bring those visions to life. As she said, “If I’m going to hold a piece of this pie, I need to be able to advocate for myself.”
Evan Wildstein, Director of Advancement at The Post Oak School, brings a refreshingly direct voice to conversations about burnout, workload, and decision-making. With 22 years in the sector, he’s seen firsthand how overwork is normalized—and he’s working to change that. From pushing for workload reductions to modeling personal boundaries, Evan’s approach is clear: “We’re doing this to ourselves. But we don’t have to keep doing it that way.”
Julienne Torres-Hinds, National Director of Strategy and Planning at March of Dimes Canada, is reimagining what equity and psychological safety can look like across an organization. Her leadership is rooted in nuance, challenging assumptions about who gets to speak and what gets heard. “Sometimes it is the bold action to have the honest dialogue,” she reminded us. At March of Dimes Canada, she’s helping build a culture where accountability, innovation, and inclusion aren’t afterthoughts—they’re built into the strategy.
Together, these leaders showed us what it looks like to engage with nonprofit internal challenges from a place of care, curiosity, and courage.
About The Nonprofit Hive
The Nonprofit Hive supports changemakers globally by fostering one-on-one connections that empower, inspire, and drive social change. We’re here to help nonprofit professionals connect with the resources and people that help them lead, grow, and rethink what’s possible—without burnout.
✨ Are you navigating nonprofit leadership, culture change, or internal roadblocks?
Join our community for peer connection, new ideas, and candid conversations that actually help: thenonprofithive.com
Tasha Van Vlack is the co-founder of The Nonprofit Hive. Her happy place is building community, talking nonprofit work/marketing/parenting and meeting new people.
Being a cheerleader for nonprofiteers is where Tasha has found her niche – she hopes that by providing a space for connection, nonprofit work will become more collaborative and supportive.