33: The Secrets to 94% Staff Retention During Nonprofit Growth (with CEO Lorii Rabinowitz)

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2519446/fa...) In this episode of Nonprofit CEO SPARK, Marcia Beckner sits down with a true industry culture leader, Lorii Rabinowitz, to discuss how nonprofit CEOs can successfully navigate growth without sacrificing team well-being, culture, or mission alignment. Under Lorii’s leadership, the Denver Scholarship Foundation has grown from 32 to more than 90 team members while maintaining an extraordinary 94%+ retention rate. Lorii shares how her organization co-created a thriving culture by prioritizing relationships, leadership development, employee voice, professional growth, and shared ownership of the mission.  The conversation explores practical strategies leaders can apply immediately, including values-based recognition, employee engagement surveys, mentorship programs, cross-functional collaboration, and trusted time off policies. 5 Key Takeaways: 1. Why growing your organization without intentionally focusing on culture leads to burnout, turnover, and instability  2.  How the Denver Scholarship Foundation built a thriving, mission-centered culture with 94–95% staff retention  3.  Practical strategies to strengthen retention, reduce silos, and increase collaboration across teams  4.  How values-based leadership and employee feedback create stronger accountability, trust, and engagement  5.  Why “clarity is kindness” when leading difficult conversations and developing healthy, high-performing teams This episode is filled with practical ideas for nonprofit leaders who want to build cultures where people genuinely thrive.  If this conversation showed you what's possible, the next step is yours to take. Ready to build a healthy team culture focused on mission growth and expansion? Culture CARES Accelerator → https://culturecares.com/ceo-ed-mento... CONNECT WITH MARCIA Join 10-Week CEO+ED Mastermind → culturecares.com/mastermind Free Weekly Leadership Insights → culturecares.com (http://culturecares.com) → Click Subscribe  Follow Marcia on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/marciabeckner (  / marciabeckner  )   Visit the Culture CARES Website → culturecares.com (http://culturecares.com)   Explore the Podcast → culturecares.com/podcast (http://culturecares.com/podcast) ENJOY THE SHOW? If this episode resonated, here's how you can support: 1. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 2. Leave a review (it helps more nonprofit leaders find the show) Don't forget to share this episode with a CEO or Executive Director who needs to hear it.