People-First Leadership for Nonprofits
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Ever tried to juggle visionary ideas, tight budgets, and a team that spans every learning style under the sun? In this episode of The Small Nonprofit, Maria sits down with management coach and EDI powerhouse Marisa Tran (they/them) to unpack what “people-first, consent-based leadership” really looks like when you’re running a small shop.
Marisa is an autistic, gender-queer, Irish-Vietnamese settler with 15 years of experience helping organizations clean up their HR, embed equity, and grow managers into actual leaders. Their superpowers: workplace harm reduction, accessibility audits, and coaching folks who were promoted for being great at their job...but never shown how to lead.
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Managing people – The Highlights
Performance talks should be boringly routine
Make goals and feedback part of every weekly or bi-weekly check-in so “the big scary review” never sneaks up on anyone.
Consent in management
LONG before performance reviews, work with the staffer to create a work plan and a check in cadence. Autonomy = trust.
Recognition isn’t one-size-fits-all
Annual raises matter, but some staff love public shout-outs while others want quiet affirmation or extra learning budgets. Ask, don’t assume.
Leaders own the misses; teams own the wins
When targets slip, step up and shield your crew. When they soar, hand them the mic and the credit.
Diversity of thought strengthens strategy
Pair big-idea generators with detail-oriented implementers and professional problem-spotters. Different brains, stronger outcomes.
3 Actionable Tips FOR managing people:
Bake goals into your meeting agenda
Create a living doc or dashboard you revisit every check-in. Progress, blockers, next steps; nothing fancy, just visible.
Run a “How do you like to be celebrated?” survey
Five quick questions (think love-languages-at-work) will save you from that pizza-party flop and show staff you actually listen.
Track turnover like a KPI
Note tenure, role, and identities (where shared). Spikes in departures—especially among marginalized staff—are flashing red lights for culture repair.
