A Heartfelt Holiday Message of Gratitude for a Year of Stories and Impact.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... As the year comes to a close, I’m pressing pause on our regular programming to reflect — and to say thank you. In this brief holiday message, I share what this past year has revealed about the power of storytelling, the strength of our nonprofit community, and the quiet, human work that truly builds impact. The stories we’ve had the privilege to hear — and help be heard — remind me that community isn’t built by headl...
I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text...
As the year comes to a close, I’m pressing pause on our regular programming to reflect — and to say thank you.
In this brief holiday message, I share what this past year has revealed about the power of storytelling, the strength of our nonprofit community, and the quiet, human work that truly builds impact. The stories we’ve had the privilege to hear — and help be heard — remind me that community isn’t built by headlines, hashtags, or algorithms. It’s built by people. By commitment. By heart.
I also extend deep gratitude to our founding and sustaining partners — CAPTRUST, Western Health Advantage, CxORE Fractional Leadership, and our newest partner heading into 2026, Five Star Bank — whose support allows hundreds of nonprofits each year to share their mission with clarity and dignity.
You’ll also hear a little holiday fun — because even meaningful work should leave room for play.
From all of us at the Nonprofit Podcast Network, thank you for listening, supporting, sharing, and believing in the power of community storytelling.
Wishing you peace, warmth, rest, and renewed purpose this holiday season — and a hopeful year ahead.
Thank you so much for listening to this nonprofit story! We appreciate you. Please visit the website to sign up for our email updates and newsletter. https://www.nonprofpod.com/ And if you like, leave me a voicemail to comment on the program, leave a question for us to ask in the future or a message for me, Jeff Holden. I may even use your voice mail message in a future episode of one of our incredible local nonprofit organizations. https://www.nonprofpod.com/voicemail. Thanks again for your support in listening, commenting and sharing the great work our local nonprofits are accomplishing.
Jeff Holden: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. Here, our purpose and passion are simple to highlight the incredible nonprofits that make our communities stronger. Each episode is a chance for these organizations to tell their story in their words, sharing not just what they do, but why it matters. To the people they serve, to their supporters, and to all of us who believe in the power of community.
Through podcasting, we hope to amplify their voices, inspire connection, and give them one more tool to reach the hearts of donors, partners, and neighbors alike. This work is made possible through the generous support of our founding partners. CAPTRUST offering fiduciary advice for endowments and foundations serving Sacramento, Roseville, and Folsom and online@captrust.com and [00:01:00] Western Health Advantage, a local not-for-profit health plan that believes healthcare is more than coverage.
It's about caring From supporting the American Heart Association to making arts and wellness accessible for all. Western Health Advantage truly delivers healthcare with heart. Learn more@westernhealth.com. I'm proud to welcome our newest partner, core executive leadership and comprehensive support services working in it, so you can work on it.
Visit cx OR e.com. I'm preempting our originally scheduled program today, the California Native Plant Society, and I'm going to shift it to next week so I can recognize so many of you who have been a part of our incredible journey this year. As the year comes to a close, I've been spending time reflecting on the stories I've been privileged to hear, privileged to share and help be heard this year.
Stories of resilience, stories of generosity, stories of grit, [00:02:00] challenge and resolve stories of people and organizations showing up for one another when it matters most. If there's one thing this year has reinforced for me, it's that community isn't built by headlines or hashtags. It's not built by likes, shares, or impressions.
It's built by people like you with quiet commitment, shared purpose, and those who care enough to act from the heart. It's built by being genuinely, uniquely, and unabashedly human. To everyone who's listened, supported, partnered, followed, shared an episode, or simply leaned in with curiosity and compassion.
Thank you. You make this work meaningful. You show these stories matter. You help our nonprofits be heard to our partners and their teams. Western Health, CAPTRUST Core, and our newest partner in 2026. Five Star Bank. Thank you. Your [00:03:00] investment in our program is serving hundreds of nonprofits locally each year in so many more ways than you could ever imagine to the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, Sacramento Venture Philanthropy, and Impact 100.
I look forward to continued engagement with your outstanding work in events. As we head into the holidays, my hope is that you find moments of rest, connection, and gratitude, and that the year ahead brings renewed purpose. Unexpected joy and continued opportunities to make a difference. Wishing you and yours, peace, warmth, and hope this holiday season.
Here's to a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. Now, if you'll indulge me for just a few more seconds, let's have a little fun. It was the night before Christmas in our podcasting space. Not a waveform was stirring no mic out of place. The headphones were hung by the [00:04:00] console with care and hopes that new stories soon would be there.
The nonprofits were nestled each safe in their beds. While visions of impact still danced in our heads from shelters to stages, from food hubs to schools, their missions ring louder than ratings or rules. When out in the feeds there arose, such as sound, a download, a share. As new listeners were found, a wait to the studio, I flew like a flash checked levels and lighting and trimmed just a dash.
The glow of the screen on a late winter night gave voice to the work. The so rarely sees light. Then what? To my wondering, I should appear, but neighbors and leaders shout, let's volunteer with stories. So honest, so brave, and so true. I knew in a moment what this network must do more rapidly than reindeer.
The episodes came, each nonprofit called out by its beautiful name now Housing now healing Now Justice and Care, [00:05:00] now culture and Courage and Hope everywhere. So onward we tell 'em these stories that bind, not chasing the clicks, but the heart and the mind. And I heard them exclaim as the year slipped from sight.
Merry Christmas nonprofits to all a good night. Thank you for listening to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. We hope today's episode inspired you and gave you a deeper look into the work of our local nonprofits. If you believe in our mission to amplify their voices, please take a moment to leave us a positive review and share this episode with a friend.
It helps more people discover the incredible work happening in our community. Don't miss future episodes. Subscribe to our weekly updates and monthly newsletter@nonprofitpod.com. And if you're part of a nonprofit that would like to be featured, we'd love to hear from you. Just visit the guest tab on our website.
The nonprofit [00:06:00] Podcast Network is recorded and produced at Hear Meow Studio with generous support from our founding partners, captrust, fiduciary advice for endowments and foundations serving Sacramento, Roseville, and Folsom. And online@captrust.com and Western Health Advantage local care Community impact.
Find the plan that fits@westernhealth.com and to our newest partner, core Interim and fractional Executive Leadership, comprehensive Back Office support Services. We work in it so you can work on it. Visit CX OR [00:07:00] e.com.
