The Nonprofit Show Why HR is the Executive Director’s Superpower
Executive Director Janelle Miller Moravek of Youth and Family Counseling takes us behind the curtain of what it really means to make HR the Executive Director’s greatest ally. This isn’t just an HR pep talk—it’s a dive into how transactional excellence, emotional intelligence, and succession planning can transform your organization’s culture, resilience, and impact.
Topics:
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
01:50 About Youth and Family Counseling
03:29 HR’s Role in Organizational Growth
05:31 What Is Transactional Excellence?
07:25 When Staff Leave: Root Causes
08:54 Counseling Work vs Other Sectors
11:08 HR as Organizational Design
13:42 Planning Your Work, Working Your Plan
16:00 Resilience in a Multigenerational Workforce
17:23 Succession Planning Without Panic
20:24 Cross-Training and Shared Leadership
23:09 Mental Health for Mental Health Providers
24:10 HR as Organizational Scaffolding
25:22 Fractional vs Full-Time HR
27:17 Real-Life Lessons from a Fortune 100 CEO
28:29 Closing Thoughts and Key Takeaways
31:15 Final Message: Stay Well to Do Well
Janelle brings real-world insights from her 15-year journey leading a nonprofit mental health organization that grew from a $680,000 budget to $2.8 million and expanded to three locations. What’s her secret? A thoughtful, strategic approach to human resources.
“We’ve always had to create an experience for our employees that attracts the talent we need,” she shares. In a sector where nonprofits can’t match private sector salaries, Janelle emphasizes designing career ladders and crafting meaningful employee experiences as key levers in recruitment and retention.
She also doesn’t shy away from accountability: “We need to look back at ourselves. Our staffing changes often come about because of something we’ve done.” Her refreshing honesty sets the tone for a discussion that’s as practical as it is reflective.
From the nitty-gritty of job descriptions to navigating a multigenerational workforce and preparing for the “silver tsunami” of retirements, Janelle urges leaders to embrace HR not just as a compliance mechanism, but as strategic scaffolding that supports every function in the organization.
The episode explores how nonprofits—especially smaller ones—can structure succession planning without fear, cultivate middle management, and share leadership in ways that increase organizational capacity and decrease burnout.
As she puts it, “HR is scaffolding. It’s how you manage the work and the people—it can’t just be the ED holding it up.”
If you're a nonprofit leader navigating hiring woes, team development, or succession worries, watch this for a generous dose of real-world experience mixed with humor, clarity, and heart.
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PT
Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show