22 Non-Profit & Cause Based Podcasts to Inspire You
Podcast offer a unique opportunity to advance your organization’s mission
In today’s busy digital landscape, telling your organization’s story in a compelling way is crucial for advancing your mission – and podcasting is emerging as a powerful tool for just that. Whether you aim to educate stakeholders, share the stories of the communities you serve, or foster connections within your field of service, podcasts offer an unparalleled platform for engagement and impact.
Here’s a list of some of our favorite podcasts from a diverse array of non-profits, cause-based organizations and change-makers. These podcasts not only embrace the medium but excel in using it to drive change, amplify voices, and build bridges of understanding. Thank you to Elaine Appleton of Podcast Allies, LLC for her article in Tech Soup.
Dr. Rachel Gerson at the Larj Media studio records an episode of Tunnel of Truth: True Reports on Gender and Race in the Reading Room.
Alzheimer’s Association / Listen Line
Many people delay having a conversation with their loved ones about Alzheimer’s, missing out on several medical, emotional, financial and social benefits of an early diagnosis. This “mini-podcast” features celebrity stories discussing the importance and benefits of having an early conversation with loved ones about Alzheimer’s.
A weekly podcast that explores the most pressing civil rights and civil liberties questions of our time.
American Cancer Society / Theory Lab
American Cancer Society scientists and grantees discuss the most critical questions in cancer research -- in language that we can all understand.
A conversation-based podcast series produced by Larj Media exploring how leaders align values with influence. Whether creating opportunities for refugees, implementing ‘open hiring’ practices, or corralling heads of state toward greater climate ambition, these leaders’ stories offer honesty, inspiration and insights for current and emerging business leaders alike. 10x Bolder is hosted by Halla Tómasdóttir, CEO of The B Team.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute / Unraveled
This narrative podcast that explores the mysteries of the science of cancer. Veteran broadcaster Ken Shulman digs into the cutting-edge science that is transforming cancer research and providing hope for scientists and cancer patients.
Design Museum Foundation/ Design is Everywhere
This podcast features stories of people and organizations using design to make an impact and change the world. Host Sam Aquillano discusses topics with guests across the Design Museum’s 12 Impact Areas: Vibrant Cities, Healthcare, Social Impact, Workplace Innovation, Play, Sustainability, Education, Data Visualization, Entrepreneurship, Diversity, Business, and Civic Innovation.
Doctors Without Borders / Everyday Emergency
A podcast by Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) bringing you true stories from people on the frontline of humanitarian emergencies across the world.
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security / Seeking Peace
A podcast that explores the role of women around the world in bringing lasting peace to their communities. Episodes explore the roles women play in their local communities, in peace negotiations, in politics and more.
Humane Society / Humane Voices
Love and compassion for animals can bring everyone together. "Humane Voices" explores the issues facing animals, interviews worldwide animal experts and discusses what you can do to get involved and help. If you care about the welfare of animals, or have a special pet or two in your life, this is the nonprofit podcast for you.
Larj Media/ Living Change: A Quest For Climate Leadership
The global climate emergency demands bolder leadership. Climate influence catalyst, Andrea Learned, is on a campaign to help leaders get louder, and prouder, about how their personal values influence their work and drive climate impact.
Larj Media / Nobody Should Believe Me
This podcast, which was originally conceived of as an awareness campaign, explores the underreported and often mischaracterized crime of Medical Child Abuse (a.k.a “Munchausen by proxy”), a crime in which caregivers feigning, exaggerating, or inducing illness in their child for the purpose of receiving attention and sympathy. Nobody Should Believe Me goes beyond the headlines to explore the cultural context in which these crimes occur, talking to family members, leading Medical Child Abuse experts and a woman who spent 10 years in prison for the abuse.
Lower East Side Girls Club of NY / WGRL NYC
WGRL (Where Girl Radio Lives) is an girl-powered online radio station and podcast series based out of The Lower Eastside Girls Club of New York, in NYC. Trained in the art of radio journalism and engineering by professionals in the field, led by Kelly Webb of the Sweet Spot and Jeannie Hopper of Liquid Sound Lounge and WBAI, the young reporters cover a wide variety of stories, including interviews with celebrities, community activists, musicians, politicians, fashionistas and powerful women in just about every walk of life.
NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison Jr. brings important mental health topics to light, one conversation at a time. Hope starts with us sharing our stories. Hope starts with us breaking the stigma. Hope starts with us sharing resources and practical advice. If you or a loved one is struggling with a mental health condition and are looking for hope, this podcast is for you.
NAMI / You are Not Alone: Voices of Recovery
Based on the USA Today national bestseller “You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health,” by NAMI Chief Medical Officer Ken Duckworth, M.D., this series draws from among more than 100 interviews conducted by Dr. Duckworth for the book, showcasing real people sharing authentic stories of their mental health journeys.
Nick Hanauer / Pitchfork Economics
Any society that allows itself to become radically unequal eventually collapses into an uprising or a police state—or both. Join venture capitalist Nick Hanauer and some of the world’s leading economic and political thinkers in an exploration of who gets what and why. Turns out, everything you learned about economics is wrong. And if we don’t do something about rising inequality, the pitchforks are coming. Produced by Larj Media.
Southern Poverty Law Center / Sound Like Hate
A podcast from the Southern Poverty Law Center that tells the stories of people and communities grappling with hate and searching for solutions. You will meet people who have been personally impacted by hate, hear their voices and be immersed in the sounds of their world. And, you will learn about the power of people to change – or to succumb to their worst instincts. Sounds Like Hate was nominated for two People’s Voice Webby awards in 2022.
St Jude Children’s Hospital / St Jude Stories Lives Podcast
St. Jude Storied Lives brings you intimate conversations with the patients and families of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It’s hosted by Joel Alsup. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, when he was 7 years old. He was treated at St. Jude in the 1980s. Joel now works at ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude, on the team that shares stories about patients and their families.
Smithsonian / Articulated: Dispatches from the Archives of American Art
Since 1958, the Archives of American Art’s oral history program has preserved the distinct voices and human memory of the American art world in more than 2,500 interviews. Articulated draws on those interviews of the famous and the forgotten, featuring firsthand accounts from artists, dealers, writers, and other key figures, in dialogue with today’s thought leaders. Their expansive conversations and often surprising memories challenge us to see the world and our shared history in new and unimagined ways.
Washington State Radiological Society / Tunnel of Truth
Storytelling creates connection and compassion and gives rise to a shared experience that builds mutual understanding. In the Tunnel of Truth podcast produced by Larj Media, Dr. Rachel Gerson joins physicians of diverse backgrounds as they reveal their personal experiences, challenges and triumphs along their professional journey in Radiology.
In this eight-episode podcast series, travel the globe to meet women and girls taking a stand against gender injustice – and saving lives along the way. Join host Beth Murphy for intimate conversations with these hidden heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each episode is followed by a “deep dive” companion piece, in which experts in equality and public health help us better understand the forces driving harmful practices, violence and other rights violations worldwide.
Urban Roots is hosted by Deqah Hussein (historic preservationist and urban planner) and Vanessa Quirk (journalist and producer). Urban Roots is a podcast that takes a deep dive into little known stories from urban history. It’s brought to you by Urbanist Media, an anti-racist community preservation organization.
World Wildlife Life Fund / Nature Breaking
Welcome to Nature Breaking, a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) podcast focused on news and trends affecting our natural world, and the people and species that call it home. This show helps listeners make sense of today’s big environmental headlines by showcasing the incredible array of experts at WWF. Listeners will hear from scientists focused on climate change, oceans, rivers, and wildlife, as well as engineers, technical advisers, and field conservationists working with Indigenous communities, businesses, and other stakeholders to keep nature intact. So if you’ve ever found yourself asking, “What’s a Climate COP?” or, “why does it seem like floods are getting worse and worse,” then this is the podcast for you.