300 Episodes . . . A Major Milestone for Radio Free 501c
By Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP, LPEC
On September 29, 2025, my podcast Radio Free 501c hit a major milestone: 300 episodes. This is more amazing than I realized because I did some research and found the following:
There are over 4.5 million podcasts, but only a fraction are actively releasing new episodes.
2025 Data: As of 2025, approximately 450,000 to 500,000 podcasts are producing new content, according to Loopex Digital.
Strictly Active:
Other analyses define "active" more strictly, with Pro Podcast Solutions finding around 312,000 podcasts had published in the last 30 days.
The Reality of "Podfading"
Early Dropout: Many podcasts quickly stop updating; Riverside notes that 90% of shows don't get past episode three.
Limited Consistency: Of those that continue, another 90% quit after 20 episodes, a phenomenon called "podfade".
This data really floored me because I “do my thing” every week, bringing the nonprofit community news, information, and insights to help build our collective body of knowledge.
I never thought that I was doing anything all that unusual. But it turns out that you can do something incredible without even realizing it. Don’t get me wrong: I celebrated my podcast’s other milestones too as we reached 100, 200, 250 episodes and now the big 300. But I had no idea we are in very rare company: a podcast that keeps on producing new content past episode 20.
Here’s some more about our Little Podcast That Could:
7 Seasons
300 Episodes
175 Guests
Our topics have been wide ranging, from our first episode Transforming Business through Godly Governance, to Building Board Capacity, International Chapter Leadership, the Financially Astute Association, Consuming Research Responsibly, Advocacy and Allyship, why the CAE is important, and how associations are like movies! Our episodes reflect the changing needs and focus of the nonprofit management community.
We have a lot of deep conversations but we also have a lot of fun. Our goal is to feature interesting information and different voices to deepen our knowledge and create thought provoking content.
In 2024, we began our partnership with USAE News – our first podcast supporter. Working with James Heller and his team at USAE is a real treat. They take journalism seriously but they also have a great sense of humor. It’s why our partnership works so well: we all have a serious commitment but we all know that we need to laugh too!
How did I celebrate this major milestone? For this one, I decided to go outside of my comfort zone and livestream an episode featuring some of our guests. Usually, our episodes are recorded so there is always time and space to do a retake and to edit the final product so everyone looks good. I was a bit nervous wondering if it would work, and, like any party, wondering if the guests would show up! I was very relieved that it did work and that so many of my friends and colleagues signed in for part of the show. I did make one mistake in the setup on YouTube but that’s why we push ourselves – so we learn new things.
If you want to check out our livestream, it was archived on our YouTube channel and we posted an edited version on our website. Check it out and hear what is on the minds of your nonprofit management colleagues. We had a great conversation which is the true brand of Radio Free 501c – great conversation that leaves you thinking.
In closing, I want to thank all 175 guests who have joined me over the last 7 seasons. Without you, there would not be a high-quality library of content to share with our community.
Keep your antennas up and your podcast service tuned to Radio Free 501c. There’s a lot more to come!
