Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership

A leader's guide to nonprofit career success!

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Jan. 7, 2026

350: What Every Nonprofit Leader Needs to Know About Mergers (André Anthony)

350: What Every Nonprofit Leader Needs to Know About Mergers (André Anthony) SUMMARY This milestone episode is brought to you by the newly merged Armstrong McGuire + PMA Nonprofit Leadership, joining forces to strengthen nonprofit leadership across the sector. Together, we are expanding our support for organizations through consulting, executive search, leadership development, and thought leadership. Learn more at ArmstrongMcGuire.com. As we announce our own merger, it felt like the perfect...

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Aug. 28, 2024

278: 3 Barriers to Nonprofit Strategic Planning (Chris Wong)

278: 3 Barriers to Nonprofit Strategic Planning (Chris Wong) SUMMARY How can nonprofit leaders shift from simply surviving to strategically thriving in an environment filled with resource constraints and external pressures? In episode 278 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Chris Wong delves into the intricacies of strategic planning for nonprofits, addressing common challenges and offering actionable solutions. Drawing from his extensive experience, Chris identifies the three biggest bar...

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Aug. 12, 2024

275: Fundraising Without Fear: Tips for Non-Fundraising Executives (Shannon Williams)

275: Fundraising Without Fear: Tips for Non-Fundraising Executives (Shannon Williams) SUMMARY Are you struggling with the complexities of fundraising as a senior leader at your nonprofit organization? In episode 275 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we delve into the insights and experiences of Shannon Williams from Armstrong McGuire, who offers valuable advice for nonprofit leaders. Shannon shares why fundraising often falls by the wayside and emphasizes the critical role executive dir...

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Sept. 4, 2024

279: Digital Transformation: A New Era for Nonprofit Leaders (Beth Kanter)

279: Digital Transformation: A New Era for Nonprofit Leaders (Beth Kanter) SUMMARY How can nonprofit leaders embrace the opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI) while navigating the ethical challenges it presents, all without losing sight of the human-centered mission at the heart of their work? In episode 279 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Beth Kanter, a seasoned expert in nonprofit technology, delves into the challenges and opportunities presented by AI. She offers a nuanced ...

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Nov. 26, 2025

344: Thanksgiving 2025: 7 Reasons to Be Thankful

Thanksgiving 2025: 7 Reasons to Be Thankful Special Edition Show Notes #344 This Thanksgiving episode highlights seven standout guests from 2025 - along with their books - plus three bonus titles from Patton’s Picks. Thanks to our partners: TowneBank: https://TowneBank.com/NonprofitBankingArmstrong McGuire: https://armstrongmcguire.comMastermind Leadership Program: https://PMAnonprofit.com/mastermind Featured Guests & Books Mary Kelly — Ep. 317: Crisis-Proof Your Leadership Episode: h...

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Dec. 17, 2025

347: Protecting Your Nonprofit from Fraud (Amy Seintourens)

347: Protecting Your Nonprofit from Fraud (Amy Seintourens) SUMMARY This episode is brought to you by TowneBank, whose ongoing support can be a powerful partner for your organization, offering financial expertise, expanded community relationships, and practical advice no matter your budget size. Learn more at TowneBank.com/NonprofitBanking. Fraud is one of the most underestimated risks in the nonprofit sector - and one of the most disruptive when it strikes. In Episode #347 of Y...

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#380: Relationships Shape Everything: What Leaders Must Know to Build Community (David “Dae-Lee” Arrington)

380

Aug. 5, 2026

#380: Relationships Shape Everything: What Leaders Must Know to Build Community (David “Dae-Lee” Arrington)

#380: Relationships Shape Everything: What Leaders Must Know to Build Community (David “Dae-Lee” Arrington) Episode Summary Many nonprofit leaders believe they've built real community and trust within their organizations — but David “Dae-Lee” Arrington argues that what looks like connection is often just proximity, and that gap is costing leaders more than they realize. Founder and CEO of Bridge Builder Leadership in Charlotte, NC, Dae-Lee shares how his own journey - from a Black, working-...

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379: How to Treat Every Donor Like a Major Donor (Derric Bakker)

379

July 29, 2026

379: How to Treat Every Donor Like a Major Donor (Derric Bakker)

379: How to Treat Every Donor Like a Major Donor (Derric Bakker) Episode Summary Nonprofit leaders and fundraisers are exhausted, and the instinct when results slip is to simply work harder. In this episode of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Derric Bakker, Founder & CEO of DickersonBakker, argues that today’s struggle is not a down cycle teams can out-hustle but a structural shift in how people give, driven by demographics, the widening wealth gap, fraying community and religio...

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378: The Money Myths Holding Your Nonprofit Back (Sean Hale)

378

July 22, 2026

378: The Money Myths Holding Your Nonprofit Back (Sean Hale)

378: The Money Myths Holding Your Nonprofit Back (Sean Hale) Episode Summary Too many nonprofit leaders quietly avoid their own finances, trusting that a clean audit or a capable CPA means everything is handled, and that blind spot can put a mission at real risk. In this episode, Patton talks with Sean Hale, founder of Nonprofit CFOs, who busts five money myths that hold organizations back: that the audit has them covered, that finance is the CPA’s job, that nonprofits aren’t supposed to ma...

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377: Stop Pushing Harder: How Great Nonprofits Build Momentum (Suzanne Smith)

377

July 15, 2026

377: Stop Pushing Harder: How Great Nonprofits Build Momentum (Suzanne Smith)

377: Stop Pushing Harder: How Great Nonprofits Build Momentum (Suzanne Smith) Episode Summary Nonprofit leaders are exhausted, pushing harder and still feeling stuck. Suzanne Smith, Founder and CEO of Social Impact Architects, offers a different path. Drawing on sixteen years of consulting and her forthcoming book, The Nonprofit Flywheel, she reframes Jim Collins’s flywheel for the social sector: translate business practices, don’t transplant them. Suzanne walks through the six elements, im...

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376: Who Should Be Part of Your Strategic Planning Process? (Renee Rubin Ross)

376

July 8, 2026

376: Who Should Be Part of Your Strategic Planning Process? (Renee Rubin Ross)

Episode 376: Who Should Be Part of Your Strategic Planning Process? (Renee Rubin Ross) Episode Summary Too many strategic plans end up gathering dust on a shelf, or worse, frustrating the very people who were left out of building them. In this episode, Renee Rubin Ross, Ph.D., Founder of The Ross Collective and author of the new book Inclusive Strategic Planning, makes the case that who you involve in planning matters just as much as the plan itself. Drawing on more than twenty planning pro...

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375: Outrageous Kindness: A Framework for Unlocking Philanthropic Potential (Kristina Joy Carlson)

375

July 1, 2026

375: Outrageous Kindness: A Framework for Unlocking Philanthropic Potential (Kristina Joy Carlson)

375: Outrageous Kindness: A Framework for Unlocking Philanthropic Potential (Kristina Joy Carlson) Episode Summary When disruption hits, many nonprofit leaders go quiet and wait for conditions to settle before they act, and that pause quietly signals to donors and communities that the mission can wait too. In Episode 375, Kristina Joy Carlson, CFRE, Founder and CEO of Outrageous Kindness, makes the case that perfect is never coming, and that the leaders who keep moving are the ones who buil...

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