Leadership Episodes

224: 5 Truths for Transformational Nonprofit Leaders (Ed Mishrell) SUMMARY Do you want to elevate your nonprofit leadership to the next level? What are the five key principles of mission-driven leadership? In episode #224 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, former Chief Strategy Officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and author of The Five Truths for Transformational Leaders: How Nonprofit Organizations Thrive, Grow and Make a Profound Difference, Ed Mishrell, delivers an insig...

221: Turning your Passion into a Movement (Lynn Margherio) SUMMARY Starting a successful nonprofit often begins by transforming a passion project into a well-defined organization. But how do you turn that project into an actual movement? In episode #221 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Founder and CEO of the national nonprofit Cradles to Crayons, Lynn Margherio shares just how she’s created a movement from her personal mission to end clothing insecurity. She shares her 5 keys to ...

217: What Can We Learn from an Unconventional NGO? (Marko Kasic) SUMMARY Have you made the transition from the for-profit sector to nonprofit? How would you transfer your skills to effect genuine social change? In episode #217 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Marko Kasic shares his why and how he founded an “unconventional” NGO. Through his goal to create a social enterprise, he created a self-generating revenue model which addresses food insecurity while simultaneously providing workf...

210: Leading Through Failure as a Nonprofit Leader (Amy Burkett) SUMMARY Do failures knock you back more than they should? Failure shouldn’t be debilitating and Amy Burkett says it’s actually the secret to your success! In episode #210 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, two-time author, executive, and leadership expert Amy Burkett shares why you shouldn’t fear failure, and instead make it your friend. She shares how you can weave the lessons from failures into success and not become para...

209: Looking for Leadership as a Nonprofit Funder (Robb Webb) SUMMARY Does your nonprofit embody the leadership qualities for which major funders are looking? Nonprofit leaders who are best prepared when applying for grant funding can save themselves precious time and set their organization up for success if they seek to understand what philanthropic leaders are evaluating. But how do you know what funders are actually looking for? In episode #209 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Robb ...

205: What Issues Will You Face as a New Nonprofit Leader? (Tom O’Toole) SUMMARY Are you on the path to nonprofit leadership? How prepared are you for the challenges you’ll face? In episode #205 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we speak with Tom O’Toole, Executive Director of Public Affairs Programming at Cornell University’s Brooks School of Public Policy about what skills aspiring leaders need to efficiently and effectively run a nonprofit organization. Tom shares serious concerns of ...

203: Finding Success as a New Nonprofit Leader (Aaron Randolph) SUMMARY How do you find success as a new nonprofit leader? Starting any new business is difficult, and while similar, starting a nonprofit has a whole host of unique complexities. In Episode #203 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Aaron Randolph shares his best advice for others looking to start, fund and run a successful nonprofit organization. Aaron navigated the “big three” - new leader, new organization, new community – ...

200: Nonprofit Leaders: Which Trends Should You Follow? (Becky Endicott & Jon McCoy) SUMMARY What key trends are you following as a leader in 2023? For the enterprising nonprofit executive, one of the best sources of cutting-edge information on hot topics in the sector is We Are For Good, and that’s why we waited until the #200th episode of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership to speak with Becky Endicott and Jon McCoy, two thought leaders in our sector who will zero in on some of th...

197: Building a New Community as a Nonprofit Leader (Sherri Chisholm) SUMMARY Stepping into a new leadership role is an exciting challenge, but doing it in a new community can create new complexities. In episode #197 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, seasoned nonprofit leader Sherri Chisholm shares how she navigated a new community while maintaining her personal and professional connection to the cause. She shares the steps she took to hone the organization's vision and message, and how...

196: Key Strategies for Becoming an Exceptional Nonprofit Leader (Denver Frederick) SUMMARY As a nonprofit leader, you’re committed to achieving greater impact, yet recent challenges could hinder the effective implementation of your mission. In episode #196 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we’re joined by Denver Frederick, a pioneer in the philanthropic sector who has been on the cutting edge of many fundraising principles used today. As someone who created the model for corporate spon...

195: Leading a Nonprofit in a Post Pandemic Working Environment (Katherine Lambert) SUMMARY The pandemic put a unique pressure on nonprofit organizations and its leaders to do more with less, and adapt to new technologies and structures. As we usher in a post Covid-19 future, what will the new normal in the nonprofit sector look like? In episode #195 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we speak with veteran philanthropic leader, Katherine Lambert, about finding balance post-pandemic and m...

190: 22 Resources from 2022: Fundraising, Finance & Future Focus Fundraising Rhea Wong’s Developing the Right Mindset to be an Effective FundraiserDeepa Naik’s 3 Ways Your Nonprofit Can Inspire Greater InvestmentAutumn Keck’s Elevating Your Grants Program as a Nonprofit LeaderHolly Rustick’s Why Diversification is Vital to Your Fundraising PlanJay Frost’s Horror Stories of Fundraising: What Would You Do?Finance & Technology Bill Connors’ 3 Technology Traps All Nonprofit Leaders Must A...

188: How Can You Be More Effective as a Nonprofit Leader? (Grace Nicolette) SUMMARY Being effective in the philanthropic sector is uniquely challenging. To make every dollar count, you must continually assess performance, learn from data, and adapt in ways that are consistent with effectiveness. Grace Nicolette, co-host of the widely acclaimed Giving Done Right Podcast and Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) executive, joins us in episode #188 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership to sha...

187: Managing A Nonprofit Merger: Would You Be Ready? (Dr. Monique Perry-Graves) SUMMARY As nonprofits consider strategies for the future, its leadership may explore the possibility of re-aligning resources, collaborating to increase efficiencies, or even entering a formal strategic alliance or merger with another nonprofit. In episode #187 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Dr. Monique Perry-Graves shares key considerations nonprofit leaders can follow to guide their organization through ...

What are you doing to actually move closer to your ideal leadership role in the nonprofit sector? In this solo episode #185 of The Path Podcast, I offer seven specific ideas that can help you build your personal strategic plan for the year ahead. 1. Declutter 2. Calendar Review 3. Aspirational Job Postings 4. Read A Book 5. Create a Guide List 6. Two Topic Curriculum 7. Coach and be Coached ABOUT PATTON Patton McDowell has enjoyed a successful 30-year career in nonprofit leadership, strategic ...

183: National Philanthropy Day: How Will You Celebrate? (Robert Touchstone) SUMMARY As a nonprofit leader, how can you leverage National Philanthropy Day throughout the year? Learn why it’s celebrated across the nation and about some of the local winners worthy of recognition as we talk with AFP Charlotte President Robert Touchstone in episode #183 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership. Robert advocates for the benefits nonprofit leaders realize through an organization like AFP. He also disc...

182: Breaking Down Barriers as a Nonprofit Leader (Nyeisha Dewitt) SUMMARY How do you blend your life experiences with a passion for change and actually do something about it? Dr. Nyeisha Dewitt is eminently qualified to answer this question. In episode #182 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Nyeisha shares her journey to nonprofit leadership, the lessons she’s learned, and the challenges she’s faced along the way. As a committed entrepreneur herself, she knows leaders can be mission-drive...

171: How to Build Trust as a Nonprofit Leader (Teresa Mitrovic) SUMMARY Are psychological safety and trust key elements of your leadership? How does trust change workplace culture? What is a leader’s role in trust and how do you build psychological safety while maintaining accountability? In episode #171 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, author and coach Teresa Mitrovic advocates for trust as the crucial factor in organizational health. Learn what it means to create and adapt to this type...

166: Transitions in Nonprofit Leadership: Are You Ready to Make a Move? (Mazarine Treyz) SUMMARY Are you pondering your place in the philanthropic sector? The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world and its effects are being felt across all industries. In episode #166 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, multifaceted career coach Mazarine Treyz discusses some factors that nonprofit leaders should keep in mind as they prepare for the next normal. She advocates for such things as self-care, eq...

162: Are You Ready to be A Nonprofit CEO? (Karen Eber Davis) SUMMARY Are you ready to be the kind of leader a nonprofit organization needs as well as inspire the best in others? In episode #162 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Karen Eber Davis discusses what she calls readiness characteristics necessary to be this type of dynamic leader. Through Karen’s extensive research of new CEOs, she identifies skills both emerging and current nonprofit leaders should embrace. Are you prepared to be...

161: Measuring Success: How Nonprofit Leaders Can Look Beyond the Numbers (Megha Desai) SUMMARY How do you measure nonprofit success? Unlike the for-profit sector, where metrics are clear, the charitable sector isn’t always as straightforward. In episode #161 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Megha Desai takes a hard look at how, as nonprofit leaders, we measure success and how we communicate that success to our donors and key constituents. Megha explains how she makes decisio...

158: A Radical Approach to Nonprofit Leadership (Tom Vozzo) SUMMARY How do you balance capitalistic skills and passion for a cause? Tom Vozzo, who left a highly successful corporate career to become an unpaid nonprofit CEO of the internationally acclaimed Homeboy Industries, is eminently qualified to answer such a question. In episode #158 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, you’ll hear Tom share many of the lessons he’s learned by leading this Los Angeles-based organization, and how he adv...

155: Relationship Building: The Key to Nonprofit Leadership (Siobhan Davenport) SUMMARY Are you advancing your skills to be the kind of strong leader the nonprofit sector needs? In episode #155 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we talk with Siobhan Davenport, a phenomenal industry leader with more than fifteen years of experience serving underserved youth and someone who understands the advantages of these skills. Discover the benefits of developing a personal board of directors and how t...

148: How to Navigate Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership SUMMARY How can Patton’s new book, Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector, help you on your journey to senior leadership? In episode #148 of the Path Podcast, guest host Ken Fuquay explores that exact question by turning the tables on Patton and asking why everyone in - or pondering - nonprofit leadership will benefit from reading it. One thing becomes clear: Yo...