Episodes

153: Why Diversification is Vital to Your Fundraising Plan (Holly Rustick) SUMMARY Is your nonprofit organization writing competitive grants that grow your funding capacity? In episode #153 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership we speak with Holly Rustick, a grant writing expert with over 15 years of winning more than $30 million in grant funding, on how nonprofit leaders can enhance their grant writing skills and increase funding to advance their organization’s mission. Holly sha...

152: Building A Pipeline for Emerging Nonprofit Leaders (Nick Azulay) SUMMARY Does your organization attract the next generation of dynamic nonprofit leaders? In episode #152 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we talk with Nick Azulay, a Fulbright Scholar, who struggled to convert his education and desire for a meaningful career with the practical skills needed to land a job in the nonprofit sector. Nick divulges specific tools he used to navigate his path into the nonprofit sector a...

151: Engaging Volunteers to Make Your Nonprofit Vision A Reality (Diana Zhang) SUMMARY Do you consider your nonprofit leadership a calling? Perhaps you saw individuals on the precipice during the pandemic, and simply had to do something. Like other talented professionals who have joined our ranks as a “lateral entry”, Diana Zhang recognized this crisis as a call to action and left her successful 15-year hedge fund career to co-found the nonprofit organization called NeighborShare. In e...

150: Developing the Right Mindset to be an Effective Fundraiser (Rhea Wong) SUMMARY Do you struggle with fundraising? Have you truly reflected on why? In honor of our 150th episode of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we discuss what it takes to maximize your fundraising with a leading expert, Rhea Wong. If your fundraising isn’t a strategy as much as it’s a mix of tactics and tools cobbled together, then listen as Rhea introduces her unique and innovative program called The Fun...

149: Navigating Data for Nonprofit Leaders (Stu Manewith) SUMMARY Is your organization overwhelmed by data? Do you have fresh, error free, current and comprehensive data in one easy to access system or has confidence in your communications faltered because you recently noticed something simple like a donor’s name misspelled? Today’s guest, Stu Manewith discusses why nonprofit leaders should be paying more attention to their data. In episode #149 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Stu...

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...

147: Creating A People First Environment at Your Nonprofit (Stamie Despo & Tom Lafalce) SUMMARY What are you doing to create a people first environment at your nonprofit? More than ever, nonprofit leaders must create a culture that attracts, orients, develops and retains talent. Two leaders in the higher education sector who have traveled varying career paths now find themselves leading together. In episode #147 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Stamie Despo and Tom Lafalce deli...

146: 5 Key Productivity Moves for Nonprofit Leaders (Mike St. Pierre) SUMMARY Has navigating the shifts in remote work only exacerbated gaps in your productivity? Or, maybe it didn’t take a global pandemic to realize staying organized in the nonprofit sector can exhaust even the most dedicated leaders. This fatigue and sense of exhaustion is real. However, in episode #146 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we have the founder of Nonprofit Productive, Mike St. Pierre, to equip y...

145: Tackling Toxic Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector (Andrew Olsen) SUMMARY Does your nonprofit organization exhibit symptoms of toxic leadership? Feelings of isolation among staff could be misinterpreted as stresses related to recent life changing events such as Covid, so nonprofit leaders must be more cognizant of underlying conditions which may be fostering a toxic environment within an organization. In episode #145 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership Patton and Andrew Olsen...

144: Creating a Dynamic Culture at Your Nonprofit Organization (Curt Langford) SUMMARY Nonprofit leaders are always looking for better engagement with their key constituents and long-term donors. In episode #144 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we look to Texas Tech Alumni Association’s President and CEO Curt Langford for valuable advice on building a dynamic culture, the power behind communicating your story effectively, and developing a strong connective network of long-term don...

143: Elevating Your Grants Program as a Nonprofit Leader (Autumn Keck) SUMMARY Is your overall fundraising plan built on a solid foundation of a comprehensive grant writing program? If not, can you identify the vital readiness steps necessary to best prepare your organization for success? In episode #143 of the Path Podcast, Autumn Keck, a fundraising expert with over two decades of experience in grant writing and major gifts solicitation, addresses these questions and more....

142: Understanding the Impact of Identity for Nonprofit Leaders (Nneka Allen) SUMMARY We are all responsible for the environments we create. And they should all be equitable. Nonprofit leaders clearly understand the impact of identity on an organizational culture and equity outcomes. In episode #142 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Nneka Allen, a descendant of the Underground Railroad, shares her remarkable story which began years ago with her freedom-seeking ancestors and ul...

141: Nonprofit Success in an Age of Disruption (Dave Lenox) SUMMARY Many nonprofits experience periods of volitivity as a result of leadership turnover. Covid has accelerated some nonprofit leaders to leave an organization after many years of service. In episode #141 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Dave Lenox, a former nonprofit executive director and current managing partner at The Valtas Group, explains the numerous resources available to organizations during these transitions. ...

140: A Nonprofit Leader’s Guide to Boosting Board Engagement (Lea Williams) SUMMARY The best nonprofit leaders create and maintain strategic partnerships between themselves, their staff, and their board. If you are looking to take your board to the next level, check out episode #140 of the Path Podcast where Dr. Lea Williams and I discuss five tactics for creating and sustaining a dynamic board of directors. Building off our work together with multiple boards, our conversations with ou...

139: What Are the Best Practices of a Nonprofit Leader? (Katie O’Malley) SUMMARY Have you found true passion along your career journey? Many in the nonprofit sector struggle to maintain their connection to the mission as they accomplish their daily work. With more than 15 years in the sector, Katie O’Malley experienced this dilemma first-hand before translating this struggle into action and sharing her wisdom through Encourage Coaching. In episode #139 of Your Path to Nonpro...

138: Global Expansion for Nonprofit Leaders (George Smith) SUMMARY Regardless of where you are on Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, insight gained from today’s episode with George Smith will no doubt up your game. Within the first few minutes, George will inspire you as he and Patton reminisce on shared experiences with Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the single most important leadership skill the entire Kennedy clan learned early on. George expands on his early leadership experiences...

137: Building A Strong Nonprofit Through Intentional Leadership (Teddy McDaniel) SUMMARY Many for-profit leaders have followed their passion and transitioned to the nonprofit sector. Luckily for the Urban League of the Carolinas, Teddy McDaniel is one such leader who likes to say he doesn’t have a job, he’s on a mission. In episode #137 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Teddy discusses how being an intentional leader strengthens an organization. He and Patton discuss embracin...

136: Maximizing Volunteer Engagement as a Nonprofit Leader (Lauren Kaufman) SUMMARY Are you utilizing the full abilities of your best volunteers? As the leader of an all-volunteer organization that has seen a 40% growth in the past six months, Lauren Kaufman discusses strategic actions to attract, activate, grow, and retain diverse young professional volunteer talent. Connecting the individual volunteer’s skills and experiences with specific organizational roles and committee opportunit...

135: Sharpening Your Vision as a Nonprofit Leader (Pat Millen) SUMMARY Most well-intentioned ideas never become a viable nonprofit organization. But after Pat Millen’s daughter Franny raised the issue of the digital divide after school one day, the family decided to do something about it. Less than 10 years later, one family’s inspiration has evolved into E2D (Eliminate the Digital Divide), and Pat has elevated the organization to state and national prominence. Not only is h...

134: Why Corporations Should Look at Philanthropy in a New Way (Holly Welch Stubbing) SUMMARY Nonprofit organizations worldwide study ways to capitalize on corporate relationships in their fundraising efforts. Having been on both sides of this equation, Holly Welch Stubbing, the President & CEO of E4E Relief, identifies specific challenges she sees as nonprofits try to connect with corporate leaders. She shares her thoughts on how corporations can look at philanthropy differently gi...

133: How to Improve Your Nonprofit Leadership Experience (Patton McDowell) SUMMARY Are you thankful for your current nonprofit leadership role? The sector should be thankful for talented individuals like you who are dedicated to a vital cause in your community, but I know you may not feel that gratitude as you do even more for an organization that needs your every contribution. In this special Thanksgiving Day episode, I offer some ideas that may help you be an even better l...

132: The Power of Donor Stewardship as a Nonprofit Leader (Caitlin Donley) SUMMARY Fundraising is more than simply communicating your mission effectively to your donors and asking for support. The real magic happens after the gift is received, and doing more than just saying “thank you” means a nonprofit leader has an intentional strategic plan around donor stewardship. In episode #132 of The Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Caitlin Donley introduces us to three distinct categories nonprofit lea...

131: Paying it Forward as a Nonprofit Leader (Michael DeVaul) SUMMARY Passion is often found in young leaders, while wisdom and experience are words associated with successful senior nonprofit leaders. Where are you on your journey of nonprofit leadership? Do you realize the value of self-assessment? Michael DeVaul has been on both sides of that bridge for more than three decades in the nonprofit sector and reflects on leading by example through action. In episode #131 of The Path...

130: How Do You Prepare for Nonprofit Leadership? (Manuel Campbell) SUMMARY When funders approach you and ask, “why do we need this organization?” are you able to answer with more than just passion? Seasoned nonprofit leader, Manuel Campbell, shares what it takes to go from a passion project to a strategic case for support to benefit your community and maintain a sustainable, upwardly mobile, and fully-funded nonprofit organization. In episode #130 of the Path Podcast, we discuss key...