Episodes

81: 3 Ways Nonprofit Leaders Get in Their Own Way (Kris Putnam-Walkerly) SUMMARY As a nonprofit leader, you have multiple responsibilities to manage and often limited time to adjust to changing circumstances (case in point: 2020!). Complicating this leadership challenge are often self-imposed barriers that nonprofit leaders need to understand and avoid. In episode #81 of the Path Podcast, Kris Putnam-Walkerly helps not only identify ways nonprofit leaders stop themselves, b...

80: How to Attract Young Professional Talent to Your Nonprofit (Kamber Parker) SUMMARY As more young professionals look to the nonprofit sector as an attractive option for their career path, Executive Directors and other senior leaders are eager to recruit and retain the best and brightest to join their organizations. In episode #80 of the Path Podcast, I had a great conversation with Kamber Parker, who not only serves as the Development Director for the nonprofit Greenville Area Parki...

79: Is Co-Leadership Right for Your Nonprofit? (Alicia Winckler & Alan Mather) SUMMARY What is Co-Leadership and how could it elevate your nonprofit to the proverbial next level? In episode #79 of the Path Podcast, I had a great conversation with Alicia Winckler and Alan Mather, two talented individual leaders who have embarked on a co-leadership model for the Chicago-based Golden Apple Foundation. By combining forces, they have not only strengthened a great organizatio...

78: 5 Ways to Build Your Nonprofit Leadership Plan (Patton McDowell) SUMMARY In episode #78 of the Path Podcast, Patton offers a coaching session to help you find 5 Ways to Build Your Nonprofit Leadership Plan. How do you effectively conduct a personal annual review? How do you build your personal board of directors? How do you curate content given the volume of data coming at you? How do you better express yourself in professional settings that can help you get ahead? ...

77: How to Recruit and Engage Stellar Board Members (Karen Eber Davis) SUMMARY As a nonprofit leader, two topics are always on the top of your list of strategic priorities. First, how do I recruit and engage great board members? And second, how do I create a sustainable and dynamic fundraising that secures my nonprofit for the future? In episode #77 of the Path Podcast, I had a great conversation with Karen Eber Davis, who proves she is the perfect person to answer bo...

76: Fundraising During A Perfect Storm (Chris Carnie) SUMMARY How do you fundraise during a perfect storm? Nonprofit leaders are challenged in numerous ways right now, and face uncharted territory in terms of the fundraising environment in which they must operate. While Chris Carnie’s work originates primarily in the UK and Spain, he brings a global perspective to not only the elements of the storm we must understand, but also ways to better navigate through it. In episode ...

75: How to Engage Your Community Through Nonprofit Leadership (Stacy Sumner Jesso) SUMMARY Perhaps you are considering a move between nonprofit sectors, or even moving to an entirely different community to advance your career. As a nonprofit leader, these are transitions you’ll likely manage along your journey, and you may also be helping navigate such a transition for someone who joins your team. My guest in episode #75 of the Path Podcast, Stacy Sumner Jesso, has managed a...

74: 4 Ways to Make Your Virtual Fundraiser More Successful (Jenni Hargrove) SUMMARY Every nonprofit is planning - or pondering - some sort of virtual fundraising event. Either adapting a previous live model, or trying something online for the first time. How confident are you in your design and potential for success? If a virtual fundraising event is in your future, Episode #74 of the Path Podcast is the perfect resource to guide your thinking. Jenni Hargrove brings her marketing,...

73: What Nonprofit Leaders Must Do to Support Their Teams (Valerie Williams) SUMMARY The year 2020 has reminded nonprofit leaders of two significant issues they must manage to succeed: diversity, equity & inclusion and the mental health of their teams and themselves. This can be a tall order when combined with everything else leaders in the charitable sector must face. Fortunately, our guest on Episode #73 of the Path, Valerie Williams, is exactly the person who can help us understand these issu...

72: What Can a Mastermind Do for Your Nonprofit Leadership? (Patton McDowell) SUMMARY What is a mastermind, and how could it help you on your nonprofit leadership journey? In episode #72 of the Path Podcast, Patton provides some history on the mastermind concept, and explains how PMA has adapted the model to best serve nonprofit leaders. He explains the characteristics that best describe successful participants, and the philosophies and structure that went into the design and imp...

71: Bringing A Global Perspective to Nonprofit Leadership (Jennifer Garner) SUMMARY How do you incorporate all of your previous nonprofit leadership experiences in a way that strengthens your current work? Jennifer Garner has built an impressive resume on the way to her current position at the University of Denver, including international advancement work at two institutions in the United Kingdom. While the experiences are impressive in and of themselves, she also does a fa...

70: 7 Strategies to Drive Sustainable Change (Dyisha Reliford) SUMMARY The ability to manage change must be part of your toolkit as a nonprofit leader. After starting her career with Teach for America in Chicago, Dyisha Reliford continued to learn from her successful corporate, community and nonprofit experiences to formulate the essential steps to managing change. Her study led to a wonderfully practical new book called The Transformation Playbook: 7 Winning Strategies to Drive ...

069: National Philanthropy Day: 3 Lessons for Every Nonprofit Leader (Penny Hawkins) SUMMARY While National Philanthropy day provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate charitable giving, volunteer engagement and community spirit, but it also offers an opportunity for nonprofit leaders to strategically evaluate what each category means and how they might implement it within their organization. That’s exactly what my colleague Penny Hawkins and I discussed during Episode #69 of the Path P...

68: The 3 “C’s” of Nonprofit Leadership (Mike Smith) SUMMARY Nonprofit organizations add value to communities around the world, and Mike Smith has had the opportunity to see outstanding leadership in the charitable sector in dozens of different countries as well as across the United States. His insight into the key attributes of successful nonprofit leaders led to a fascinating conversation on Episode #68 of the Path Podcast. From his vantage point as the Managing Director of Spec...

067: Leveraging Technology as a Nonprofit Leader (Kim Lanphear) SUMMARY While technology may or may not be your area of expertise as a nonprofit leader, current conditions certainly force you to be more proficient. Whether you’re navigating virtual board and staff meetings, trying to deliver your programs in a socially-distant manner, or contemplating your biggest fundraising event now being virtual, you’re having to maximize the technologies available to you. Someone who really underst...

66: Maximizing Partnerships for Nonprofit Success (Sabrina Dawson) SUMMARY How can you create lasting partnerships that not only establish your nonprofit but help it accelerate its growth? That’s exactly what Sabrina Dawson and I discussed in episode #66 of the Path Podcast. An educator throughout her professional career, Sabrina is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Programs for The Collective, a Memphis-based organization working with schools, employers and community stakehol...

65: Why You Shouldn’t Start a Charity (Matthew Zachary) SUMMARY As a cancer survivor and marketing expert, Matthew Zachary approaches most things in life with a very different perspective, including nonprofit leadership. This approach is provocative and thought-provoking, and is sure to make you think differently about many of the “standards” of nonprofit leadership. On episode #65 of the Path Podcast, Matthew shares his rationale for NOT starting a nonprofit, why charitable...

64: How Can We Address Compensation Gaps in the Nonprofit Sector? (Sally Loftis) SUMMARY It’s a cliché to say no one gets into nonprofit work to get rich. However, if leaders in our sector do not take steps to address the compensation gaps that exist, all of the important work being done will be further diminished by turnover and burnout. In episode #64 of the Path Podcast, Sally Loftis brings a researcher’s eye and HR expertise to this strategic challenge for nonprofit leaders, and pro...

63: Confronting Wicked Problems as a Nonprofit Leader (Lynn Fick-Cooper) SUMMARY As a nonprofit leader, you are likely trying to address “Wicked Problems” every day, social challenges that are systemic in nature and incredibly complex. To help us better address these types of problems, Lynn Fick-Cooper offers a fantastic analysis of these issues, and provides five crucial strategies to address them in episode #63 of the Path Podcast. Lynn’s 30-year journey in nonprofit leadership is als...

62: What Should We Learn from the Giving USA Report? (Melissa Brown) SUMMARY You’ve likely seen the numbers each year that represent philanthropic support in the United States through the Giving USA report. The question is, do you really understand what the numbers mean, and how they apply to you and your nonprofit? There is no one better suited to help us understand those questions than Melissa Brown, who has spent some of her stellar 30-year career literally editing the G...

61: 4 Ways to Advance Your Nonprofit Career (Jay Dowd) SUMMARY What are some practical ways you can advance your nonprofit leadership career? In episode #61 of the Path, South Carolina native Dr. Jay Dowd brings experience from leading four different university fundraising teams to answer that question. He shares the critical advice he learned early in his career from mentors and donors themselves, as well as the value of his network and his involvement in professional associatio...

60: Maximizing The Leadership Trio for Fundraising Success (Theresa Lee) SUMMARY Theresa Lee has enjoyed an exceptional fundraising career, doing some of her best work in the greater Boston area for institutions like MIT, Boston College and Holy Cross. Her advice on the critical “leadership trio” (the CEO/Executive Director, the Chief Development Officer and the Board Chair) is not only applicable to large institutions, but very relevant to any sized organization trying to maximi...

59: 5 Keys to Leading Dynamic Virtual Meetings (Lea Williams) SUMMARY Even before the pandemic, the lack of effective meetings was one of the biggest productivity challenges for many nonprofit organizations. As a leader, you cannot afford to waste the collective time and talent of your staff, board and key volunteers. To offer practical advice for better meetings - especially in a virtual setting - Dr. Lea Williams shares her five keys for creating a more dynamic and p...

58: How to Make Nonprofit Leadership Your Dream Job (Carson Tate) SUMMARY Given the uncertainty we all face right now, it is reassuring to speak with someone like Carson Tate who understands the challenges of maintaining personal and professional balance, as well as the nuances of productivity. Carson offers great advice and resources for nonprofit leaders in Episode #58 of the Path, starting with an understanding of your personal productivity style, and how to adapt if your style...