Episodes

57: Bringing Authenticity to Nonprofit Leadership (Lisa Baxter) SUMMARY Like many in the nonprofit sector, Lisa Baxter did not seek a role in philanthropy; the sector quite literally sought her out. And while the path to nonprofit leadership has not always been accommodating to her, the lessons learned and wisdom gained has helped Lisa not only succeed but also provides valuable advice for other leaders on a similar career track. In episode #57 of the Path podcast, Lisa dis...

56: 10 Essential Skills & Experiences for Nonprofit Leadership (Patton McDowell) SUMMARY This episode of the Path Podcast, #56, includes a top-10 list of the most important skills and experiences necessary for successful nonprofit leadership: Lifelong Learning PlanPersonal OrganizationLeadershipNonprofit/SectorFinancial AcumenSpoken CommunicationWritten CommunicationListening/Conversation SkillsNetworkingStrategic PlanningABOUT PATTON Patton has spent his entire 30-year career helpi...

55: Recalibrating Your Fundraising Strategy as a Nonprofit Leader (Alison Singer) SUMMARY Like most nonprofit leaders, you are likely driven by passion for a cause that is meaningful to you. Alison Singer is certainly a great example of that drive, but she has also taken her lifelong commitment to serving individuals and families with Autism and turned it into a national nonprofit called the Autism Science Foundation. Her story is a fascinating one, and her podcast episode, #55 on the Path, als...

54: Building a Leadership Gift Culture at Your Nonprofit Organization (Chris McLeod) SUMMARY How do you assure your nonprofit is in a position to receive Leadership Gifts? Many nonprofit organizations dream of that type transformational donor investment, but fail to put themselves in a good position to receive one. Chris McLeod knows all about that challenge, and helped co-found the Institute for Philanthropic Leadership - and its signature program called Leadership Gift School – to help organiz...

53: Building A Legacy Organization Through Nonprofit Leadership (Jeff Michael) SUMMARY Every nonprofit organization has an upcoming anniversary, whether it’s their first, their 150th, or somewhere in between. While simply celebrating an anniversary may not help your organization achieve strategic success, it may well provide a unique opportunity to raise awareness of your organization's history, as well as elevate your vision going forward. That’s exactly what Jeff Michael and I discussed during...

52: Celebrating Black Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (Valaida Fullwood) SUMMARY What can your nonprofit do to better engage Black philanthropists? There is no one better suited to answer the question than Valaida Fullwood, who brings her pioneering experience through Charlotte’s New Generation of African American Philanthropists (NGAAP) and its Bold Project, as well as her experience as a champion for Black Philanthropy Month and the #BPM2020CLT initiative. She also brings to life more th...

51: Is a Merger Right for Your Nonprofit? (Laura Belcher) SUMMARY As uncertain conditions continue to challenge nonprofit leaders and their ability to plan strategically, the need for effective collaboration is greater than ever. While effective partnerships and collaborative opportunities exist without an actual merger taking place, many nonprofit leaders are contemplating what an actual merger might do for their organization. In episode #51 of the Path Podcast, Laura Belcher, the President & C...

50: Elevating A Cause Through Nonprofit Leadership (Curtis Drafton) SUMMARY Not many nonprofit leaders have actually experienced the personal and professional challenges facing the individuals their organization serves. After two Army tours in the Middle East left him injured, Curtis Drafton then had to overcome the tragic loss of his fiancé to cancer. In his words, he was “mentally broken and confused,” but also realized he was not alone in his struggle. Few would have blamed him for taking yea...

049: 4 Tips for Effective & Efficient Fundraising (Patton McDowell) SUMMARY Patton had an opportunity to be a guest on Dolph Goldenburg’s great podcast and discuss four key tips he’s found to help nonprofit organizations organize their fundraising efforts. This was also our first opportunity to participate in a “reverse podcast,” as this episode first appeared on Dolph’s feed on July 16, 2020, and now is included on our feed as well. Description from The Successful Nonprofits Podcast: Small and ...

48: Agile Arts Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector (Devlin McNeil) SUMMARY How do you manage an Arts organization when every aspect of your program is disrupted? Perhaps no nonprofit sector has more challenges right now than Arts & Culture organizations, given the limitations to programming, performances and gatherings. And with the philanthropic community understandably focused on health and human services, the Arts sector faces even greater needs for agile leadership. Fortunately, Devlin McNeil...

47: Millennials & Corporate Partners: What Nonprofit Leaders Need to Know (Derrick Feldmann) SUMMARY How do you get the millennial generation to engage in your nonprofit’s cause? That’s the first question Derrick Feldmann and I explored during our conversation on episode #47 of the Path Podcast. There is no one more qualified to answer that question, given his decade-long research on the millennial generation. While Derrick provided a fascinating look at that demographic, we were also able to f...

46: Finding New Opportunities Through Nonprofit Leadership (Cheryl Richards) SUMMARY As a nonprofit leader, how do you know when it’s the right time to make a change? That’s exactly where Dr. Cheryl Richards and I started our conversation, as she was only two weeks into her new role as the first female President of Johnson & Wales University’s Charlotte Campus. After great success in her previous leadership role as the CEO & Founding Regional Dean at Northeastern University, she certainly was ...

45: Navigating the Nonprofit Leadership Journey (David Malloy) SUMMARY Making a job transition is challenging enough under any circumstance, but how about with the addition of a pandemic, cross-country logistics, and the addition of a new baby in the family?!?! That’s exactly what David Malloy had to maneuver as he assumed his new role as Executive Director of the California-Nevada United Methodist Foundation. David and I had great discussion in episode #45 of the Path in which he shares many ...

44: Building A Supercharged Nonprofit Board (Dolph Goldenburg) SUMMARY How do you best engage your board members as a nonprofit leader, especially given the challenges the sector is facing right now? This episode of the Path poses that question to someone who literally wrote a book about the topic, called Successful Nonprofits Build Supercharged Boards. Dolph Goldenburg and I certainly discuss board development in episode #44 of the podcast, but also talk about specific fundraising tactics you c...

43: What is Your Nonprofit Career Vision? 6 Questions You Need to Answer (Patton McDowell) SUMMARY These are challenging times for all kinds of reasons, given the isolation of the pandemic, the obvious disparities of race and privilege we’re seeing up close, and the economic uncertainties that affect our personal and professional livelihoods. These existential questions don’t have easy answers, but nonprofit leaders are looking for guidance as they get their heads around them and evaluate what i...

42: Challenging the Nonprofit Status Quo (Tina Postel) SUMMARY What should you put in place at your nonprofit organization before you encounter challenges like those we’re facing right now? That’s one of the many topics Tina Postel and I discuss in episode #42 of the Path podcast, and fortunately you’re not too late to implement many of her great ideas. Families struggling with food insecurities have enough barriers to overcome, and she knew her organization, Loaves & Fishes, had to be more eff...

41: Dealing with Adversity as a Nonprofit Leader (Michael Ward) SUMMARY It’s easy to celebrate successes when things are going well for you as a nonprofit leader, but what about when things don’t go so well? Michael Ward has had some fantastic successes as a fundraiser and nonprofit leader, but what made our conversation so powerful was his willingness to tackle adversity. His thoughtful and proactive approach to dealing with personal and professional challenges offers great insight for anyone o...

40: What Do I Do With My Nonprofit’s Strategic Plan? (Andrew Hollo) SUMMARY Given the uncertainty nonprofit leaders are facing right now, it’s no wonder many are dismissing long-range strategic plans as practically useless. However, Andrew Hollo brings a much needed and fresh perspective to this strategic planning dilemma and demonstrates that the work he has done across Australia is very much applicable to nonprofit leaders around the world. We discuss four existential questions every nonprofit...

39: Nonprofit Leadership in Healthcare Philanthropy (Adam Cook) SUMMARY What’s it like to lead a healthcare foundation in the midst of a pandemic? How do you stay organized when all of your events are pushed off the calendar and everyone you speak with has a new idea? Adam Cook has great insight and perspective on these questions and many more in episode #40 of the Path. He has served multiple health care foundations over the course of his nonprofit career, and we talk about many of the lessons...

38: The Secret Lives of Nonprofit Leaders (Kishshana Palmer) SUMMARY Kishshana Palmer is not afraid tell us what we need to hear, even if we’re not sure we’re ready for it! She’s the kind of truth-teller the sector needs, and our conversation on the Path provided all kinds of valuable insight for nonprofit leaders and fundraisers that can be applied right now. Kishshana shared a candid view of her journey into nonprofit leadership, and the challenges she’s overcome and the lessons she’s learned ...

037: Maintaining Strategic Focus as a Nonprofit Leader (Brian Maness) SUMMARY What do you do to stay organized in an ever-changing environment with children and families from across the state depending on you? Like many nonprofit CEO’s right now, Brian Maness has had to navigate both the personal and professional demands of nonprofit leadership despite an uncertain landscape around him. Brian is the President & CEO of Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, providing services ranging from ado...

036: Fortune 500 to Nonprofit Founder & CEO (Tina Admans) SUMMARY It’s quite possible that you (or someone you know) have contemplated leaving the for-profit world to pursue an opportunity in the nonprofit sector. That’s exactly what Tina Admans did after moving to Los Angeles over a decade ago. She could very well have stayed on a successful corporate track that included senior positions at Panavision, GE and NBC Universal, but she knew something was missing and nonprofit leadership was calling...

035: Vital Resources from BoardSource (Jim Taylor) SUMMARY How can a nonprofit leader take advantage of the resources BoardSource has to offer, especially in a time of uncertainty and strategic challenge? The answers come from Jim Taylor, who not only highlights the tools available from BoardSource for nonprofit leaders everywhere, but also leans on his personal and professional experience to add even greater value for listeners of this episode of the Path. A pandemic certainly highlights vulner...

034: The War for Fundraising Talent (Jason Lewis) SUMMARY Fundraising is on every nonprofit leader’s mind right now, and perhaps there is no one better to talk about that topic than Jason Lewis, who literally wrote a book about the topic, The War for Fundraising Talent. As Jason and I discuss, many of the topics he raised in the book are even more relevant right now. Why do so many organizations rely on “arms-length” fundraising tactics, and what can they do about it now? Why are more executive ...