Episodes

238: Is It Time to Redesign Your Nonprofit’s Website? (David Pisarek) SUMMARY Is your website as effective as it needs to be for your nonprofit? In episode #238 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, digital marketing expert David Pisarek shares how you can dramatically improve your website and digital marketing efforts and why you should invest in that effort right now. Learn what a redesign process looks like, the typical costs, and how to find a great agency with which to work. David’s ex...

237: Nonprofit Leadership in Action: Mastermind Success Stories (Josue’ Hernandez, Tiffany Kong, Michael Walsh) SUMMARY Are you ready to advance your nonprofit leadership through the PMA Mastermind program? Three Mastermind alums, Josue’ Hernandez, Tiffany Kong, and Mike Walsh share their professional development experiences and the positive changes they’ve made as a result of their participation. In episode #237 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, they discuss specific aspects of the program...

236: The Five Hardest “Soft” Skills Every Nonprofit Leader Needs (Dr. Shirley Davis) SUMMARY What are the critical soft skills nonprofit leaders must master? In episode #236 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, global workforce expert Dr. Shirley Davis explores why leadership skills and competencies have shifted over the past few years away from the technical and other “hard” skills to “soft” skills which can be harder to demonstrate. She shares her top five soft skills every nonprofit lea...

235: When Should You Consider Nonprofit Leadership? (David Goldman) SUMMARY Are you pondering your career path and want to find more intrinsic value and purpose through a mission-driven organization? How will you know if you’re ready to transition to leadership in the philanthropic sector? In episode #235 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, David Goldman shares what it took for him to move from a career with some of the world’s largest and most loved brands to his current role as a ...

234: Building Financial Leadership Within Your Nonprofit (Jessica McClain) SUMMARY As a nonprofit leader, how do you assess and ensure your organization has the financial tools, talents and resources to best advance your mission? Jessica McClain, a nonprofit leader and CPA recently named one of the Most Powerful Women in Accounting in 2023, advocates in episode #234 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership how building a culture of open communication between your accounting department and other...

233: Navigating Frustrating Scenarios with Your Nonprofit Board (Michael Corley) SUMMARY How well do you get along with your board members? The complexity of the board/staff relationship can create challenges for any nonprofit leader. In episode #233 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, nonprofit board expert Michael Corley illustrates many of the frustrating scenarios executive directors encounter with their board of directors, and how they can better navigate them. Michael clarifies the ...

232: How Do You Manage a Small Nonprofit with Limited Resources? (Michael Schneider) SUMMARY As a nonprofit leader, do you struggle with limited resources that must be carefully managed in order to maximize the impact of your organization’s work? Learn from Michael Schneider, founder of a successful small nonprofit finding huge success, in episode #232 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership. Michael shares how to be efficient with a small team and how strategic outsourcing allows nonprofit le...

231: Leadership Reimagined: Letting Your Community Take the Lead (Vichi Jagannathan) SUMMARY Are you a mission-driven leader in the nonprofit sector with more passion than answers? Vichi Jagannathan was one such leader, and in episode #231 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, she shares what it means to let your community take the lead and provide the answers you need as the nonprofit leader. Vichi explains how building on design thinking ideas from across the country brought clarity to th...

230: Why Your Nonprofit is Doing Strategic Planning All Wrong (Sarah Olivieri) SUMMARY What exactly is strategic planning for a nonprofit organization? Does your plan truly align with your mission, and do you know how to actually get the plan in motion? Sarah Olivieri shares her unique approach to strategic planning and board engagement that every nonprofit leader will want to consider in episode #230 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership. She explains her 5 keys to better strategic planning...

229: What Should You Outsource at Your Nonprofit? (Eric Thomas) SUMMARY As a nonprofit leader, are you short-handed or unable to scale your team to keep up with growth, especially in more technical areas like technology and finance? In episode #229 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Eric Thomas shares how outsourcing may be a practical solution for your organization. Learn exactly what outsourcing in the nonprofit sector is and how it can help address your needs. Eric discusses the talen...

228: Strategic Planning Doesn’t Need to be Painful (Carol Hamilton) SUMMARY Is your nonprofit on a clear path, grounded with specific goals, to achieve its mission? Can you articulate organizational priorities that reflect a shared board and staff vision? In episode #228 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, strategic collaborator Carol Hamilton shares key components of an effective strategic plan, the timeline necessary to build one and why more organizations struggle without one. You’ll le...

227: 3 Keys to Effective Nonprofit Leadership: (Christina Edwards) SUMMARY Where are you on your path to nonprofit leadership? Are you effectively serving your mission, your donors, and your board of directors with integrity, consistency, and clarity? In episode #227 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, acclaimed purpose and profit coach Christina Edwards discusses vital qualities effective leaders share within the philanthropic sector and how you can effectively grow and enhance your skil...

226: Why Do People Give to Your Nonprofit? (Tim Kachuriak) SUMMARY Do you know how to write your nonprofit value proposition to increase donations? Do you know why people give? In episode #226 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Tim Kachuriak, founder of NextAfter, a fundraising research lab and consultancy, explains why he’s obsessed with discovering what inspires people to give and how his organization is helping nonprofit leaders answer those questions and more. He shares key takeaways...

225: Bridging the Gap: Technology’s Role in Nonprofit Success (Jack Fanous) SUMMARY Are you using today’s technology to further advance your mission and better serve your community? In episode #225 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Jack Fanous, founder and leader of two successful, shares how technology can both increase your fundraising and better connect your mission with those you serve. Understand how having a better knowledge of software options can help nonprofit leaders better na...

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...

223: Does Your Nonprofit Brand Effectively Communicate Who You Are? (Mark Miller & Ted Vaughn) SUMMARY How can your nonprofit stand out amidst all of the great causes in your community? In episode #223 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Mark Miller and Ted Vaughn, authors of the book Culture Built My Brand: The Secret to Winning More Customers Through Company Culture discuss the role of storytelling in attracting and retaining donors and why most attempts at storytelling fall short. ...

222: Why Doesn’t Your Nonprofit Have a Succession Plan? (Mandy Pearce) SUMMARY Do you have a succession plan in place at your nonprofit? Most nonprofits don’t, and you may be facing any number of challenges when planning for the inevitable transition that occurs at every organization. In episode #222 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we learn from Mandy Pearce why having proper strategic and succession plans is vital to an organization’s long-term health. She shares the key benefits of ...

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 ...

220: Finding Your Voice as a Nonprofit Leader (Sabrina Gilchrist) SUMMARY What does it mean to find your voice as a nonprofit leader? In episode #220 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Sabrina Gilchrist shares the journey to find her voice as a nonprofit leader and the positive effect it has on furthering the mission of her organization. Are you the kind of leader talented people want to follow to further a mission in which donors have confidence investing? Learn the skills and experienc...

219: Building a Career in the Nonprofit Sector (Amie Dugan) SUMMARY Are you prepared for the hard work the nonprofit sector requires? Working for a mission you believe in can certainly be both rewarding and fulfilling, but many well-intentioned individuals are surprised by the realities of being a professional in the sector. In episode #219 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we talk with a seasoned nonprofit leader, Amie Dugan, about what it truly takes to build and sustain a successful ...

218: 5 Ways to Turn Around a Struggling Nonprofit (Lance Kawaguchi) SUMMARY Is your nonprofit organization not delivering on its mission? Is it struggling from poor governance, alienating key donors and staff and producing lackluster results? In episode #218 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we talk with Lance Kawaguchi, who committed to fighting cancer when the disease hit his family in 2016 and became the new CEO of the struggling nonprofit, Cure Brain Cancer Foundation. Although he b...

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...

216: How Your Nonprofit Can Benefit from a Digital Transformation (Bob Green) SUMMARY What does digital transformation mean for nonprofits? In episode #216 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, strategic IT expert Bob Green explains how digital transformation is a pathway for nonprofit organizations to succeed by increasing overall efficiency, facilitating donor and volunteer relationships, and improving communications to reach wider audiences. He shares how incorporating new technologies i...

215: The Talent Magnet: How to Attract Nonprofit Leaders (Reid Ricciardi) SUMMARY How can you create a culture and strategy that motivates and empowers your team, while also aligning with your mission and vision? In episode #215 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we talk with talent management expert Reid Ricciardi about building the kind of team necessary to achieve your mission. Reid shares how to attract, retain, and develop talent in a competitive and changing nonprofit sector. Learn...