Episodes

214: Should You Consider a Sabbatical as a Nonprofit Leader? (Laura Belcher) Are you ready for a sabbatical? Is your organization ready for you to take a sabbatical? Are work sabbaticals the latest nonprofit retention strategy? In episode #214 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Laura Belcher, the President & CEO of Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region, shares why her recent sabbatical was beneficial for both her and her organization. Laura explains how best to prepare yoursel...

213: Keys to Advancing your Nonprofit Career (Brian Collier) SUMMARY Are you on the path to advancing your nonprofit career? Do you have the skills and experiences needed for leadership? Brian Collier, an experienced, successful nonprofit leader, shares his advice for aspiring leaders eager to ascend to a senior leadership role in episode #213 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership. Brian shares his concerns about nonprofit proliferation and imparts his keys to a successful grant application....

212: Are You Ready to Lead a Capital Campaign? (Whitney Anderson) SUMMARY Is your nonprofit organization really ready to launch a capital campaign? What is a realistic and attainable goal? How do you know when you’re prepared for success? In episode #212 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Whitney Anderson shares her expertise in conducting campaign visioning and feasibility studies, developing donor strategies and managing the entire capital campaign process. Learn how to build a strong ...

211: Is Philanthropy in a State of Crisis? (Nathan Chappell & Brain Crimmins) SUMMARY Is philanthropy in a state of crisis? In episode #211 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Nathan Chappell and Brian Crimmins, co-authors of the book, The Generosity Crisis: The Case for Radical Connection to Solve Humanity’s Greatest Challenges, offer a wake-up call to nonprofit leaders everywhere, but also suggest solutions to the downturn they see, and will help you re-establish the interconnection t...

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 ...

208: Managing People Problems as a Nonprofit Leader (Beth Napleton) SUMMARY How do you manage your toughest people problems? A good leader solves problems. A great one anticipates them. In episode #208 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Beth Napleton shares why managing and leading people is one of the biggest and most important responsibilities nonprofit leaders have, but it’s also the hardest. She explains why earning trust is an essential component to building an environment where peo...

207: Embracing the Art & Science of a Capital Campaign (Bob Pierce) SUMMARY Will you be ready when it’s time to conduct a fundraising campaign at your organization? Nearly every nonprofit is in some stage of campaign planning: thinking about one, implementing one or recovering from one! As a leader, you will likely have to manage a campaign at some point in your career. In episode #207 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we turned to the leader of the University of Alabama’s hig...

206: Staffing Your Grants Program: Employee or Consultant? (Holly Rustick) SUMMARY Grant writing is more than just a process, it’s a skill. And like any skill, we must perfect it with time and practice. So how do you evaluate if you should outsource this aspect of your fundraising program or invest internally? In episode #206 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we speak with funding and grant writing expert Holly Rustick to help determine which is worth more to your organization – the tim...

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 ...

204: How Can Nonprofit Leaders Bring Innovation to Their Organization? (Leah Kral) SUMMARY How can you foster sustainable innovation within your nonprofit? Between the pandemic and workforce shortages, many nonprofit leaders today are likely exhausted and running out of actionable ideas. It’s said that adversity drives innovation, but for many, that well is drying up too soon. So where are all the good ideas? In episode #204 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, nonprofit strategist and aut...

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 – ...

202: Turning Your Financials into a Nonprofit Leadership Tool (Melisa Galasso) SUMMARY Are you and your board members confident when it comes to the financials? Many nonprofit leaders - staff and board - are not. In episode #202 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Melisa Galasso brings two decades of experience making complex accounting topics easy to understand, and will empower you with the financial acumen to better lead your nonprofit. She breaks down the sometimes complex world...

201: Key Fundraising Trends Nonprofit Leaders Need to Know (Matt Nash) SUMMARY As a nonprofit leader, are you aware of the unique motivations many Donor Advise Fund (DAF) givers share? Do you target stewardship efforts to this group of individuals specifically? In episode #201 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Matt Nash, who has been on the cutting edge of recent key fundraising trends in the philanthropic sector shares his extensive knowledge about the rise of this donor group. Learn m...

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...

199: Finding Your Passion as a Nonprofit Leader (Helena Scott) SUMMARY How do you find – and keep - your passion as a nonprofit leader? In episode #199 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Helena Scott shares her remarkable two-decade journey with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and what sustains her energy and motivation. She discusses challenges, benefits and unique opportunities inherent to being a part of a national chapter organization and her leadership approach to such things as ...

198: Dirty Little Secrets of Direct Response Fundraising (Andrew Olsen) SUMMARY What is direct response fundraising? Is it part of your overall fundraising plan and are you getting the returns you expect? In episode #198 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Andrew Olsen returns to the podcast and explains why you need a better way to fundraise. Many nonprofits coming out of Covid are achieving their highest levels in giving. However, Andrew explains why giving patterns over the last decade...

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...

194: 3 Essential Characteristics for Nonprofit Leaders (Jama Campbell) SUMMARY As a nonprofit leader looking for specific program funding, are you aware of all your opportunities and what those potential funders are specifically looking for when considering where to invest? In episode #194 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we talk with SECU Foundation Executive Director Jama Campbell about key leadership attributes they look for when choosing projects and programs to fund. She shares th...

193: Social Impact Strategies for Nonprofit Leaders (Jacob Harold) SUMMARY Many nonprofit leaders have social impact amongst their chief objectives, but do you know what social impact truly means and how to measure the impact you’re having? In episode #193 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, social change strategist Jacob Harold shares his tools to help you transform your corner of the world. A former GuideStar and Candid executive, Jacob talks about the importance of collaboration, trans...

192: Everything You Think About Board Development Is Wrong (Sabrina Walker Hernandez) SUMMARY What is the biggest misconception about board development that many nonprofit leaders face? Do you have the right members on your board and do they know exactly why they've been invited to join? Sabrina Walker Hernandez, who has over 25 years’ experience in nonprofit management, answers these questions and more in episode #192 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership. She shares key advice for effectiv...

119: Managing Turnover as a Nonprofit Leader (Bert Armstrong) SUMMARY As turnover affects every level of our nonprofit organizations, leaders are asking themselves “how do I attract and retain the talented people we need?” In episode #191 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we speak with Bert Armstrong, who has served more than three decades in the philanthropic sector, about navigating turnover. He discusses how to avoid turnover in the first place, the best approach to a search process ...