Episodes

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...

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...