Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership
Ranked #1 on FeedSpot's Nonprofit Leadership and Philanthropy podcast lists, Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership is the go-to resource for current and aspiring nonprofit leaders. Hosted by Dr. Patton McDowell and powered by Armstrong McGuire, the show delivers practical wisdom from the sector's most experienced executives, fundraisers, board leaders, and consultants — every Thursday.
Patton brings 30+ years of nonprofit leadership, coaching, and consulting experience, and shares proven best practices for individual and organizational success drawn from his work with hundreds of nonprofit organizations. With 366+ episodes, a 5/5 rating on Apple Podcasts, and listeners in 130+ countries, Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership is where serious nonprofit professionals come to grow. Hit subscribe and accelerate your path to nonprofit leadership. Learn more and access all episodes at www.armstrongmcguire.com/podcasts
Episodes
387 episodes
387: How to Build Something That Keeps Giving (William McNeely)
Episode 387: How to Build Something That Keeps GivingEpisode SummaryMost leaders build as though time is unlimited, and the idea that would matter most sits in a notebook waiting on money that never arrive...
386: How to Build on Your Community Capital as a Nonprofit Leader (Dan Bevels)
Episode 386: How to Build on Your Community Capital as a Nonprofit Leader (Dan Bevels)Episode SummaryPlenty of nonprofit professionals talk themselves out of executive roles because their resume does not s...
385: No Margin, No Mission: Building Nonprofits That Last (Cecilia Haag)
385: No Margin, No Mission: Building Nonprofits That Last (Cecilia Haag)Episode SummaryNonprofit leaders are told that the urgency of the mission will carry the organization, and that financial and operati...
384: How to Launch a Planned Giving Program in One Week (Tony Martignetti)
Episode 384: How to Launch a Planned Giving Program in One Week (Tony Martignetti)Episode SummarySmall and mid-sized nonprofits routinely tell themselves that planned giving belongs to hospitals and univer...
383: What Nonprofit Leaders Get Wrong About Growing Fast (Steve Isom)
383: What Nonprofit Leaders Get Wrong About Growing Fast (Steve Isom)Episode SummaryNonprofit professionals often come to the sector craving mission, not metrics, and the discomfort that creates around mon...
382: From Shoe Drive to Global Movement (Andrew Lovedale)
Episode 382: From Shoe Drive to Global Movement (Andrew Lovedale)Episode SummaryToo many nonprofit founders assume that the people who love them will automatically support the mission they've built, and f...
381: What Leaders Must Know to Build Cross-Sector Power (Karen Riordan)
Episode 381: What Leaders Must Know to Build Cross-Sector Power (Karen Riordan)Episode SummaryNonprofit leaders often assume advocacy, cross-sector partnerships, and funding diversification are someone els...
380: Relationships Shape Everything: What Leaders Must Know to Build Community (David “Dae-Lee” Arrington)
#380: Relationships Shape Everything: What Leaders Must Know to Build Community (David “Dae-Lee” Arrington)Episode SummaryMany nonprofit leaders believe they've built real community and trust within their ...
379: How to Treat Every Donor Like a Major Donor (Derric Bakker)
379: How to Treat Every Donor Like a Major Donor (Derric Bakker) Episode SummaryNonprofit leaders and fundraisers are exhausted, and the instinct when results slip is to simply work harder. In this ep...
378: The Money Myths Holding Your Nonprofit Back (Sean Hale)
378: The Money Myths Holding Your Nonprofit Back (Sean Hale)Episode SummaryToo many nonprofit leaders quietly avoid their own finances, trusting that a clean audit or a capable CPA means everything is hand...
377: Stop Pushing Harder: How Great Nonprofits Build Momentum (Suzanne Smith)
377: Stop Pushing Harder: How Great Nonprofits Build Momentum (Suzanne Smith)Episode SummaryNonprofit leaders are exhausted, pushing harder and still feeling stuck. Suzanne Smith, Founder and CEO of Social...
376: Who Should Be Part of Your Strategic Planning Process? (Renee Rubin Ross)
Episode 376: Who Should Be Part of Your Strategic Planning Process? (Renee Rubin Ross)Episode SummaryToo many strategic plans end up gathering dust on a shelf, or worse, frustrating the very people who wer...
375: Outrageous Kindness: A Framework for Unlocking Philanthropic Potential (Kristina Joy Carlson)
375: Outrageous Kindness: A Framework for Unlocking Philanthropic Potential (Kristina Joy Carlson)Episode SummaryWhen disruption hits, many nonprofit leaders go quiet and wait for conditions to settle befo...
374: A Roadmap to Nonprofit Excellence: What Most Leaders Miss (Lauren Deiorio)
Episode 374: A Roadmap to Nonprofit Excellence: What Most Leaders Miss (Lauren Deiorio)Episode SummaryMost nonprofit leaders don’t fail because of mission. They get stuck running one part of the operation ...
373: Turning Leadership Transitions into Organizational Breakthroughs (Jeffrey R. Wilcox)
#373: Turning Leadership Transitions into Organizational Breakthroughs (Jeffrey R. Wilcox, CFRE)Episode SummaryMost nonprofits treat leadership change as an emergency to survive rather than a future to pla...
372: The Culture Work No One Warns You About in a Nonprofit Merger (Marcia Beckner)
Episode 372: The Culture Work No One Warns You About in a Nonprofit Merger (Marcia Beckner)Episode SummaryToo many nonprofit leaders treat a merger as a last resort, proof that something failed...
371: Stop Scaling, Start Listening: Building Nonprofits That Actually Work (jacob adams)
371: Stop Scaling, Start Listening: Building Nonprofits That Actually Work (jacob adams) Episode SummaryToo many nonprofits have become experts at performing impact - hitting metrics, writing polished...
370: How to Stop Losing Half of Your Recurring Donors (Dave Raley)
370: How to Stop Losing Half of Your Recurring Donors (Dave Raley)Episode SummaryIf your organization celebrates a 42% recurring donor retention rate (the national average), you may be focusing on the wron...
369: No Money, No Mission: Rethinking How Nonprofits Are Built to Survive (Ryan Dewey Smith)
369: No Money, No Mission: Rethinking How Nonprofits Are Built to Survive (Ryan Dewey Smith) Episode SummaryMost nonprofits don’t fail because their mission stops mattering - they fail because the str...
368: Before You Merge: Five Factors Every Nonprofit Leader Must Weigh (Staci Barfield)
368: Before You Merge: Five Factors Every Nonprofit Leader Must Weigh (Staci Barfield)Episode SummaryFor too many nonprofit leaders, the word “merger” lands like a verdict, a sign something has gone wrong....
367: Activate Good - Leading with Fearlessness and Purpose (Marjorie Maas)
367: Activate Good - Leading with Fearlessness and Purpose (Marjorie Maas)Episode SummaryNonprofit leaders carry the weight of the next grant, the next major gift, the next board meeting - and that constan...
366: Stop Writing for Your Organization. Write for Your Donor. (Tom Ahern)
366: Stop Writing for Your Organization. Write for Your Donor. (Tom Ahern)Episode SummaryMost nonprofit communications are, in Tom Ahern’s blunt assessment, built to fail. Not because the work isn’t worthy...
365: The Long Game: Building a Fundraising Career That Lasts (Jim Broschart)
365: The Long Game: Building a Fundraising Career That Lasts (Jim Broschart)Episode SummaryWhat does it take to build a fundraising career that spans decades, and still choose a challenge over comfort wh...