Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership

119: Managing Turnover as a Nonprofit Leader (Bert Armstrong)SUMMARYAs 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 when it’s necessary, and how to better develop emerging leaders when change occurs. It’s clear that nonprofit leaders can’t afford to take a “wait and see” attitude toward turnover in the sector, but by being proactive in ways that address compensation, wellness, culture and advancement opportunities will help attract and retain the talent you need.    ABOUT BERTBert Armstrong found his career mojo as a nonprofit leader and fundraiser. The teachings of his faith shaped his passion for the work and by the examples of servant leadership and generosity by people across all stations in life. His joy is reinforced daily working among brilliant leaders, talented professionals, passionate philanthropists, and frontline staff and volunteer heroes dedicated to making the lives of others a little better every day. Bert has served the nonprofit and philanthropic community as a fundraising professional, senior administrator, consultant, volunteer, and board member for over three decades. As co-founder and principal of Armstrong McGuire, he has spent the past 18 years leading searches for nonprofit and philanthropic executives and professionals, facilitating dynamic planning efforts, and helping Armstrong McGuire clients raise tens of millions of dollars. Today, Bert leads a talented team that is dedicated to helping Armstrong McGuire’s clients reach their potential for doing great things in their communities. Prior to co-founding Armstrong McGuire, Bert served as the Vice President for Advancement for the Methodist Home for Children in Raleigh, NC. Earlier in his career he held individual and corporate fundraising roles in the faith community, the arts, and in higher education, as well as working for a statewide gubernatorial campaign. EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brene BrownAtomic Habits by James ClearLearn more about Armstrong McGuire 

190: 22 Resources from 2022: Fundraising, Finance & Future FocusFundraisingRhea Wong’s Developing the Right Mindset to be an Effective FundraiserDeepa Naik’s 3 Ways Your Nonprofit Can Inspire Greater InvestmentAutumn Keck’s Elevating Your Grants Program as a Nonprofit LeaderHolly Rustick’s Why Diversification is Vital to Your Fundraising PlanJay Frost’s Horror Stories of Fundraising: What Would You Do?Finance & TechnologyBill Connors’ 3 Technology Traps All Nonprofit Leaders Must AvoidStu Manewith’s Navigating Data for Nonprofit LeadersAlex Romero’s Can You Manage the Finances as a Nonprofit Leader?Kevin Briscoe’s Mastering Your Financial Acumen as a Nonprofit LeaderFuture FocusBoardLea Williams’ A Nonprofit Leader’s Guide to Boosting Board EngagementLisa Cook’s Does Your Nonprofit Board Have the Sills to Thrive?Hardy Smith’s Why Don’t Board Members Do What They’re Supposed to Do?TeamStamie Despo & Tom LaFalce’s Creating a People-First EnvironmentLiz Brigham’s Excelling at Team Development as a Nonprofit LeaderAndrew Olsen’s Tackling Toxic Leadership in the Nonprofit SectorYourselfMike St. Pierre's 5 Key Productivity Moves for Nonprofit LeadersYour Next Five MovesThe Psychology of Money Be Your Future Self NowLeading with HeartBuild for TomorrowTalk Like Ted

189: Maximizing Community Relationships as a Nonprofit Leader (Kathy Rogers)SUMMARYCommunity partnerships can be an effective way to accomplish shared goals. What are the factors that make some partnerships more effective than others? In episode #189 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Mental Health America of Central Carolinas Executive Director Kathy Rogers outlines the importance of building intentional and strategic community relationships that maximizes collaboration, funding, and will move your mission forward. She shares key aspects for cultivating stronger relationships with local governments. Community-based nonprofit organizations offer unique and important insights into the challenges and opportunities facing residents in their area and can help local officials improve their ability to communicate and connect with a wide range of community members. This type of collaboration is vital to the organization and the community. Passionate about creating a culture of communication, she describes her recently formed workplace culture committee, its goals and progress, and lessons learned through the pandemic all nonprofit leaders will benefit from hearing. ABOUT KATHYKathy Rogers has been the Executive Director of Mental Health America of Central Carolinas (MHA) since October 2017. She has more than 20 years of executive nonprofit management experience, including 12 years as the Executive Director of United Way of Henry County and Martinsville, VA, where she was instrumental in starting an early childhood initiative, a faith-based crisis network, and a nonprofit capacity building initiative. Prior to joining MHA, Rogers was the Executive Director of Piedmont Arts, a nationally accredited arts organization in Martinsville, VA. Before moving into the nonprofit sector, she was Director of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations for a large textile manufacturer. She is a member of the North Carolina Mental Health Coalition, Mental Health America National’s Affiliate Relations Committee, Mecklenburg County’s Community Wellness Task Force, and the UCity Family Zone Community of Health Committee. She is also a certified QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Suicide Prevention Instructor.EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim ScottLearn more about MHA and Kathy RogersCheck out Patton’s new book Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector 

188: How Can You Be More Effective as a Nonprofit Leader? (Grace Nicolette)SUMMARYBeing effective in the philanthropic sector is uniquely challenging. To make every dollar count, you must continually assess performance, learn from data, and adapt in ways that are consistent with effectiveness. Grace Nicolette, co-host of the widely acclaimed Giving Done Right Podcast and Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) executive, joins us in episode #188 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership to share her expertise on how to be more effective as a nonprofit leader. Grace sets realistic expectations for someone considering a move to this sector and shares advice for nonprofit leaders as they move into more senior leadership and how they can better understand important aspects of the donor relationship. Grace discusses the CEP report on the impact of Mackenzie Scott’s giving and the careful strategic planning involved with receiving such unrestricted gifts.ABOUT GRACEGrace Chiang Nicolette, Vice President of Programming and External Relations, oversees the organization’s partnerships, outreach efforts, fundraising, communications, and innovative programming. She is a co-host with CEP’s President Phil Buchanan of the widely acclaimed Giving Done Right podcast. Grace was formerly a client lead on CEP’s Assessment team, where she led the marketing, creation, and presentation of CEP’s benchmarking assessments for individual foundations. She is a frequent speaker to foundation staff and boards on topics of philanthropic effectiveness and philanthropy in China. Prior to joining CEP, Grace co-founded a philanthropy advisory firm in Shanghai that identifies investments in high potential nonprofits and social enterprises in China. The World Economic Forum named her a Young Global Leader in 2011. Grace has an executive education certificate from Harvard’s Kennedy School in Global Leadership and Public Policy and graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania as a Benjamin Franklin Scholar. She resides with her husband and two children in Cambridge, and they are active members of their church.EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCESFlex: The New Playbook for Managing Across Differences by Jane Hyun and Audrey S. LeeLearn more about Grace and the Center for Effective Philanthropy hereCheck out Phil Buchanan’s episode108: What is Giving Done Right?Have you read Patton’s Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector

187: Managing A Nonprofit Merger: Would You Be Ready? (Dr. Monique Perry-Graves)SUMMARYAs nonprofits consider strategies for the future, its leadership may explore the possibility of re-aligning resources, collaborating to increase efficiencies, or even entering a formal strategic alliance or merger with another nonprofit. In episode #187 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Dr. Monique Perry-Graves shares key considerations nonprofit leaders can follow to guide their organization through the merger process. She discusses her career journey, valuable lessons learned from transitioning sectors, and the most defining moments that prepared her for senior leadership. Monique breaks down her 70/20/10 concept for individual learning, development and elevation to leadership. You’ll hear some challenges, benefits and unique opportunities inherent to being a chapter of a national organization as Monique talks about her approach to such things as fundraising, board engagement and talent acquisition and retention.ABOUT MONIQUEDr. Monique Perry-Graves is an award-winning social impact leader with a deep commitment to expanding educational equity and access. For over twenty years, she has aligned her personal and professional life to this commitment, born from her lived experience and generational family commitment to education. Dr. Perry-Graves serves as Teach for America’s first statewide Executive Director for its North Carolina regions. In this role, she leads multiple teams spanning Charlotte, the Piedmont-Triad, Triangle, and Eastern North Carolina, to support Teach For America’s mission to find, develop, and support a diverse network of leaders working together to end educational inequity. As chief executive for the state, Dr. Perry-Graves’ leadership portfolio includes corps member and alumni programming, communications, public affairs, government relations, operations, fundraising, and two regional advisory boards. In her first year, she successfully led North Carolina's transition from a multi-region portfolio to unified statewide model, forged new statewide and national partnerships, and amplified the impact of the TFA NC network of educators and alumni amid unprecedented challenges during the secondary stages of COVID-19 as districts returned to in-person learning. She continues to share insights and magnify the voices of others with the broader NC community through monthly columns published by EducationNC. EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCESDare to Lead by Brene BrownLearn more about Teach for America hereFollow Dr. Monique Perry-Graves hereTake our Podcast Survey!

186: Why Don’t Board Members Do What They’re Supposed to Do? (Hardy Smith)SUMMARYAre your nonprofit board members as engaged as they should be? Do they micromanage or are they completely disengaged? In episode #186 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, author of Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game, Hardy Smith, discusses what an effective board really means. He details actions to avoid board member relationship mistakes, keys to recruiting and retaining productive board members, and why board members aren’t passionate about fundraising. You’ll hear some fundamental problems nonprofit staff face when interacting with their boards and what you can do to improve the relationship to achieve more effective results. Hardy also offers advice to board members so they can be the kind of intentional, effective and productive volunteer your organization needs.ABOUTHardy Smith is author of Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game. As a consultant and speaker, he works with organizations who want to benefit from a fully engaged board. Through board retreats, workshops, keynotes, and planning sessions Hardy provides solutions to board engagement challenges. Hardy’s results-oriented approach was developed during a longtime career in the high-performance world of NASCAR racing. He has had wide-ranging personal and professional involvement with nonprofits, associations, chambers of commerce, and community groups nationwide. He is a member of the National Speakers Association, ASAE, Association of Fundraising Professionals, BoardSource, Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, and Florida Society of Association Executives. He is a faculty member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Institute for Organization Management.EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCESCreativity, Inc. Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed CatmullThink Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam GrantHardy’s book Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame GameLearn more about Hardy by visiting his website: www.hardysmith.comTake our Podcast Survey and let us know what you want to hear!Have you purchased Patton’s book 

What are you doing to actually move closer to your ideal leadership role in the nonprofit sector?  In this solo episode #185 of The Path Podcast, I offer seven specific ideas that can help you build your personal strategic plan for the year ahead.1. Declutter  2. Calendar Review 3. Aspirational Job Postings 4. Read A Book 5. Create a Guide List 6. Two Topic Curriculum 7. Coach and be Coached ABOUT PATTONPatton McDowell has enjoyed a successful 30-year career in nonprofit leadership, strategic planning, and organizational development. Prior to founding PMA Nonprofit Leadership in 2009, he served as Vice President for University Advancement at Queens University of Charlotte. Before Queens, Patton served as Vice Chancellor for University Advancement at UNC Wilmington, where he was the youngest vice chancellor in the 16-campus UNC system. He previously served as Program Director for Special Olympics North Carolina in Raleigh, following his tenure with Special Olympics International in Washington, D.C.  Patton is a native of Elizabeth City, NC, and received a bachelor's degree in English Education from UNC Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar. He received his MBA from the McColl School of Business at Queens, and his Doctorate in Education (Organizational Change and Leadership) from the Rossier School at the University of Southern California. He is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), a Master Trainer for AFP International, and a member of the William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations. Patton is a former board President of AFP Charlotte, served as the Chapter Representative on the AFP International Board, and is the host of the weekly podcast Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership and author of the best-selling book also titled Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership. OTHER SOLO EPISODES BY PATTONEpisode #159 4 ways to Advance Your Nonprofit LeadershipEpisode #56 10 Essential Skills & Experiences for Nonprofit LeadershipEpisode #78 5 Ways to Build Your Professional Development PlanEpisode #13 Build A Personal Strategic Plan that WorksAre you ready for a Mastermind? Get your copy of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership

184: Excelling at Team Development as a Nonprofit Leader (Liz Brigham)SUMMARYIs the synergy of your team firing on all cylinders? Do you make time for an intentional pause, to first look back at what got you to where you are and what it will take to get you to that next level? Liz Brigham of the Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Davidson College answers these questions and more in episode #184 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership. Liz shares vast experience from her professional journey and work with students and entrepreneurs throughout the region. You’ll learn vital tips for proper self-care, time management, and organization that will keep you and your team at the top of their game. Liz also discusses three pillars for team development and growth: entrepreneurship, innovation and design thinking and how they affect the recruitment and retention of new and existing talent.ABOUT LIZElizabeth “Liz” Brigham serves as the Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Davidson College. Prior to taking this role she was the Head of Product, Morningstar Direct & Reporting Solutions Software, for Morningstar Inc. in Chicago. Before leading these commercial business lines, she scaled and led the Product Marketing organization for Morningstar’s roughly $400M global software portfolio. While in that role, she was recognized as the Product Marketing Leader of the Year in 2019 by the Global Product Marketing Alliance. Before joining Morningstar, Brigham led product management and marketing teams at enterprise technology start-ups in Chicago and at public companies, such as Jive Software and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. Brigham is a self-proclaimed “Davidson College Groupie” and has served on the Board of Visitors, Alumni Association Board, was recognized with the Davidson Alumni Service award in 2019. She is also a mentor and board member for LaunchCLT, plays the piano and acoustic guitar, and dreams of building a family band with her young sons and husband. Brigham holds a B.A. in English, cum laude, from Davidson College and an MBA, with Distinction, in corporate strategy and marketing from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCESThe Culture Code: Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel CoyleLearn more about Liz and The HURT Hub @ DavidsonTake our Podcast Survey and let us know what you want to hear!SCORE, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, US Economic Development AdministrationMore on OKR’sGet your copy of Patton’s Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Secto

183: National Philanthropy Day: How Will You Celebrate? (Robert Touchstone)SUMMARYAs a nonprofit leader, how can you leverage National Philanthropy Day throughout the year? Learn why it’s celebrated across the nation and about some of the local winners worthy of recognition as we talk with AFP Charlotte President Robert Touchstone in episode #183 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership. Robert advocates for the benefits nonprofit leaders realize through an organization like AFP. He also discusses his journey to nonprofit leadership and the lessons he’s learned along the way. You’ll hear about trends and shifts in funding models, especially related to the United Arts funds that operate across the United States.    ABOUT ROBERTRobert Touchstone, CFRE, is a fundraising professional with over 15 years of experience at Charlotte-area nonprofits. He joined the Arts & Science Council team in November 2018 as Vice President of Philanthropy, where he oversees fundraising operations, major gifts and corporate giving. Prior to ASC, Robert worked at Carolina Raptor Center and Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte. He currently serves as the Board President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Charlotte Chapter, and in his spare time, enjoys being a dog dad to Lily and Tucker, playing tennis, and fixing things around the house. Robert received his BA in Spanish and MBA from Millsaps College in Jackson, MS. He is also a proud member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity.EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES The Checklist Manifesto by Atul GawandeLearn about the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the AFP Charlotte chapterLearn more about Arts & Science CouncilTake our Podcast Survey and let us know what you want to hear!Check out Patton’s new book Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector

182: Breaking Down Barriers as a Nonprofit Leader (Nyeisha Dewitt)SUMMARYHow do you blend your life experiences with a passion for change and actually do something about it? Dr. Nyeisha Dewitt is eminently qualified to answer this question. In episode #182 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Nyeisha shares her journey to nonprofit leadership, the lessons she’s learned, and the challenges she’s faced along the way. As a committed entrepreneur herself, she knows leaders can be mission-driven yet combine that with business acumen informed by experiences. Nyeisha discusses the value of community partnerships with varying missions who work together to break down barriers of those you serve to address their whole need. You’ll also hear her process for self-care, recruiting talent, and building an effective board. ABOUT NYEISHADr. Nyeisha DeWitt is an investor, serial entrepreneur and the CEO of Oakland Natives Give Back Fund, Inc., which she founded in 2008 to epitomize an evolved concept of philanthropy and raise awareness around the importance of daily attendance. Personally familiar with the outcomes associated with chronic absenteeism, Dr. Ny is the example of where you start not necessarily dictating where you finish. She dropped out of high school in the 10th grade, but since taking her GED, she has triumphed from graduation stage to graduation stage. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, her Master’s Degree in Teaching and Doctoral Degree in Organization and Leadership in Education, both from the University of San Francisco, and recently, she completed her Master degree in Management with a concentration in Advanced Entrepreneurial Leadership from Babson College in Massachusetts. Her experience as an educator and a mother of three children with unique learning abilities has provided immense value to her role as a funder who supports innovative + solutions to combat this national crisis. Since inception, ONGB has invested nearly $7.2M in resources toward that end.EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCESThe Celestine Prophecy by James RedfieldLearn more about Nyeisha hereTake our Podcast Survey and let us know what you want to hear!Check out Patton’s new book Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector