325: The Strategic Leap: How Nonprofit Leaders Can Scale with Intention (Shilpa Alva)

SUMMARY

Special thanks to Armstrong McGuire for bringing these conversations to life, and for their commitment to strengthening leadership throughout nonprofit organizations. Learn more about how they can help you at ArmstrongMcGuire.com. 

What does it really take to scale a nonprofit while staying true to your mission and avoiding burnout? In episode 325 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Shilpa Alva shares how her organization, Surge, achieved 70% growth while remaining community-led, women-centered, and globally impactful. Listeners will learn how to build infrastructure before chasing funding, why modular programming enables nimble scaling, and how multiple advisory boards can fuel strategic expansion without overloading core staff. She also discusses how self-care and reflection are essential, not optional, for sustainable leadership. Whether you're in the early stages of growth or navigating a bold, new strategic plan, you’ll gain practical insights on fundraising, board development, and leading with authenticity.

ABOUT SHILPA ALVA

Shilpa’s motivation to start Surge began when she was a child visiting family in India. She saw children her age who didn’t have the luxury of playing; instead, many were fetching water. Even as a seven-year-old child, she saw the inequity. Children should not have to bear this kind of responsibility for their family’s survival. The founding of Surge in 2008 was in response to this essential need, and Shilpa spent increasingly more time in the communities where they work. That is how Surge’s community-led, women-centered model came to be. She listened to and learned from the locals and understood that in order to drive sustainable change, it had to be them driving the agenda on their terms and timeline. Today, a global team of talented staff and volunteers run Surge. And together with local community leaders, they are making a transformational difference.

EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES 

• Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
• Ready for a Mastermind?  Go to PMAnonprofit.com/Mastermind 
•  Have you gotten Patton’s book Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector – Now available on Audible
• Don’t miss our weekly Thursday Leadership Lens for the latest on nonprofit leadership