Our Summer Guest Series continues with this inspiring conversation with Paul D. Daugherty about community, philanthropy, and what it means to lead with humility in a moment when everything is moving fast and the stakes couldn't be higher.
Paul Daugherty is the CEO of Exponent Philanthropy, the country's largest philanthropy leadership organization, serving over 1,400 funders across all 50 states. But long before he held that title, he was a kid from Doddridge County, West Virginia, a community that had generated enormous wealth for the country through oil, gas, coal, and steel, and seen almost none of that wealth stay behind. Paul grew up watching people solve real problems with scarce resources, leaning on faith communities, creativity, and each other.
In this conversation, Paul walks us through his origin story, from founding community organizations as a teenager, to running his first foundation in his early twenties, to leading Philanthropy West Virginia for 12 years, to taking the helm at Exponent just as the sector was emerging from a pandemic and a prolonged leadership transition. We dig into what it means to lead with humility (not as a soft skill, but as a strategic one), how he's built a feedback culture at Exponent since our training together, the difference between philanthropy with a big P and a little p, and why lean funders (the ones with limited staff but deep community roots) are often the most catalytic partners.
Tune in to hear:
- Paul's origin story of growing up in Appalachia, benefiting from philanthropy as a kid, and realizing at a young age that his community didn't lack ideas, but investment
- What "possibitarianism" means and why it's been his operating philosophy since he was a teenager
- How he went from founding nonprofits in North Central West Virginia to running the country's largest philanthropy leadership network
- What lean philanthropy looks like and why lean funders are often the most innovative, community-rooted partners in the ecosystem
- The difference between philanthropy with a big P (institutional, high-asset) and a little p (in community, in place, in relationship)
- Why philanthropy's job is not to fill the void, but to be an innovator and capacity builder
- What happens when people think philanthropy can replace government funding (and why it mathematically cannot)
- His four-part model for catalytic philanthropy: connect, convene, collaborate, and champion
- What it means to lead with humility, and why two ears and one mouth is still the best leadership advice he's ever received
- How he's built feedback into Exponent's culture since our training
- Why "the concrete is never set as a leader" and what it means to keep growing instead of hardening
About Paul D. Daugherty:
Paul D. Daugherty is a champion of civil society and building stronger communities, guided by the belief that when philanthropy partners, communities prosper. Before leading Exponent Philanthropy, he served as President and CEO of Philanthropy West Virginia for 12 years, where he doubled membership, advanced major state and federal public policy, and co-founded the state's first nonprofit association. In his early twenties, he became the CEO of a lean foundation and has since served on every side of the table in the nonprofit and philanthropic world, as staff, board member, and advisor. His work has spanned community development, hunger and housing justice, economic diversification, and nonprofit capacity building, and he is the founder of Generation West Virginia and the WV Family Nutrition Program, among other community initiatives. He is a Presidential Leadership Scholar, a proud graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College, and a lifelong Appalachian, originally from Doddridge County, West Virginia. He lives in Western Pennsylvania with his family.
Connect with Paul and Exponent Philanthropy:
- Website: Exponent Philanthropy
- LinkedIn: Paul D. Daugherty
- Report: The Hows and Whys of Multiyear General Operating Support
ChatGMB: Wisdom & Insights for Modern Leaders is produced for leaders, managers, and changemakers seeking insight, tools, perspective, and real talk on topics such as human-centered leadership, team culture, conflict transformation, burnout prevention, and more. There is no fancy editing or over-polished scripting. Tune in to hear me in all my imperfection, talking for as long as it feels "right" on the topics that light me up or set me on fire.
If you like what you hear and want more wisdom and insights for your journey, sign up for our weekly-ish newsletter!!
Have a question you'd like us to answer in a future episode? Submit questions (anonymous welcome) HERE.
ChatGMB is a production of Reloveution, a consulting and professional development services provider that leverages the magic of humanity to strengthen teams, deepen leadership impact, and catalyze professional well-being. From facilitating team retreats to leading leadership development programs to robust advisory services, we help you build the emotional and cultural conditions for human thriving AND exemplary business outcomes. Learn more at www.truereloveution.com
You might also be interested in our focused conflict transformation practice RepairWorks. When tension rises, communication breaks down, or trust is broken, RepairWorks provides mediation, facilitated dialogue, advisory services, and training to help individuals, workplaces, teams, and established communities move through and transform conflict with clarity, accountability, and humanity. Learn more at www.conflictrepairworks.com
About the Show
GMB stands for “the Great Marissa Badgley” — a nickname my husband lovingly uses to remind me that I am great, good, competent, courageous, and enough. The name is also a playful nod to ChatGPT, which so many of us rely on for answers (maybe more than we should). Think of this as the human alternative: honest real talk, wisdom sharing, and actionable strategies on the specific leadership and culture topics that surface again and again in my consulting, coaching, and facilitation work.
