By Patton McDowell
Looking for your next nonprofit job? Want to lead a nonprofit organization? Dr. Patton McDowell (www.pmanonprofit.com) brings the best in nonprofit career development to each episode, helping you f
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The podcast currently has 292 episodes available.
291: Nonprofit Volunteer: Ready for Leadership? (Arcelia Miller)
SUMMARY
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Armstrong McGuire & Associates. Check them out for your next career opportunity OR for help finding an interim executive or your next leader.
Are you ready to turn a passionate volunteer into your next nonprofit leader, or are you overlooking the hidden talent within your organization? In episode 291 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Arcelia Miller, Executive Director of Under His Wings, shares her inspiring journey and discusses the unique challenges of transitioning into nonprofit leadership, particularly the importance of measuring success and impact in a sector focused on lives, not profit. Arcelia reflects on the lessons learned from her volunteer experience, the unexpected leap to Executive Director, and the power of mentorship and community support. With a focus on servant leadership and growing others, she offers valuable advice for nonprofit leaders navigating change, building volunteer relationships, and balancing strategic thinking with day-to-day operational demands.
ABOUT ARCELIA
Arcelia Miller's leadership journey has spanned from military service to nonprofit management, highlighting her versatility and impact. As the Executive Director of Under His Wings, a residential home for teen girls in Baldwin County, she has led the organization since 2019, offering counseling, education, and life skills to young women. Her leadership earned the nonprofit the 2022 Non-Profit of the Year award from the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce. Arcelia's career began as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force, followed by roles as a business consultant, leadership coach, and homeschool director. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from George Washington University and a Master’s in Quality Systems Management. A certified Biblical Counselor and Maxwell Leadership coach, Arcelia remains deeply involved in her community, serving on various boards while focusing on preparing the next generation of leaders.
EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES
290: What Can You Do to Grow Donor Loyalty? (Alyce Lee Stansbury)
SUMMARY
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Armstrong McGuire & Associates. Check them out for your next career opportunity OR for help finding an interim executive or your next leader.
Are you tired of constantly chasing new donors while struggling to keep the ones you have? I In episode 290 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Alyce Lee Stansbury, CFRE delves into the art and strategy of building lasting donor relationships. She breaks down five practical strategies for nonprofit leaders. Alyce Lee explains why genuine, heartfelt gratitude, timely outcome reporting, and tailored two-way communication are crucial to retaining supporters over time. Listeners will gain insights into transforming data into deeper connections, including how to track donor interactions to ensure each touchpoint is meaningful and personalized.
ABOUT ALYCE LEE
Alyce Lee Stansbury, CFRE, brings over 30 years of dedicated experience to nonprofit consulting, having guided hundreds of organizations through the complexities of fundraising, strategic planning, governance, and board development. As a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and Certified Master Trainer, she is a respected thought leader and an in-demand speaker at both state and national conferences, where she shares her insights on nonprofit leadership, effective strategy, and sustainable fundraising. Alyce Lee is also a columnist for the Tallahassee Democrat (USA Today News), where her "Notes on Nonprofits" column serves as an educational resource and a voice of advocacy for nonprofit leaders, staff, and donors. Her contributions have earned her several honors, including Outstanding Fundraising Professional by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Big Bend, the Civic Leadership Award from the American Society for Public Administration, and recognition as one of the Tallahassee Democrat’s 25 Women You Need to Know. Known for her dedication to the sector, Alyce Lee’s accolades also include finalist nods for Distinguished Leader of the Year and Business of the Year in the Tallahassee community. Through her consulting practice, she continues to inspire and equip nonprofits with the tools they need to achieve lasting impact.
EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES
289: Is it Time to Go? Why Your Nonprofit Needs a Succession Plan (Mike Melara)
SUMMARY
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Armstrong McGuire & Associates. Check them out for your next career opportunity OR for help to find an interim executive or your next leader.
Succession planning is often an overlooked priority for nonprofit leaders, but its importance can't be overstated. In episode 289 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we explore the critical difference between succession thinking and formal succession planning, and how the latter can protect your organization during times of leadership transitions with a seasoned leader, Mike Melara. Learn about the "sudden loss of leader" plan, a practical tool to ensure that your nonprofit can smoothly navigate unplanned absences, whether temporary or permanent. You'll also discover actionable steps to engage your board and senior leadership in the succession planning process, helping to reduce anxiety across the organization.
ABOUT MIKE
Mike Melara is a native of Watertown, New York and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, NY. He has a BA from Le Moyne College and an MS from Chapman University. He has over 40 years of experience in not-for-profit and government work, including being a direct service provider, supervisor, and administrator. In his current role, Mike oversees the day-to-day operations of an $86 million agency, including strategic planning, resource development, budget planning and management, human resources management, public relations, and Board relationships. With a workforce of nearly 1,500 staff, Catholic Charities serves over 150,000 people across the seven counties in the Diocese of Syracuse. In addition, Mike is also the sole operator of MFM Leads, LLC, an executive consultation, leadership coaching and training business. His consultation work includes succession planning, organizational assessments, supervisor training and leadership workshops.
EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES
288: How Can Nonprofits Use For-Profit Ventures to Drive Growth? (Brett Jenks)
SUMMARY
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Armstrong McGuire & Associates. Check them out for your next career opportunity OR for help finding an interim executive or your next leader.
Are you struggling to find sustainable funding for your nonprofit and wondering if for-profit ventures could be the solution? In episode 288 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Brett Jenks shares an innovative approach to revenue generation that challenges traditional nonprofit thinking. By exploring the intersection of nonprofit missions and for-profit ventures, he offers insight into how organizations can scale their impact through creative partnerships with private capital. Brett explains the importance of blending philanthropic support with market-driven solutions, using real-world examples from his work at Rare, a global conservation organization. He also discusses how nonprofits can tap into additional revenue streams while maintaining their mission, the role of impact investing, and the legal and cultural complexities that come with these strategies.
ABOUT BRETT
Brett Jenks is a global conservation leader and social entrepreneur. As CEO of Rare, he has led the international nonprofit’s mission to drive social change for the benefit of people and nature in more than 60 countries. Under Brett’s leadership, Rare has catalyzed the conservation community’s embrace of people-centered, behavior-based approaches to conserving nature and addressing climate change. Amongst its programs around the world today, Rare is promoting regenerative agricultural practices, establishing community-managed marine protected areas across the developing tropics, launching the world’s first impact bond for small-scale fisheries, partnering with Hollywood to promote climate-friendly behaviors, and engaging gamers globally with video games designed to drive climate-friendly actions. A former journalist, Brett’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and Behavioral Scientist.
EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES
287: Leading with Impact: Strategies for Effective Fundraising that Scales (Ruthe Farmer)
SUMMARY
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Armstrong McGuire. Check them out for your next career opportunity, help finding an interim executive, or to find your next leader.
How can nonprofit leaders better scale social change and build lasting funder relationships? In episode 287 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we explore how Ruthe Farmer and the Last Mile Education Fund have revolutionized support for underrepresented students pursuing degrees in STEM. Launched in 2020, the fund has raised over $30 million and granted over 8,000 micro-grants to students in need, helping close the gap in degree completion for low-income students. Ruthe shares key insights from her 30-year career, emphasizing the power of building meaningful, long-term relationships with funders and leveraging data-driven strategies to scale social impact.
ABOUT RUTHE
Ruthe Farmer is the founder and CEO of the Last Mile Education Fund. She previously served as chief evangelist at CSforAll, was senior policy advisor for tech inclusion in the Obama White House, and chief strategy & growth officer at the National Center for Women & IT. Her work has been integral to the design, launch and scaling of multiple national initiatives, including the NCWIT K-12 Alliance, Aspirations in Computing, TECHNOLOchicas, AspireIT, CSEdWeek, CS and Cyber for Girl Scouts, the CSforALL Summit, and JROTC-CS. She served as 2012 Chair of CSEDWeek, was named a 2013 White House Champion of Change for Technology Inclusion, received the 2014 Anita Borg Institute Award for Social Impact, and the inaugural UK Alumni Award for Social Impact in 2015. She holds a BA from Lewis & Clark College and an MBA from Oxford.
EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES
286: Small Shops, Big Needs: Leadership Lessons for Rural Nonprofits (Allen Smart)
SUMMARY
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Armstrong McGuire. Check them out for your next career opportunity, help finding an interim executive, or to find your next leader.
Are you a small nonprofit leader struggling to secure the funding and partnerships you need to make an impact in your community? You're not alone—many rural organizations face the same uphill battle. But what if there were ways to leverage your unique position and connect with the right funders, even with limited resources? In episode 286 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Allen Smart, a rural philanthropy expert, highlights the importance of connecting with funders, the growing role of intermediaries, and ways to build meaningful, cross-county collaborations. Learn how rural nonprofits can leverage their deep community ties, engage local expertise, and turn small-scale efforts into high-impact initiatives. Whether you’re a small-shop leader or aiming to better support rural communities, this episode offers actionable strategies and insights for long-term sustainability and success.
ABOUT ALLEN
Allen Smart is a national advocate for improving philanthropic practices through his group, PhilanthropywoRx. He works with funders, rural organizations, and nonprofits on strategy, research, and coaching. Previously, Allen served as Interim President and VP of Programs at the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust and VP of Programs at the Rapides Foundation. He also held leadership roles in community development and grants administration. Allen holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago and degrees from the University of Michigan and Macalester College. A frequent writer and speaker, he contributes to platforms like Inside Philanthropy and The Daily Yonder and presents at national organizations, including Grantmakers in Health and National Rural Assembly. He also serves on several nonprofit boards focused on community health and philanthropy.
EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES
285: Ready to Be a Nonprofit Consultant? (Julia Devine)
SUMMARY
Are you pondering a move into nonprofit consulting or wondering if your organization could benefit from hiring one? In episode 285 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, consultant Julia Devine offers valuable insights on why more professionals are transitioning to consulting and how nonprofits can leverage consultants to tackle staffing gaps and technological challenges. Julia shares her journey from nonprofit leadership to consulting and explains how consultants can bring senior-level expertise to organizations, often at a fraction of the cost of full-time staff. She also discusses her mentorship program, which helps seasoned professionals successfully navigate the transition into consulting. Whether you're seeking to expand your organization's capacity or considering making a career shift, this conversation is packed with practical advice on how to make the most of the consulting model in the nonprofit sector.
ABOUT JULIA
Julia Devine quit her well-paying nonprofit job to pursue a career in consulting in 2021. After building a successful business to serve nonprofits, she launched a program to teach other nonprofit professionals how they could do it too, using simple, high-quality, and consistent business practices. Julia graduated from American University with a degree in Political Science, and holds a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University. Besides running the business, Julia spends her free time taking daily walks, traveling with her husband and reading classic literature. Relatable Nonprofit empowers growth-driven professionals with nonprofit hearts to succeed in consulting. Motherly, Canvas Rebel, Bloomerang, Bonterra, Keela, Nonprofit Hub, Virtuous, and others have featured Relatable Nonprofit.
EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES
284: How Do You Scale Success as a Nonprofit Leader? (Erin McAleer)
SUMMARY
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Armstrong McGuire & Associates. Check them out for your next career opportunity OR for help finding an interim executive or your next leader.
How do you balance rapid growth and building a strong team to support your nonprofit’s long-term success? In episode 284 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Erin McAleer, President of Project Bread, dives into the complexities of scaling a nonprofit organization while staying true to its mission. She discusses the critical balance between growth and sustainability, sharing lessons from her leadership journey. Erin highlights the importance of creating a strong organizational infrastructure, building a resilient team, and maintaining a clear strategic intent during times of rapid expansion.
ABOUT ERIN
Erin McAleer, MSW, is the President and CEO of Project Bread, a statewide food security organization in Massachusetts that connects communities to reliable food sources while advocating for accessible food policies. With expertise in government affairs and nonprofit management, Erin has expanded Project Bread's annual budget from $6.2M to $14.5M since joining in 2017, leading a team of 80+ employees. Under her leadership, the organization has expanded programs, doubled staffing for its FoodSource Hotline, and introduced new departments focused on policy advocacy, research, and community engagement. Erin’s achievements include the passage of key state bills, such as Breakfast After the Bell and An Act Promoting Student Nutrition, and she played a pivotal role in making free school meals permanent for all K-12 students in Massachusetts. Committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), Erin has prioritized DEIJ initiatives across Project Bread’s strategic plan, including recruiting a diverse board and leading the organization through inclusion dialogues.
EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES
283: How Do You Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game? (Hardy Smith)
SUMMARY
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Armstrong McGuire & Associates. Check them out for your next career opportunity OR for help finding an interim executive or your next leader.
Are you frustrated with your board's lack of engagement or feeling like they aren’t meeting expectations? Could the real issue be deeper than just pointing fingers? In episode 283 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, board expert Hardy Smith explores the critical importance of building intentional relationships between nonprofit executives and their board members. Drawing from his brand new course Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game, he explains that board dysfunction is a symptom of deeper issues stemming from unclear expectations, poor communication, and lack of proper orientation.
ABOUT HARDY
Hardy 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 & RESOURCES
282: How Can Strategic Planning Transform Your Nonprofit? (Nikki Stewart)
SUMMARY
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Armstrong McGuire & Associates. Check them out for your next career opportunity OR for help finding an interim executive or your next leader.
How do you transform a strategic plan from a daunting task into a powerful tool for leading your nonprofit? In episode 282 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we explore the transformative power of strategic planning with Nikki Stewart, Executive Director of Old North Illuminated. Nikki shares how the pandemic reshaped her organization’s approach to planning, from confronting drastic revenue losses to rebuilding with a focus on a more inclusive narrative around history. She emphasizes the importance of crafting a roadmap that balances innovation with operational needs, and how to engage both funders and staff.
ABOUT NIKKI
Nikki Stewart is a creative and collaborative leader with over 15 years of nonprofit management experience. She serves as the Executive Director of Old North Illuminated, which operates Old North Church & Historic Site, a role that blends her strategic leadership and fundraising expertise with her passion for connecting audiences to local history. Nikki previously served as the VP of Development at United South End Settlements (USES), where she led the organization’s fundraising and communications efforts through an ambitious growth phase that included the implementation of a five-year strategic plan and launch of a capital campaign. AFP Massachusetts named Nikki the 2019 Outstanding Fundraising Rising Star. She launched the Change Maker Dinner series, which was awarded the Get Konnected GK10 award in 2018, naming it one of the top 10 ideas advancing racial equity in the City of Boston. Nikki received a Juris Doctor and bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University. She is a graduate of the Course in Exponential Fundraising at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, as well as the Institute for Nonprofit Practice.
EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES
The podcast currently has 292 episodes available.
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