Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership

Patton McDowell
  • 5.0 (113)
  • Non-Profit
  • Updated Weekly

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

  1. 2d ago

    373: Turning Leadership Transitions into Organizational Breakthroughs (Jeffrey R. Wilcox)

    #373: Turning Leadership Transitions into Organizational Breakthroughs (Jeffrey R. Wilcox, CFRE) Episode Summary Most nonprofits treat leadership change as an emergency to survive rather than a future to plan for — and the cost of that blind spot is mounting. In this episode, Jeffrey R. Wilcox, CFRE (ret), CEO of Third Sector Company and founder of the Interim Executives Academy, names the “perfect storm” that has left the sector unprepared: taboo conversations about people, resource development defined only as money, a scarcity mindset that turns pipelines into pipe dreams, an unmanaged generational shift, and boards and staff running on separate tracks. Drawing on a career that began at United Way and 25 years building the field of interim leadership, Wilcox reframes succession planning as the stewardship of a purpose rather than the replacement of a person, and makes the case for the professionally trained interim executive as a catalyst — not a stopgap — for organizations bridging their proudest past and their hoped-for future. Listeners will come away with a practical, five-part view of what real succession planning requires, a sharper sense of when an interim is the right call, and a renewed conviction that the sector’s most valuable asset has always been its people. About Jeffrey Jeffrey R. Wilcox, CFRE (ret), is CEO of Third Sector Company and founder of its Interim Executives Academy and Interim Development Directors BootCamp, and a nationally recognized pioneer in leadership succession solutions for community-impact organizations. An author, columnist, and popular speaker, he advises nonprofits, trade and professional associations, and congregations on succession planning, talent development and retention, and strategic interim executive solutions. His early career was spent at United Way, including as Senior Vice President of Community Development for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, where he watched countless organizations treat leadership change as a surprise, a project, and an interruption — an experience that became the impetus for the firm he founded in 2002. Since then, Third Sector Company has served more than 900 organizations across the West Coast, Southwest, Pacific Northwest, and Western Canada, and was named a “Top 10” Interim Executive Services firm by Manage HR Magazine in 2023 and 2024; its Academy is the oldest and longest-running certificate program of its kind in the U.S. and Canada. The former nonprofit columnist for the Long Beach Business Journal, Wilcox authored The Nonprofit Leader of the New Decade in 2010 and remains a tireless advocate for returning nonprofit leadership to its cause-based, movement-focused, activist-driven roots. Resources Jeffrey R. Wilcox on LinkedInThird Sector Company — thirdsectorcompany.comInterim Executives Academy — interimexecutivesacademy.comBrains on Fire: Igniting Powerful, Sustainable, Word of Mouth Movements by Robbin Phillips, Greg Cordell, Geno Church, and Spike Jones (Wiley, 2010) — Jeffrey’s book recommendationFollow Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership — and please leave a review!Learn more about the leadership resources at Armstrong McGuire — ArmstrongMcGuire.com

    45 min

  2. Jun 11

    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 Summary Too many nonprofit leaders treat a merger as a last resort, proof that something failed, when it can be the boldest strategic move they make. In this episode, Marcia Beckner, Founder and CEO of Culture CARES® Global, reframes merger as a path to greater impact, drawing on her own experience founding MyLifeLine Cancer Foundation and merging it into the Cancer Support Community. She covers how to know when a merger is right, why ego is so often the real obstacle, and why culture, not finances or strategy, is where mergers quietly succeed or fail. Marcia shares her CARES® framework (Commitment, Appreciation, Respect, Engagement, Safety) as both a diagnostic and a roadmap for integrating two teams into one healthy, psychologically safe organization. Listeners will walk away seeing partnership not as surrender, but as a way to better fulfill their mission alongside others. About Marcia Marcia Beckner is the Founder and CEO of Culture CARES® Global, where she coaches nonprofit CEOs and executive directors to build healthy, inclusive workplaces and reduce sector burnout. She is the architect of the Culture CARES® Framework, a proven process for measuring and co-creating organizational culture. In 2007 she founded MyLifeLine Cancer Foundation, a digital community born from her own stage 3 ovarian cancer diagnosis in her twenties, which she led for nearly a decade before merging it into the global Cancer Support Community in 2018, where she went on to serve as VP of Digital Strategy and Chief Culture Officer. She holds a degree in Organizational Psychology, is a certified Dream Manager® and Talent Insights Analyst, and is the author of You Are Meant for Great Things. Based in Denver with her husband and four nearly-launched kids, she’s an avid reader and traveler. Resources Marcia Beckner on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marciabecknerCulture CARES® Global: CultureCares.comThe Culture CARES® Framework & Assessment: a culture diagnostic and roadmap built on five pillars (Commitment, Appreciation, Respect, Engagement, Safety), with psychological safety as the foundationDISC + Driving Forces (Talent Insights): assessments Marcia uses to surface leadership styles and inner motivators in team-buildingBook: You Are Meant for Great Things by Marcia (Donziger) Beckner, her memoir of turning setbacks into stepping stones (culturecares.com/book)Book: The Nonprofit Mergers Workbook by David La Piana, a step-by-step guide through the merger process

    38 min

  3. Jun 4

    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 Summary Too many nonprofits have become experts at performing impact - hitting metrics, writing polished reports, scaling programs - without ever stopping to ask whether they’re actually changing the lives of the people they serve. In this episode, Patton sits down with jacob adams, Founder and Executive Director of Inner Spark Learning Lab in Los Angeles, to explore what it looks like when a nonprofit is genuinely built around the community it exists to serve. jacob traces his journey from Teach For America to founding STEM to the Future in 2017 to rebranding as Inner Spark Learning Lab, a shift that happened when he realized STEM was never really the point. He introduces the Human Learning Systems framework and walks through Inner Spark’s Listen→Try→Reflect→Adapt→Share cycle: a living approach to program design that treats service work as ongoing experiment rather than fixed delivery. He talks candidly about what real community listening looks like in practice, what it costs to stop a program that isn’t working, and why he shares the messy middle publicly - even when funders want a more polished story. Leaders who feel the tension between accountability and authenticity will find both challenge and permission in this conversation. About jacob jacob adams is the Founder and Executive Director of Inner Spark Learning Lab, a community-centered education nonprofit based in Los Angeles, California. jacob launched the organization in 2017 as STEM to the Future before rebranding to reflect a deeper commitment to what actually drives young people’s growth: curiosity, relationships, and genuine responsiveness to what communities say they need. His work is grounded in the Human Learning Systems framework, and he is known in the sector for practicing — and publicly modeling — the kind of reflective, adaptive leadership he believes the nonprofit sector urgently needs more of. Before founding Inner Spark, jacob served with Teach For America, an experience that shaped his conviction that proximity to community is not a program feature but a leadership discipline. Resources Connect with jacob on LinkedInLearn more about Inner Spark Learning LabHuman Learning Systems (created by Toby Lowe) humanlearning.systems How We See Us: Young People Imagining a Path to Their Futures by Michaela Leslie-RuleEnvisioning Real Utopias by Erik Olin WrightFollow Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, and please leave a review!Learn more about the leadership resources at Armstrong McGuire — ArmstrongMcGuire.com

    48 min

  4. May 28

    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 Summary If your organization celebrates a 42% recurring donor retention rate (the national average), you may be focusing on the wrong number - because the real story is the 58% you’re losing every year. In this follow-up to Episode #301, Patton welcomes back Dave Raley, Founder and CEO of The Center for Sustainable Giving in Poulsbo, Washington, for a deeper dive into sustainable giving. Dave unpacks the two distinct faces of donor churn - involuntary (failed credit cards) and voluntary (donors who choose to leave) - and explains why treating them the same way is one of the most expensive mistakes a nonprofit can make. He introduces a practical three-part retention model - Affirm, Engage, Appeal - and makes the case that the middle step is where most organizations quietly lose the relationship. He also shares the data behind upgrade campaigns, including what a 25% average gift lift looks like in practice and when in the donor lifecycle to run one. Whether your organization is flying blind on churn or ready to move from knowing to doing, this episode delivers clear, immediate steps you can take this quarter. About Dave Dave Raley is the Founder and CEO of The Center for Sustainable Giving, based in Poulsbo, Washington, where he helps nonprofit leaders build recurring giving programs that retain donors and grow long-term revenue. With a background spanning nonprofit fundraising strategy, technology, and the subscription economy, Dave has become one of the sector’s leading voices on donor retention, passive churn, and the structural shifts required to move organizations from transactional to relational fundraising. He is also the author of The Wave Report, a research publication tracking trends in sustainable giving, and was previously the founder of Imago Consulting. Dave joined Patton first on Episode #301 and returns here with deeper frameworks and sharper tools for leaders ready to act. Resources Connect with Dave on LinkedInLearn more about The Center for Sustainable GivingSubscribe to The Wave Report - Dave’s research publication on trends in sustainable givingListen to Dave’s first appearance: Episode #301: The Why Behind Sustainable GivingThe Rise of Sustainable Giving by Dave RaleyFollow Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership - and please leave a review!Learn more about the leadership resources at Armstrong McGuire: ArmstrongMcGuire.com

    47 min

  5. May 21

    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 Summary Most nonprofits don’t fail because their mission stops mattering - they fail because the structure holding that mission together was never built to last. In this episode, Patton sits down with Ryan Dewey Smith, Founding Executive Chairman & CEO of Inperium, Inc., based in Reading, Pennsylvania, to explore the structural fault lines quietly threatening even well-intentioned organizations. Ryan draws on more than a decade of building Inperium’s constellation model - a networked alternative to traditional mergers that preserves local autonomy while delivering shared back-office infrastructure, access to capital, and best-in-class talent - to explain why so many nonprofits wait too long to raise their hand, and what it costs the people they serve when they do. From navigating board resistance and staff fear during affiliation to the discipline of leading from strength rather than desperation, Ryan brings a practitioner’s candor to the structural questions most leaders quietly avoid. Listeners will walk away with a sharper understanding of the early warning signs of organizational vulnerability, and a concrete alternative to going it alone. About Ryan Ryan Dewey Smith is the Founding Executive Chairman & CEO of Inperium, Inc., a national nonprofit parent company headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania, that provides shared back-office infrastructure, access to capital, and operational support to a constellation of 34 behavioral health and human services organizations operating across 20 states. Ryan founded Inperium after spending more than two decades as CEO of his own nonprofit serving individuals with intellectual disabilities - an experience that exposed firsthand the structural fragility most mission-driven organizations quietly carry. His forthcoming book, Sustaining the Mission, to be published by Forbes in September 2026, chronicles Inperium’s journey and offers a roadmap for nonprofits seeking lasting resilience without sacrificing the autonomy that makes their work meaningful. Resources Connect with Ryan on LinkedInLearn more about Inperium, Inc.: inperium.orgVisit Ryan’s website: ryandeweysmith.comSustaining the Mission by Ryan Dewey Smith — forthcoming from Forbes, September 22, 2026Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. RosenbergFollow Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership — and please leave a review!Learn more about the leadership resources at Armstrong McGuire — ArmstrongMcGuire.com

    38 min

  6. May 14

    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 Summary For too many nonprofit leaders, the word “merger” lands like a verdict, a sign something has gone wrong. Staci Barfield, Senior Director of Consulting Excellence at Armstrong McGuire in Cary, NC, argues the opposite: a merger belongs early on a leader’s strategic menu, not at the end. Drawing on her work facilitating the Arise Collective and MATCH (Mothers and Their Children) merger, Staci walks Patton through the full continuum of collaboration and unpacks the five factors every leader should weigh: mission alignment and strategic rationale, organizational and cultural fit, governance and leadership readiness, financial health and due diligence, and capacity to manage change while continuing to serve. She makes the case that funders are increasingly convening these conversations and that the strategic exercise itself has value even when it doesn’t end in a merger. Listeners walk away with a practical framework for assessing any form of collaboration, and a sharper read on when a merger isn’t a retreat but a way to magnify mission. About Staci Staci Barfield is Senior Director of Consulting Excellence at Armstrong McGuire, where she leads the methodologies, tools, and resources that equip the firm’s advisor team to deliver consistent, high-impact client work. She came to the philanthropic sector after a long corporate career in information technology and business process improvement at Gap, Inc., Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), Sprint, AT&T, and Springs Industries. The pivot was catalyzed when a Hurricane Katrina deployment with the American Red Cross showed her that her business skill set translated directly to mission-driven work. From there she went on to serve as Vice President of Development for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Eastern NC Chapter, Executive Director of National Students of AMF, and CEO of Children’s Flight of Hope, before joining Armstrong McGuire. Across all of it, Staci has been driven by the same instinct: maximizing an organization’s opportunities for success through both strategic and operational initiatives. Resources Connect with Staci on LinkedInCase study referenced in the episode: Arise Collective + MATCH (Mothers and Their Children)Shared services model referenced in the episode: Ascend Nonprofit Solutions (Charlotte, NC)Companion episode: #350 with Andre Anthony: What Every Nonprofit Leader Needs to Know About MergersStaci’s book recommendation: I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times by Mónica GuzmánFollow Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership and please leave a review!Learn more about Staci’s work and leadership resources at Armstrong McGuire (ArmstrongMcGuire.com)

    56 min

  7. May 7

    367: Activate Good - Leading with Fearlessness and Purpose (Marjorie Maas)

    367: Activate Good - Leading with Fearlessness and Purpose (Marjorie Maas) Episode Summary Nonprofit leaders carry the weight of the next grant, the next major gift, the next board meeting - and that constant worry doesn’t make the work more productive, it just makes it heavier. In Episode #367, Patton talks with Marjorie Maas, CEO of Share Good, based in Omaha, NE, about what it actually looks like to lead with fearlessness when stakes are high and resources are tight. Marjorie leads a national technology and community-building nonprofit that helps cities position generosity in one place - now active in nine markets from Charlotte to Detroit to Omaha and beyond - and she shares the mindset shifts that have shaped both her organization’s growth and her own “patchwork quilt” career path. She unpacks the difference between scarcity thinking and an abundance mindset rooted in logical thinking rather than blind faith, why emerging leaders shouldn’t talk themselves out of their passion, and why governance fluency is something professionals should be building early — not waiting for an executive seat to learn. Listeners will walk away with a practical framework for leading through uncertainty, language for coaching the next generation of nonprofit professionals, and a clearer sense of how to keep moving forward when fear shows up. About Marjorie Marjorie Maas is the CEO of Share Good, a national technology and community-building nonprofit that connects passion to action in hyperlocal communities by giving nonprofits a shared megaphone to tell donors and volunteers what they need. She leads the growth and expansion of Share Good’s national footprint and supports the SHARE Family of community partners across the country. Before joining Share Good in December 2022, Marjorie launched and directed SHARE Omaha, building a platform that promotes more than 700 nonprofits across the Greater Omaha and Council Bluffs metro, and earlier created and implemented the corporate social responsibility strategy for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, redesigning their corporate giving and volunteerism programs. Her 20-plus-year career spans arts marketing, statewide grantmaking, and CSR — a winding path she calls a “patchwork quilt” and credits as the very thing that prepared her for the work she does now. Resources Connect with Marjorie on LinkedInLearn more about Share Good at ShareGoodUSA.org — visit the About Us page for community case studies and video testimonialsConcept referenced: Ikigai — the Japanese framework for the overlap of mission, vocation, profession, and passionBook recommendation: The Dip by Seth Godin — a quick, essential read on knowing when to push through a setback and when to walk awayAlso mentioned: Mindset by Carol Dweck (Patton’s reference on growth vs. fixed mindset)Follow Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership — and please leave a review!Learn more about the leadership resources at Armstrong McGuire — ArmstrongMcGuire.com

    45 min

  8. Apr 30

    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 Summary Most nonprofit communications are, in Tom Ahern’s blunt assessment, built to fail. Not because the work isn’t worthy, but because organizations keep writing about themselves when they should be writing for the donor. In episode #366, Patton sits down with Tom Ahern, founder of Ahern Communications, Inc. and one of the most influential voices in fundraising copywriting, to unpack why so many appeals, newsletters, and annual reports fall flat. Drawing on decades of commercial copywriting experience before he “wandered into” the nonprofit sector, Tom walks listeners through the three questions every case for support must answer (Why us? Why now? Why you, the donor?) and explains why urgency without desperation, emotion over information, and a relentless focus on the reader are the difference between a gift and a pass. He shares a remarkable story of a Boys & Girls Club that owned a million-dollar crisis and came back stronger, makes the case that donors are already 99% of the way there, and offers a clear-eyed take on what AI can and cannot do for fundraising writers. Listeners will leave with a practical framework they can apply to their next appeal this week, a sharper understanding of donor psychology, and permission to stop trying to inform their way to a gift. About Tom Tom Ahern is the founder of Ahern Communications, Inc. and one of the leading voices in donor communications and fundraising copywriting. His clients have ranged from Save the Children US and Catholic Relief Services to the Animal Rescue League of Boston, Boston Children’s Hospital, the Anchorage Museum, and universities including Princeton, Carleton, and the University of Saskatchewan. He came to the nonprofit sector after fifteen years as a commercial copywriter, led, as he puts it, by an angel: his wife Simone, a longtime development professional and consultant. Since then he has coached fundraisers on best practices in appeals, newsletters, and cases for support, led communications audits (he prefers to call them “autopsies”), and trained nonprofit teams on four continents. Tom is the author of eight how-to books on donor communications, each rated 4.5 stars or higher on Amazon, and a sought-after faculty member for masterclasses and webinars. These days he volunteers most of his coaching hours for small and mid-sized charities, and still keeps Jerry Weissman’s book on his desk, the spine sun-bleached from daily use. Resources Connect with Tom on LinkedInLearn more at Ahern CommunicationsTom’s case-for-support framework: Why us? Why now? Why you, the donor?Book recommendation: Presenting to Win: The Art of Telling Your Story by Jerry WeissmanTom’s books on donor communications, including Keep Your Donors (co-authored with Simone Joyaux), available on AmazonFollow Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, and please leave a review!Learn more about the leadership resources at Armstrong McGuire: ArmstrongMcGuire.com

    51 min
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About

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

Information

  • Creator
    Patton McDowell
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    373
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership
  • Show Website
    Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership

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