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SUMMARY

Are you running your nonprofit like a passion project – or a thriving corporation? Maybe you’re struggling to balance mission-driven work with the organizational discipline needed for sustainable growth. In episode #298 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Laura Bonnell, founder of The Bonnell Foundation, shares her journey of transforming a deeply personal mission into a globally impactful nonprofit. She highlights the critical need for nonprofit leaders to adopt a corporate mindset - emphasizing strategic financial planning, program expansion, and board engagement as essential tools for growth.

ABOUT LAURA

Laura Bonnell, a seasoned journalist with 25 years of experience in Detroit, founded The Bonnell Foundation in 2010 after her daughters, Molly and Emily, were born with cystic fibrosis (CF). Despite having ten siblings between them, Laura and her husband, Joe, did not know they were carriers of the disease, as no one else in either family had been diagnosed with CF. Driven by her personal experience and professional expertise, Laura used her platform as a reporter to raise awareness about CF. Before establishing The Bonnell Foundation, she actively raised funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, participating in the Great Strides Walk fundraisers and speaking at CFF events. Bonnell also organized events like the first Celebrity Softball game with the Detroit Tigers’ wives and launching the "Portraits of Cystic Fibrosis" calendars in 2003—both of which are integral to The Bonnell Foundation's fundraising efforts today. Through her foundation, Laura continues to advocate tirelessly for those affected by CF, leveraging her journalistic skills to amplify the cause and support the CF community.

EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES

• The Bonnell Foundation
• Laura Bonnell on LinkedIn
• Book: The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson
• Have you gotten Patton’s book Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership? (Now available on Audible)