Nonprofit leaders are often expected to solve complex problems with limited resources, increasing pressure and entrenched ways of working.

Nonprofit leaders are surrounded by professional development options — degrees, certifications, conferences and credentials — but many still struggle to build a learning plan that feels intentional rather than reactive.

Why do so many passionate nonprofit leaders find themselves constantly running on empty and teetering on the edge of burnout?

Nonprofit leadership can feel like a marathon of competing priorities, unexpected fires, and constant pressure to do more with less — yet it doesn’t have to mean sacrificing balance or long-term impact.

What happens when your first day as an executive director ends in tears — and your second day requires laying off most of the staff?

Are you constantly giving everything to your mission but feeling like there’s nothing left for yourself?

How can nonprofit leaders break free from traditional time constraints and foster imaginative, value-driven leadership that drives impactful change?

As a nonprofit leader, does the workload, isolation, and pressure to ensure the wellness of your community lead to feelings of burnout?

In this solo episode #242, Patton McDowell discusses the process of designing a structured personal strategy retreat.

Are you ready to advance your nonprofit leadership through the PMA Mastermind program?

Where are you on your path to nonprofit leadership?

Do failures knock you back more than they should?

What are you doing to actually move closer to your leadership goals in the nonprofit sector?

Has navigating the shifts in remote work only exacerbated gaps in your productivity?

In episode #78 of the Path Podcast, Patton offers a coaching session to help you find 5 Ways to Build Your Nonprofit Leadership Plan.

Like many in the nonprofit sector, Lisa Baxter did not seek a role in philanthropy; the sector quite literally sought her out.

This episode of the Path Podcast, #56, includes a top-10 list of the most important skills and experiences necessary for successful nonprofit leadership:

These are challenging times for many reasons, given the isolation of the pandemic, the obvious disparities of race and privilege we’re seeing up close, and the economic uncertainties that affect our personal and professional livelihoods.

Leighton Fogan has not only enjoyed a successful career in the nonprofit sector, but she’s also a dedicated student of professional development resources!

The concept of writing might not be an activity that brings back pleasant memories (late-night term papers anyone?), but as attorney Clay Hodges illustrates, it is a powerful tool to activate in your productivity toolbox.

What is your leadership shadow , and why should you worry about it?

While the start of a new year often inspires well-intentioned efforts to put a new professional development plan in place, too often the result is a set of vague goals that don’t survive very far into the Spring season.

This is the second episode in a three-part series focused on an effective year-end review and an actionable personal strategic plan for the year ahead.

While it’s hard not to look ahead to a new year (and a new decade) in 2020, this episode of the Path reminds us that a good annual review process helps clarify and sharpen your focus for the year ahead.