Leadership Development

Why Join a Mastermind Program?

The need for agile nonprofit leadership has never been greater. Unfortunately, individuals in the nonprofit sector often do not receive the professional development they need to advance towards their leadership goals. We are committed to responding to this need through targeted leadership development coaching and training, and as a result, launched PMA's Mastermind Leadership Development Program to accelerate Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership. 

What is PMA's Mastermind Program? 

Our Mastermind Program is a uniquely structured four-month virtual program (seven two-hour sessions) that combines one-on-one coaching and peer mentorship to meet the needs of individuals in each cohort. Each cohort is composed of six to eight talented nonprofit leaders. This small group size ensures that each participant receives adequate individual coaching, while also expanding their network and benefiting from the accountability and feedback from the other participants.

Who is the ideal Mastermind Participant?

PMA's Mastermind Program is designed for nonprofit leaders with at least five years of experience who are serious about advancing their skills in the nonprofit sector and propelling their leadership to the next level.

Check out the Mastermind Graduates below on learn about our [impressive!] previous Mastermind participants who have completed the program.

Mastermind Graduates

The Mastermind network now boasts multiple cohorts of extremely successful, diverse, and dedicated nonprofit leaders who have participated thus far. These individuals have embraced the Mastermind concept, applauded the virtual format of the program, and continue to express how thrilled they are to have taken this time for themselves given their busy senior leadership positions.

"This has been the highlight of my professional development career."

Check out our previous cohorts Fall 2020 (Inaugural Cohort) & Spring 2021. 

What is the Commitment if I Am Selected? 

The value of the "cohort model" is reliant on every member in the group being committed to advancing on their Path to Nonprofit Leadership as well as providing support and feedback to other participants in the cohort.

Participation in PMA's Mastermind Program requires a commitment of both time and energy during the seven two-hour sessions as well as between the sessions; we will ask that you complete carefully selected, manageable assignments in the weeks between sessions. Please note that these "homework assignments" are not required we know our leaders are quite busy but we encourage participants to complete them in order to maximize their return on the investment in the program. 

Since the success of the program depends on the full commitment of each participant, we ask that all participants be prepared to attend all seven sessions, arrive at the virtual session on time, and participate fully. Since there are only seven sessions, missing "just" two sessions would be a loss of 30% of the program.  We recognize that emergencies do arise, but expect participants to minimize "unexcused absences."  

We accept applications for the next two "seasons" at any time. 

There will be seven virtual sessions that take place over four months for each cohort; see below for tentative dates.

Fall 2021 Season

• Session 1: Week of September 13th 
• Session 2: Week of September 27th 
• Session 3: Week of October 11th 
• Session 4: Week of October 25th 
• Session 5: Week of November 8th 
• Session 6: Week of November 29th 
• Session 7: Week of December 13th 

Spring 2022 Season

• Session 1: Week of January 24th 
• Session 2: Week of February 7th 
• Session 3: Week of February 21st 
• Session 4: Week of March 7th 
• Session 5: Week of March 21st 
• Session 6: Week of April 4th 
• Session 7: Week of April 18th 

The seven two-hour sessions will be conducted via Zoom. Based on our cohorts thus far, we believe sessions will continue to take place during lunchtime (i.e., 11:30am-1:30pm), usually on Fridays, but we are open to meeting the scheduling needs of each cohort.

Mastermind Program Benefits

What Take-Aways/Deliverables Can I Expect?

At the end of PMA's Mastermind Program, we are confident you will have a personal strategic plan to guide your leadership journey over the next one, three, and five years that will accelerate your Path to Nonprofit Leadership.

Other takeaways include: 

• The design of a Personal Planning Retreat 
• A personalized Vision Framework to guide Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership for the next one, three, and five years 
• An assessment of your 10 Essential Skills and Experiences for nonprofit leadership 
• A Curated List of Resource Material designed to guide your professional development curriculum 
• A strategy to identify and recruit your Personal Board of Directors

In addition, you will receive a Mastermind Leadership Development Certificate, along with specific language to include on your LinkedIn/resume, which will help you stand out amongst the competition for future leadership positions.

What Else Do I Get?

Before the program begins, each participant will receive a welcome packet with materials you'll use and carefully curated book selections from the PMA Library.  After the program concludes, in addition to the takeaways/deliverables, you will have access to a resource library with bonus content and receive invitations to future networking opportunities with prominent nonprofit leaders. 

Application & Cost

What's Required to Apply?

Application to PMA's Mastermind Program is open to individuals working in nonprofits with at least five years of leadership experience. Since sessions take place virtually, we do not have geographic restrictions for applicants. 

PMA is committed to having a diverse and dynamic membership for our Mastermind Program. We seek to have representation from a cross section of the nonprofit community including different sectors, ethnic/minority groups, and genders. 

In reviewing applications, PMA's Selection Committee looks for potential participants who demonstrate the following: 

• Commitment to advance their career in the nonprofit sector 
• Motivation to participate in extracurricular professional development  
• Ability to make the time commitment required by the program

Click here to apply for a spot in our Fall 2021 or Spring 2022 cohort. If you still have questions or would like to learn more, email Patton at PM@pattonmcdowell.com.

How Much Does the Program Cost?

Registration for PMA's Mastermind Program is $1150 (unless you apply before August 1st, 2021 and receive the Early Bird Special price of $950), which covers all costs for the seven two-hour small group coaching sessions, program materials, and support by email/phone as needed.  For those individuals interested in receiving one-on-one coaching in addition to the cohort activities, a Premium Registration option is available for $1,450. The premium registration comes with three additional one-hour coaching sessions with Patton to be used at your discretion. For example, you could use an additional coaching session during the Mastermind Program to receive more targeted coaching on a particular topic, or perhaps later when a leadership opportunity comes available and you'd like to get coaching to prep for the interview. 

*Please note it is possible to "upgrade" to the Premium Registration option at any time during the program. For example, should you be selected for the program and select the Basic Registration initially, but decide after a few of the class sessions that you're interested in additional one-on-one coaching, you can upgrade to receive the three additional coaching sessions. 

Tuition may be paid in one lump sum or divided into two payments. Tuition is non-refundable; if you drop out of the program for any reason, we expect you to honor your financial commitment since there is no opportunity for us to fill vacant spots once the program has begun. 

Early Bird Special 

For a limited time, we are offering a discounted rate for those who apply early for our 2021 Fall Cohort. Simply submit an application by August 1st and you'll receive $200 off the Basic registration fee ($950 instead of $1150). 

Win a Free Spot in the Fall 2021 Cohort!  
We are giving away one free registration (an $1150 value) to a qualified participant for our Fall 2021 Cohort! 

Go to this link and enter your email address for a chance to win before August 19th (you will also receive a free leadership assessment tool as a thanks for entering)! A contest winner will be chosen on August 20th.

Are there Financial Aid and/or Scholarships Available?

We expect many employers will underwrite the cost because of the value for their employees, and ultimately their organization. However, partial scholarships are available and will be awarded, on a discretionary basis, based on need (these individual conversations will take place after a cohort has been selected for each program). In the event a scholarship is not available, we are willing to work out payment plans with participants on a case-by-case basis. If you have questions about financial aid/the cost of the Mastermind Program, please email Patton at pm@pattonmcdowell.com when you complete your application. 

How Do I Apply?

We are excited that you are ready to accelerate your journey on Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership by participating in PMA's Mastermind Program. Applications are accepted year-round for upcoming Mastermind Programs (a new cohort of six-eight individuals will begin in September 2021 and January 2022). Even though applications are accepted year-round, we do have deadlines for each season:

• Deadline to apply for Fall 2021: Friday, August 27th
• Deadline to apply for Spring 2022: Friday, January 7th 

To fill out an application please click here.

The application is an online form (via SurveyMonkey) that will take you less than 10 minutes to complete. It will ask you about your current role, why you're interested in the Mastermind Program, and allow us to gather some initial information about your scheduling preferences should you be accepted.