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Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: What is the Book About?
December 2021
Everyone has a nonprofit cause they support. Perhaps it is the after-school program that first introduced you to youth sports and now provides an opportunity to serve as a volunteer coach. Maybe it is the children's museum that first sparked your interest in nature that continues through your weekend explorations of state and national parks. Or, sadly, maybe the loss of a loved one to cancer, Alzheimer's, or heart disease fuels your devotion to a nonprofit organization.
I have spent my entire thirty-year career helping individuals raise funds for causes they are passionate about and effectively lead their nonprofit organizations. In 2009, I founded Patton McDowell & Associates ("PMA"); since then, I have worked with the leaders of almost 250 nonprofit organizations in every sector, including education, healthcare, arts and culture, and human services. Prior to my work as a coach and consultant, I spent a decade in higher education, including five years as vice president for university advancement at Queens University of Charlotte and five years as vice chancellor for university advancement at UNC Wilmington, where I was the youngest vice chancellor in the UNC system. Before going to Wilmington, I served as program director for Special Olympics North Carolina in Raleigh for seven years, following two years with Special Olympics International in Washington, DC. My work for Special Olympics included the creation of a unique volunteer training system called Sport Development Teams, still in use today worldwide.
There is certainly more than one path to nonprofit leadership. You may be in the midst of a university program that has introduced you to nonprofit work, and the career possibilities intrigue you. You may be ten years into a for-profit job and realize it is not what you thought it would be. Or you may already be working in the nonprofit sector but are now realizing that leading an organization is your ultimate goal.
Regardless of where you are on the nonprofit path, this book is designed to help you identify your leadership goal and create a detailed plan to get you there. To help you create the plan, I will address some of the basic questions that may be on your mind right now:
• What does nonprofit leadership look like?
• How do I position myself for a leadership role?
• What should I do first?
This book is designed to answer these fundamental questions and provide the practical tools and guidance you need to put together a personal strategic plan that will acknowledge where you are on your professional journey, better define your goal, and help you to chart a course to nonprofit leadership. It will help you to accomplish that through seven distinct steps that comprise your path to nonprofit leadership:
1. Sharpen your vision
2. Map your course
3. Get in shape
4. Curate knowledge
5. Express yourself
6. Build community
7. Practice leadership
Stay tuned for more updates on the release of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership in early Spring 2022. Make sure you join our community by registering your email for our Free Resources.
About PMA Nonprofit Leadership
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