Three Keys to Scaling a Global Nonprofit (Kate Grant)

Are you ready to scale your nonprofit globally? In episode #251 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Kate Grant, CEO of the Fistula Foundation, explores key strategies for expanding the reach and impact of nonprofit organizations. Kate shares valuable insights on optimizing board development, advocating for a lean and effective board structure to enhance decision-making and alignment with organizational goals. Delving into talent recruitment, she emphasizes the importance of hiring individuals who thrive in an entrepreneurial culture, fostering creativity and innovation. Reflecting on her path to nonprofit leadership, Kate offers candid advice on self-awareness and embracing one's strengths, weaknesses, and humility as a leader.

" Success in scaling a nonprofit lies in strategic board development, intentional talent recruitment, and embracing one's strengths while acknowledging weaknesses."

ABOUT KATE

Kate Grant joined the Foundation as its first chief executive in 2005. She led the expansion of the Foundation from supporting one hospital in one country, Ethiopia, to its current position as the global leader in fistula treatment. Today, under her leadership, the Foundation supports treatment partners in more than 20 countries across Africa and Asia. Grant has formed partnerships with key organizations such as Astellas Pharma EMEA, Johnson & Johnson, Direct Relief, Engender Health, and The Life You Can Save. During her tenure as CEO, the Foundation has earned 16 consecutive four-star ratings from Charity Navigator, placing it in the top 1% of nonprofit organizations evaluated. It has also consistently earned an “A” rating from Charity Watch, has been named one of the top 50 charities in the United States by Consumer Reports, and has earned more than 700 five-star ratings on GreatNonprofits. Since Grant took charge of the Foundation, it has helped build new women’s hospitals in Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Tanzania, and has increased the number of surgeries that it supports annually by a factor of 20. In recognition of these achievements, Grant in 2014 was named Nonprofit Marketer of the Year by the American Marketing Association and American Marketing Association Foundation. Before joining the Foundation, Grant served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee staff and as special assistant and deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She also consulted to USAID’s mission in Tanzania, the Rockefeller Foundation, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, and the Women’s Funding Network. Grant holds a master in public affairs degree, with a focus on international development, from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. She graduated with honors from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. She also completed the Executive Education Program in Nonprofit Management at Harvard Business School.

EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES

• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
• Ready for a Mastermind?  Learn more here!
• Have you gotten Patton’s book Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector 
• Check out our new website, www.pmanonprofit.com!