367: Activate Good - Leading with Fearlessness and Purpose (Marjorie Maas)

Episode Summary

Nonprofit leaders carry the weight of the next grant, the next major gift, the next board meeting - and that constant worry doesn’t make the work more productive, it just makes it heavier. In Episode #367, Patton talks with Marjorie Maas, CEO of Share Good, based in Omaha, NE, about what it actually looks like to lead with fearlessness when stakes are high and resources are tight. Marjorie leads a national technology and community-building nonprofit that helps cities position generosity in one place - now active in nine markets from Charlotte to Detroit to Omaha and beyond - and she shares the mindset shifts that have shaped both her organization’s growth and her own “patchwork quilt” career path. She unpacks the difference between scarcity thinking and an abundance mindset rooted in logical thinking rather than blind faith, why emerging leaders shouldn’t talk themselves out of their passion, and why governance fluency is something professionals should be building early — not waiting for an executive seat to learn. Listeners will walk away with a practical framework for leading through uncertainty, language for coaching the next generation of nonprofit professionals, and a clearer sense of how to keep moving forward when fear shows up.

About Marjorie

Marjorie Maas is the CEO of Share Good, a national technology and community-building nonprofit that connects passion to action in hyperlocal communities by giving nonprofits a shared megaphone to tell donors and volunteers what they need. She leads the growth and expansion of Share Good’s national footprint and supports the SHARE Family of community partners across the country. Before joining Share Good in December 2022, Marjorie launched and directed SHARE Omaha, building a platform that promotes more than 700 nonprofits across the Greater Omaha and Council Bluffs metro, and earlier created and implemented the corporate social responsibility strategy for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, redesigning their corporate giving and volunteerism programs. Her 20-plus-year career spans arts marketing, statewide grantmaking, and CSR — a winding path she calls a “patchwork quilt” and credits as the very thing that prepared her for the work she does now.

Resources

Connect with Marjorie on LinkedIn
Learn more about Share Good at ShareGoodUSA.org — visit the About Us page for community case studies and video testimonials
Concept referenced: Ikigai — the Japanese framework for the overlap of mission, vocation, profession, and passion
Book recommendation: The Dip by Seth Godin — a quick, essential read on knowing when to push through a setback and when to walk away
Also mentioned: Mindset by Carol Dweck (Patton’s reference on growth vs. fixed mindset)
Follow Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership — and please leave a review!
Learn more about the leadership resources at Armstrong McGuire — ArmstrongMcGuire.com