As the Founder of the American Nonprofit Academy, Patrick sees the passion and dedication of service organizations daily. A multi-generational philanthropist, Board Member and volunteer, Patrick has been involved with community service since she can remember. “From my parents and grandparents active community service to my own child’s volunteerism, the process of philanthropy has been a constant in our lives.” Patrick has served on cultural, social service and educational Boards in addition to the more than 1,500 nonprofits she has worked with directly.
During her Board work, for all the good will and commitment to supporting nonprofits, she realized there was something missing. “I quickly observed that when an organization lacks structure and the knowledge of best practices, their missions go unfulfilled.” This conclusion led Patrick to found the American Nonprofit Academy in 2014. “I continually met and worked with organizations who filled a definite need in their community,” explains Patrick. “Yet, often at the core of their structure they were missing essential procedures and policies critical to effective governance.”
From localized beginnings in 2014, by 2016 the American Nonprofit Academy worked with more than 2,000 nonprofit leaders and staff. In 2017 the organization moved their live content to an online portal opening 24/7 access to students. In 2018 the website added a robust nonprofit sector news-feed and certificate programs targeting Boards. By 2019 more than 100 courses were fully available through the American Nonprofit Academy’s innovative website portal. In 2020, driven by a desire to keep nonprofit leaders connected during the COVID-19 pandemic she created a national web series The Corona Chronicles. By mid-2020 Patrick realized that her daily show was gaining global traction and she re-branded it to The Nonprofit Show taking the audience past the crisis and into the future.
Today, The Nonprofit Show can be seen live Monday thru Friday as well as streaming. The daily program is the nation’s only live production covering the nonprofit sector. The innovative program also has its own The Nonprofit Show channel on both Roku and Amazon Fire TV. Combined, these channels reach into 69 million homes in the United States. More than 400 episodes are available for viewing and shows are uploaded daily.
Patrick continues to lead lectures, Board retreats and keynote speeches. Her lively speaking style engages nonprofits and those who serve them. “I get to see the genius of nonprofit organizations daily,” she notes. With her Chalk Talk series, Julia delivers specific approaches, tools, best practices along with innovations that strengthen nonprofit communities and all they do. She travels across the globe virtually spreading her messages of nonprofit success and advocacy with the mantra: When Nonprofits Succeed We All Succeed.
When asked about her place on the philanthropic landscape, Patrick reflects, “I guess, I am a nonprofit architect of sorts. I love seeing NPOs build, grow and find solutions.”