Julia C. Patrick

Julia C. Patrick is an American nonprofit-sector consultant, speaker, and media host based in Phoenix, Arizona, where she is a third-generation Phoenician with a family history of community service spanning multiple generations. She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the American Nonprofit Academy, a training and education organization for nonprofit leaders, And Co-hosts The Nonprofit Show, a daily livestreamed program aimed at nonprofit professionals. She is also the founder and original publisher of Frontdoors, a Phoenix-area community and philanthropy magazine, and is the founder of Patrick Media Group, a Phoenix-based publishing and media company.

Frontdoors

Patrick founded Frontdoors (originally Frontdoors Lifestyle News) in 2002 as a publication covering philanthropy and community life in the Phoenix area, and served as its original publisher. Frontdoors is published through Patrick Media Group, a Phoenix-based publishing and media company she founded, which has also published other titles including Food & Flourish magazine.

American Nonprofit Academy

Patrick founded the American Nonprofit Academy in 2014 after observing, through years of nonprofit board service, that many organizations lacked the internal structure and governance knowledge needed to fulfill their missions. Under her leadership, the organization grew from local training sessions to an online platform; by 2016 it had worked with over 2,000 nonprofit leaders and staff, and by 2019 it offered more than 100 courses through its website. In 2017 the organization moved its programming to an online portal, and in 2018 it added a nonprofit-sector news feed and board-focused certificate programs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Patrick created The Corona Chronicles, a web series intended to help keep nonprofit leaders connected.

She is the author of Building Board Champions: Activating Impactful Nonprofit Board Members, a book aimed at helping nonprofit leaders develop stronger governance practices. She later co-authored a second book, The Architecture of Fundraising, with Tony Beall, her co-host on The Nonprofit Show.

The Nonprofit Show

Patrick co-hosts The Nonprofit Show, which is described by its producers as a daily live broadcast focused on nonprofit-sector topics. In 2026, The Nonprofit Show was ranked the No. 1 philanthropy podcast in the United States by Million Podcasts in its annual list of the top 100 nonprofit podcasts.

Speaking and thought leadership

In addition to her media and philanthropy work, Patrick provides consulting and Executive coaching services to nonprofit organizations, including strategic governance training and board retreats. " She has also contributed guest columns on nonprofit-sector topics to outlets including the Phoenix Business Journal.

Awards and recognition

Patrick has received recognition for her philanthropic and community work in the Phoenix area, including a leadership award from the Girl Scouts of America – Cactus-Pine Council, an inaugural philanthropic leadership honor from the Society of Chairs, and the In Business Woman of Achievement recognition from In Business Magazine in 2021. She has also been noted as the first white woman to serve as Honorary Chair of the Links Cotillion, a longstanding debutante event for the African-American community in Phoenix. In 2014, Patrick was selected for Valley Leadership's Leadership Institute Class 36, a nine-month community leadership development program in the Phoenix area.

Board membership

Patrick serves on the Advisory Board of Arizona State University's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. She previously served as an elected trustee of Arizona Opera from 2009 to 2013.