Nonprofit Leadership That Feels Right!

Character Driven Leadership

A 5-Step Guide to Shape Your Own Nonprofit Management Style with Strong Values, Ethics and Morals

Coming in March 2025

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This Book Will Change the Way You Lead Your Nonprofit Forever

You want to feel good about leading, which means:

Leading authentically: Being true to who you are.
Making an impact: On people and your purpose.
Finding balance: Between leadership and life.

The challenge? You were probably never taught to lead this way.
The nonprofit sector often lacks the support and training women leaders need
That’s not your fault BUT. . . It is a choice you can make to change it!

The answer is to learn to lead in a way that feels right:

Be yourself: Discover your authentic leadership style.
Develop yourself: Grow both personally and professionally—inside and out.
Take care of yourself: Replenish your energy so you can lead well and still enjoy life.
Grow others: Leadership is about helping others become leaders too.

In Character Driven Leadership

you’ll discover how to lead authentically, impactfully, and with balance through step-by-step guidance in this book, helping you lead in a way that feels good.

If you’re like me and you’ve ever doubted your leadership abilities, this is for you.

In Character Driven Leadership for Women, I provide a framework for you to develop and sustain a leadership style that feels true to you.

Through the 5-step Infinite Leadership Loop, you will engage in a cycle of growth through self-reflection, understanding what matters to you and why it is vital to prioritize that in your leadership style.

Here is a bit about me

Do you dream of leading an engaged team that makes a real difference but feels like you’ve lost your way? Is burnout looming on the horizon?

I’ve been there, too, caught in the exhausting trap of pleasing, performing, and perfecting.

But I found my way out and I know you can, too.

For the past thirteen years, I’ve been helping women like you build confidence, maintain their composure, and lead with integrity.

With twenty-five years of experience leading programs in the social profit sector, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges nonprofit leaders face. As the author of Mastering Confidence and host of the Surviving to Thriving podcast, I combine my personal journey and my experience as a leadership coach with proven strategies to help you thrive in your leadership role.

When I’m not coaching, writing, teaching or podcasting, I’m living a pretty boring life, but it’s the life I love! I live in northern Alberta, Canada, with my husband, Ernie, and our dog, Max.

Trusted by Nonprofit Leaders - Praise from Industry Experts

This book is a game changer that needs to be read, studied, and talked about by all women in leadership roles—especially in the non-profit sector.
Character Driven Leadership is more than a leadership book--it’s a toolkit for developing a genuine, values-based leadership style.

Kimberley MacKenzie, CPCC, ACC, Charity Executive, Leadership Coach

Character Driven Leadership for Women is perfect for anyone eager to build self-awareness as a foundation for both personal and professional growth.
Reading Character Driven Leadership for Women left me feeling validated, inspired, and focused—it’s essential for anyone ready to break free from autopilot and start leading with intention and purpose.

Michelle Vella, founder, The Tailored Career

Character Driven Leadership for Women is a must-read for anyone interested in empowering the next generation of female leaders.
Known as a trusted authority on women’s leadership, Kathy Archer combines her deep expertise with powerful insights to challenge conventional leadership norms and promises to change how we view leadership for good in the nonprofit sector

Haley Cooper, founder, The Savvy Fundraiser

Character Driven Leadership for Women is a must-read for women nonprofit leaders who want to lead with purpose, integrity, and resilience.
Kathy Archer tackles the realities of managing the constant demands of leadership with insights to help us align our actions with our core beliefs. She’s been where we are and understands what it takes to grow into the kind of leader we aspire to be—one who leads authentically and effectively

Heather Hooper, CEO, Heather Hooper Consulting

Character Driven Leadership for Women is the toolkit for people in leadership, especially women who are navigating leadership in nonprofit and values-driven spaces.
Kathy Archer skillfully weaves together the personal and systemic aspects of leadership in a manner that is nuanced and personal.

Tamu Thomas, transformational coach; author, Women Who Work Too Much

Kathy Archer has articulated the struggle of many women leaders and offers an illuminating model and actionable tactics to be the leader you were meant to be. A powerful and practical read for any leader struggling to lead with heart while also achieving success.

Maria Ross, author, The Empathy Dilemma; host, The Empathy Edge podcast

With a clear focus on the transformative power of character, Kathy Archer expertly blends intentional self-reflection with actionable guidance to help readers craft a leadership style that is authentic, ethical, and values driven.
Through a well-thought-out five-step process, Kathy encourages leaders to examine their current character, define their aspirational identity, and develop a Character Development Plan that brings those principles to life in practice

Elizabeth Bishop, founder, Elizabeth Bishop Consulting; author, Conscious Service

Diving into Character Driven Leadership for Women was like stepping into a masterclass tailored for women leaders in the nonprofit world. So often I feel a distinct weight of being a woman, of being my own worst enemy in trying to do too much, be everything to everyone, and pretending that I will prioritize my own self-care.
Kathy Archer’s focus on values over perfection and her practical tools for self-reflection left me feeling empowered to lead authentically. For anyone feeling the imposter syndrome’s shadow (let me stand up) or striving to transform a network into a community, this book is comfort food with a dose of strategy

Tasha Van Vlack, CEO and co-founder, The Nonprofit Hive

Kathy Archer brilliantly captures the essence of values-driven leadership, embracing both imperfection and the necessity of continuous learning. This book is more than just a read—it’s a supportive tool to revisit time and again as we, women leaders, navigate the challenges and opportunities of developing values-aligned leadership.

Heather Nelson, CEO, BridgeRaise

Every woman who is or aspires to be a leader needs this book. Insightful and immediately applicable, Kathy Archer’s approaches will become your superpower to becoming more impactful and fulfilled in your career. Never have I read such a wealth of actionable knowledge packed into a few hundred pages

Elizabeth Horlock, Director of People and Culture, College of Nurses of Ontario

In Character Driven Leadership for Women, Kathy Archer takes you on a journey. There may be a few bumps along this path of self-reflection, discovery, and character-building, but as Kathy notes, ‘Leadership is a way of being‘.

Lisa MacDonald, Editor, Hilborn Charity eNews

Kathy Archer is an amazing coach who is truly invested in supporting you in reaching your full potential as a leader. Her book is a roadmap for anyone wanting to look within and lead from a place of authenticity.

Sheena McKinney, Hub Manager, Mackenzie Family Resource Network

Character Driven Leadership for Women is thought-provoking and inspiring!
Kathy Archer nudges you towards finding your purpose and growing into your authentic self. She uses a great blend of leadership tools, self-guided exercises, and her own personal leadership experiences.

Meagan Maerzluft, PMO Manager, Enterprise Onboarding

This book felt like a recap of all the conversations I’ve had with Kathy Archer in our coaching sessions. Reading the book will help a little, but doing even a fraction of what you read will help a lot.
Character Driven Leadership for Women essentially contains the instructions for creating your own lifelong curriculum on how to be a better leader, and a better human being. And it’s the next best thing to having Kathy on speed dial!

Sue Coueslan, VP, Strategy and Partnerships, Natural Products Canada

Reading Character Driven Leadership for Women felt like having Kathy Archer by my side, guiding me through the highs and lows of nonprofit leadership. The book echoes many conversations from our coaching sessions.
I appreciated the focus on health throughout the book; the emphasis on health, hope, and positivity truly stood out. I’ll be keeping it close as my go-to guide

Pam McGlaDDery, President and CEO, Universal Rehabilitation Service Agency

Kathy Archer has done it again! Character Driven Leadership for Women is filled with useful frameworks and practical tools. Working through the book will support you on your journey to becoming the woman and leader that you aspire to embody.

Natalie McCarthy, Executive Director, Association des entrepreneurs en maçonnerie du Québec

This book comes at a time when doing more with less has become the mantra of the nonprofit sector. Leaders are driven to make decisions promptly and move onto the next decision quickly, so Kathy’s advice to pause, ponder, pivot, and then proceed is counterintuitive. Yet, with less time to make decisions and act on them, it is critical to get the decision right the first time. Kathy’s five steps help you to get the decision right the first time, building your credibility.

Bill Scott, Chief People Valuer, Valuing People

This easy-to-read book provides women leaders with practical information and tools to guide their process. A must read for all women in leadership

Lavonne RoloFF, recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee medal

This book is meant to cause a ripple in your thinking and behaviour, propelling you on your journey towards becoming your best self as a leader. You will go back to it, re-read it, highlight it, and use it as a resource again and again.

Tania Little CFre, CSR-P, GCB.D, Social Sector Executive