Why Invest in Talent Retention?

“We are a company that values the work of the nonprofit sector in communities where we operate. If we’re going to heavily invest in organizations that support our markets, it’s critical that we have rising leaders who are going to lead effectively and stay engaged and committed to those organizations. It bolsters our investment in community.”

— Richard Brown, American Express

Download the RETENTION case study (731k).

Adrienne Cochrane knew she was ready to take the helm of a nonprofit—if not with the National Urban League, then somewhere else. But while many nonprofit executives in Cochrane’s position are forced to leave their organizations to find advancement, she became one of the first participants in the League’s new Emerging Leaders Program—and the first in her class to assume the CEO role at one of the League’s 97 affiliates nationwide, the Urban League of Greater Hartford.

“I was in a senior management role at an affiliate in Florida and wanted continuing coaching and growth, but most programs were cost prohibitive,” Cochrane says. “I was looking for growth, for a new spin on old concepts, for someone to update my skills. I was looking to be challenged.”