In Cultivating Nonprofit Leadership: A (Missed?) Philanthropic Opportunity, NCRP discusses how social movements benefit when grassroots leaders have transformative leadership development opportunities, complementing its earlier Grantmaking for Community Impact Project series that spotlights community leadership as a strategy for social change. 

By: Christen Lee

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This post was authored by Kris Putnam-Walkerly and originally appeared on her blog, Philanthropy 411 Blog, on 2/11/15 at http://putnam-consulting.com/philanthropy-411-blog/8-resources-for-new-foundation-ceos/

 

My previous blog post shared 5 mistakes to avoid if you are a new foundation CEO and new to philanthropy.  One mistake is not being willing to learn about your new role and field. Below I share eight resources that can help you in your role. In addition, nothing beats getting advice from seasoned foundation leaders, or if needed retaining a coach or advisor to help you.

 

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NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science: Coaching Initiative for Nonprofit Leaders of Color

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This post was authored by Elizabeth Ramirez, and first appeared on March 26, 2015 on NCRP's blog at: http://blog.ncrp.org/2015/03/choosing-leadership-development.html

Supporting nonprofit leadership development has clear benefits for the leaders themselves, their organizations and their movements. As detailed in NCRP’s new report, Cultivating Nonprofit Leadership:  A (Missed?) Philanthropic Opportunity, it disrupts usual ways of thinking, builds the networks needed to win, prevents burnout and supports organizational sustainability by “building the bench.”

 

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We recently had the opportunity to interview Emily Kessler, the interim director of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy.  In this interview, Emily shares how she got her start in philanthropy and what she is hoping to do to help emerging professionals and increase the value of an EPIP membership. 

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NTERGENERATION is a dynamic intergenerational group of funders, organizational development practitioners, and nonprofit leaders working to transform thinking and practice about leadership and leadership development. Since 2011, we have been finding, elevating and strengthening examples of collaborative leadership in the Philadelphia region, making connections between collaborative leadership and enhanced impact to communities and sharing these tools and examples with the broader community.

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In an effort to help EPIP members gain value from the experience of professionals in the field, EPIP has started a new interview series. Blog readers will be able to learn valuable lessons from leaders in the field. The third interview in this series is with Carol Larson, President and CEO of the David & Lucile Packard Foundation. 

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Seven years ago I was I was desperate to find a job that would be the right place to learn what I was good at and truly develop my skills in those areas.  I had a Master’s degree, several years of experience in fine arts and fundraising, in addition to more experience than I had ever hoped for as a waitress, bartender, barista, sales associate, telemarketer and circus jester.  At the end of my search, I landed a job at a foundation.

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I sit on the plane flying north from Oaxaca, Mexico, the place I called home for 5 years. The place where I began my career, became an adult, built something from the ground up, and began my own journey of finding truth. I peer out the window to the west, with views of the vast Oaxacan valley, of Monte Albán, the ruins from where the Zapotec people protected this valley for hundreds of years, and am reminded, once again, of the wisdom that exists in this place, the warmth, the invitation, the ancient history of a people so proud. I have been on a journey since leaving Oaxaca in 2006, one filled with peaks and valleys, one that can be best described as a journey of finding my heart. We started an organization 11 years ago, an organization that continues to grow and prosper, that continues to inspire and to challenge all of us involved. We are working in a deeply entrenched system trying to do our part in addressing the myriad challenges of poverty, oppression, individualism, greed. We are interested in choice and opportunity, in dignity. Read more

“This is now. Now is, all there is. Don’t wait for then; strike the spark, light the fire.” ~Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī As I noted in a blog post in late 2013, I am currently immersed in a year-long master’s program, a Master’s in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability (MSLS). Its progressive approach to leadership and sustainability make it one of the only master’s degrees of its kind in the world. I was attracted to MSLS because of the focus on authentic leadership—leadership that believes innately in goodness, leadership that values individual contributions towards collective impact. MSLS is currently developing their thinking around social sustainability as well, which further enhanced the leadership framework. This leadership approach is one of shared responsibility and co-creation, one of deep trust. It promotes the cultivation of environments that encourage risk-taking and value courage and organizational shared vision. This approach acknowledges that all of these factors contribute to an individual’s commitment to an organization and values the individual contributions that each person brings to an organization, and works to support that individual’s success, both personally and professionally. We recently had a reflection session on our first semester, where we explored the capacities, skills, and ways of thinking that a sustainability leader needs to develop and employ, all things that we had been exploring for the previous five months through group work, inspiring workshops, theoretical lectures, and personal exploration. My mind immediately went to EPIP’s Measure of a Leader. The two frameworks are markedly different, yet they […] Read more