Beyond the Rockstar Paradigm:  Practical Tools for Visionary, Collaborative Leadership

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Did you have a chance to catch the Stanford Social Innovation Review piece “The Cliff of Unintended Consequences” earlier this year? The authors discuss what we already know to be a sad truth about our sector – the dismal lack of financial resources available for talent development. Additionally, we are up against the mindset that nonprofit workers are so passionate for the cause that they don’t require any attention to their professional development. The business sector gets it, though, equating talent with strong performance. The authors estimate that the nonprofit sector has lost a stunning $36 billion by not having appropriate succession and talent development plans. Wow. Read more

Kate Seely is the Director of Field Operations with EPIP. She is a leadership development enthusiast, a believer that honest communication and authentic leadership are the underlying keys to any sustainable change we endeavor to effect in this world.  As I have grown in my career over the past 10 years, I have thought a lot about what it means to make change and have learned what I feel are a few valuable lessons. The part that I’m interested in is the personal part, that part that we so often push below, which is so crucial to how we each approach this work. We come at this work with different backgrounds, identities, upbringings, beliefs, inclinations, all of which color how we approach our work and whether we feel fully invested in it. The research on generational shifts shows that work has become more personal with our generation, with individuals feeling committed to causes as opposed to a certain organization or company. EPIP has always placed value on creating a safe space for people of color to talk about identity. Moreover, we believe that we should cultivate space to authentically discuss how identity relates to an individual’s impact, both in the larger world and within our workplaces. As a white girl interested in racial dynamics, racial equity, and deeply engaged with cultures other than my “own,” I have always sidled up to the conversation, not knowing exactly how to engage in the conversations, but wanting oh so badly to do so. […] Read more

This post originally appeared on the YNPN-Chicago Blog.  On April 5th and 6th, I had the pleasure of attending the Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) National Conference here in Chicago.  The EPIP Executive Director, Rahsaan Harris, invited me to join as one of the Board Chairs of YNPN Chicago.  I was very excited about participating in this event because of the insights I would gain from future philanthropic leaders and the new information I could share with the YNPN member base to build our programming and partners. For those of you not familiar with EPIP, they are a similar in purpose to YNPN although their programming is specific for up and coming leadership in the philanthropic sector.  Currently, there is not a chapter in Chicago but there was an announcement that they are going to explore that option this year.  Very exciting! Here are three main take-a-ways/reflections as “The Mole” for the nonprofit sector: Read more

The following is written by Elizabeth Kidd, Steering Committee Co-Chair of the EPIP-Michigan Chapter, and staff at the Community Foundation for the Holland/Zeeland Area.  Moving up on the proverbial career ladder is a frequent topic of conversation among young professionals in any field; the philanthropic/social change sector is certainly no exception.  We analyze potential next steps, lament the often limited options for upward mobility, confess our fears that we might be stagnating, and celebrate when we ourselves or our colleagues have opportunities to move up.  However as I talked with other participants at the 2013 EPIP National Conference and listened to them describe the work they were doing, I was struck by how woefully inadequate the career ladder metaphor is to capture the many valuable ways we can and do move professionally – particularly in the field of philanthropy. Read more

The 2013 EPIP National Conference included an awards ceremony. The EPIP Unity Award, which honors the chapter that has grown the most over the past year, went to EPIP Hawai’i, recognized as a chapter at the 2012 National Conference in Los Angeles. During the awards ceremony, Kevin Chang of the EPIP Hawai’i chapter and Executive Director of the Hawai’i Community Stewardship Network, sang and played the song Hawai’i 78. The following is a series of excerpts from a letter he wrote to the EPIP staff. Mahalo nui (big thank you) for including a sense of Hawaiʻi in your conference and for the opportunity to share a song. For all you knew I was going to do my best Jerry Lewis impersonation so I appreciate the trust you had in us. Although, since Jerry Lewis was a philanthropist, too, maybe it would have gone over quite well! I wanted you to know that my EPIP Hawaiʻi Chapter friends work hard to bring people together here at home to tackle the wicked issues of our time. It was important to us to express that we are not just an island but part of a larger context and we have role to play. The phrase that makes up the song we presented –“Hawaiʻi 78 “- is for some of our community a veiled kāhea (or call) of independence, the chorus: “Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono”- our state motto: “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness”- relates to […] Read more

The following is written by Alexis King, Steering Committee Member of the EPIP-NY Chapter, and staff at Living Cities, Inc.  Priding itself as a space that supports innovation in philanthropy, this year’s EPIP Annual Conference, LEAD!, did not disappoint in the range and depth of knowledge explored. There are three major points addressed during the conference that serve as great takeaways for attendees and the EPIP members unable to attend. Breaking silos. Throughout the conference there were many references to silos that block resources, connections, and opportunities to various communities. This year’s EPIP Conference made strides to not only address these silos but to ensure that the conversation help the next generation of leaders in philanthropy break those silos. From the lunch Plenary Session on Thursday, April 4th that exchanged ideas on how foundations can think outside of the box, to the honest and candid, “The Personal  is Political: Race, Class, and Gender as Ongoing Conversation” and, “‘Doing Good’ in the Twenty-First Century” concurrent sessions, the conversations to create action tools included an emphasis on expanding  allies for your work and thinking with a cross sectored mindset for how to combat these silos were a stride in the right direction as a philanthropic community. Read more

Hi, I’m Efrain Gutierrez. I work for FSG and I’m the brand new co-leader of the Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy  (EPIP) Seattle Chapter. I attended my first EPIP National Conference two weeks ago in Chicago and it was an incredible experience. It was energizing to be among a group of diverse and passionate mid-career professionals that will become the future leaders of the philanthropic sector. As I reflected on what I learned during the conference around this year’s theme – LEAD – I identified four recommendations for current and emerging leaders in philanthropy: be humble, know who you are not, listen, learn and adapt. I believe these recommendations represent the beginning of a paradigm shift in the way we exercise leadership in the sector. Let’s discuss each of them: Read more

The following is written by Nichole Martini, Co-Chair of the EPIP-NY Chapter.  EPIP is Transformative. EPIP inspires me. Through all the ways I have participated in EPIP, I have moved to a deeper understanding that there is a movement building; a movement of an entire generation of philanthropy professionals that will change the world.  EPIP serves the young in philanthropy, but also those new to its circles. Over the years, I have never found such an honest, open, and trusted circle of colleagues as I have at EPIP. The National Conference is always like a homecoming, re-connecting with those who keep returning, and embracing those who are new each year.  We are creating a passionate body of people taking on leadership challenges all throughout the country and the world with a similar commitment to work together and guide philanthropy to a new level of impact. It is through this collaboration and spirit of camaraderie that we can hold each other accountable to the values that we share for ourselves and for our sector. Read more

EPIP Boston is thrilled to offer our community two new programs that provide opportunities for leadership within the chapter and deeper engagement with fellow members. The Ambassador program offers committed EPIP Boston members a greater level of involvement with driving chapter operations. Ambassadors work with Steering Committee officers who oversee our programming, membership, and communications functions to help EPIP fulfill its mission of providing professional development and networking opportunities to philanthropic practitioners working in the Boston metropolitan area...

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