Recent reports, including this report by the Cricket Island Foundation, show that philanthropy has not adapted practices which enable nonprofits to successfully navigate leadership transitions. Funders continue to treat transitions as a crisis rather than embracing them as a normal part of an organizational life cycle. This forces most groups to enter periods of transition from a position of instability. And in this socio-political climate, when organizations are dealing with an unprecedented amount of external uncertainty, supporting sustainable leadership transitions is more important than ever.
What does it actually look like if there's trust? How can funders organize themselves to shift their behaviors collectively?
Join us for a conversation with funder-nonprofit pairs to talk about what enabled their partnerships to navigate nonprofit leadership transitions successfully, followed by a group discussion. This is a session for folks who are searching for ways to better support their grantee partners going through leadership transitions.
What will you learn?
How to operationalize a trust-based approach to leadership transitions
Understanding of wrap-around supports CEOs and staff need during critical junctures in preparing for, implementing, and following up after leadership transitions (e.g., coaching, capacity building, etc.)
Best practices for philanthropy in supporting leadership transitions that center the nonprofit partner
How to normalize leadership transitions as part of organizational life cycles
Recommendations for funder shifts, what works, and what conditions enable authentic conversations
Who should attend?
All interested members in grantmaking and/or senior leadership roles. What to expect: panel conversation, folllowed by Q&A.
Speakers
Norayma Cabot, Chief Executive Officer, A Place Called Home
Kadar Lewis, Program Officer, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
Ericka Stallings, Co-Executive Director, Leadership Learning Community
Trish Adobea Tchume, Senior Director of Leadership Research and Practice, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation
Liz Sak (Moderator), Executive Director, Cricket Island Foundation