Resources from the Field

We have curated this collection of resources to support your work before, during, and after a leadership transition.
Search by topic, filter by audience, or explore the full collection below.

Trading Glass Ceilings for Glass Cliffs: A Race to Lead Report on Nonprofit Executives of Color

This national report from the Building Movement Project reveals how nonprofit executives of color are often hired into precarious roles, expected to solve deep-rooted organizational issues without the support or resources to succeed. It shares data, stories, and recommendations for changing the narrative.

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from Creative Disruption to Systems Change- a 20-Year Retrospective on the Durfee Foundation Sabbatical Programming

Discover valuable insights from two decades of the Durfee Foundation’s sabbatical programs, emphasizing how structured rest can empower leadership, enhance organizational resilience, and facilitate long-term systems change—essential strategies for impactful funding decisions.

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T. Bakare T. Bakare

Investing in New Executive Directors, Part 1

This podcast episode features leaders from the Open Society Foundations sharing why investing in new executive directors is essential to strengthening the nonprofit workforce. It explores how funders can shift their practices to better support leadership transitions and long-term sustainability.

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Supporting Nonprofit Leadership Transitions: A Foundation’s Journey

The Cricket island Foundation’s new report, Supporting Nonprofit Leadership Transitions: A Foundation's Journey, examines how funders can best support nonprofits before, during, and after leadership transitions—offering suggestions for how philanthropy can support the people, planning, and processes involved in all aspects of transitions.

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T. Bakare T. Bakare

Thriving Leaders & Communities (TLC): Recommendations from Nonprofit Leaders of Color

Author: ProInspire
Publisher: ProInspire
Resource Type: Report
Leading Forward Principle: Center & Support Leaders from Community

This report highlights the essential conditions needed for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) leaders to thrive. Engaging 58 senior leaders across 39 U.S. cities, it identifies scalable strategies that foster growth and success for individuals, organizations and communities.

This report provides actionable ecosystem recommendations for:

  • Funders

  • Leaders

  • Organizational teams

  • Board members

  • Government

  • Nonprofit sector at large

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T. Bakare T. Bakare

A Briefing for Foundations on Pioneering Nonprofit Leadership

The Takeaway: Funders will explore importance of continuous leadership support and development, rather than viewing it as a one-off, transactional effort.

This briefing offers foundations a strategic approach to investing in nonprofit leadership development. Foundation leaders will find this resource insightful for developing long-term strategies that align leadership development with broader philanthropic goals.

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T. Bakare T. Bakare

How Foundations Are Supporting Grantee Staff Well-Being

Author: The Center for Effective Philanthropy
Publisher: The Center for Effective Philanthropy
Resource Type: Report Snapshot
Leading Forward Principle: Cultures of Belonging & Wholeness

This CEP Research Snapshot offers insight into foundation leaders’ perspectives and actions related to the well-being and burnout of staff at the organizations they fund.

Use this report snapshot to:

  • Explore how foundation leaders understand the state of well-being among their grantees and what they do to support it.

  • Access resources about assessing and supporting well-being practices in the nonprofit workplace.

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Melissa Sines Melissa Sines

Trusting Youth to Lead

Take away: Why you should loosen grant restrictions to end the nonprofit starvation cycle.

In this essay, part of the Leap of Reason Ambassadors Community's, authors Jeri Eckhart Queenan and Jeff Bradach depict the pervasive pattern of ingrained funding practices that undercut nonprofit financial health and effectiveness.

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Melissa Sines Melissa Sines

9 Ways to Transition Nonprofit Leadership from Performative to Transformative

Effective organizations make their purpose clear. Externally, there is a vision statement, a stated mission, and a set of guiding principles. Internally, an organization may be working on how they model equity and uphold the values of ethical fundraising, storytelling, and programming. Change has never happened overnight (especially in our sector), but if there ever was a time to look at internal and external practices, it is now.

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Celebrate Incoming Leader Melissa Sines Celebrate Incoming Leader Melissa Sines

Avoiding the Glass Cliff: Advice to Boards on Preparing for and Supporting New Leaders of Color

This study reflects the insight of BIPOC leaders navigating positions of power in social change organizations as they succeeded white predecessors. Through a partnership between Ericka Stallings of Leadership Learning Community, Bianca Anderson of ProInspire, and AiLun Ku of BIPOC Leaders Network and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, we spoke with BIPOC leaders from across the country, who shared a wide range of experiences related to their transitions, their strategies for navigating these transitions, and specific recommendations for how to make these transitions better.

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Melissa Sines Melissa Sines

The Push and Pull: Declining Interest in Nonprofit Leadership

This study reflects the insight of BIPOC leaders navigating positions of power in social change organizations as they succeeded white predecessors. Through a partnership between Ericka Stallings of Leadership Learning Community, Bianca Anderson of ProInspire, and AiLun Ku of BIPOC Leaders Network and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, we spoke with BIPOC leaders from across the country, who shared a wide range of experiences related to their transitions, their strategies for navigating these transitions, and specific recommendations for how to make these transitions better.

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Melissa Sines Melissa Sines

Communicating a Planned CEO Transition

This study reflects the insight of BIPOC leaders navigating positions of power in social change organizations as they succeeded white predecessors. Through a partnership between Ericka Stallings of Leadership Learning Community, Bianca Anderson of ProInspire, and AiLun Ku of BIPOC Leaders Network and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, we spoke with BIPOC leaders from across the country, who shared a wide range of experiences related to their transitions, their strategies for navigating these transitions, and specific recommendations for how to make these transitions better.

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Changing Funder Practice Melissa Sines Changing Funder Practice Melissa Sines

From Enterprise Risk Management to Shared Leadership

In this essay, part of the Leap of Reason Ambassadors Community's, authors Jeri Eckhart Queenan and Jeff Bradach depict the pervasive pattern of ingrained funding practices that undercut nonprofit financial health and effectiveness. Their hope is that recent funder pledges to loosen grant restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic mark a turning point in the long-running conundrum of how to end the nonprofit “starvation cycle”.

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Changing Funder Practice Melissa Sines Changing Funder Practice Melissa Sines

Six Strategies for Nonprofit Leadership Transition

In this essay, part of the Leap of Reason Ambassadors Community's, authors Jeri Eckhart Queenan and Jeff Bradach depict the pervasive pattern of ingrained funding practices that undercut nonprofit financial health and effectiveness. Their hope is that recent funder pledges to loosen grant restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic mark a turning point in the long-running conundrum of how to end the nonprofit “starvation cycle”.

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Melissa Sines Melissa Sines

Making (Or Taking) Space: Initial Themes on Nonprofit Transitions from White to BIPOC Leaders

This study reflects the insight of BIPOC leaders navigating positions of power in social change organizations as they succeeded white predecessors. Through a partnership between Ericka Stallings of Leadership Learning Community, Bianca Anderson of ProInspire, and AiLun Ku of BIPOC Leaders Network and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, we spoke with BIPOC leaders from across the country, who shared a wide range of experiences related to their transitions, their strategies for navigating these transitions, and specific recommendations for how to make these transitions better.

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Melissa Sines Melissa Sines

Leading with Intent: BoardSource Index of Nonprofit Board Practices

This study reflects the insight of BIPOC leaders navigating positions of power in social change organizations as they succeeded white predecessors. Through a partnership between Ericka Stallings of Leadership Learning Community, Bianca Anderson of ProInspire, and AiLun Ku of BIPOC Leaders Network and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, we spoke with BIPOC leaders from across the country, who shared a wide range of experiences related to their transitions, their strategies for navigating these transitions, and specific recommendations for how to make these transitions better.

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Changing Funder Practice Melissa Sines Changing Funder Practice Melissa Sines

Accelerating the Movement Toward Funding Practices That Strengthen Nonprofits

In this essay, part of the Leap of Reason Ambassadors Community's, authors Jeri Eckhart Queenan and Jeff Bradach depict the pervasive pattern of ingrained funding practices that undercut nonprofit financial health and effectiveness. Their hope is that recent funder pledges to loosen grant restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic mark a turning point in the long-running conundrum of how to end the nonprofit “starvation cycle”.

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Search our collection of resources to support your work before, during, and after a leadership transition by:

  • Topic

  • Our guiding principles 

  • Resource types: Website, Article, Report, Webinar, Podcast, Toolkit

If you’re not finding what you need, feel free to reach out to us for additional support.

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