SHARE
The private sector invests billions in sustained and focused leadership development for its leaders. By contrast, in the nonprofit sector, these kinds of investments are often seen as a luxury rather than a necessity, and the field is relatively undeveloped. In response, the Haas, Jr. Fund has been committed to sharing what we learn as we invest in developing nonprofit leaders. Our goal is to broaden understanding among foundations and nonprofits of how this type of support can strengthen organizations, and what types of leadership investments work best.
“Leadership development for nonprofits is still a relatively new field,” said Linda Wood, senior director for leadership and grantmaking with the Fund. “By advancing the conversation on this topic, we can increase the chances that philanthropy is making smart investments that connect stronger nonprofit leadership with better results on the issues we care about.”
The Haas, Jr. Fund is interested in supporting organizations and programs that inspire new thinking and action to develop nonprofit leaders, particularly within the Fund’s program areas of interest. The following are some of the key questions we seek to answer in this work, and a sampling of what the Haas, Jr. Fund has been doing to advance the conversation on these issues:
What is leadership development … and why should funders invest in it?
The Haas, Jr. Fund is working to expand philanthropy’s understanding of and support for leadership development for nonprofits. With support from the Fund and others, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) has produced numerous case studies and guides for grantmakers on leadership development topics, while also organizing learning groups, conference sessions and other activities to explore these issues. Read the foreward to GEO's Investing in Leadership: Volume 2, by Vice President of Programs at the Fund Sylvia Yee
What is executive coaching … and how and when is it an effective strategy for leadership development?
The Haas, Jr. Fund has become a leading supporter of coaching for nonprofit leaders. In addition to providing coaching support for grantees, we have partnered with the Coaching and Philanthropy Project to produce Action Guides and an online toolkit to help advance the field’s understanding of coaching as a strategy for building effective nonprofits. We also have created a series of short videos that provide firsthand accounts about the value and impact of coaching, and how it works best; and published Coaching Practices and Prospects, an independent evaluation of the coaching component of the Flexible Leadership Awards (FLA) program.
What are the special needs of next-generation leaders?
In partnership with GEO, the Building Movement Project, CompassPoint, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and others, the Haas, Jr. Fund has supported an in-depth look at the needs and characteristics of new leaders who are called to carry the torch for social change. Changing demographics create a particularly urgent need for the nonprofit sector to develop and support leaders of color and leaders in immigrant communities. Read Supporting Next-Generation Leadership: An Action Guide and Up Next: Generation Change and the Leadership of Nonprofit Organizations to learn more.
What are the governance challenges of small and mid-sized nonprofit boards … and how can funders help?
The Haas, Jr. Fund also has become a strong supporter of efforts to help foundations and nonprofits explore how to create stronger nonprofit boards. Among the activities we have funded on this topic are: the BoardSource/Foundation Strategy Group study, Advancing Good Governance: How Grantmakers Invest in the Governance of Nonprofit Organizations; and a study by The Urban Institute on board governance challenges of small to mid-size nonprofits, a cohort that is often overlooked in recent research.
How can funders support successful executive director transitions?
The Haas, Jr. Fund has long been interested in what it takes to ensure effective executive transitions in the nonprofit sector, and starting ten years ago, seed funded efforts to build this important practice area. We teamed up with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, CompassPoint and others to develop an array of resources on transitions and succession planning. In addition, through our Flexible Leadership Investment program, we often support organizations in the midst of transitions – providing exiting and incoming leaders with the tools and resources they need to keep their organizations on a path to success. Read Capturing the Power of Leadership Change, Building Leaderful Organizations, or Managing Executive Transitions to learn more.
How can we nonprofits do strategic planning faster and better?
Strategic planning processes in the nonprofit sector typically require a 9- to 12-month commitment, making it difficult for organizations to respond to emerging opportunities, especially during dynamic and uncertain times. The Haas, Jr. Fund has supported a pilot effort to develop quicker, less costly, more effective alternatives to traditional strategic planning by adapting the most useful and innovative business practices from the private sector. Read Convergence: How Five Trands Will Shape the Social Sector to learn more.
How do we support and sustain seasoned leaders?
Seasoned leaders are an invaluable asset to the nonprofit sector, providing a wealth of knowledge, savvy and contacts as organizations strive to meet new and recurring challenges. The Haas, Jr. Fund has supported efforts aimed at helping grantmakers and others understand how to make the most of what seasoned leaders have to offer, and how to help ensure that they remain a vital source of good ideas and inspiration. Read Creative Disruption or The Departing to learn more.
What are the leadership needs across a movement?
The Haas, Jr. Fund isn’t just interested in what kind of leadership support organizations need; we also want to know how best to support key leaders in the movements that are the focus of our grantmaking work. For example, we recently worked in collaboration with the Movement Advancement Project to produce a groundbreaking report, Building LGBT Nonprofit Leadership Talent. The report argues that intentional and consistent action to support, nurture and grow LGBT leadership should become an ingrained part of how organizations in the movement do their day-to-day work; and it offers specific recommendations in areas from staff recruitment and development to deployment, retention and more.
The Fund has appreciated its partnership with grantees and other partners in sharing what we’re learning about cultivating nonprofit leadership, and we promise to continue seeking opportunities to advance the conversation on these topics.
