Molly Schultz Hafid (she/hers)’s Post

“Research shows that proximate leaders bring distinctive assets to their roles, including relationships, trust, and a strong sense of accountability to their community; outside-the-box thinking; radical imagination; and an inclination to collaborate. All of that is historically undervalued by funders and boards. Importantly, proximate leaders can recognize and leverage community assets that are often overlooked or misunderstood. But they also face unique, compounding, barriers such as being expected to solve problems that existed before they arrived or create change rapidly. A lack of trust regarding fundraising, board engagement, staff management, and organizational policies is also common as are constant questions or challenges around their leadership and decisionmaking.” How Philanthropy Can Help Position Leaders with Lived Experience for Success

Insight, factual knowledge, and relationships… critical elements of effective leadership.

“Research shows that proximate leaders bring distinctive assets to their roles, including relationships, trust, and a strong sense of accountability to their community; outside-the-box thinking; radical imagination; and an inclination to collaborate. All of that is historically undervalued by funders and boards. Importantly, proximate leaders can recognize and leverage community assets that are often overlooked or misunderstood. But they also face unique, compounding, barriers such as being expected to solve problems that existed before they arrived or create change rapidly. A lack of trust regarding fundraising, board engagement, staff management, and organizational policies is also common as are constant questions or challenges around their leadership and decisionmaking.” How Philanthropy Can Help Position Leaders with Lived Experience for Success

From RWJF: "How Philanthropy Can Help Position Leaders With Lived Experience for Success" "Research shows that proximate leaders bring distinctive assets to their roles, including relationships, trust, and a strong sense of accountability to their community; outside-the-box thinking; radical imagination; and an inclination to collaborate. All of that is historically undervalued by funders and boards. "RWJF’s Impact Investments team is stepping up to support proximate leaders in the community development sector, which is one of our three core areas of focus. "The community development sector faces a critical transition with many long-time leaders and founders stepping down from their roles. We are investing in a cohort of organizations undergoing leadership transitions with unrestricted grants to help five leaders implement their strategies and vision and help build a robust pipeline of proximate leadership." Read more: https://lnkd.in/eMDR_XRE

Nonprofit and social impact leaders, looking to enhance your leadership skills? Check out this insightful reading list on transformational leadership. What additional resources are on your list? Explore here: https://lnkd.in/gvT5K2hD #leadership #socialimpact #nonprofit

Back in June, our Leadership Institute cohort went through a Board Governance module. One article that trainer, Dennis Johnson shared an article about "Purpose Driven Board Leadership" and the four principles to guide this leadership thinking. Check out the article from the Stanford Social Innovation Review https://lnkd.in/eKA5VJe How are you fostering purpose driven board leadership within your organization?

Some great insights shared here - a reminder that effective leadership in nonprofits hinges on collaboration and open communication. Nonprofit leaders have long known that overly controlling, imposed hierarchical styles of leadership are ineffective and counterproductive to achieving our goals. Employees expect to be heard so they can effectively engage with the mission and the work. Empowering others through sincere and humble leadership fosters a stronger sense of purpose and commitment. #NonprofitLeadership #Collaboration #Engagement

We were recently reconnected to this great piece from BoardSource on Purpose-driven board leadership. If more boards adopted this mindset it would help with so many of the things that trip boards up typically. The mindset has these four components: ❤️ Purpose before organization: prioritizing the organization's purpose, versus the organization itself. ⛓ Respect for ecosystem: acknowledging that the organization's actions can positively or negatively impact its surrounding ecosystem, and a commitment to being a respectful and responsible ecosystem player. ⚖ Equity mindset: committing to advancing equitable outcomes, and interrogating and avoiding the ways in which the organization's strategies and work may reinforce systemic inequities. ☯ Authorized voice and power: recognizing that organizational power and voice must be authorized by those impacted by the organization's work. This is such a beautiful framework and so carefully thought through. We love to share this with boards we work with so they can calibrate their sense of organizational ego! https://lnkd.in/ejPiCFej

A few of my colleagues at The Bridgespan Group recently published an article about how funders can support leaders of color during leadership transitions. The article emphasizes the importance of leadership transition periods and the critical role funders can play in supporting new leaders of color with the time, space, and funding to catalyze equitable impact across the social sector. Check it out