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Questions from Wisdom on Change Virtual Meeting (May 2026 )

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Questions from Wisdom on Change Virtual Meeting (May 2026 )

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Questions from Wisdom on Change Virtual Meeting  (September 2026)

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Questions from Wisdom on Change Virtual Meeting  (September 2026)

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Based on the organizational model that Sandra Kim developed at Everyday Feminism and shared elsewhere, you’ll learn how to:

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One of the most comprehensive lists we've seen. Shared generously by Movement Talent.

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Sample Background Docs for Incoming Executive by Movement Talent

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LLC's first 90 days

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Copy of Onboarding Guide for the First 90 Days

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Nonprofits — Nonprofit Leadership Transition Resources — Leading Forward

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Bridges' Transition Model for Change

Bridges' transition model is a high level, three stage model of individual, psychological transition that has similarities to Elisabeth Kubler Ross' change curve and to Otto Scharmer's Theory U (which we've yet to write about). It also has similarities to organizational change models such as Lewin's Change Model.

The first stage of Bridges' model is "ending", which relates to the loss of an old way of doing or being, and which corresponds to a downward trajectory in morale and engagement. The middle stage is the "neutral zone", where moral remains low and the transition from old to new ways be doing or being starts. The final stage of this model is "new beginnings", where individuals start to build new identities, values and ways of doing and being, morale and engagement pick up and individuals are reinvigorated.

Stage 1: Ending

Every movement in a new, personal, psychological direction starts with an assessment of a current way of doing or being, and letting that way go.

This process of an individual ending something about themselves often leads to a sense of loss. It can affect the emotional state of the individual experiencing change. Letting go of things that have served us is never easy.

Stage 2: Neutral zone

Once people have decided to let go of old beliefs, personal values, ways of working, relationships or other ways of being they often feel lost. They are preparing for something new, but don't yet really know what it is.

In this stage people explore new ways of being. They learn new things, create new processes and start to head towards new beginnings.

Stage 3: New beginnings

As people explore their new ways of being they develop new understandings, personal values, relationships and beliefs. They also develop new ways of being and new ways of doing things.

As these new ways come into being individuals can see a different future for themselves. With this awareness comes a sense of excitement, energy, optimism and positivity about what's to come.

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Bridges' Transition Model for Change: A Simple Summary - The World of Work Project

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Key Learning Points: Bridges' transition model for change says that individuals transition through personal, psychological changes over three stages: ending, neutral zone and new beginnings. Individuals first grieve what they are letting go, before adopting new ways of being. Bridges' Transition Model for Change

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Questions from Wisdom on Change Virtual Meet up (May 2025)

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Questions from Wisdom on Change Virtual Meet up (May 2025)

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Add your questions and comments

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1. Emotional - acknowledge and tend to well-being, healing, and culture

2. Strategic - where are there opportunities in the messy?

3. Pragmatic - set goals, reassess often, and prioritize

4. Communication - internal + external

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1. Get More Perspectives: Talk about your transition and get different perspectives.  None of us can see or know everything. Additional perspectives may offer new insights.

2. Community: Find and cultivate community, practice solidarity. There is no need to do this alone.  Organizations often treat transitions as a dirty secret, hiding what is happening out of the very reasonable fear of reputational harm with funders and allies. Transitions are inevitable, so try identifying smart and strategic ways to commune with people you trust.

3. Create a Culture of Care: Your words and actions should demonstrate care for your team and center their humanity. Slow down when you can.  Inquire about teammates' and peers' wellbeing, practice, and invite in vulnerability. Share gratitude and appreciation. Spend time and resources on non-transactional things. Discuss the kind of culture you want to have, how you want to care for each other, and the boundaries people will need to be safe.

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Role Clarity: Make every effort to communicate roles, responsibilities, power, and the decision-making process.

Communicate:  Clear and consistent messaging can help to build trust and security.  It also allows you to exert some control over the narrative. It is important to note that communication regarding transitions is highly time-consuming for the outgoing ED and requires managing one’s own emotions and the emotions of those receiving the news.

Adopt a Learning Stance: Invest in learning and experimentation towards the future. Be open to stretching out of your comfort zone.  For example, when you are exploring a policy change, minimize perfectionism by explicitly naming it as an experiment and allocating time for assessment, feedback, evaluation, learning, and revision.

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Reflect: Set aside space for intentional reflection. Examples include: 1. Adding a single reflection question to a staff meeting.  2. Encouraging team members to reflect on their own. 3. Scheduling a (or multiple) team transition sessions. These reflection spaces can be self-facilitated, or you may find it helpful to bring in an external facilitator.

Interrupt: Recognize and acknowledge emotions like grief, loss, anxiety, fear, anger, and insecurity. When do they show up? Is there a trigger to notice? Is there a way to interrupt it? This may look like taking a walk, practicing mindfulness, or writing in a journal.

Embrace Vulnerability:  Create space for and practice vulnerability. It’s ok to say “I don’t know”. When people with more positional power demonstrate these behaviors and encourage them from others, it can be easier for those with less power to also adopt them.

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Copy of LLC Sustainablity and Succession Plan 2025

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The 5-Box Scenario Planning Tool (and Sample) - The Management Center

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Whether you are managing through uncertainty and change, or anticipating strategic forks in the road, our 5-Box Scenario Planning Tool can help you gather the information you need, think through scenarios, and outline possible action plans.

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1. Set Goals/Plans and Revisit Them: Establish clear and specific goals and action steps for both the individuals in transition and the organization. Revisit them and reassess them regularly. For example, you may want to set a specific financial or fundraising goal, or you may have goals for how the team members will feel.

2. Communicate: Clear and consistent messaging can help to build trust and security. It also allows you to exert some control over the narrative. It is important to note that communication regarding transitions is highly time-consuming for the outgoing ED and requires managing one’s own emotions and the emotions of those receiving the news.

3. Be Prepared for Unfinished Business: The unexpected will emerge and the time set aside for the transition may not be able to accommodate everything. By prioritizing key outcomes, you’ll be able to “release” those areas of work that remain unfinished.

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[Image description: A conference room, with a long table surrounded by about 18 empty beige swivel chairs. Image by free-photos on Pixabay.com.]

Hi everyone, before we dive into today's post, two quick announcements. My friend, the awesome Kishshana Palmer, and I are having an Instagram Live conversation, Rooted AF, tomorrow July 7 th, at 5:30pm ET. These Live events are unscripted conversations where we discuss whatever is on our minds, so likely fundraising, philanthropy, equity, and Kish's awesome new venture providing a supportive network for women of color.

Also, next week, July 13 th, is the launch of the Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) movement, as I wrote about here. It will kick off with a virtual event "Let's Make Fundraising Less Racist" on 7/13 at 11am PST. The CCF Hub will launch on that day too; it'll be a place to explore ways to fundraise that are aligned with racial and economic justice. Sign up here so we can send you the meeting link to the launch event and address to the Hub when they are ready.

OK, let's talk about boards. First off, let me just say that I know lots of amazing people who serve on boards. Board members are volunteers who contribute time, money, talents, connections, and even the occasional shoulder to cry on during challenging moments. Without the awesome folks on my board, the two organizations that I was ED of would not have been nearly as successful. I am also currently serving on two boards of organizations I love. I know how hard boards and board members work, and we owe a lot to the brilliant board members out there who are helping us make the world better every day.

However, we need to admit that boards in general are seriously problematic. I have a Rule of One-Thirds when it comes to boards: 1/3 of them are helpful, 1/3 are useless, and 1/3 are actually harmful. This means that 2/3 of nonprofit boards are useless or harmful. For every good-board story, there are countless tales of crappy boards. Those who micromanage the staff. Those who get buried in operations, wasting their time scrutinizing font selections and toilet paper purchases. Those who prevent progress, like the boards who refuse to allow their organizations to publicly support Black Lives Matter, thinking it's too "political." Even among the boards I've worked with, I've dealt with my fair share of crappiness, like the time my board blocked a paid family leave policy that the staff all supported and the entire sector is moving toward.

But how could boards not be crappy? We are talking about a structure where groups of volunteers who barely know one another, see one percent of the work, often don't reflect the communities we serve, and who may have little to no experience running nonprofits, being given vast power to supervise leadership and determine values, policies, and practices. Why did we think this weird structure would work?

We have been in denial about the destructiveness of our sector's default board model. Over the years, we have developed a learned helplessness, thinking that this model is the only one we have. So we put up with it, grumbling to our colleagues and working to mitigate our challenges, for instance figuring out ways to bring good board members on to neutralize bad ones or having more trainings or meetings to increase "board engagement."

What we need to do though, is completely reimagine the board and experiment with some new structures. A while ago, I was lamenting the glaring failures of the default board model when colleague Vanessa LeBourdais, Executive Producer and Creative Director of DreamRider Productions, mentioned that her organization had been experimenting with a new model, which they called Evolutionary Governance. "It's a little 'woo'," she said, which I think means hippie or touchy-feely. Among other things, it included the board and staff sharing power, the board being a supportive partner and sounding board for the ED, the board doing nothing if "nothing" is what is needed at various moments, everyone doing a lot of inner work. It requires an understanding of the minimum legal stuff the board is required to do, having that stuff done, and then being free to do much more interesting things. I know Vanessa and DreamRider are working to put their model down in writing, and I'm excited to see it. We need less "Robert's Rules" and more "woo"!

Also in Canada, a collaboration between Ontario Nonprofit Network and Ignite NPS, Reimagining Governance encourages us to think of governance in a holistic sense, something shared in an ecosystem that includes staff, board, and community, instead of just being concentrated at the board level. "We need to critically examine the very design of governance so that effective governance is not wholly dependent on maintaining an effective board." The idea that the board is responsible for almost all governance responsibilities is pretty archaic and ridiculous if you think about it, considering again that the board oftentimes has the least amount of knowledge and connections to what is happening on the ground. I'm looking forward to seeing the experimentation and lessons that come out of this work.

Meanwhile, I am on the board of Creating the Future, a movement and experiment to change systems and create a more humane world, rooted in founder Hildy Gottlieb's research and work. CTF has also been wrestling with the complexity of creating a new structure. We have been discussing a model where the formal " minimally viable board" fulfills the absolute minimum legal requirements and does little else. This may then be combined with a second, less formal but larger, more expansive, more inclusive (and more fun!) " integrity board " that reflects the community and its values.

A critical common theme among all three of these approaches is the recognition that boards have very few legal requirements. These vary from state to state in the US and I'm not sure about Canada and other countries, but often are just " have three people, set some by-laws, meet once a year, file financial records." What this means is that most practices we've associated with boards over the decades are COMPLETELY OPTIONAL! They are traditions we've just passed down to the point where we think they're legally required, but they're not! The board hires the ED. Who says?! The board meets once a month. Why?! The board approves the budget. Not necessarily! Many practices are ensconced in by-laws, but bylaws are easily changed. (Creating the Future is trying to craft a one-page set of bylaws, because there are few specific legal requirements on what these bylaws entail!)

Anyway, the point is, we've been putting up with this crappy board structure long enough. Yes, there are some good boards, and plenty of great board members. But the structure is archaic, weird, glaringly white, and full of corporate people who know little about nonprofits and often have less lived experience and who often are too busy to bother learning (but who still insist on being in charge!) So, it's time to try some new stuff. This is challenging, because if we had an effective structure that works for everyone, we would already be using it. The important thing is for us to give ourselves permission to experiment.

This will require unlearning a bunch of no-good, very bad philosophies that have been toxic for our sector. For example, a deeply internalized belief is that the board is the "boss" of the ED/CEO and thus the entire staff team. This sets up a dynamic where the staff are often undermined by less-informed board members and must operate in a pervasive environment of permission seeking, which leads to inaction or ineffective actions.

Another destructive belief is that the board's main loyalty is only to its own mission. This often prevents nonprofits from working together and perpetuates the Nonprofit Hunger Games. I've had colleagues lament to me of their boards being unhappy with their helping out other organizations, such as introducing donors or passing on a grant proposal or sharing critical community data. The mission-centeredness of boards jeopardizes our sector's ability to work together as an ecosystem of interdependent elements needed to do this work well.

As we experiment with the board of the future, it may look like many different things, but I would love to see boards that are ecosystems-minded and think about the entire sector not just individual missions, work in tandem with other boards, are focused on possibilities not liabilities, reflect the people the org serves, encourage risk-taking, take strong courageous public stances against white supremacy and injustice, are fully engaged in advocacy and systems change, and trust the staff and work in equal partnership with them.

Our work has gotten even more urgent lately. We must start challenging every philosophy, system, and practice that stand in our way of being effective. One of the biggest barriers to our sector's ability to fulfill its potential has been our default board model, which is based on a white corporate way of doing things. Let's stop using this model. Let's stop trying to succeed in spite of it, like something we have no choice but to put up with. Let's burn it down and experiment to create a model, or several models, that we can all be excited about.

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Support Black Lives Matter These Black Lives Matter petitions still need signatures to reach their target

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The default nonprofit board model is archaic and toxic; let's try some new models

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Hi everyone, before we dive into today's post, two quick announcements. My friend, the awesome Kishshana Palmer, and I are having an Instagram Live conversation, Rooted AF, tomorrow July 7 th, at 5:30pm ET. These Live events are unscripted conversations where we discuss whatever is on our minds, so likely fundraising, philanthropy, equity, and Kish's awesome new venture providing a supportive network for women of color.

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Funder perspective on supporting nonprofit transitions

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Funder perspective on supporting nonprofit transitions

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Leadership Learning Community - Making Space For Relationship Building

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a. For LLC this looks like full staff and board commitment to shared leadership in both theory and practice. At LLC, everyone knew we'd signed up for something different, so people didn't expect the Co-EDs to function as a traditional sole ED. This required the staff and board to allow time for discussion, to sit with some unknowns/uncertainty, and practice patience.

b. Practice: Allocated time and resources to trust and relationship building and collective learning on shared leadership models. LLC engaged in many public and internal conversations over the years preceding the adoption of a shared leadership model and began playing with different approaches.

a. Coaching with Belma Gonzalez in both of my Co-ED relationships helped me to better understand myself as a leader and as Co-ED partner, and created space for each partnership to navigate challenges in a safe space. Reflective practices such journaling and guided visualizations helped me to develop very clear understanding of my vision for the Co-ED relationship. Note: We intentionally sought out Belma because she is experienced in coaching partnerships and teams, not just individual leaders.
b. Practice: Individual and partnership coaching. We get coaching separately and together.

a. As part of the Co-ED recruitment process, the reflection practices Belma encouraged me to adopt ultimately became second nature. At random times I would jot down partnership desires as they arose. When I later shared a compilation of those reflections with Nikki, she joked that I was a witch who had conjured her, so closely did my description of my desires match her.
b. Practice: Frequent goal setting and prioritization of work ahead. We use an ongoing notes document and Monday.com to help us organize our priorities.

a. Saying what we need to be in a conscious relationship with each other. This includes explicitly naming our boundaries, how we want to communicate, e.g. text, phone, email, etc., sharing what's important to us, e.g. ending meetings on time, and being clear about our pet peeves and points of vulnerability.
b. Practice: 30-minute check-ins early in the week just to check in on how we are and what is going on in our lives. We have longer workspaces later in the week. Workspaces are intentional times to both discuss and complete work tasks.

a. Nikki and I use "Pilot/Co-pilot" as a shorthand to describe our work distribution. This is based on the analogy that a plane has two capable pilots at the wheel, but only one is flying the plane at any given time. The "Pilot" is ultimately responsible for being mindful of an assignment's direction, strategy, and key tasks. The "Co-Pilot" acts as backup and support. Sometimes one of us is the "Pilot" for an entire project and other times we divvy up piloting responsibilities within a project. Piloting responsibilities are distributed based on the capacity, skills, and importantly, the passions of each Co-ED. We don't yet have a work distribution where staff only do " fun" work, but more often than not that is the case. LLC's centering of pleasure, including doing work that is in alignment with our skills and interests and that is simply fun, has been good for all of us. We are more energized, feel more connected and now have more room for innovation, exploration, and creativity.
b. Practice: List out the responsibilities you hold, and try on responsibility distribution tools like MOCHA, RACI, RAPID, or pilot/co-pilot. Explicitly name fun, interest, and/or energy as distribution criteria

a. Knowing our values, or uncovering them together has been part of our process. Nikki and I learned that we both care about liberation for our people, we want our work to contribute to that liberation, and we want the manner of our work to be and feel liberatory.
b. Practice: Getting to know our own "whys" so that we can share them with each other. Coaching, regular check-ins, and in-person team retreats supported this for us. It also happens over time when you create opportunities for practice, so give yourself some patience.

a. Complimentary: Nikki and I like and appreciate each other. We are constantly supporting and authorizing each other and our full team to be great. This has a kind of new thinking multiplier effect. We often recognize the gifts our teammates may not see in themselves, freeing us to grow in new ways. Another thing that is true for LLC is that we are generous with praise and thoughtful about criticism.
b. Complementary: While Nikki and I are two BIPOC women who are able to understand each other and support each other from a place of shared experience with marginalization, we are also different ages/generations and come from different racial and geographic backgrounds; so we have many opportunities to learn from each other. We are surprisingly well-balanced in terms of skills and interests. We share a solid overlapping base of capacities, but we also shine in different ways. For example, there are times when I become a whirlwind of ideation, in these moments Nikki is adept at creating containers that harness those ideas and make it easier to cultivate them. Or when I shift to a "just the facts" mindset, Nikki remembers to bring in whimsy and beauty. What is important to note, is that in this balance we don't pigeonhole the other, demanding that we can only show up in one way with rigid relationship roles (e.g. Taskmaster versus slacker). Instead, we are responsive to the conditions of the moment and each other's needs.
c. Practice: Normalize giving feedback, and also keep in mind that studies say the ideal ratio is five praises to one critique. Our team has weekly check-ins for "Ow, Wows, Aha's, and Appreciations" - where we can bring up big and small accomplishments and opportunities for improvement.

a. To reap the benefits of the Co-ED relationship, I had to be willing to give up rigid holds on power, and share power and space so Nikki could shine, simultaneously, Nikki did the same for me. This sharing requires leaders to do some ego work, releasing some of the attachment you might have to "being the boss." I used to say for shared leadership to thrive, leaders need to learn to "step back rather than stepping out" to make room for the leadership of others. While this might be accurate, what it felt like in this case was the act of stepping in with Nikki, moving toward Nikki. Instead of me making space or requiring Nikki to take space, we practice sharing space and building power with each other.
b. Practice: Coaching, reflection, journaling, and learning about other teams with shared leadership models are effective ways to do the " inner work " shared leadership demands. We've also found it helpful to step back and appreciate the joy and even the "productivity" shared leadership can offer.

a. You have to let this spell simmer; incorporating, understanding, and appreciating the various components takes time. The "flavors" of the Co-ED relationship don't develop instantaneously.
b. Practice: As you practice learning by doing, we encourage you to build in space for reflection. Retreats, time off, and "no meetings" Fridays are some ways we've been working out how to do this work together and in partnership.

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Nikki & Ericka's Spell for Conscious Executive Director Relationship Building -

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October 29, 2024 - The Co-ED model is not a miracle cure for shared power. What I am describing is my experience, unique to me and LLC, and likely not immediately applicable to other organizations.

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This was set up for Wisdom on Change Meet Ups in October 2024; May 2025; September 2025.

1. Confidentiality: What’s learned here, leaves here. What’s said here, stays here.

2. Remember gratitude and experience joy while together.

3. Make space, take space. Be aware of your identities, the privilege they hold and use that to balance your participation.

4. Practice being a witness to others transformation.

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LLC and Coaching for Healing Justice and Liberation

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Hewlett Foundation Education Cohort on Leadership Transitions

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Hewlett Education cohort participants share learnings from their leadership transition journeys and experience in the cohort.

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(Wisdom from the Cricket Island Foundation Cohort) What does it look like to have a healthy farewell that holds everyone with care?

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(Wisdom from the Cricket Island Foundation Cohort) What does it look like to have a healthy farewell that holds everyone with care?

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1. Exiting Leader

1. Severance package

2. Messaging the Farewell- Public event- celebrates the leaders and gives the appearance of a healthy transition

2. Board

1. Transfer of information-

2. Keep transition on the agenda for a year before and after

1. Getting people ready for this to be a long process

3. Staff

1. Communication

2. External consultant to help hold the process (1:1 interviews with staff, offer space with non biased person to share

3. Multiple touch points

4. Intentional coaching- matching with the right coach

5. Creating room for people to try and fail

6. Make space for others to offer care e.g. coaching, mediation

7. Space for reflection, retreat, relationship-building

4. Other stakeholders e.g. Philanthropy or coalition partners

1. Communication & reassurance

2. A staff retreat

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(Wisdom from Cricket Island Foundation Cohort) How can we bake in support for the messiness? (How do we approach this adaptive challenge?)

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(Wisdom from Cricket Island Foundation Cohort) How can we bake in support for the messiness? (How do we approach this adaptive challenge?)

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1. Giving grace and having grace for yourself

2. Commitments from board and staff for onboarding and being in transitions

3. Having a leadership coach, peer support, space for thought partnership

4. Don’t ignore red flags

1. Adopt a learning stance. What is the question we have that is associated with the anxiety (so we don’t have to fall back to assuming the worst)

2. Idea: a conflict coach to navigate conflict.

3. Use issues as an opportunity to build infrastructure

5. Mutuality and reciprocity (Having conversations about power)

6. Time and spaciousness

7. Make space for the full organization to reflect and be engaged

8. Setting clear boundaries and expectations and goals (and not letting them get blurry)

9. 1:1 conversations with board, staff and stakeholders

10. Giving attention to offboarding of exiting leader so it doesn’t impact incoming leader. The incoming leaders should not be held responsible for the outgoing leader’s feelings. E.g. offboarding coaching.

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The immortal jellyfish

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Brilliant Transformations: Toward Full Flourishing in BIPOC Leadership Transitions

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Brilliant Transformations: Toward Full Flourishing in BIPOC Leadership Transitions

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Hiring and supporting the chief executive is among the most crucial responsibilities of a nonprofit board.

Change at the executive level - whether planned or abrupt - requires the board to provide strong leadership and direction as they contemplate what the organization needs from its next leader. With advanced notification of change comes opportunities for nonprofit boards to prepare a succession plan which can alleviate much of the tension that comes with executive transition. Tactical transition planning in the absence of a formal succession plan will ensure the board selects the right next leader to meet the organization's current challenges and embrace its opportunities!

What Is Executive Transition?

The departure of an executive and the recruitment, hiring, and installation of a new executive - is a complicated process that typically requires months of work, possibly longer. The work is critical to ensure you are hiring the right leader that can take your organization forward to not only meet its mission and execute its strategic vision but also enhance its culture and deepen its impact. Boards that plan for the succession of the CEO, and other key staff as necessary, can lessen the impact of such a transition by thinking through their desired course of action to be prepared for a planned or emergency transition. This process is known as succession planning.

While only 27 percent of all organizations report that they have a written executive succession plan, mapping out succession for your executive leader is an excellent opportunity to fulfill the board's role of providing oversight so they may be prepared in the event that the chief executive departs, abruptly or intentionally. The practice of succession planning ensures that the executive transition isn't unnecessarily drawn out by a lack of clarity about the process and initial steps, negatively impacting the organization.

Opportunities Amidst Transition

A nonprofit's leader guides the execution of the strategic vision for the organization. Periods of executive transition open up opportunities to think differently. During a transition, there are opportunities to recruit a new leader who will bring innovative strategies, a fresh perspective, and lived experiences to the table and renew energy and engagement in mission work for internal and external stakeholders.

Exploring a Merger

An often ignored opportunity during transition lies in mergers. While merging organizations may not be the path for every organization facing an executive transition, our board openness survey suggests that boards may be more willing to explore this conversation. A study of success factors of nonprofit mergers reveals that, for 80 percent of the mergers studied, an executive director had recently left or was soon to retire in one of the pre-merger organizations. Learn more about the Power of Possibilities and see if a strategic alliance or restructuring makes sense for your organization.

Communicating the Transition Process + Clarifying Expectations

The board plays a crucial role in times of transition, including communicating changes and ensuring the new leader is set up for success. Communicating clearly, concisely, and as transparently as possible can dispel any confusion or fear that may occur in the midst of change from internal teams or external stakeholders.

Creating an Executive Transition Plan for Success

There is no sure formula to guarantee a smooth transition - but, there are common considerations to keep in mind and questions to ask that could make your transition process easier and more successful.

Using a Checklist

Transitions are a process. Begin by creating a checklist for the entire transition process. Once your current executive announces their departure, until the onboarding of the new CEO, a checklist can guide the board and staff as to what needs to be communicated when, to whom, and by whom.

There can be many parties involved, including a transition committee, search firm, board, and staff. The executive leader is included in succession planning but BoardSource does not recommend the outgoing CEO be included in the hiring of the new CEO. It is squarely the role of the board to determine what the organization needs in a new leader, who shall serve on the search committee and in what capacity. It is also important to determine how the committee will communicate with those who have not been included in the search process. Having a checklist ensures there is an intentional process which can provide clarity for board members and nonprofit employees during the transition.

Below are considerations to discuss for creating your transition plan prior to announcing an executive's planned or abrupt departure.

Consider if it is time for a merger. If so, find more guidance on the Power of Possibility campaign.

Decide what funders and community leaders need to be contacted immediately

Determine how the board will communicate with the nonprofit staff

If the CEO's departure was abrupt, discuss who will lead in the interim

Conduct an organizational assessment to determine the leadership skills and experience the next chief executive will need to possess.

Appoint a diverse search or transition committee

Determine a search process that will recruit a diverse pool of candidates

Confirm the salary is in line with other executive leaders of like-sized organizations in your ecosystem (If you have had a long-serving executive, it may not be.)

If you will be hiring a firm, as recommended in Avoiding the Glass Cliff: Advice to Boards on Preparing for and Supporting a New Leader of Color, select a search firm that prioritizes racial equity in its search practices.

Determine an onboarding process and appoint a board member to introduce your new leader to the community, as necessary.

Supporting New Leadership

Onboarding is an essential part of cultivating a truly effective team. Develop a comprehensive process for incoming executive leaders. Determine the role of a transition committee after the new executive is hired. Having the information your new leader needs helps them understand the culture, programs and processes of your nonprofit and the full responsibilities of their role. Evaluate what resources and additional support your organization has in place to set the incoming leader up for success. Professional development, coaching, and other training may be helpful to onboard a new leader.

Hiring and Supporting the First Leader of Color

If your organization will be hiring the first leader of color, here are a few important considerations to include in your process, also from Avoiding the Glass Cliff: Advice to Boards on Preparing for and Supporting a New Leader of Color:

Build diversity, equity, and inclusion into the board and staff culture prior to the hire, as necessary

Raise and allocate funds to support the leader's first year onboard

Prepare the organization for a new leader

Be honest with candidates about your organization's current financial and reputational state as well as the state of internal dynamics and culture

Consider providing an employment contract

An executive transition, and all the change that brings, can be overwhelming, but with the right plan in place, your nonprofit can complete this process with intentionality, clarity and care. An intentional plan will reduce uncertainty and ensure a fair and equitable process is followed.
The resources below can help your board establish a leadership succession plan, understand the phases of an executive transition, and lead the organization to its next stage of leadership.

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Executive Transition and Succession Planning - BoardSource

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Hiring and supporting the chief executive is among the most crucial responsibilities of a nonprofit board. Change at the executive level - whether planned or abrupt - requires the board to provide strong leadership and direction as they contemplate what the organization needs from its next leader.

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Resources on equitable nonprofit leadership transitions

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Resources on equitable nonprofit leadership transitions

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Equitable Nonprofit Leadership Transitions - Building Movement Project

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Transition in nonprofit leadership can be times of crisis or opportunity. Intergenerational & racial dynamics inevitably impact leadership turnovers.

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Making (Or Taking) Space Report by Building Movement Project

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Making (Or Taking) Space Report by Building Movement Project

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This report seeks to inform the question: What, specifically, is the responsibility of organizations with white leaders transitioning out of these roles to support incoming leaders of color?

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A founder's perspective on succession planning

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A founder's perspective on succession planning

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Let's talk about succession planning. Given my Founder identity, I often think about how the organization thrives beyond me.

This question isn't exclusive to Founders, as we know that Executive Director transitions in general can lead to instability in organizations. But when I bring up succession with leaders in nonprofits and foundations, voices come to a hush. It's as if I said a dirty word, and people aren't sure how to react.

I am here to say...
SUCCESSION IS NOT A DIRTY WORD
In fact, we need to reframe succession as sustainability.

Now succession wasn't always something I was comfortable considering. As a Founder, I believed that I had to build a strong foundation for the organization before moving on.

I have been actively thinking about succession planning for the past four years. In 2018, I had my first sabbatical and real break since I started ProInspire in 2009. I returned from my sabbatical and shared with our Board that I still had more work to do in the organization, but I would be ready to move on within five years.

As I started to engage our Board in succession planning discussions, they advised me to:

1. Integrate shifts in ProInspire's work to focus on racial equity based on our internal work.

2. Strengthen ProInspire's business model because strong financials support a smooth succession.

3. Identify potential successors within the organization, and as I hired for new roles.

In 2019, I focused on all of those things. We updated ProInspire's theory of change, naming equity as the result of our work. We made organizational changes to shift our business model - including ramping up our earned revenue work with nonprofits and foundations. I also considered succession when hiring a new Director, which was how Bianca Anderson joined us (and eventually became co-CEO).

In 2020, our Board Chair (Isabelle Moses) led the Board to create our first succession policy that included guidelines for how the Board should act in case of:

Temporary or Unplanned (Short-Term) Absence

Planned or Unplanned (Long-Term) Absence

Permanent (planned and unplanned) Absence.

In 2020, we also focused on building relationships across Board and staff. Our Vice Chair at the time and now Chair (Nancy Withbroe), wrote about this as an important step in our Co-CEO planning process. We had our first joint Board/Staff discussion about succession planning. The Board heard directly from staff about some key questions involving staff engagement, centering equity, and implications on organizational culture.

It was important for the Board to hear from staff about some key questions.

ProInspire decided to move to a shared leadership model in 2021, and Bianca Anderson and I became co-CEOs. A key reason for the shift to a shared leadership model was to support succession planning. We wanted to reimagine approaches to succession in ways that could support BIPOC leaders, and creating a structure that allowed for overlapping tenure felt important. Now we are working to institutionalize the co-CEO structure beyond succession, and will share more about that next year.

Some lessons from my learning around succession:

Talk About It: Lets normalize conversations about succession with boards, staff, funders, and more. Currently, many Executive Directors (EDs) fear talking about succession as it may raise concerns that they are going to leave, which could risk funders scaling back support or boards pushing the leaders out. Well EDs are going to leave at some point - it's better for the leader and the organization to talk about it and be ready for it.

Take Your Time: A thoughtful succession process takes years, not months. Boards that recognize this can encourage a longer, intentional process. This also gives time for a scaffolded approach to share responsibilities and prepare staff for transition. At ProInspire, we have been able to shift responsibilities through the creation of new roles (like Chief Operating Officer) and processes (like our business development team). I appreciate other examples of leaders who are taking their time such as Bob Ross, CEO of The California Endowment, who shared in 2022 that he will be retiring in 2024.

Tend to Fears: Organizational change always brings fears, especially a shift in leadership. As the founder who will eventually leave, I have fears about my identity, relevance, and relationships when I transition. Fortunately, I am now participating in a Leadership Transition cohort for nonprofit leaders preparing to transition. Bianca and I work with Lupe Poblano as our executive coach - he supports each of us individually and both of us together in our co-CEO relationship. The coaching support enables us to be open about our fears and to get support for how to navigate them. We have also gathered input from our staff and board about how they feel about the multiple transitions happening within ProInspire, and are using that feedback to make shifts.

Succession is not a transactional process, it is truly an opportunity for transformation.

I have been involved with organizations that considered many different options during succession, including shifting to a shared leadership model, bringing in an interim structure, exploring mergers, and sunsetting the organization. For new leaders to be successful, they need to know the organization is ready for transformation. As a founder, I try to make clear my desire for the organization to transform as part of succession. By being transparent, taking time, and tending to fears, you open the organization up for greater transformation.

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Succession is Not a Dirty Word - ProInspire

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Founder and co-CEO Monisha Kapila explores why succession is not a dirty word. Succession is truly an opportunity for transformation.

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This article is from 2018 and learnings may not reflect present day situations, but we found it to have insights. Do you agree with their findings or not?

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Making Founder Successions Work (ssir article)

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Making Founder Successions Work (ssir article)

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Jari Tuomala, Donald Yeh & Katie Smith Milway

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Nonprofits benefit when they carefully plan an extended role for founders who step down. Open access to this article is made possible by The Bridgespan Group.

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"Shifting culture is necessary for systems change. Rest results in strength. Healing creates energy. Dreaming leads to transformation."
- Maria de la Cruz, President, Headwaters Foundation for Justice

Sabbaticals are a powerful form of healing, practice, and exploration. Our coalition is responding to what we've heard from community about the overwhelming need to support BIPOC nonprofit leaders in rest and recovery. We're overjoyed to announce $1.37 million for 20 leaders to experience three-month sabbaticals and 12 leaders to have one-month respites. Read about the announcement and meet the cohort of inaugural awardees.

What is the sabbatical opportunity?

As a coalition, we recognize that rest, renewal, and restoration are foundational to racial healing and social justice in communities. We are committed to normalizing rest and the practice of sabbaticals. That's why we launched the Sabbatical Leadership Awards program.

Every year, we aim to support a cohort of nonprofit leaders with three-month sabbaticals that allow them to step back from the exhaustion of work and re-connect with their own vitality and balance. Each sabbatical award will be $60,000 that includes:

Salary and Benefits for Leader - Approximately $30,000 to the nonprofit organization to pay for the salary and benefits of the leader taking the sabbatical.

Individual Sabbatical Expenses for the Leader - About $10,000 in unrestricted funding for the leader to use as they see fit.

Organizational and Leadership Support - Approximately $20,000 to cover:

Bonuses for other senior leaders who take on increased interim leadership responsibilities during the three sabbatical months.

Funding for the organization to support professional development for leaders other than the one taking the sabbatical.

Capacity-building consultation and support from a sabbatical consultant. The BIPOC ED Coalition has consultants to choose from, or you can find your own consultant. The sabbatical consultant will meet with the leader, board, and interim leaders to develop a sabbatical plan that supports smooth transitions, effective operations, and organizational capacity building.

Award disbursement will be made in two parts, the first prior to the sabbatical and the second mid-sabbatical.

Our approach to giving

The BIPOC ED Coalition is committed to undoing harmful funder practices, and joining the movement toward trust-based philanthropy. We are committed to a trust-based approach to giving sabbatical awards.

As part of this approach, we invite you to self-screen using the eligibility criteria below. If you fulfill all the criteria, and are able to commit to the award requirements, please go to the next steps to complete the interest form.

Eligibility checklist

To be eligible, applicants must:

Be a BIPOC executive director or organizational senior leader with a central decision-making and visioning role.

Have a demonstrated track record of social justice commitment and community engagement.

Reside in Washington state, with your work centered in Washington state.

Have been in a paid, full-time leadership role at your organization for at least five years.

Work with an organization that has the capacity to maintain critical operations and programs while the senior leader is on sabbatical.

Work with an organization that has 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or fiscal sponsorship from a 501(c)(3) organization.

Share the BIPOC ED Coalition's commitment to working in solidarity with other BIPOC nonprofit leaders to promote wellness and restore resources in our communities.

If awarded a sabbatical, applicants must:

Be able to begin the three-month sabbatical within one year of the award.

Agree to work with a consultant to develop a plan for organizational operations and interim leadership in your absence. The interim leadership plan will encourage current staff to step into leadership roles while the senior leader is on sabbatical and provide professional development and support for current staff.

Commit to not working at their organization and minimizing communication with the organization during the sabbatical (unless there is an emergency at the organization).

Commit to the spirit and purpose of the sabbatical, and not take on other work or volunteer obligations.

Agree to provide feedback as part of our evaluation and data collection process.

"Rest is not work's adversary, rest is work's partner."
- Alex Sooting-Kim Pang, Author of Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less

Next steps

Our first round to apply for Sabbatical Leadership awards has closed. See the inaugural awardees.

We are actively fundraising to be able to provide sabbaticals to more leaders.

If you are interested in learning more, please complete the Sabbatical Program Contact Form. We are committed to walking alongside you to address any barriers you may have going on a sabbatical.

Questions?

If you have questions, please contact Victoria Santos at vsantos@bipocedcoalitionwa.org.

Our gratitude to supporting organizations:

We are thankful to the Durfee Foundation, the Barr Foundation, and O2 Initiatives for their support and sharing, which informed our process.

We are deeply grateful to the following foundations and donors whose generous support makes these sabbaticals possible: Black Future Co-op Fund, JP Morgan Chase, Medina Foundation, Satterberg Foundation, Seattle Foundation, Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation, and Stolte Family Foundation.

Other foundations are considering support for our important effort!

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Sabbaticals for BIPOC Leaders - BIPOC ED Coalition of Washington State

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Sabbaticals are a powerful form of healing, practice, and exploration. Our coalition is responding to what we've heard from community about the overwhelming need to support BIPOC nonprofit leaders in rest and recovery. We're overjoyed to announce $1.37 million for 20 leaders to experience three-month sabbaticals and 12 leaders to have one-month respites.

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Is our nonprofit sector amid a substantial leadership shift? Headlines and anecdotal evidence point to executive directors and CEOs ready to retire (or already gone) as this transition has been heralded for several years now. A 2007 study indicated that as many as 75% of nonprofit leaders nationwide were planning on leaving their posts in the next five to ten years. Regardless of whether this wave has crested, passed, or is just gaining momentum, leadership transitions will always be a significant force in the sector.

An often-overlooked component of transition planning is the role of an organization's finances, and the potential financial impact of the transition. This came to the forefront of Nonprofit Finance Fund's (NFF) work on the Newark Resilience Initiative (NRI), a place-based initiative developed in partnership with Prudential Financial that paired financial technical assistance with flexible capital grants. While working with a cohort of 15 Newark nonprofits over the past two years, around half of all participating organizations either went through a leadership transition during NRI, in the two years prior or were preparing for an upcoming transition.

Through NFF's consulting and lending clients, we frequently see the challenges and opportunities an executive transition can bring firsthand. Nonprofit succession planning is notoriously rare with just under one-third of BoardSource's 2017 survey respondents indicating their organizations have a written succession plan. According to results from NFF's 2018 State of the Sector Survey, just 23% of responding organizations in New Jersey reported developing a succession plan in the prior year. Yet executive transitions occur regularly in the sector and regularly in Newark. These changes in leadership often prove disruptive for longer-range plans, strategies, and equally important - for the organization's financial health. During such times of executive change, and even in preemptive succession planning, it is crucial for leaders to prioritize sharing financial knowledge and anticipating how the change may affect financial performance.

Through NRI, NFF consultants worked closely with nonprofit leaders to help plan for the financial implications or navigate the aftermath of a leadership transition. We worked with an Executive Director planning for retirement to help other senior and financial staff build their financial knowledge and take on additional responsibility for budget management. NFF consultants helped one board of directors keep financial planning as a guidepost for key organizational priorities through two executive leadership transitions. And we provided a new leadership team with the analysis to better understand the business model they inherited, the financial levers within their control, and a framework for prioritizing a myriad of financial challenges and needs - establishing a new path for the organization. In these and other cases, financial management and strategy proved indispensable for weathering the uncertainty and pursuing the new opportunities that an executive transition can offer.

While the focus of our work at NFF is on nonprofit finance, in many instances, it is intertwined with leadership change. Reflecting on the stories, learnings, and experiences from NRI, the following considerations can help nonprofit leaders smooth the sometimes-choppy financial waters of leadership change.

In succession planning, maintain inventory of key funding and partner relationships and build in relationship continuity. Identify who holds each relationship - whether the executive director, development director, or another board or staff member. For key relationships with top donors, funders, or contractors, make more than one relationship connection. If a key staff person leaves, relationship continuity can help ensure that funding doesn't also leave with that staff person.

During the transition, use "financial storytelling" internally and externally to share financial information and clarify resource needs. This communications approach brings to life an organization's recent financial past, its current situation, and its future plans and financial goals by pairing numbers with narrative. For internal staff and board audiences, candid communication about the organization's financial strengths, challenges, and needs can provide alignment and reassurance. For external audiences such as funders, candor about the financial story can go a long way in gaining confidence that the organization clearly understands its financial situation, has a plan to move through the executive transition, and can articulate funding requirements in light of both. Regardless of audience, address financial red flags head-on by recognizing the issues and sharing a plan for rectifying the situation.

With new leadership, take a fresh look at financial management and strategy. While change is challenging, it can also provide a fresh opportunity. After allowing time for a new executive to catch up on the financial health, management practices, and strategy for the organization, it's worth taking stock of what works well and what may need to change. Avoid making change just for change's sake ("if it ain't broke, don't fix it"), but consider providing staff with a forum for ideas and improvements in financial management which can surface new opportunities for efficiency and effectiveness. Are financial reports as clear, timely, and reliable as necessary for staff and board audiences? What tools or analysis would help make financial plans stronger? Does available financial data allow for action?

Leadership transitions can be complex and emotional processes with lots of important needs to focus on. It is also important to pay attention to the change's financial implications to ensure stable or even improved financial health.

This list is simply a starting place with rooting in our work in Newark. What financial health suggestions do you have to aid in succession planning and executive transitions? Let us know.

Click here to learn more about the unique story of each participating NRI nonprofit and how they're serving the Newark community.

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The Price of Nonprofit Leadership Transitions: Managing Financial Health through Change

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Is our nonprofit sector amid a substantial leadership shift? Headlines and anecdotal evidence point to executive directors and CEOs ready to retire (or already gone) as this transition has been heralded for several years now. A 2007 study indicated that as many as 75% of nonprofit leaders nationwide were planning on leaving their posts in the next five to ten years.

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What we are asking of BIPOC Leaders in these times

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What we are asking of BIPOC Leaders in these times

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Editors' note: This article is from NPQ 's spring 2023 issue, "The Space Beyond: Building the Way."
Click here to download this article as it appears in the magazine, with accompanying artwork.
We are living through a syndemic-a time of multiple crises causing seismic economic, political, environmental, technological, and social shifts, which are long from being settled. ¹ Black, Indigenous, people of color, and Global South communities are at the frontlines and faultlines of these changes that are reshaping the world. Institutions, hierarchies, and forms of leadership rooted in Western colonial ideology are failing, being renegotiated, and getting deconstructed-even in the face of intense backlash.

In this liminal time, BIPOC leaders are being asked to simultaneously dismantle the past, survive in the present, and create an alternative future. Our leadership, needed now more than ever, is being tested like never before. We are tasked with fighting for short- and long-term goals in tandem. We are called on to hold space for grief, trauma, and despair while also uplifting hope, courage, and vision. We have to navigate the scarcity created by economic, racial, and gender inequality while tapping into an abundance mentality to demand what we need. We must lift up our unique histories and conditions while also stepping up our practice of transforming conflict, resisting divide-and-conquer tactics, and deepening solidarity with one another.

The rise of transformative programs offering leaders tools to heal and re-vision our movement work is not simply a trend; it is a healthy response to the pressure cooker of conditions that BIPOC social justice movement and organizational leaders are facing.

This is the call of leadership this moment requires, and many of us are answering. In 2016, six women of color in the Colorado organizing and social justice movement ecosystem came together and formed Transformative Leadership for Change. ² We were struggling with burnout, lack of sustainability, unaddressed trauma, conflict and competition, and internalized/systemic oppression. Frustrated with leadership programs that are rooted in our "deficits" and that reinforce dominant culture "hard skills" to navigate-and perpetuate-the nonprofit industrial complex, we envisioned a space that centered BIPOC experiences, collective healing, transformative relationships, abundance, creativity, proactivity, radical vision, and embodied practice.

A Pressure Cooker

The rise of transformative programs offering leaders tools to heal and re-vision our movement work is not simply a trend; it is a healthy response to the pressure cooker of conditions that BIPOC social justice movement and organizational leaders are facing: White supremacist violence, COVID-19, climate crisis, unprecedented global wealth inequality, decades of defunding the social safety net, intensifying surveillance and militarization of our communities, growing authoritarianism, and rollback of civil and reproductive rights-to name a few. Leaders moving work through nonprofit organizations are also contending with the "great resignation" and major shifts in the workforce; ³ unprocessed grief from the pandemic and years of escalating racial violence; and short-lived performative responses by philanthropy to the events of 2020.

We have also reached a moment in time of almost complete co-optation of our work by the nonprofit sector. The professionalization of social justice organizing work, which began in the 1970s, has now become the place where the vast majority of our movement work lives.

Movement leaders of previous generations made the intentional decision to use the nonprofit organizational status as a vehicle to raise funds and sustain livelihoods-but this has now become the default way of operating overall. And as nonprofits moved away from their member-driven and member-funded mutual aid and organizing roots, they took on a hierarchical structure modeled after corporate culture, became dependent on grants from foundations/government, and became run by "expert" staff to provide services or lead advocacy efforts. Very few leaders entered this work in order to build a professional career, but many of us have reluctantly or even unconsciously channeled our energies into surviving the nonprofit and philanthropic industrial complex as an end in itself. ⁴

It is no surprise that social justice organizations are imploding under the stress of the current moment and the contradictions of existing in the dominant system while simultaneously advancing visions and values for change. We are pulled in many directions that uncomfortably exist at the same time. Are our social justice and movement-building organizations places to win concessions from existing power structures on a macro level? Are they spaces to heal trauma and experiment with radical new ways of being on a micro level? Are they political and community homes, places to find belonging and identity? Are they places for economic mobility, attracting resources that don't exist in our surrounding communities? Are they primarily workplaces, sites of labor and management struggles? Are they vehicles to build one's own celebrity, brand, and social media following, fueled by the pressure to gain attention from academia, philanthropy, and the political elite? Are they places to overwork, sacrifice, and martyr ourselves to avoid deeper trauma in our lives?

TLC is holding up a mirror to ourselves and our peers, asking these and other hard questions. TLC formed as a place where leaders of color could address the issues that get pushed aside to the shadows of our day-to-day work (trauma, burnout, ego, conflict, abuse, systemic inequities) until they explode-fracturing leaders, organizations, and even whole communities with the fallout. It has become clear to us that spaces are both required and missing that cultivate deep healing and transformation to help leaders move through this shadow work and rise to the leadership this moment demands.

The transformative spaces we are seeking and building include room for healing, both individually and in community, and for both self- and community care; teaching and practicing principles of transformative justice and generative conflict; frameworks of decolonization and re-Indigenization; land- and earth-based practices; body-based (somatic) and trauma-informed work; authentic relationship and movement building across BIPOC identities, issue areas, tactics, and other silos; and proactive visioning.

This is a significantly different approach from "leadership development" programs that implicitly or explicitly reinforce corporate models of success. While fundraising trainings, management courses, DEI consulting, strategic planning, and even executive coaching can be useful, they are often superficial remedies for the deeper, endemic issues described above. Even when these skills are applied toward sustaining social justice organizations, they need fertile soil in which to grow. For example, fundraising skills will thrive best in a leader who also experiences healing and empowerment in their relationship to money, as we describe in more depth below. But beyond this, the real goal is for leaders to radically shift their approach to reclaiming and stewarding wealth, in line with our movement values, to create economies centered around collective care.

The aim of these transformative programs, in other words, is to create space for leaders to nurture the ways of being, thinking, and doing to create the world we want-not to create a pipeline of professional nonprofit executives as an end in itself.

TLC's Theory of Change: Four Levels of Transformation

TLC's core program is a yearlong fellowship that brings together a cohort of 20 BIPOC social justice nonprofit leaders across the state of Colorado. (TLC is committed to a place-based strategy-building deeply and over time in one state ecosystem and at multiple levels of leadership within organizations.) TLC fellows come from organizations that are building long-term power for and with BIPOC communities. This includes strategies of community organizing, public policy and advocacy, civic engagement, cultural/arts organizing, land/food sovereignty, healing justice, and more. Their organizations work at the intersections of multiple social justice issues, including voting rights, criminal justice, economic justice, education justice, environmental justice, food justice, healing justice and mental health/trauma-informed care, im/migrant rights, labor rights, LGBTQIA+ liberation, racial justice, and reproductive justice.

The healing and support individuals receive in a one-on-one therapeutic relationship-in which mental patterns and stories can be brought to light and met nonjudgmentally and with empathy-is magnified tenfold when it is received and offered back in community.

We ask fellows to step away from their day-to-day organizational duties and participate in two multiday healing retreats and monthly daylong sessions. After going through the fellowship experience, leaders graduate into an alumni network, where they continue to access programming and work together on ecosystemic needs. While we started with leaders serving in executive director roles, we have also led cohorts of non-ED senior staff and are planning a cohort for community organizers. We see our organization and fellowship as a complement to our local movement ecosystem by nurturing healthy and sustainable leaders and organizations.

The core of TLC's programming is a journey of healing in community. Using ancestral and culturally rooted practices, we work to create a deeply supportive container where individual healing journeys can be witnessed and held by the collective. We invite BIPOC leaders to step out of the organizational roles with which we are often highly identified and into a space where we can be present with one another's whole humanity.

The healing and support individuals receive in a one-on-one therapeutic relationship-in which mental patterns and stories can be brought to light and met nonjudgmentally and with empathy-is magnified tenfold when it is received and offered back in community. This is especially true when creating a space to address any kind of collective trauma, such as racism. The practice of creating a community of belonging, vulnerability, story sharing, trauma release, and celebration-anchored by ritual and ceremony-is a powerful magic that opens up all kinds of possibilities of transformation that go far beyond our individual journeys.

TLC's theory of change requires transformation on four levels: individual, organizational, collaborative, and ecosystemic. All rely on a foundation of deep inner work and healing-both individually and in community.

The type of transformation we can begin to seed in organizations, collaborative tables, coalitions, and campaigns-and throughout the ecosystem-is much more possible, creative, and expansive when it is based on this foundation of individual self-reflection and healing held in community.

TLC's theory of change requires transformation on four levels: individual, organizational, collaborative, and ecosystemic. All rely on a foundation of deep inner work and healing-both individually and in community. We do not believe that it is possible to lead external transformation without significant internal transformation. Western colonial and patriarchal paradigms have siloed these aspects of our liberation, but many of us are creating spaces to incubate new leadership models, organizational models, and social change models that weave both internal and external transformation work together.

Take the leadership challenge of raising resources for BIPOC-led social change organizations, which are systemically underfunded. We have had well-meaning funders and partners tell us that training BIPOC leaders to learn hard skills around fundraising is the primary solution to this issue.

The TLC approach is to start with individual transformation: exploration around healing that is needed regarding wealth, class, and race-within the collective container of TLC. How do we shift scarcity mindsets that are rooted in deep and real experiences with poverty and oppression? What is our relationship to money that has been extracted from the colonization, exploitation, slavery, and genocide of our communities? How do we stand in our power in terms of what we need and deserve for our lives and our communities?

This then starts to open up questions regarding organizational transformation: How does our relationship with money impact how we interact with funders and donors? Are we valuing our labor? Are we asking for what we truly need to do transformative social change work? How do we steward resources coming into our organizations in ways that align with our values?

These inquiries lead to explorations in transforming our collaborative spaces, as well. As leaders move out of a scarcity and competitive mindset, we begin to take small but radical collaborative actions, such as sharing our budgets and funder lists/relationships, applying for joint grants, advocating for one another to receive funding, and demanding that funders stop pitting organizations against each other through competitive grantmaking.

And, ultimately, we come full circle to the ecosystemic level, where we recognize that the entire ecosystem-including philanthropy-needs to transform if we are to thrive in our leadership. Our deepest challenges with funding don't stem from individual deficits or lack of skills; they are rooted in the very origins of White supremacy and capitalism. Standing more in their power around their relationship to race, class, wealth, and philanthropy, the last cohort of TLC fellows came together to compile a list of recommendations (which may turn into demands) for Colorado philanthropy to be in a more transformational relationship with BIPOC movement leaders. From reparations and land back to radical changes in investment and grantmaking practices, they put forth a bold call to action that cannot be easily dismissed when coming from a collective of organizations. This platform for change was presented in a forum where funders were invited to the TLC fellowship, on our terms, to build authentic relationships with leaders that go beyond the transactional power dynamics of the grantmaking relationship.

The ecosystemic level is also where we do vision work toward reclaiming and collectively stewarding wealth, land, and other resources for our communities. In TLC's first cohort of fellows, we experienced a shared revelation when we looked up from the thousands of dollars in our individual budgets to see a scale of the millions of dollars contained in our collective balance sheet. What could we achieve if we invested all of our organizational budgets into a community credit union that reinvested back into our work and social justice fights? What if we bought land and buildings together as a collective? Beyond sustaining our individual organizations, we now have the potential to share and align resources; sustain a larger social justice movement made up of interdependent organizations; build small-scale cooperative and regenerative economies; and create interventions in extractive capitalism, divestment, and gentrification of BIPOC communities.

Another major impetus for creating TLC was the level of burnout, sacrifice, and lack of sustainability that we experienced as women-of-color movement leaders and nonprofit directors. Unlike White male executive directors in our ecosystem who successfully stayed in their role for years and even decades, we watched women of color cycle through leadership roles at huge cost to themselves and their lives. We explored the solution of an organizational sabbatical policy, understanding from our lived experience that such a policy would not work in a vacuum. We knew we would need a significant internal, collective, and institutional culture shift for even one of us to take advantage of a sabbatical.

So, in this case, we began again at the individual level. Recognizing that healing is required for many of us to even access the desire or ability to say yes to time off, we explored and began the process of releasing intergenerational racial trauma around our relationship to work, rest, health, our bodies, boundaries, and- ultimately-our worth. As leaders begin to decolonize their relationship to work, it becomes much easier to advocate for their organizations to create sabbatical policies for themselves and their staff (the organizational level). Being able to work through this collectively with peers allows leaders to compare policies and coach each other around moving this to their boards; but it also creates a culture shift in which leaders encourage each other to take time off, rest, and honor their vacations and sabbaticals, instead of being in a negative competition of martyrdom-which is how we found the ecosystem as we entered it (the collaborative level).

This decolonization also allows leaders to jointly tackle the barriers to taking sabbatical leave, such as lack of funding or of interim/senior leadership who can run the organization in an executive director's absence. Since we started having these conversations in TLC, we have seen a marked increase in BIPOC-led organizations adopting sabbatical policies, and local philanthropy responding with some new sabbatical funding streams.

TLC has also created fellowship cohorts to invest in senior leaders, directors, and managers, and to deeply support them for interim and future executive leadership roles (the ecosystemic level). Additionally, we support the exploration of codirector and other shared leadership models, which can allow for much greater sustainability and support for organizational leaders when done well.

This arc of individual to ecosystemic transformation is our theory of change for truly improving the conditions for BIPOC movement leaders-whether we are tackling fundraising through inequities, lack of sustainability, and burnout; succession and transition planning; conflict and coalition building; staffing and team-building; and any number of other shared leadership challenges.

In addition to improving conditions for leaders and organizations across the ecosystem, TLC's work has translated directly into stronger BIPOC-led coalitions and campaigns that have resulted in tangible organizing and policy wins for our communities-from increasing the minimum wage to winning paid family medical leave for Colorado workers. TLC organically fostered the space for deep trust building, conflict resolution, and creative strategizing among BIPOC organizational leaders outside of the campaign tables. Our fellows were then able to show up to historically White-led ballot measure and legislative policy tables in a united push for more racial equity in campaign leadership, resource distribution, and skills training; greater accountability to organizing groups representing grassroots BIPOC communities; and to stop policy compromises that would disproportionately carve out the most directly impacted BIPOC workers. In both campaigns referenced above, TLC fellows strategized to support each other in taking key leadership positions away from historic White power-brokers instead of fighting each other for control, money, and visibility. As a result, they were able to both shape the outcome of the policy win itself and how the policy was won, leaving a lasting influence on how progressive campaigns are run in our state.

* * *

TLC is emerging from its start-up phase. After running three-year-long leadership fellowship cohorts, we are now 60 leaders and 45 organizations deep in Colorado. As we move into our fourth cohort, we are seeing more organizations sending a second or even third person through TLC as it becomes a rite of passage for leaders in our local movement. We have already witnessed powerful ripple effects from work that has been seeded within the TLC fellowship cohorts; other visions remain latent with possibility until conditions are ripe.

We continue to experiment and learn from much trial and error. Even with promising examples of change, we are still watching our peers burn out, leadership transitions fail, organizations self-destruct, and communities get torn apart by conflict. However, we are committed to the wisdom we have earned through our own personal, political, and organizational journeys: transformative healing work is essential to getting us from the world that exists to the world we are calling in. We do this work from the belief that we will hit a tipping point when leaders who truly want to transform our conditions, the ecosystem, and the way we lead reach a critical mass.

We can create spaces that bridge the challenges of running the organizational vehicles we have inherited with new experiments around structures to hold movement work. . . . This is the level of leadership that is required, and we are here for it.

In this spirit, we are calling on our movement peers to face our individual and collective shadows. We know from our lived experiences that BIPOC leaders feel tremendous pressure to meet superhuman expectations in our roles. We know there is a healthy debate around the role of social justice organizing and movement-building organizations in creating a space for healing, on top of every other fight we are carrying on our backs. It is not our job to become therapists for our teams or to resolve trauma that is beyond the scope of our organizations' capacities and expertise; however, let us move away from reactionary and scarcity thinking, which leads to feeling like the problems are all on our individual shoulders, and instead move toward collective and interdependent solutions.

We can come together in the spirit of mutual aid to build the types of leadership spaces we need. We can invest in deep transformative partnerships with local healers, practitioners, and direct-service providers who have become deradicalized and siloed from our work. We can experiment with new organizational models that contain an infrastructure for care. We can bring ancestral, relational, body-/earth-based, and intuitive forms of knowledge to balance the logical, technical, theoretical, and academic forms of knowledge that are important but overemphasized in dominant Western culture. We can create spaces that bridge the challenges of running the organizational vehicles we have inherited with new experiments around structures to hold movement work. We can use the current global conditions of crisis as a unique opportunity to make the radical changes we have been calling for.

This is the level of leadership that is required, and we are here for it. In the words of Lakshmi Nair, 2021-2022 TLC fellow:

At this critical moment, healing is not a choice, it is an imperative. There's no more time left to let petty ego issues hamper our work. There is no healing of the world without healing of self and there is no healing of self without healing of the world. The separation is an illusion. This is what is so powerful about TLC. It brings together the micro- and macro-level healing. I can't imagine any more important work right now, and I'm deeply grateful to be a part of it.

TLC welcomes reflection, feedback, exchange, and support from others who are in this work with us.

TLC is in deep gratitude to the wider community of largely queer and femme BIPOC strategists rooted in lineages of healing and transformative justice, who have offered both loving critiques and potential solutions for our current movement challenges. We especially want to acknowledge some kindred organizations: Standing In Our ; Coaching for Healing, Justice and Liberation; and Liberatory Leadership Partnership for helping us to develop TLC's framework, curriculum, and overall orientation to the work.
Notes

1. "Syndemic theory focuses on the adverse interactions between diseases and social conditions, specifically drawing attention to the mechanisms of these " See Kristina E. Rudd, Christina F. Mair, and Derek

2. Angus, "Applying Syndemic Theory to Acute Illness," Journal of the American Medical Association 327, no. 1 (January 4, 2022): 33-34.

3. These are Cristina Aguilar, Carla Castedo, Lizeth Chacón, Candace Johnson, and the

4. Kim Parker and Juliana Menasce Horowitz, "Majority of workers who quit a job in 2021 cite low pay, no opportunities for advancement, feeling disrespected," Pew Research Center, March 9, 2022, pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no- opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/.

5. This knowledge came out of movement discussions in the mid-2000s, in spaces Neha Mahajan participated in, hosted by such groups as INCITE! (which published The Revolution Will Not be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex [Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2017]) and Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training. In these discussions, movement elders passed on the oral history of why they had chosen to use nonprofits as vehicles for their work, and debated the unintended consequences of those decisions for present times. For more on this, see Michael Haber, "The New Activist Non-Profits: Four Models Breaking from the Non-Profit Industrial Complex," University of Miami Law Review 73, 3 (Spring 2019): 863-954.

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The Call of Leadership Now: BIPOC Leaders in a Syndemic Era - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly

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Transformative healing work is essential to getting us from the world that exists to the world we are calling. We do this work from the belief that we will hit a tipping point when leaders who truly want to transform our conditions, the ecosystem, and the way we lead reach a critical mass.

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Please feel free to add more!

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Navigating Transitions Love Letter from the Wild Dreams Community

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Navigating Transitions Love Letter from the Wild Dreams Community

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Example CEO Transition Plan by Catherine Stihler

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Example CEO Transition Plan by Catherine Stihler

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Resources from the Hewlett Foundation Education Cohort on Leadership Transitions  

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Resources from the Hewlett Foundation Education Cohort on Leadership Transitions  

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Nourishing the Nervous System by Tayla Shanaye

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Nourishing the Nervous System by Tayla Shanaye

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Written by somatically-oriented therapeutic guide tayla…

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Examples of PTR in Action - The Management Center

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Check out some examples of PTR in action, and how to manage towards your requirements with your preferences and traditions in mind.

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Guide to preferences, traditions, requirements

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Guide to preferences, traditions, requirements

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“That’s how we’ve always done it!” (A guide to using PTR) - The Management Center

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Learn about PTR, a tool that can help you focus on what really matters so that you can mitigate bias and get to better outcomes.

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There is often organizational change that follows leadership transitions.

(1) Relationship building and organizational development is key during this phase. Staff and board may be exhausted from the interim/recruitment period, or not expect more change.

(2) To onboard before or after strategy development? We have found that it depends on the priorities of the first few months of the leader. One scenario is to onboard mid-way in a long-term strategy. This gives the new leader(s) an opportunity to get to know the organization and build relationships while staff has clarity around their role. Another is onboarding before a new strategy is set so the leader can run that process with their fresh vision.

(3) The board should keep a transition check-in line item post-transition for at least a year.

(4) Expect staff transitions to follow leadership transitions. It doesn't always happen, but by planning for it, boards and leaders can mitigate the risk to an organization. e.g. One board negotiated severance contracts with all senior directors before the new leader was brought on. This offered the new leader the full opportunity to lead, and long term leadership staff to have options to exit gracefully if they no longer feel like the organization is a good fit.

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Phase 2: Recruitment, Onboarding, Offboarding

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Phase 2: Recruitment, Onboarding, Offboarding

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(1) A few types of transitions: emergency transitions, planned transitions, founder transitions.

(2) Communications comes up as an important focus on this phase. Who is told what and when. It typically starts with staff and stakeholders.

(3) Onboarding is usually the star of the phase.

(4) Offboarding is often overlooked.

(5) Board and staff share a clear goal during this phase around recruitment.

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Reflection Questions

(1) Assess the organization: Is it in a start-up, turnaround, accelerated growth, realignment, or sustaining success position?

(2) Equity is often a leading opportunity and goal in transitions. Be clear on why your organization wants a racially diverse team. Explore lessons learned from past experience and investigate the conditions in place within your organization to retain staff and leaders of color.

(3) Is there an opportunity for structural shifts in the organization that complements a leadership transition? For example, will the organization benefit from. considering different leadership or organizational structures such as co-leaders or mergers?

(4) Is there a succession plan? Does it need to be updated?

(5) Is there an opportunity to invest in internal talent development?

(6) Who will lead the transition? e.g. an external recruiter, a board member or team.

(7) Define the board's role.

(8) Establish a transition fund for recruitment, onboarding, offboarding, organizational development, communications, and even healing.

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Set up your own peer coaching group within an organization or with external colleagues

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Questions from Wisdom on Change Virtual Meet Up

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Questions from Wisdom on Change Virtual Meet Up

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Add your questions in the comment section of this post. If you'd like to make it anonymous, make sure to sign out of padlet first.

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Questions from previous leadership transition cohorts

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Questions from previous leadership transition cohorts

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LLC transition worksheet + facilitation guide

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LLC transition worksheet + facilitation guide

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Leadership Learning Community - Making Space For Relationship Building

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Leadership & Race: A Call to Each Other, Exploration of the Current Racial Justice Landscape and Recommendations for Action

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Adopting a learning and experimentation stance in leadership transition conversations can be transformative... When leaders approach these conversations with a mindset of curiosity, openness, and a willingness to learn and experiment, it allows them to enter a space of play and innovation.

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Talking about leadership transitions openly and honestly as a team can help leaders/teams feel confident...read more below

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Prioritizing reflection time is necessary for leadership transitions... Having time to do inner work can help us grow and work with our shadow areas. For instance, letting go of the idea of control and perfectionism. For executive directors, who often feel they carry immense responsibility for the organization’s livelihood, succession planning can be a daunting task. However, by not shying away from addressing this issue, they can alleviate feelings of being indispensable and work through how to yield power and control to others.

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... leaders moving through transitions do not have to operate in silos, and even though each organization’s culture and the specifics of each transition are unique, the occurrence of leadership transitions is not. Transitions are taking place across different sectors and many organizations. By creating peer support spaces or cohorts, leaders can connect, share resources, work on wicked problems, and offer support in navigating the emotions and restructuring that transitions evoke.

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Change

By Wendy Videlock

Change is the new,

improved

word for god,

lovely enough

to raise a song

or implicate

a sea of wrongs,

mighty enough,

like other gods,

to shelter,

bring together,

and estrange us.

Please, god,

we seem to say,

change us.

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Poems, readings, poetry news and the entire 110-year archive of POETRY magazine.