ROBERT STERLING CLARK FOUNDATION, INC.

“Having the expectation that something we resource and build needs to work for the whole sector is a dream killer. I keep learning that lesson over and over again. It's so tempting to think you can create something that will work for any organization, but that’s not a string we attach to funding — and it feels important to resist that temptation.”   In this Inside Philanthropy interview, Trish Adobea Tchume, our Senior Director of Leadership Research and Practice, spoke with Mandy Van Deven about what leadership means for Black women, how to navigate having positional power, and the responsibility philanthropy has to cultivate the conditions for a just and joyful future.   https://lnkd.in/e4tnctSn

Give this a listen and tag or send to your favorite funder or major donor 😎 https://lnkd.in/e_Qb8Y3C Discover how nonprofit staff can challenge traditional funder dynamics and foster authentic relationships. Join Farra Trompeter, Co-Director, and Lisa Cowan, Vice President of the ROBERT STERLING CLARK FOUNDATION, INC. as they discuss trust-based philanthropy and community-donor connections. hashtag #nonprofit hashtag #philanthropy https://lnkd.in/ekxZsMTV IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP161 How can you challenge the power and practices of philanthropy?

Melissa Madzel generously offered an inspiring vision of what a holistic approach to transitions could look like. https://lnkd.in/eVuw_7ns

Creating the conditions for the full flourishing of BIPOC leadership will require new practices throughout the nonprofit ecosystem — including Board members of organizations in transition. You can support BIPOC leaders moving into leadership roles by: Making a grounded assessment of the organization, its culture, and its ability to fully support a BIPOC leader Outlining concrete steps to address challenges raised in the transition plan Being transparent about the challenges facing the organization Executing a documented, intentional search process that includes individualized outreach to BIPOC leaders already connected to the organization Reaching a clear, fair, written agreement with the new leader that includes a salary grounded in equity principles Find out more about how to create the conditions that enable BIPOC leaders to flourish: https://lnkd.in/eVuw_7ns

Creating the conditions for the full flourishing of BIPOC leadership will require new practices throughout the nonprofit ecosystem — including exiting white leaders of organizations in transition. You can support BIPOC leaders moving into leadership roles by: Leaning into the power of your role and use it to create a clear, multi-phase, collaborative process at least a year in advance of a formal announcement Fundraising to support the full cost of the transition Transfering key organizational relationships, especially with funders Documenting and sharing systems, policies, and processes Placing a clear boundary on your exit timeline; then let go and leave Find out more about how to create the conditions that enable BIPOC leaders to flourish: https://lnkd.in/eVuw_7ns

When asked why they pursued a leadership role, the BIPOC leaders we spoke with said they: - feel a deep connection and sense of accountability to the communities their organizations serve - feel the work deeply aligned with their personal life purpose and was a “calling” - are uniquely qualified based on their professional background and lived experience - perceive the role to be a powerful outlet to express their leadership Discover how BIPOC leaders are creating a more just world with the work that they do and how they do it: https://lnkd.in/eVuw_7ns

Join us this Thursday, November 9 from 10AM-12PM to be in conversation with Trish Adobea Tchume, Senior Director of Leadership Research and Practice, and author Dr. Yanique Redwood about her new book White Women Cry and Call Me Angry: A Black Woman's Memoir on Racism in Philanthropy.   This in-person event is for anyone in the New York City philanthropic community of any gender or racial background interested in a racially just philanthropic and nonprofit sector. Registration is required.    Register here: https://lnkd.in/ebGJ6ztS   https://lnkd.in/e2rnxXVd

Creating the conditions for the full flourishing of BIPOC leadership will require new practices throughout the nonprofit ecosystem. Organizations in transition can support BIPOC leaders moving into leadership roles by: Understanding what the organization needs from the next executive leader(s) Clarifying why the organization is seeking a BIPOC leader Creating, sharing, and following a clear transition plan Ensuring the board is clear on the ways its role expands during the time of transition, and at which point its role will revert back to the baseline Find out more about how to create the conditions that enable BIPOC leaders to flourish: https://lnkd.in/eVuw_7ns

Creating the conditions for the full flourishing of BIPOC leadership will require new practices throughout the nonprofit ecosystem — including within philanthropy. Funders can support BIPOC leaders moving into nonprofit leadership roles by: Fully acknowledging your outsized power and operationalize it Trusting organizations to know what they need Funding like you want BIPOC leaders and their organizations to flourish Remembering that getting it wrong compromises organizations’ work and their communities Investing in collective spaces for emerging and established BIPOC leaders to grow and gain support in community with each other   Find out more about how to create the conditions that enable BIPOC leaders to flourish: https://lnkd.in/eVuw_7ns

As social change organizations have started to address systemic racism within their systems and structures, many have sought the leadership of Black people, Indigenous people, and other People of Color. In many cases, however, these organizations have not created the conditions that support BIPOC leaders to flourish. Nevertheless, leaders of color have brought strength, experience, and brilliance into positions of power and created ways to advance much needed change. Brilliant Transformations: Toward Full Flourishing in BIPOC Leadership Transitions reflects the insights of leaders of color who have navigated positions of power in social change organizations as they succeeded white predecessors. It reflects a wide range of experiences of BIPOC leaders from across the United States related to their transitions, strategies for navigating these transitions, and specific recommendations for how to make these transitions better. This study was authored by Michelle Flores and Elena Conte and developed in partnership with team of core advisors — Bianca Casanova Anderson of ProInspire, AiLun Ku of BIPOC Leaders Network, and Ericka Stallings of Leadership Learning Community — who guided the report from its initial conception to fruition and brought tremendous insight into both the process and content. As we continue to refine our own practices in support of our partners’ leadership, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation hopes this report will help everyone involved in leadership transitions to become more aware of the impact of their choices — and, therefore, more intentional — at the many junctures of a planned transition, including outgoing leaders, boards, staff, recruiters, consultants, and funders. Discover more: https://lnkd.in/eVuw_7ns