For Community Memorial Foundation (CMF), a health-focused private foundation based in suburban Illinois serving 27 communities in western Chicago suburbs, helping to increase the capacity of its nonprofit grantees is a core part of its mission and vision.<\/p>\n
From the outset, CMF offered technical assistance and workshops to its nonprofit grantees for capacity building, but the foundation quickly learned that the nonprofits they supported needed more than discrete skill-building engagements.<\/p>\n
Over the years, that\u2019s increasingly meant a focus on talent and leadership development leading CMF to offer its Ladders to Leadership program for mid-level managers, Leadership Institute, and executive coaching.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did a lot of listening within the sector,\u201d says Greg DiDomenico, president and CEO. \u201cOur current initiatives are a direct response to our grantees\u2019 need for a comprehensive, strategic approach to leadership development.\u201d<\/p>\n
Learn more about the Community Memorial Foundation\u2019s talent investing in this field story.<\/p>\n
CMF\u2019s Leadership Institute began in 2011 as a program for grantee board members, but it has grown to include senior staff\u00a0for development, communication, program, and other areas as well. The Leadership Institute provides a range of workshops on various aspects of non-profit management, such as leadership development or succession planning, and couples those sessions with \u201cdeep dives\u201d into specifics. For example, training on the board\u2019s role in staff\u00a0leadership development is followed by assistance in creating a staff leadership development plan. While other programs are open only to existing and past grantees, any area nonprofit can take part in Leadership Institute sessions. There is high demand, as organizations across the area seek to develop their own talent and capacity but resources for doing so are few and far between. In this way, CMF\u2019s Leadership Institute adds value to the entire nonprofit landscape.<\/p>\n
The foundation also provides executive coaching for its grantees, and after starting with six slots, it quickly grew to serve approximately a dozen area nonprofit CEOs per year. CMF consulted with the Retirement Research Foundation to learn about coaching methods and models as well as application and interview processes. Foundation staff then took these lessons to develop CMF\u2019s executive coaching program.<\/p>\n
Executive coaching helps CEOs at three different stages of their careers. It supports new executives who are at the helm for the first time, experienced executives who face significant new challenges, and those who are nearing the end of executive service who wish to leave a positive legacy and transition out of their roles as smoothly as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere aren\u2019t many opportunities to get this type of one-to-one support,\u201d says DiDomenico. \u201cParticipants see it as a rare opportunity that is uniquely tailored to both their skill set and career stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
After focusing on board and executive leaders, CMF turned its attention to mid-level managers, whom they refer to as emerging leaders. The Foundation saw the need to \u201cbuild the bench\u201d by building the confidence and skill sets of this level of leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe focus on emerging leaders is important, but it requires a level of quality and intensity that very few nonprofits can support on their own,\u201d says Tom Fuechtmann, a program officer who oversees CMF\u2019s capaci- ty-building offerings. \u201cCommunity Memorial Foundation saw this as a real opportunity to serve our grantees.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2014, CMF launched Ladder to Leadership, a 16-month, cohort-based program for mid-level professionals, created and presented by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). CMF selected the Ladder to Leadership program after 18 months of research into available leadership training models and conversations with other foundations. The introduction to CCL came from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), which paid for the creation of the Ladder to Leadership program for its own grantees. RWJF\u2019s evaluation of its
\nprogram showed that 95 percent of participants and 90 percent of participant supervisors, peers, and direct reports saw an increase or significant increase in the participants\u2019 leadership effectiveness. They also gave the program high marks for increasing their ability to collaborate effectively, coach others, and become ready for promotion.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ladder to Leadership program requires a significant commitment on behalf of all parties, but we quickly realized that it was the only way to facilitate the type of professional growth that also has meaningful impact on an organization,\u201d says DiDomenico.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ladder to Leadership program requires a significant commitment on behalf of all parties, but we quickly realized that it was the only way to facilitate the type of professional growth that also has meaningful impact on an organization.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Cohorts of 12\u201314 participants collaboratively learn how to influence systems, bring about organizational change, adapt and innovate, and collaborate across sectors or boundaries. (CMF graduated its first cohort in 2015 and is now in the midst of training its second cohort.) Smaller groups within the cohort then work together on collaborative projects to address community issues. One such project included a community-wide public awareness campaign about mental health that has since become an ongoing program of a local non-profit.<\/p>\n
Participant feedback from the Ladder to Leadership program is overwhelmingly positive. A formal evaluation of the first cohort showed high levels of satisfaction and increased self-confidence, as well as increased connections among organizations and broader community perspectives among participants. Since that cohort graduated, 10 of the 13 members have moved into higher positions, many within their organizations.<\/p>\n
Internal Investment<\/h2>\n
\u201cWe are very intentional about tying our talent and leadership development work into our mission, vision, and programmatic investments,\u201d explains DiDomenico. Part of the foundation\u2019s budget for each program initiative includes funds to help grantee organizations build their own capacity and leadership capability.<\/p>\n
\u201cNonprofit leadership development isn\u2019t an add-on for the Foundation. We believe that strengthening our grantees is critical to transforming our communities, so we invest significantly in this work\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The Foundation also invests staff hours in talent and leadership development; five of the six foundation staff have defined roles in the creation and delivery of each leadership development program. For Fuechtmann, it\u2019s a major part of his job and a role that is key to grantee success.<\/p>\n
\u201cNonprofit leadership development isn\u2019t an add-on for the Foundation. We believe that strengthening our grantees is critical to transforming our communities, so we invest significantly in this work,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Quick Case 1<\/h3>\n
Create Future Leaders<\/h4>\n
After 17 years at the helm of Aging Care Connections, Executive Director Debra Verschelde is no stranger to leadership development herself, nor to the vitally important role it will play in her organization\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started my own executive development by participating in a small learning circle that CMF offered,\u201d she recalls. \u201cAt first I was hesitant \u2014 I thought I had way too much to do and couldn\u2019t fit it in. But it turned out to be one of the best things I ever did and really got me in the mindset of seeing talent and leadership development as helpful rather than a burden.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since then, Verschelde has participated in CMF\u2019s executive coaching as well as some Leadership Institute sessions with her board members. She\u2019s also enrolled one middle manager in the Ladder to Leadership program. This investment in rising leaders is essential, she says, because of the changing nature of the workforce.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t see people coming up and making a longterm commitment like we have in the past, especially in the field of aging,\u201d she observes. This observation is coupled with the reality that Verschelde, like many of her peers in executive positions, are contemplating retirement in the near term. \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a huge void for leader talent in the nonprofit community over the next 5\u201310 years. For us, succession planning is a pressing need.\u201d<\/p>\n
Verschelde and her board very much want to promote her replacement from within, and she has worked with her executive coach to study the options and identify prospects. She intentionally works with staff to give them more responsibility, but she notes different levels of engagement between senior staff and middle management.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s harder to get middle management engaged in leadership development,\u201d she observes. \u201cI don\u2019t see a lot of young talent wanting to take on the level of responsibility and commitment for upper leadership. Workplace mindsets are changing as we move toward an economy where workers tend to be more transient and less connected, so we believe that leadership and talent development is important for retention.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is where leadership development programs like Ladder to Leadership prove to be highly valuable. \u201cWe have some young talent with great potential, and anything we can do to give them formal leadership training is valuable. The staff who have that potential realize that we wouldn\u2019t be investing in them if we didn\u2019t believe in them. The end result is always well worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those results are not something Verschelde\u2019s organization could secure on its own, and CMF\u2019s investment in talent and leadership development is highly valued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would have had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars if we\u2019d tried to do this level of development on our own,\u201d she says. \u201cFor a nonprofit in general, and especially one like us that is growing larger, it would be very difficult to spend money on our own talent and leadership development. CMF offers so much in terms of their support for nonprofit professionals. They should be a model for others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quick Case 2<\/h3>\n
Unleashing Executive Confidence<\/h4>\n
Eight years ago, Deb Baker reentered the workforce as an assistant to the executive director at HCS Family Services after spending 13 years as a stay-at-home mom. Today, after leadership training compliments of CMF, she\u2019s worked her way to the agency\u2019s helm.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t the smoothest of roads. While Baker rose through the ranks from assistant to development director and finally to assistant director, the agency was plagued by a series of executive-director turnovers thatleft it on the brink of crisis and left Baker in a stressful situation. \u201cBecause we had so much turnover, I was put in a position where I was managing the staff but wasn\u2019t really their supervisor. There were lots of inconsistencies here, and [it was] hard for me to grow in my position. I was always the bad guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fortunately, one board chair saw Baker\u2019s potential and suggested she enroll in CMF\u2019s Ladder to Leadership program. \u201cAt first I just looked at it as a way to build self-confidence, but I learned so much more about myself,\u201d she says. \u201cIt changed my professional and personal life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baker learned about her own leadership style and worked one-on-one with a coach to address weaknesses and build strengths. She worked with a team from her cohort on a collaborative project. And she built a tightly knit network of peers who continue to serve as sounding boards and to bolster her confidence. Those newfound skills and that network were assets Baker called into action immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ladder to Leadership program requires a significant commitment on behalf of all parties, but we quickly realized that it was the only way to facilitate the type of professional growth that also has meaningful impact on an organization.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cRight when Ladder to Leadership ended, our board let an interim executive director go and I was demoted to operations director,\u201d says Baker. \u201cHad I not gone through Ladder to Leadership, I may have taken that very personally and probably would have left. But instead I knew what needed to be fixed, got the staff organized, and focused on team building. The board quickly saw that the previous executive directors had been handcuffing me a bit and saw us move forward. That built their confidence in me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baker saw that the staff was stretched too thin, because responsibilities were unclear and overlapping. She helped determine staff needs and clarify roles. She developed a set of goals that her team was able to achieve quickly, which restored their confidence and that of the agency\u2019s funders.<\/p>\n
In response to Baker\u2019s performance, the board named her executive director in 2015, but her leadership development didn\u2019t end there. CMF provided an executive coach, who helped Baker map out a path forward for her board while she continued to hone her management and presentation skills. As a result, Baker has taken the organization to new heights, opening a groundbreaking new school-based food pantry and securing a highly competitive $500,000 grant from the local Junior League.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout CMF\u2019s support for leadership development, I think our organization might have folded,\u201d says Baker. \u201cI don\u2019t know that our board realized how important it was at the time, but they understand that now. Seeing how much CMF believed in our organization \u2014 and in me \u2014 helped keep them motivated when times were hard. CMF\u2019s investment in our organization really helped us get to the next stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\n\n\nLessons Learned<\/h2>\n
1<\/h3>\n
Establishing talent development programs takes time for foundations<\/h4>\n
Developing a meaningful approach requires intentional consideration of how that approach aligns with a foundation\u2019s strategy, mission, and vision. Then there\u2019s the time required to create or adapt a relevant curriculum and figure out the logistics.<\/p>\n
2<\/h3>\n
Participating in talent development requires time from nonprofits<\/h4>\n
For many nonprofits, the barrier of time can be just as intimidating as the barrier of cost. The hours spent honing talent to become better leaders may be seen as hours not spent on \u201cregular work.\u201d However, investments of time definitely pay off in terms of skills gained and their resulting benefits to the organization.<\/p>\n
3<\/h3>\n
Buy-in is needed at every level<\/h4>\n
Foundation boards must be willing to invest in programs for which impact may be difficult to quantify. Nonprofit boards and even potential participants in talent and leadership development may be reluctant to take part and may require encouragement (or permission) from funders about the importance and value of leadership development.<\/p>\n
4<\/h3>\n
Let grantees lead<\/h4>\n
CMF didn\u2019t develop its plans for talent and leadership development within its offices. It took an externally focused, iterative approach \u2014 and every iteration was led by the needs expressed by grantees.<\/p>\n
5<\/h3>\n
Be willing to fully engage<\/h4>\n
Leadership development can be an intense process, but that intensity is often necessary to do the job well and create an experience that is relevant, meaningful, and lasting. Be committed to, but not intimidated by, what will deliver the best outcomes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\nLooking Forward<\/h2>\n
Connecting the Dots<\/h5>\n
What\u2019s next on the horizon for CMF? The Foundation would like to \u201cconnect the dots\u201d between its leadership capacity offerings. By doing so, CMF hopes to provide greater cohesion among programs and more firmly imbed learnings in the minds of leaders who participate. This, in turn, can make for greater, longer-term effectiveness and stability for the organizations each leader represents \u2014 a win-win for the individual leader, nonprofits, and CMF.<\/p>\n
Focus on Diversity<\/h5>\n
DiDomenico and Fuechtmann would also like to place increased focus on diversity within their talent and leadership work. \u201cAs a foundation, we\u2019ve always been intentional about supporting programs that reflect our increasingly diverse community,\u201d says DiDomenico. \u201cNow we\u2019re interested in exploring diversity as a leadership development strategy, whether it be cultural, functional, or otherwise. One of our current Ladder to Leadership teams is focused on promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, which tells us that there is a need for this type of engagement.\u201d CMF also sees the importance of increasing coordination and collaboration across nonprofits in their community and would like to help create leaders who know how to work in concert with others. \u201cTrue sustainability and impact will come from people working together,\u201d says Fuechtmann. \u201cRight now, we\u2019re exploring what leadership development focused on coordination might look like.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expanding Opportunity<\/h5>\n
One option may be supporting groups of leaders who want to come together to tackle specific issues and move them forward together. In tandem with that approach, CMF is also considering expanding eligibility for its talent and leadership development support beyond existing grantees. \u201cWe want to open the door to include other stakeholders,\u201d says DiDomenico. \u201cIt is only through engagement with all sectors that the foundation will achieve its vision of becoming the healthiest region in the country.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\nCMF Leadership Programs<\/h2>\n