Giving Compass' Take:

• The authors examine the challenges that metropolitan areas face today, and come to the conclusion that the brunt of the work to mitigate these challenges will fall to community-led nonprofits.  The authors offer ways that nonprofit leaders can start to address these issues and cultivate a new generation of leadership in the social sector. 

• Why is nonprofit leadership and mentorship crucial for the sector right now? 

• Read about the philanthropic efforts in Boston to incorporate more diverse and inclusive nonprofit leadership. 

Numerous challenges confront metropolitan America today. Many workers have not seen meaningful wage growth in recent years—despite nearly a decade of economic recovery. Income and wealth inequality persist. Recent GOP tax cuts and spending deals are forecast to create deficits that hamper the ability of federal, state, and local government to care for society’s most vulnerable during the next economic downturn.

The ability of metro areas to respond to these challenges and develop sustainable solutions will rest heavily on the capacity of community-based nonprofits to marshal local resources, deliver assistance to families, and advocate for policy change at all levels of government. To that end, metropolitan leaders must work together to develop a new generation of nonprofit leaders who can help communities and organizations navigate this new environment.

In the coming decade, therefore, we must proactively and equitably train and engage leaders from underrepresented, oppressed, and marginalized communities across our metropolitan areas.

Our work in Seattle and observations of similar work in other regions suggests many lessons about how public and nonprofit organizations can begin to develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders:

  • It is critical to provide intentional and sustained learning, mentorship, and growth opportunities for emerging leaders to support their pathway to more senior leadership positions.
  • Disruptors—community actors fighting against persistent, overt discrimination and racial bias in hiring—are building toolkits to promote more inclusive recruitment, hiring, and performance management practices.
  • Corporate philanthropy is increasingly finding ways to promote employee engagement and social impact through volunteer service and leadership trainings.
  • Philanthropic and government agencies can take concrete steps to provide more equitable access to program funding opportunities.

Read the full article about nonprofit leaders by Scott W. Allard and Ben Reuler at Brookings