Giving Compass' Take:

• An article at eJewish Philanthropy stresses the importance of listening to women CEOs for an effective, collaborative response to the coronavirus.

• How might learning from and listening to women CEOs in philanthropy translate to increased equity in other sectors? What can we learn from the global pandemic about the necessity of women's voices in philanthropy?

• Learn about how you can support non-profits to keep women leaders active and thriving through the coronavirus.


In this time of deep economic and organizational crisis, listening to women CEOs in the Jewish community, has never mattered more.

Women leaders are trying to keep up with rapid changes in every aspect of their work. To be successful, they need board members to acknowledge the changed environment, understand that decisions which seemed appropriate just weeks ago may need to be revisited. They need to allow leaders space to utilize their professional expertise in handling the changes. Boards, more than ever, need to be clear about their governing roles and need to be more present and more patient as CEOs and professional staff try to operate in this “new normal.” While some board members are “too in the weeds” in their oversight, others, consumed by their own stresses, are not involved at all. Large boards can be additionally burdensome to a CEO who finds herself with an increased workload and a board and committees that need additional time and attention as well.

Fundraising is a looming concern for both CEOs and their boards. While the SBA’s PPP funds alleviated the immediate crisis in many agencies, there is growing apprehension about what happens when the money runs out. And, there are small nonprofits who were unable to access the money at all.

Our fear is if these leaders are not given the support and attention they need, we will lose the robust pipeline that so many of us have cultivated for many years. Our hope coming out of this pandemic is that we will have an ever-stronger network of individual organizations and agencies sharing a greater commitment to collaboration and partnership; and that increased numbers of women CEOs will propel us forward.

Read the full article about the importance of listening to women CEOs at eJewish Philanthropy.