Keynote Speech: Diana from Independent Sector

“Knowing others is intelligence. Knowing yourself is true wisdom. Understanding others is strength. Understanding yourself is true power.”

“If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together”

Nonprofit’s mission is leading, strengthening, and mobilizing our community. In order for nonprofits to truly reach our mission, we have to work together, to collaborate with the experts in the field that can address the various unique needs and challenges of communities across the country. Diana refers to this as the “social ecosystem” affirming that nonprofits also cannot operate as islands. On average, 70,000 nonprofits are created every year. The financial crisis means that this year, 2009, there will be fewer nonprofits at the end of the year.

Human capital is going to be the difference and this sector needs “strong, connected people” in order to accomplish the purposes that are larger than ourselves. This lack of value for human capital is something I personally have both noticed and experienced in my few years of employment in the sector, whether the organization is being led by a young person or a more experienced person and it is here where the organization risks failing. This failure manifests in various ways such as frequent turnover, mission creep, inability to effectively achieve the mission, etc. How can we change this trend instead of feeling like we have to leave these worthy organizations due to a conflict in values and philosophy?

Diana asks us, as nonprofit leaders, to network, to understand our mutual and shared responsibility, to share skills and practices in order to move the needle on the impact we’re making in the world and to challenge ourselves and each other to continue to think in creative and innovative ways on how best to serve our communities.

Closing Session: On Mergers

Funders are addicted to mergers and acquisitions since it mitigates their challenges in selecting a worth nonprofit. They are more interested in nonprofits that create alliances instead of nonprofits that are unique or different. However, instead of merging, share resources, co-locate, etc. in order to reduce costs and stay consistent with values.

On Multi-Generational Workplaces

An organization cannot sustain itself if it is only committed to employing a certain generation of staff to serve as nonprofit leaders. Today, young people feel like they are not valued in their workplace-that they don’t have enough experience and education and so are dismissed. YNPN and other organizations are committed to helping organizations see young staff as leaders now and today, not in 20 or 30 years. On the flip side, boomers and seasoned leaders are feeling like they’re also not valued and they feel pressure to leave the sector to make way for younger staff. And organizations that specialize in experienced employees have invested time and money to protect the interest of boomers. However, a truly effective, balanced workplace is multigenerational-one in which the experience, education, and, in some cases, wisdom of older staff is both necessary and critical so that problems aren’t repeated and lessons learned can be shared. And young people would be valued for their genuine interest in making a contribution, learning, and growing while committing their time, energy, and creativity to their organization. Diversity, not only in race, but also in age and gender can contribute to a reflective, strong, impactful organization.