Young Nonprofit Leaders | Rosetta Thurman

12 Ways to Pass the Torch: Trusting a New Generation to Sustain the Social Justice Movement

September 11, 2010 by rosettathurman · Leave a Comment

One of the great things about the Southern Partners Fund 2010 Regional Grantee Gathering is that one of the main breakout sessions is called Passing the Torch: Trusting the Next Generation to Sustain the Social Justice Movement. As the session gets underway, participants acknowledge the importance of preparing new leaders for nonprofit work. They affirm the fact that there has always been youth engagement in major social justice movements.

The session begins with an invitation for participants to reflect on their own leadership journey. They were asked: When did you first realize you were a leader? What did you do? What impact did it have on you?

Some of their stories:

For one man, it started back in his homeland of Peru. He and his wife decided to come to the U.S. to create a better life for their family. He had a job, but it left no time for him to spend with his kids, and he no longer wanted work like a slave at his job.
One woman went to a workshop that changed her life and inspired her to lead.
One man was inspired by his grandmother who got things done for the community through her church – roads paved, etc.
One woman organized a walk-out at her school in the 10th grade over a problem in her school and the teacher they had a problem with lost his job.
One woman became a leader when she became a mother and realized that she wanted to do something good in the world as a responsibility to her children.
One woman recalls when there were immigration raids in Miami Dade County. She was inspired to quit her job to fight the border patrol and educate Latinos about their rights.

All of the leaders were very proud of the work they had been able to do in the community. Most of them were Baby Boomers and were in the session to figure out ways they could pass their legacy of leadership down to the new generation of leaders. One woman talked about her goal (and frustration) to give voice to the young people in her organization. Although they were challenged in adopting social media, participants pointed out the potential value of the tools to advance their causes with the help of younger leaders. The main idea of the session was to emphasize the fact that “passing the torch” has to be intentional because in the nonprofit sector, we’re so busy doing the work to think about sustainability.

Participants discussed several challenges and opportunities related to supporting and developing the new generation of social justice leaders.

Barriers to Passing the Torch

Understanding that the values of each generation are the same, but the needs are very different.
The complex and technical nature of some of our work.
Not being able to come to consensus about the importance of passing the torch. Organizations can be divided on the value of that knowledge and power transfer.
Trust factor – because of previous bad experiences with staff, it can be hard to invite other young people into the organization.
No time to develop a relevant curriculum for leadership development.
We often model bad processes in doing the work – no money, overworked, etc – young people may not even want the torch when we get done with it.
Sharing power and giving them the room and grace to make mistakes.
Resistance to change.
Stereotypes of “younger people” that they are so much more different than older leaders.
Perceived protocols in how young people interact with elders.

Different Levels of Leadership

One leader in the session urged the group to begin thinking about organizational leadership in terms of levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary leaders. He said his job as an Executive Director is to move everyone into that primary circle. If a person starts today, a year from now hopefully you can move them to a higher level.

How can this apply to young people?

Test them out on small things to see what they can do. Leadership development does not happen by itself – if you want to nurture younger leaders, give them opportunities for reflection. And make time for yourself to look at who is in each level and set goals for yourself to move them from one level to another. It’s also important to develop leaders not just to take over as the Director of your organization, but to prepare them to be able to go out and lead in an effective way in any other leadership role they may take. For example, if one of your former staff becomes Chief of Police, they can do that work with the understanding of the big community picture. Young people may not always work in nonprofits throughout their career, but through your organization, they can be educated in the work and be advocates for your cause long after they leave you.

Strategies for Passing the Torch

Host focus groups – ask the young people on your staff what’s working and what’s not working.
Designate a person in your organization whose focus is making sure young people are engaged in the organization.
Board governance – give young people a seat at the board table.
Recognize the value of young people as leaders, not tokens.
Make it a part of your bylaws and codify the value of having young people at the table in your organization.
Ensure visibility of young people at organizational events.
Replicate other organizational models that are working.
Build relationships and meet young people where they are. Meet with them face to face and connect with them on social networks.
Self-reflection – be honest with ourselves about our organizational issues. Become vulnerable again to ask questions and see how we can make things better for everyone.
Help young people build their own torch.
Define what “the work” is for yourself before trying to teach young leaders. We throw around the term a lot about “the work” and we know what it is since we’ve been doing it for so long, but others may not.
Show young people that there is value in doing nonprofit you can make enough money to support yourself in this field.

Out of all of these ideas and strategies that came out of the session, the one about helping young people to build their own torch is the one that stood out for me the most. For me, leadership development is about making the space for people to grow in their own way, not telling them exactly what to do.

Full disclosure: Southern Partners Fund paid me to provide blogging services for this event to leverage the power of social media to share their stories with the wider philanthropic community. The views expressed here are solely my own, however, and I stand by my commitment to authentic coverage of these issues.

The Visibility Vacuum

July 26, 2010 by rosettathurman · Leave a Comment

Can you name a leader under 40 who is effectively solving a societal problem? Unfortunately, most young leaders cannot.

Independent Sector’s 2009 American Express NGen Fellows (a cohort of 12 under-40 nonprofit leaders) just released the results of its group project, a report that looked at how emerging leaders across sectors can work together to solve society’s most pressing problems.

The final report is based on a survey distributed to more than 2,000 young leaders in nonprofits, government, and business that examined their perspectives on leadership development, cross-sector collaboration, and how to respond to major community challenges.

The most shocking part of the report for me was that the majority of respondents could not identify a single under-40 leader who is effectively solving a societal problem. Yes, you heard that right. Nearly two-thirds of the survey respondents were not aware of their own peers who are making a difference in the world every day.

How could this be?

Read the rest here.

Filed Under: Leadership · Tagged With: NGen, NGen Fellows, young nonprofit leaders, young nonprofit professionals

Three Myths About Generation Y in the Nonprofit World

June 10, 2010 by rosettathurman · 2 Comments

Have y’all been reading my leadership blog on the Chronicle of Philanthropy? No? Well, if you’re not up on it yet, here’s my latest post. What do you think?

Three Myths About Generation Y in the Nonprofit World

In my conversations with my peers around the country, it seems like one of the biggest hurdles in developing the now generation of nonprofit leaders is the mindset of current leaders.

That’s right, I said it.

It’s not the economy or the lack of funding available for leadership development. It’s the fact that many older nonprofit professionals don’t see younger generations as viable candidates for leadership.

Look, I’ll prove it to you. A recent Boardsource report highlighted several disincentives for nonprofit boards to actively seek out younger members, including: skepticism about the need to have younger generations on boards.

Why the skepticism? One reason may be because there are a bunch of myths out there that need to be debunked about what young people can and cannot contribute. Those myths are especially strong when it comes to Generation Y in particular. Let’s pull back the curtain on some of the myths that limit the possibilities for future leaders.

Read the rest here.

Filed Under: Generation Y, Leadership · Tagged With: Gen Y, Generation Y, Millennials, young nonprofit leaders, young nonprofit professionals

3 Years, 16 Interviews with Young Nonprofit Leaders

May 24, 2010 by rosettathurman · 1 Comment

In case you missed it, I’m celebrating the three-year anniversary of my blog and giving away $100 for your ideas about what I should write about going forward. Continuing the spirit of celebration, I wanted to highlight all of the young nonprofit leaders I’ve written about since 2007. Some maiden names and job titles have changed, but I’m posting the original interviews (and photos!) here in all their glory. How do their views resonate with you?

Meet Rebecca Anderson: Representing the Future of African American Nonprofit Leadership (September 2007)

“After working in the for-profit sector for three years, I was starting to feel like my work did not have a purpose. I was spending very long hours assisting with banking mergers and software application deployment but that was not enough to fulfill me, I wanted to work at an organization that gave back to more than themselves. The best way I knew to do that was enter into the nonprofit sector.”

Meet Jamon Alexander: An Emerging Leader of Color Poised to Carry the Torch (October 2007)

“It is exciting that the nonprofit sector is billion-dollar field, and that more young people are seeing it as a rewarding career option, but the term “nonprofit” has not become mainstream. I feel that students are aware of the work of YMCA or Big Brothers/Big Sisters, but they do not know it falls under the auspice of the nonprofit world. Nonprofits should reach out to higher education students, high school students, etc. and build relationships. Nonprofit professionals should speak in classrooms and host panel discussions. Nonprofits should utilize Facebook & Myspace, YouTube and other modern forms of communication. It is incumbent upon our generation to bridge these gaps; and as young leaders poised to carry the torch, we are more than up for the task.”

Meet Janean Brown: A Young Leader of Color With a Clear Vision for the Future (October 2007)

“I would like to see communities of color take personal responsibility for the future of our communities and leadership. Leaders from generations before mine have picked themselves up by their bootstraps and gained knowledge, power, and success over the years. I would like to see a serious effort to mentor young people and share knowledge and experiences. I would like to see communities of color teaching younger generations how to save, earn, invest, and give back. It is a cyclical process that we can teach each other in an effort to ensure the wealth of our communities. Based on the past, it is obvious that our success is at the mercy of the majority. Thus as people of color, I would like to see us band together to create leaders who are undeniably dynamic.”

An Interview With Eric Giles: Emerging Leaders Need to Push Out of the Box (April 2008)

“In my opinion, the nonprofit sector operates within a very hierarchical structure. We see the ED/CEO/President as the leader of the organization, guided by a board of other leaders in the sector. One reason we are perceiving a “leadership gap” is that we equate leadership with the ED/CEO/President. I would like the sector to better recognize the leadership roles within other positions within organizations and tap into that latent strength. A flattening of the hierarchical triangle. I think it behooves the non-ED segment of the nonprofit sector to better express their skills and knowledge. Better yet, we need to learn how to demonstrate our ideas and skills in a way that allows those in charge to accept them without feeling threatened by them. In short, work on your negotiation and communications skills, then put them to the test.”

Elisa Ortiz to the Nonprofit Sector: “Change or Die” (April 2008)

“Of course, many younger leaders are limited in their ability to actually get those traditional leadership positions by a stale hierarchical structure or by current leaders who are reluctant to let go of any control. However, I think we younger leaders have to take some responsibility for not getting this recognition either. Many of us (myself included) have just taken it. We haven’t asked for or demanded more responsibility or pay and maybe more importantly, haven’t moved on from the places that restrict us. I really think the only way the sector is going to change is when ALL of us, Gen X and Y and Baby Boomers included, decide to stop taking it. Once we start either leaving organizations that don’t respect us and going to those that do en masse or changing our organizations to encourage leadership, the restrictive ones will be forced to either change themselves or die.”

An Interview With Keven Cotton: Nonprofits Need to Recruit More People of Color (April 2008)

“I made my way into the nonprofit sector through the AmeriCorps program. As a junior in college, I volunteered at a DC elementary school and was amazed at what I saw. In order to arrive at the school, I had to navigate drug dealers and individuals drinking outside of the school. I could not believe the environment that children had to overcome in order to attend school. I was partnered with a second grader who was reading on a late kindergarten/first grade level . . . It was this student that opened my eyes to inequalities that many families, especially families of color, face on a daily basis . . . I have worked in the nonprofit sector since 2002 and I continue to be amazed that while the majority of people being served by nonprofits are people of color, the majority of nonprofits are staffed and led by white women. I would like to see nonprofits increase their recruitment of and career advancement for, minority employees.”

Mazi Mutafa on Being a Young Executive Director (April 2008)

“I think one of the greatest gifts and challenges of being an ED is being able to bring my whole self to the work place. I don’t feel that my ideas need to be restricted by anything but the budget, and even that is only a temporary restraint. I am able to be as creative as I actually am and find people who I agree enough with that we can work together to make my ideas better and produce programs and outcomes that people usually complain about not existing, but don’t know how to build the systems necessary to achieve the desired outcomes.”

Interview With Melissa Johnson: You Don’t Need a Title to Lead (May 2008)

“I think leadership needs to be reframed in our sector. I am a huge proponent of shared leadership as opposed to a traditional sense of one charismatic leader and a thousand followers. As our society becomes more diverse, more complex, and stratified in terms of class, there are many opportunities for involvement and all equally important. I would encourage Generations X and Y to continue to volunteer, learn, and lead in the sector in a way that is connected outside of our own circles. The more folks know about your activism and passion, the more folks you can invite to join you. Get involved in the political process and public policy issues. Think more about the collective change we want to see more than the change we want to see in our individual selves. It may start with one but it almost never ends with just one. We affect so many in our paths each day.” Editor’s note: In this interview, Melissa swore she would never become an Executive Director, however she is now the ED of the Neighborhood Funders Group!

Trista Harris on Re-Imagining the Nonprofit Sector (May 2008)

“I think Gen X and Y are stepping up in a major way but it isn’t always recognized because it doesn’t look the same as the way that Baby Boomers stepped up in the past . . . I want to see a complete shift in how results are measured at nonprofits and in foundations. I think results need to be about positive impact in the community, not by the number of hours that an employee spends at a desk. Flexible work schedules should only be a first step, I hope that results-only work environments are the future of nonprofit work.”

We Are the Possible: Meet Allison Jones (April 2009)

“My involvement in social change is not accidental and initially was not motivated by hope and positivity. I was angry. I was angry with a lot of what I saw and a lot of what I was learning in college–pervasive inequality, disinterest, and intellectual dishonesty that polarized discussions about what the problems are and how to solve them . . . The issue I am most passionate about is education. Education was my saving grace and has been for many low income people of color. So I channeled my energy into doing volunteer work and sought full time work in the education field. ”

We Are the Possible: Meet Kathrin Ivanovic (April 2009)

“I know that it sounds cliché, but I hope that our generation can more forcefully demand transparency and accountability from each other and from our elected officials. Accountability starts at home, with each and every one of us. We live in a world that is pervasively global – connected, due to the power and might of technological innovation. More importantly, we are connected through our humanity and thereby universally accountable to and for each other. There are so many ways each and every one of us can step up and be the change we want to see in the world. It is my hope that we begin to give each other the courage and support to do so.”

We Are the Possible: Meet Loryn C. Wilson (April 2009)

“I would like to see my generation expand on the older generations’ successes. We have so much technology and so much more access to opportunities, and if we can use our resources to better our homes, our work places and our communities instead of just increasing our own material wealth, we can truly be the people who our ancestors prayed and hoped for.”

We Are the Possible: Meet Lindsey McDougle (April 2009)

“I started blogging about 18 months ago. A colleague of mine, Heather Carpenter (who was already an avid blogger) insisted that I share my “expertise” with others. At that time, however, I truly believed that I didn’t have much “expertise” to share. I also didn’t know who would want to read about the things that I was interested in: leadership, nonprofits, and social change. But Heather really convinced me of the value in blogging… and so I began. Since that time I have built a reputation as an expert in my field. Prior to blogging I was a bit hesitant to stake my claim as an “expert,” but, indeed, I am! I know what I know, and I know my field . . . Career wise, I think that Heather’s encouragement to begin blogging was probably one of the smartest things that I could have ever done.”

We Are the Possible: Meet Samuel Isaac Richard (April 2009)

“For me, it’s hard to separate my passion for social justice and a stronger sector from my love for [my wife]. I know that sounds cheesy, but I say it because I don’t believe that the priorities have to be “balanced.” Maybe some see romantic relationships and marriage as barriers to success in a career, but my relationship with Kim has done nothing but aided and abetted my addiction to social change – and that won’t change anytime soon. She is my biggest fan and extremely supportive, but questions my crazy theories and challenges my assumptions. She is honest about my faults, but only because she believes that I can be better. And I’d like to think that I offer the same support and challenge for her. We work really well together, mainly because we understand that we’re in this together – whatever “this” happens to be at the moment.”

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Ian Bautista, President of UNCA (September 2009)

“[People of color] have to look for mentors and examples of how to succeed a little harder. Since there are fewer prospects for 1-to-1 mentors in our sector, we have to find mentors and role models from everywhere. While I greatly admire many Latino and Latina nonprofit executives, I haven’t had the opportunity to mentor under many of them. I have found great inspiration and nurturing mentors in the form of African-American men, Latinas in higher education, and many white leaders from various industries. Some of these leaders have given me valuable opportunities to lead and have taught me life and professional lessons that have served me well. I have made it a point to offer myself as a mentor – both formally and informally – to up-and-coming Latino and Latina nonprofit professionals as I meet them. ”

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Danielle Reyes, Program Officer at the Eugene & Agnes Meyer Foundation (October 2009)

“There are so many ways to be a part of positive change, all you have to do is explore the options and incorporate what suits you into your life. For some people it might be through their career path, for others its writing a check, a 5k, volunteering once or committing weekly, serving on a board, organizing your friends and community to support a cause, for others it is all of those things, a lifestyle. I tell people that I mentor that they need explore what they are interested in first and to choose a career in something they are passionate about. If you don’t know what that is yet, keep exploring, you’ll learn a lot and do a lot of good along the way. I am still exploring.”

Of course, I’ve also done a ton of radio shows featuring young nonprofit leaders that you might want to check out, including:

A Day in the Life of a Young Nonprofit Executive Director (November 2009)
Four Now Generation Leaders to Watch in 2010 (January 2010)

I definitely want to do many more interviews to highlight Generation X & Y nonprofit leaders. Who should I interview next?

Filed Under: Interviews · Tagged With: young nonprofit leaders, young nonprofit professionals

Why Personal Branding is the Most Effective Career Tool for Young Professionals: A Bullet Point Manifesto

May 11, 2010 by rosettathurman · 8 Comments

A lot of people have been asking me questions about personal branding – what it is, what it isn’t, and why they should be worried about it. So I thought I’d lay out all of my ideas here to explain why I think it’s so important for young professionals to consider personal branding an essential part of their professional development. I was inspired to use this format by this post by Ian David Moss over at Createquity.

Let’s face it. Everyone has a personal brand, whether you like it or not. Sorry.
But wait. What the hell is a personal brand, you ask? Business management guru Tom Peters coined the term in 1997 with this bold statement: “Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand.” He wrote a fantastic manifesto titled “The Brand Called You” on Fast Company that you should absolutely go read. Like right now.
Another term for personal branding is “impression management,” which comes from the field of leadership studies. Leadership scholar Gary Yukl defines impression management as “the process of influencing how others perceive you.” Makes sense, right?
But here’s something even simpler. Your personal brand is essentially your professional reputation. It’s what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.
It’s what your references say about you when you apply for a job. So even when you ask someone to act as a reference for you, they do a quick gut check for how they feel about your personal brand. They decide whether they want to be aligned with your name and what you stand for, because their reputation is on the line, too.
So you can rail against the idea all you want, but the fact is that when people think of you, they have some kind of impression in their minds about who you are and what you stand for.
But as with any terminology, there are a few problems with the phrase ‘personal branding,’ namely that it can have negative connotations for people who view marketing themselves as a sleazy thing to do. But it doesn’t have to be like that.
The real question is, is your personal brand a good one or not? What do people in your professional circle think of you? Do people even know who you are?
Good personal brands have nothing to do with snake oil. They are completely authentic.
Example: Let’s look at one of the most well-known personal brands in America – Oprah. She wants to help you live your best life, all the while being totally open with hers. People put enough trust in her that they buy products and books she recommends. Grown men come on her TV show and cry. She’s a billionaire, a professional businesswoman. But she also makes us feel good about ourselves. Now that’s a damn good brand.
So how do you know if you have a bad personal brand? Well, if you’re having trouble getting jobs, promotions, leadership roles, consulting gigs or board opportunities, then you may need to invest some time in crafting or refining your personal brand.
True story: A year into my role as a development director at my previous nonprofit job, I still had people mistaking me for an intern. I was tasked with raising $1M a year for the organization, yet my youth prevented my older colleagues from fully respecting me as a peer.
Then I started blogging. Then I got on Twitter. And my entire career took off! People started inviting me to speak. Then teach. Then consult. I finally felt like my voice was being heard in a sector that I loved.
A lot of young professionals complain that they gets no respect. Why would we? We’re young. People think we don’t know anything. That we haven’t done anything. Now in some cases this is true, don’t get me wrong, but in many cases it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Young professionals often have advanced education; a rich portfolio of work, volunteer and internship experiences; and a fiery passion for the cause.
The only problem? We’re not visible to senior leaders. No one can “see” us because we’re not at the tables. Especially if we’re the assistants and the interns.
But that’s the great thing about having access to social media. You might be a lowly administrative assistant at your organization, but on Twitter, you can be a rockstar.
Social media makes it so that thousands of people can “see” you and follow your work and leadership. Social media can make you more visible to all the right people – if you use it right – if you market yourself with professionalism and authenticity.
Brian Clark of Copyblogger likes to say, “What people say about you is more important than what you say about yourself.” What I would add to that sentiment is that it’s even more important if they say it online.
And what that means, my friends, is that you have to be online. It means you have to be using social media in a way that tells people who you are and invites them to connect with you. And what better way to do that than with your personal brand.
Yo, remember that saying: it’s all about who you know? Well it’s true. So if you want to advance your career, one of your jobs as a young professional is to stop complaining about how no one respects you. It’s time to stop whining about how no one ever “picks” you and take proactive steps to make sure people know who you are so you can reap the full benefits of being so fabulous.
Benefits of having a good personal brand:
- You may never have to “look” for a job again. The job will find you.
- True story: I’ve been offered several jobs (local and national) that I didn’t even apply for by organizations contacting me by email, Facebook, and Twitter because they connected in some way to my personal brand.
- It’s easier to get a raise. You know how that goes – if other people perceive you as valuable, your organization will too.
- If the right people know who you are, you won’t have to find them, they will find you. My friend was approached by the CEO of a very reputable youth organization for a communications job because of my friend’s professional presence on Twitter and Facebook.