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Introducing the Nonprofit Board Exchange

New Resource to Support Nonprofit Board Recruiting and Diversity

Understanding the vital role boards play in a nonprofit’s success, building and supporting effective, well-developed, and diverse boards must be one of our highest priorities. In response, Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego has crafted the Nonprofit Board Exchange as a community resource to publicize openings on local nonprofit boards and supply information on available trainings for those who serve in this important role. It is Fieldstone’s hope that the Nonprofit Board Exchange will serve as an effective tool to advance equity and increase board diversity throughout our local sector.

While Fieldstone has taken the lead in designing and hosting the website, it has the support of varied community partners who have collaborated with FLNSD to bring this tool to the community.  We are proud to have the following partners:

• Alliance for Regional Solutions,
• Association of Fundraising Professionals,
• Athena,
• BIPOC Support Foundation,
• Leadership North County,
• Catalyst,
• Clare Rose Foundation,
• ImpactCubed,
• Kim Center for Social Balance,
• LEAD San Diego,
• North County Philanthropy Council,
• Rise San Diego,
• San Diego Workforce Partnership,
• Social Venture Partners San Diego,
• United Way of San Diego County and
• The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego

 The support and contributions of our partners are invaluable and will help to ensure the that this new tool is widely used by many different populations in our community. The Nonprofit Board Exchange can serve as a valued resource for our nonprofit sector, individuals interested in serving, employers, higher education, chambers and other professional associations. 

NP Board Exchange (link)

The NP Board Exchange is the brainchild of Janine Mason, Founder of the Fieldstone Leadership Network.  After offering training on how to diversify nonprofit boards and diversity, equity and inclusion, Janine recognized the need for a new way to identify possible board member and share opportunities to serve.  Reflecting Fieldstone’s commitment to continual learning, the website also includes information on local board member trainings.   The NP Board Exchange was a natural next and important step to support what we are learning about the need to diversify our governance boards.  “As our world continues to evolve and become more and more diverse, it is imperative that leaders choose to be inclusive every day. We are better when we welcome people from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences to help us do all that is required to lead our nonprofit organizations. And as people who serve the community with fundamental and important services, being better matters. I believe the Nonprofit Board Exchange will help us do better”, says Mason. 

The NP Board Exchange can be found at www.npboardexchange.org

@fieldstoneleadershipsd @kimcenter4sb @LEADSanDiego @risesandiego @SDCatalyst @sdworkforce @USDNPInstitute @unitedwaysd

Clare Rose Sabbatical Makes National News

Nonprofit Leaders Need A Break

In two recent articles, Inside Philanthropy reported on the growing need for sabbaticals to support nonprofit leaders on the verge of burnout.  Reporter Dawn Wolfe interview our founder, Janine Mason as part of her research and included our Clare Rose Sabbatical in both articles.  Along with the increased need for this program, the article focuses on the work of the Durfee Foundation in providing sabbaticals through their own program and its efforts to help others interested in creating their own program to get started.  Our Clare Rose Sabbatical program is modeled after Durfee’s program and Claire Peeps and Carrie Avery (pictured below) were instrumental in advising us as we crafted our program almost eight years ago.  We are forever indebted to them for their generosity!

Carrie Avery, Janine Mason and Claire Peeps

Our Clare Rose Sabbatical is one of only 13 programs across the nation offering opportunities for time away for nonprofit leaders. We are proud to be part of such an exclusive group, especially since it involves supporting nonprofit professionals at the highest level.

Renato Paiva on the Camino de Santiago before being called home due to the COVID pandemic.

And yes, the “rescued” sabbatical taker is our very own Renato Paiva (Access Youth Academy), who will be off again on sabbatical in 2022 – two years to the day that he originally left for his Clare Rose Sabbatical!!

To date, Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego has awarded 27 sabbaticals to nonprofit leaders in Southern California.  A Clare Rose Sabbatical includes three months paid leave for the executive director and opportunities to lead for the senior leadership team in the ED’s absence.  The experience is augmented with an organizational consultant and a $5,000 professional development fund for the team.  A Clare Rose Sabbatical is valued at $50,000 and is underwritten by the Clare Rose Foundation.

Nonprofit Leaders Need a Break. Will More Funders Start Backing Sabbaticals_ Inside PhilanthropyTwo organizations are currently participating in a sabbatical capacity building experience:  Friendship Shelter and ElderHelp San Diego.  Next year, five organizations will begin their Clare Rose Sabbaticals:  Assess Youth Academy, Case de Amistad, Kids Included Together (KIT), License to Freedom and Promises to Kids.

Applications for the next cohort of sabbatical organizations will be accepted in January 2023. The program is now offered only to the nonprofit sector in San Diego County.

For more information, please visit our website.

Encore Offering: Equity Journey 2.0

Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego and Nonprofit Leadership Alliance Continue Partnership to Offer Equity Journey 2.0 Again

As nonprofit leaders continue answering the call to provide social justice leadership for their organizations and clients, staff and board members have participated in The Equity Journey to learn how to advance equity through culture creation, hiring policies, board recruitment and program design.

Due to positive feedback and ongoing demand, Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego and the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance are continuing their partnership to offer an encore presentation of Equity and Nonprofit Organizational Success.  It will begin on September 1st and registration is now open.  More information can be found at  HERE

Network News

Learn about the latest offerings from our Network.

We are excited to introduce you to the newest members of the Clare Rose Sabbatical Family and provide you with updates on all of our programs.  Registration is open now for Reading Groups, Learning Groups, Executive Coaching and Equity Journey 2.0. Click here to keep reading…

2021 Clare Rose Sabbatical Recipients Announced

Kids Included Together      License to Freedom       Promises2Kids 

Awarded $50,000 Capacity Building Grants

                                    

Congratulations to Kids Included Together and Torrie Dunlap, License to Freedom and Dilkhwaz Ahmed and Promises2Kids and Tonya Torosian on their selection to participate in this capacity building program.  Valued at $50,000, each of these organizations will receive:

• Individual stipends and expenses of up to $40,000 to cover CEO salary, benefits, and travel to reflect or otherwise renew themselves in whatever manner they propose;
• Additional support of up to $5,000 fund for professional staff development. The purpose of the fund is to make it possible for other staff to have access to training programs or short-term leaves that might enhance their professional capacities.
• A fund of $2,500 to appropriately compensate or reward the leader or team that filled the role of the Executive Director during the sabbatical.
• Up to 12 consulting hours to aid in the preparation for, to be on-call during, and assist in the re-entry from the sabbatical.

Our thanks to past CR Sabbatical Takers Renato Paiva, Access Youth Academy; Don Stump, North County Lifeline; Je’net Kreitner, Grandma’s House of Hope; and Barbara Reuer, Resounding Joy for joining Fieldstone and Clare Rose Foundation on the selection committee. Having past sabbatical participants join the selection and interview team is a hallmark of our program as we believe those with real-life experience understand best which organizations are ready for this powerful capacity building experience.

Wines for Leaders in our Field: A Gratitude Event

Reciprocity     The Third Place       Stone Catchers      Power of Stones      Cultivation of Care

In appreciation for all that our facilitators and coaches do to support the Network, we hosted a unique online wine tasting to explore wines aligned with our values and practices. Led by wine expert Courtney Quinn of Path2Wine we connected as a community and shared stories of how these wines represented our leadership work . As a special treat, Courtney secured personalized videos from some of our featured winemakers.  It was a wonderful way to further our understanding of how our values and practices align together.  With a theme of “Wines for Leaders in our Field • Crafted by Leaders in their Field”, we explored an offering of choice wines and hand selected cheeses while enjoying each other’s company.  It was an evening filled with deep camaraderie and affection and learning. 

Wine Kits were hand delivered to each guest, complete with charcuterie boards. For those not drinking wine, other non alcoholic specialty drinks handpicked for each guest were included. Accompanying the food and drink, was a unique pair of custom made wine charms – a cairn and a rose.  Charms mark a wine glass much the way our coaches and facilitators help those in our Network mark their personal leadership path. We hope these special charms will serve as a remembrance of our time together and of our  deep gratitude for their commitment to the Network.

Mason to Present at Family Philanthropy Conference

This week, Janine Mason, will join the National Center for Family Philanthropy for their annual CEO Retreat as a session presenter.  Sharing the lived experience and research data of the Clare Rose Sabbatical program, Janine will be leading a session called Taking and Making Space: Sabbaticals as Organizational Capacity Building within your Foundation and your Field.   

The National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) was founded in 1997 in response to the need for a national source of knowledge and expertise that advocates for the value of family philanthropy. Grounded by the perspective of donor families, NCFP has helped define this burgeoning field and raise awareness of its unique issues. 

With a mission is to promote philanthropic values, vision, and excellence across generations of donors and donor families, and  recognizing the unique role of the family foundation CEO,  NCFP, offers a three-day CEO retreat. This year the retreat is virtual and has been designed to provide an opportunity to build community and reflect on practices essential to the successful leadership of a family philanthropy.  It has been crafted for both new and more experienced CEOs.  Participants will brainstorm practical and actionable solutions to a broad range of common challenges inherent within a foundation executive role including:

• Managing power dynamics between board, staff, and grantees
• Navigating family dynamics while maximizing the foundation’s grantmaking impact
• Working effectively with board chairs and board committees
• Addressing racial equity and diversity concerns among board and staff
• Setting up a meaningful assessment process for CEOs, foundation staff, and boards
• Developing the network and resources needed to set and achieve critical strategic plans
• Identifying, mentoring, and supporting next generation leaders
• Finding time for personal growth and renewal

The Clare Rose Sabbatical is offered as part of Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego and is funded by the Clare Rose Foundation, a family foundation. To date, the program has awarded 25 sabbatical experiences to local nonprofit organizations.  This month, the program will announce the newest cohort, which will begin working on preparing for their 2022 sabbaticals. Each sabbatical is valued at $50,000.  More information on the program is available here.

Janine will be presenting her session on Wednesday, May 12, 2021.

For more information on the Center, visit NCFP

First Pitstop on The Equity Journey

For the past three weeks, 68 nonprofit leaders have been working through the first module of The Equity Journey.  Offered in partnership with Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, the Equity Journey is a online learning program focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.  This is an encore presentation for Fieldstone, as this program was first offered in Fall 2020.  Due to popular demand, we offered it again this Spring to allow more nonprofit leaders to participate.

Unique to the Fieldstone offering of The Equity Journey are monthly “pit stops” which allow us to come together in small discussion groups to reflect on our learnings.  Facilitated by Janine Mason, four separate groups came together this week  to meet each other, share  reflections, and get a sense of other’s experiences with the material. The conversations were rich and impactful. The word cloud above illustrates how people were feeling after the group discussions and reflects the hopefulness, and gratitude of those who participated. It also reflects the personal contribution each member made to creating welcoming space that nurtured these rich conversations. 

The group is now starting Module 2 and will gather again on April 27 and 28th for their next “pit stop”.

Board Diversification – A “How-To” Training

Two-Part Webinar Series on Building a Diverse Board

Featuring Ali Levin, founder of Board Boost Consulting and author of Boost Your Nonprofit Board: A Diversification Guide

Building a diverse board is an ever-important and ongoing process. Historically, nonprofit boards are not diverse, with over 74% of boards comprised of non-BIPOC men and women. In San Diego, only 33% of our boards have BIPOC members even though 55% of our local population identifies as a black, indigenous or as a person of color. To be intentional about diversity, equity and inclusion organizationally and to make the necessary policy shifts in how we serve the world requires diverse and well-trained boards of directors.

While understanding the need to diversify, many nonprofit professionals and volunteer board members are unsure of how to start or what process to follow to accomplish and maintain a new, diverse and inclusive board composition. It can be a daunting task.

To begin this work in earnest, and support our Network leaders, we hosted a two-part comprehensive training on how to begin the process of diversifying your nonprofit board for long term sustainability and success. The first session focused on WHY this effort is imperative for your organization’s effectiveness and the second session explored HOW to do this work with state of the art tools and a step by step process.  After completion of this program, leaders had a deeper understanding of practical and actionable steps to empower them as they worked to develop a board that is most effective for their  organization and represents the community.  This program was offered in the spirit of Project Stone Catcher.

Due to the subject matter, CEOs and Executive Directors were encouraged to to participate with their board chairs and/or other members of their board.  A group rate was successful in attracting teams of CEOs and board members to participate together. This laid the foundation for shared language and shared understanding of the proposed process for board diversification. All registered participants received a copy of  Ali’s newly released book, Boost Your Nonprofit Board: A Diversification Guide to further assist them in this work.

Meet Our Facilitator

Ali Levin has fifteen years of corporate leadership experience from her time at Dell Inc. She has a Masters of Science in community sciences and nonprofit leadership from University of Florida and has earned a certificate in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University. Levin founded her own consulting practice, Board Boost Consulting, which delivers comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion solutions to help boards engage and retain a diverse team. With her corporate leadership background, nonprofit volunteer experience, and years of nonprofit academic research, she coaches nonprofit boards along the way of their board diversity transformations.

Check out Ali’s blog

The Journey Continues

Due to popular demand and meaningful feedback from past participants, Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego is continuing its partnership with the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance to bring The Equity Journey and Equity Journey 2.0 to nonprofit professionals in the San Diego region.  These two online learning opportunity are focused on equity, inclusion and diversity and are presented as part of Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego’s Project Stone Catcher effort.  “Society has always called upon nonprofit leaders and organizations to address our most important civic challenges. Today is no exception. As our communities work to address equity in our country and the world, nonprofit leaders are at the forefront.   FLNSD is committed to investing in the increased understanding, skills and network building  so nonprofit professionals can do this important work to the best of their abilities because it really matters”, according to Janine Mason, founder of the Network. Project Stone Catcher aims to present nonprofit professionals with opportunities to learn about social justice leadership throughout each of FLNSD’s individual programs.

In The Equity Journey, learners will explore the meaning of equity and what it looks like in society, test their own understanding of privilege and how it impacts access and learn how to advance equity in their own organizations and communities.  

Equity Journey 2.0 focuses on organizational competencies and developing the skills and understanding necessary for leaders to cultivate equitable and diverse organizational cultures. 

Both Equity Journey courses include three self guided modules. Learners will have three weeks to complete each module. Then, Learners will participate in an online small group discussion on the module before advancing to the next session. This enhanced program feature is unique to the Fieldstone offerings.   A board member of Olivewood Gardens who participated in the program last Fall shared, that “these discussions have been a central part of the Journey” and that he was “enriched by” the participants  and “their perspectives” during his small discussions.

These courses work well for individuals as well as for entire teams or organizations. It is a cost effective and impactful way to train employees and leaders in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion and create a shared vernacular as a starting point to begin organizational efforts and discussions to address change in an agency. Participants from Plant with Purpose concur, sharing, “The Equity Journey has already and will continue to contribute to our progress and change in our organizational behavior, culture and belief systems going forward.”

An e-certificate will be awarded to each participant who completes the online course and participates in the three online discussion groups.

Graduates of The Equity Journey are invited to continue their journey with Equity Journey 2.0. However, completing The Equity Journey is not a pre-requisite for participating in 2.0. Learners may also do both courses at the same time.