New Program to Support Early Career Executive Directors

Because Beginnings Matter

As San Diego experiences a wave of leadership transitions in the nonprofit sector, many newly appointed executive directors are stepping into this role for the first time. While this evolution often results in a loss of long-term experience, it also presents opportunities for innovation, fresh perspectives and renewed energy. Recognizing the need for critical support at the beginning of an Executive Director’s career, we have created “LAUNCH”, a nine-week program designed to empower early career Executive Directors with the tools, knowledge, and support network necessary to excel in their role and drive positive change within their organization and community.

Research underscores the critical importance of continuous learning for sustained leadership success within nonprofits, making a  commitment to ongoing education through LAUNCH not just beneficial for an individual’s growth, but also for the resilience and impact of the organization they lead. Moreover, LAUNCH emphasizes the value of building meaningful relationships within the sector, especially with those also beginning their Executive Director careers.  Because we understand that these leaders and their relationships could prove influential for decades to come, we felt it was important to take the time to create a new program to serve these leaders.  Knowing that how one starts an endeavor is critical, it feels necessary for us to invest in them early in their executive director careers. 

Led by seasoned executives renowned for their expertise and success in the nonprofit sector, each weekly session delves deep into essential topics such as governance, finances, fundraising, HR, and organizational planning. Drawing from their personal experiences, as well as contemporary practices and theories, the facilitators will provide valuable insights and guidance throughout the program. Each session will be led by a pair of leaders, ensuring diverse perspectives and deep expertise are shared. Our team includes:

• Torrie Dunlap
• James Halliday
• Lesslie Keller
• Sharon Lawrence
• Janine Mason
• Sue Schaffner
• Donald Stump
• Karen Terra
• Rhea Van Brocklin
• Ismena Valdez

The Fieldstone website has detailed information on each of the 9 sessions.

The program kicks off on September 25th with a cohort gathering aimed at community building.  The first academic session will follow on October 2 and continue through November 20th.  Each session will take place at Fieldstone’s offices in University City. 

By prioritizing the professional growth of early career Executives during this critical juncture, we are confident we will cultivate a robust foundation for sustained success not only for individual leaders and their respective organization, but also for the advancement of our sector. Our investment ensures that those who have embraced executive leadership are equipped to tackle challenges effectively, build trusted relationships with other leaders, and find personal fulfillment in this significant role” said Janine Mason, Fieldstone’s Founding Director. 

Applications for our premiere cohort are being accepted now.  Due to the large interest list, the program is expected to fill quickly.  Thus, interested leaders are encouraged to apply early.

Announcing the 2024 Clare Rose Sabbaticals: Nurturing Leaders and Building Capacity

Nonprofit leaders face immense pressures, often with minimal opportunities for rest, rejuvenation and investment in their professional skills. Acknowledging the vital need for leaders to recharge and be continuous learners, the Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego and the Clare Rose Foundation are delighted to unveil the recipients of the 2024 Clare Rose Sabbatical Program.

Congratulations to the 2024 Grantees

This year’s grantees, Solana Center and Karen Organization of San Diego, exemplify unwavering commitment to their communities and missions. Led by Jessica Toth, Solana Center champions innovative solutions to climate change through education and community engagement. Noa Kabashima, Executive Director of Karen Organization of San Diego, is dedicated to the educational and social enhancement of ethnic minority groups from Burma residing in San Diego.

Karen Organization of San Diego is committed to the educational and social enhancement of various ethnic minority groups from Burma who reside in San Diego. Established in 2009, KOSD help refugees navigate social service systems, access leadership and employment opportunities, and stay connected to their community and culture.

              

Nao Kabashima, is the co-founder and Executive Director. She is originally from Japan and first came to the U.S. as a graduate student. After she earned her Master’s degree in Political Science at California State University, Chico, in 2008, she began volunteering for the Refugee Resettlement Program at Jewish Family Service of San Diego and started to meet with many Karen and Karenni refugee families. In 2009, she co-founded KOSD with Karen community leaders to meet the urgent needs of refugees from Burma in San Diego. She served as the Secretary and Chair of the San Diego Refugee Forum in 2012-2013 and is currently serving the Partnership for Advancement of New Americans (PANA) as a Board Vice Chair. She currently sits at various community advisory boards including San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s AAPI Advisor Board and San Diego State University’s School of Social Work Community Advisory Board.

Lead by Jessica Toth, Solana Center’s mission is is to empower innovative solutions to climate change through education, community engagement, and research. Founded as Solana Recyclers in 1983, they are proud to have pioneered the first comprehensive curbside recycling program in San Diego – and one of the first such programs in the State of California.

              

Jessica started her career on Wall Street during the 1980s. Since then, she has held positions in corporate research, marketing, IT consulting, and business process improvement at various companies, including HP, Texas Instruments, the World Bank, Kyocera, SDG&E, and the San Diego Zoo. She also co-founded and ran Curious Company, an educational software company. More recently, she established the environmental education programs at Rob Machado Foundation and served on a San Diego Coastkeeper committee. She was recently honored by Senator Catherine Blakespear as the 2024 San Diego Woman Who Inspires for remarkable contributions to environmental sustainability and her tireless advocacy for meaningful change in our community. Jessica holds a Master’s degree from MIT in Business and a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell in Engineering. She also completed UCSD Extension’s certificate program in Sustainable Business Practices.

A Dual Purpose: Rest and Capacity Building

The Clare Rose Sabbatical Program serves a dual purpose: providing leaders with essential time for reflection and renewal while also investing in the capacity of next-level leaders. We understand that effective organizations require both energized, imaginative leaders and a pipeline of capable successors.

Through individual stipends of up to $40,000, leaders are empowered to cover salary, benefits, and travel expenses, enabling them to pursue rejuvenating activities. Additionally, up to $3,500 is allocated for professional staff development, nurturing the growth of emerging leaders within the organization. To ensure continuity during the sabbatical period, a fund of $4,000 is designated to compensate or reward the team that assumes leadership responsibilities in the absence of the Executive Director.

Selection Process and Community Engagement

Grantees are meticulously selected through a rigorous process involving written applications, site visits, and committee interviews. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to past Clare Rose Sabbatical Takers who served on the selection committee this year – Kristianne Kurner, New Village Arts, John Malashock, Malashock Dance, and Deborah Martin, ElderHelp. To date, 32 sabbatical grants totaling over $1.6 million have been awarded, thanks to the unwavering support of the Clare Rose Foundation.

Celebrating Together

The announcements of the 2024 Clare Rose Sabbaticals were made on May 15th.  Joining Janine Mason and Anne Vincent, were past CRS grantees anxious to welcome new members into the sabbatical family. After presenting the awards, the Clare Rose community continued the celebration at a hosted happy hour in Del Mar as part of Fieldstone’s ongoing commitment to sabbatical keeping, nurturing relationships within the CRS community and giving thanks for those who continue to give back to the program in the spirit of reciprocity.

The Clare Rose Gang huddling in the parking lot before our first surprise.

The Clare Rose Sabbatical Program is an investment in the sustainability and success of nonprofit leaders and their organizations. Studied since its inception, we eagerly anticipate the positive impact these sabbaticals will have on both individuals and the communities they serve.

For more information, visit the Program page on our website.

 

Fieldstone @ 4: Bridging Communities Through Art and Leadership

Network News April 2024

This month’s addition of Network News includes information on our newly created program, LAUNCH, to support early career executive directors, our next Leadership Reading Group, and the Clare Rose Sabbatical.  It also contains resources to help you hire, find board members and share and receive resources with other nonprofit organizations.

Read NETWORK NEWS Here

Network News March 2024

In this edition of Network News, we are sharing information on an exciting new program to support early career executive directors, the upcoming formation of our ninth Leadership Reading Group, and resources to help our nonprofit members recruit board members, new team members and share and receive goods and services with each other. 

You may learn more specifics by reading Network News here

Leaders in the Field – March 2024

Members of the Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego are some of the most accomplished leaders in our community. And we are proud of them!! Thus, we offer Leaders in The Field, a quarterly communication highlighting Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego members, their contributions to and achievements in our community. Leaders in the Field seeks to recognize and celebrate our members while increasing the awareness of their work and accomplishments.

If you would like to share an accomplishment or contribution of yours or of your colleagues in upcoming Leaders in the Field publications, please email Janine at [email protected] .

Read our March 2024 Edition

Remembering A Champion

This week, my thoughts have been consumed with Liz Shear.  Since news of her death, I have been revisiting memories I haven’t thought about in years, maybe even decades now.  Our every day meetings and conversations have taken on greater significance now that I understand there won’t be anymore of them.  How can that be?

But how lucky I was to have 35 years of friendship and mentorship and partnership with this incredible person.  Over the years our relationship evolved as we evolved.  In the beginning, I was a grantmaker meeting her in her office in Old Town.  She was the Executive Director of San Diego Youth and Community Services, advocating in new and impressive ways to support youth in crisis.  She was seasoned, I was not.  She flowed in her colorful scarves and I was “professional” in my suits and heels.  We appeared to be so different, but we discovered we weren’t in the ways that mattered most.

Liz, third from left, with the Kaleidoscope Committee at USD in 2014

Graduation gifts from Liz 2011

She moved on to offices in Midway, then to  a “retirement” that led to consulting and teaching at USD.  I went from a foundation to a network and then to consulting.  Through it all, we drove the streets in her blue Miata, sat under the avocado tree, dreamed up programs in Alcala Park and beyond.  We worked together on The Children’s Initiative, created the Kaleidoscope Award, sat on boards, and co-designed leadership stuff.   In 2011, she became my professor at USD and I formally became her student, although I had already been learning from her for so long it was hard to notice a difference.  We celebrated each other’s birthdays and weddings and graduations and like all good friendships, we saw each other through challenges too. We were both moms to one child, a son.  We gushed over them in ways only we could.  And we understood the bond.  We were friends, colleagues, thought partners and cheerleaders.

In her later years, Liz became known as the “governance guru” and that she was.  I certainly won’t ever hear or say the word “generative” without thinking of Liz.  She changed our concept of board governance, educated us on the “triangle” and urged us to govern well.  What Liz understood was that to do the front line work, to meet and accomplish the purpose of a nonprofit, nonprofit boards had to understand their work and do it well.  She cared deeply for the mission of nonprofits so educating nonprofit leaders and board members was aligned with where her heart was- being in service to people and creating stronger communities through nonprofit organizations.

As Executive Director of San Diego Youth and Community Services, Liz’s dedication to advocating for young people in crisis was unparalleled. She didn’t just envision change; she orchestrated it, reshaping systems and perceptions to uplift those most in need. She provoked those in the sector to work differently. Her presence was transformative, her empathy boundless, as she navigated the corridors of advocacy with grace and determination. In trying to describe Liz to someone recently, I called her a “champion for young people”, especially those in crisis.  I can still see her interacting with the kids at the shelter.  She related.  She connected.  She loved.  Her gift was one of acceptance and accompaniment.  These kids had seen bad times, had had tough experiences, many didn’t have families or homes, struggled in school, and weren’t sure what would come next.  And Liz was Liz, which meant she saw them.  And she let them know it.  She loved them.  She valued them.  She worked for them.

In community celebrating. My last picture with Liz 2022

Liz was my champion too. She championed all who knew her.  She championed us on in our work, in our learning, and in our search for meaningful lives. And she did it the same way she championed the youth – she came along beside us and accompanied us on our journey by making us feel seen and valued,  and by creating a space where we could be our true selves without fear of reproach. She didn’t judge, was wildly hospitable and was giddy at the possibilities that bubbled up naturally between people in relationship.  She was in love with loving the world and it’s people – she was in love with us.  And her love made me a better human.  I am guessing, it made you one too.

I’m not sure what the world looks like without Liz in it.  Already, I know it is not the same.  I’ll do my best to carry on and to carry her with me, as I know others will too.  But I will miss her more than I can actually acknowledge at this moment.   I’m not sure I’ll ever stop looking for a little blue car carrying my friend ready to share love and wisdom and get to work.  But I do know, I will never stop being grateful that we got to do life together for a little bit.

Thank you, my friend.  The world is better, in so many ways, because you were in it.

Janine Mason

Network News

As we step into our 41st year, we reflect on the meaningful journey of the past 40 years, and celebrate the ripple effect of our leadership development and community building efforts. Now, with gratitude for the ripples, we set our sights on using them to create waves.

The kickoff of this transformative year has been nothing short of inspiring. We welcomed 33 leaders into three separate learning groups, marking the beginning of a six-month program that has become a cornerstone of our Network. It’s heartening to witness the commitment and engagement of these leaders, driving the momentum forward. As one member observed, “my group is epic”!

In our ongoing commitment to support and empower, we are excited to share that this year, we will be coaching eight nonprofit CEOs. This initiative aims to provide invaluable support and wisdom as they navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

A highlight of our capacity-building efforts is the Clare Rose Sabbatical, a $50,000 grant program. The program offers nonprofit leaders the chance for rest and renewal while their teams lead in their absence. Our recent session at The Nonprofit Institute’s Board Governance Symposium, titled “Sabbatical as Strategic Governance,” aimed to demystify sabbaticals for boards and showcase their role in strategic work.

As we embrace the wisdom of “Be the ripple. Create the wave,” let’s remember that creating a difference in someone’s life has a profound impact on everyone influenced by them throughout their lifetime. This is our collective mission – to create waves of positive change that resonate far beyond our immediate circles.

In our latest Network News you can learn more about who has joined our leadership community in 2024 and upcoming programs and resources.  Read more using this link

Everything

As we wrap up our 40th anniversary year, it seems only fitting to add my voice to the others who have shared what Fieldstone has meant to them over the years.  As I have anticipated writing this piece, the word that continually comes to mind is everything.

Fieldstone means everything to me.

Fieldstone is the place where I began my career and met wonderful, values-centered people who modeled for me what it meant to lead a business with integrity and adherence to a set of beliefs that guide your actions, even when it might be “easier” not to.  As a young adult embarking on an “independent life away from home”, landing at Fieldstone built upon the values and teachings of my parents and, for that reason, it always felt like the place I was meant to be.  At Fieldstone, I found my calling and started to do the work I believe God called me to do.  And I have been blessed to do it for the past 35 years.  This has proven to be everything.

We always refer to Fieldstone as family and I found mine here in so many ways.  My husband and I met, or should I say, were re-introduced through Fieldstone.  My son is a “Fieldstone Baby”, and anyone who knows me, knows how I feel about him.  I also found chosen family – the people I have the honor to work beside and to serve as they work diligently to serve others.  So many have become trusted colleagues, faithful friends, wise thought partners and inspired traveling companions.  At Fieldstone, I found community.

I am amazed at the magnificence of those I work with.  How they respond time and again, often at great sacrifice to themselves or their families, to continually show up when things are hard.  To be there to address fires when their own homes are burning…both literally and figuratively.  When the world is in bad shape, Mr. Rodgers said to “look for the helpers”.  It sounds cliche, but how lucky am I, that for 35 years, I have had a front row seat watching the helpers.  It may have seemed that I was supporting them, but it was me who was being fortified. I think this is why the world always seems like a hopeful place to me.  Amidst all of the world’s challenges, and we know there are many, I have watch people give the best of themselves in response and take care of those in most need. Without them, our world would be very different.  I know this deep down.     These people are everything.

All that happens in the world, is touched, in someway, by a nonprofit – food and nutrition, economics, health, education, arts, environment, war, peace, animals, safety, justice, sports, faith, civic engagement, advocacy, even taxes!  When I started this work so long ago, I didn’t understand this the way I do today.  My Fieldstone friends and this work, have taught me about the world through various lenses not widely available to others.  These lenses have challenged me, inspired me, informed me and shaped my view of the world and of life. My work has taken me to hospitals, theatres, jails, class rooms, immigration centers, museums, retreat centers, military bases, international borders, homeless shelters, film sets, concert halls, half-way houses, support groups, universities, other cities, states and countries.  It has provided academic opportunities to expand my knowledge and experiences to turn learned theory into practice.  I have had moments to reflect, to create, to collaborate and to respond.   This has influenced everything.

Fieldstone is the the place where I live out my vocation, build relationships with incredible people and have meaningful opportunities to participate in community in ways that matter to me and, I hope, to others.  Combined, these coalesce for me into a meaningful life filled with the very best people I know.

Yes, Fieldstone means everything to me.

Janine Mason, Founder, Fieldstone Leadership Network

Recognized as a convener, connector and cheerleader, Janine has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 35 years. She is the founder and architect of the nationally recognized Fieldstone Leadership Network, a continuum of leadership training and learning opportunities for nonprofit leaders, which she created while leading the Fieldstone Foundation as its Executive Director. She worked with the Weingart Foundation as a consulting program officer, bringing its Small Grant Program to fruition in San Diego County. In 2020, She began consulting with the Clare Rose Foundation and currently leads Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego as a separate program under its organizational umbrella. 

Throughout her career, Janine  has served on numerous boards, currently serving as a trustee of the Catholic Community Foundation and the Banck Medical Research Foundation.  She has been educated by the University of San Diego, Stanford and the University of Notre Dame.  

Janine is an avid reader, tea drinker and Fighting Irish Fan.  

This concludes our 40th Anniversary Blog Series, “What Fieldstone Means to…”  Thank you to all who have created our communal story of impact by sharing their individual story about what Fieldstone means to them. We are grateful for this time to look back and reflect our on legacy and we have learned much about the power of our Network and the ripples that have spread out because of our work together.  As we begin our fifth decade, our work continues.  This time turning ripples into waves.

Leaders in the Field December 2023

Members of the Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego are some of the most accomplished leaders in our community. And we are proud of them!! Thus, we offer Leaders in The Field, a quarterly communication highlighting Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego members, their contributions to and achievements in our community. Leaders in the Field seeks to recognize and celebrate our members while increasing the awareness of their work and accomplishments.

Read the Latest LEADERS IN THE FIELD

If you would like to share an accomplishment or contribution of yours or of your colleagues in upcoming Leaders in the Field publications, please email Janine at [email protected] .