A Message from Janine

Inspiration can appear in the strangest places.

I was flipping the pages of decorating magazine recently, when I came across a quote by Suzanne Tucker that really struck a chord with me:

“As we evolve, our homes should too.” — Suzanne Tucker

I couldn’t help but connect the dots in my mind: to our historical ties to The Fieldstone Group of Companies (a collection of land development, home building, and real estate businesses, who established the Fieldstone Foundation in 1983); the creation of the Fieldstone Leadership Network, as a home for nonprofit leadership development; and the evolution of our own “home”, in terms of our independent organizational structure and programing focus, over the years.

As you now know, from our recent announcement, our home is evolving once again.

After a series of strategic planning conversations, we were presented with the opportunity to build a more sustainable home for our SD network; and to create an organizational structure specifically designed to better serve our leadership community.

I couldn’t be more excited about our strategic partnership with the Clare Rose Foundation.

FLN and CRF have worked together over the past six years to present the Clare Rose Sabbatical Program — the only local foundations to make this type of capacity building experience available to nonprofits in San Diego. The success of the Sabbatical Program gives us confidence that our expanded partnership will be equally effective. This is a good fit.

The organizational structure of our new alliance will allow us to return to our roots, be more responsive to the needs of our local nonprofit leaders, and more creative in helping nonprofit executives develop the skills and relationships they need to become exceptional leaders.

We have added ‘San Diego’ to our Fieldstone Leadership Network name and have a new website (fieldstoneleadershipSD.org) to reflect this change. Our website introduces new organizational values, showcases a new sabbatical video, announces a new component to our Leadership Reading Group (called Author’s Insights), and outlines a new retreat offering for 2020 that will focus on social justice. These are only a few of the positive changes made possible by our new home.

Registration for our upcoming learning groups and coaching program is now open. Applications are available on our website here and programs are scheduled to begin, as usual, in January 2020. A few spaces remain for our 2019-2020 Leadership Reading Group, which begins in September and includes participation in our new author’s events.

As I reflect back on the past 31 years, I feel grateful for what has been and excited for what awaits. I am so appreciative of Peter Ochs and Keith Johnson giving me a home to do the work I know I was called to do. I am grateful to my teammates past and present who have joined me on this journey over the years. I have the utmost confidence that FLN OC will flourish under Robin and Peter’s leadership and I am thrilled the legacy of our work will continue in the county in which I grew up. And, I am elated when I think about working with a local team of philanthropic leaders to continue the work of FLNSD and to build on what has been.

That’s what it’s all about, after all: leadership. Whether we’re navigating an organizational transformation — as we are at FLN — or making the day-to-day decisions that leaders must make — it’s never easy.

That’s why we’re here: to support each other, and to be supported. A community of leaders united in the spirit of reciprocity.

As we continue to evolve and settle into our new home with the Clare Rose Foundation, I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this thriving community that we’ve built, together.

As I shared on the occasion of our 25th anniversary, “A Home is Where Your Story Begins”. We have a new home and I know an important story is beginning for all of us.

While my physical address will stay the same, please make sure to update my email address in your contacts, visit our new website and follow our new social accounts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.

With Gratitude and Anticipation,
Janine