THE CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP INNOVATION INC./TCLI

In 2012, TCLI was pleased to enter into partnership with the national affinity group Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) to design and deliver the Circle of Leadership Academy (COLA). Essentially, TCLI and NAP merged their leadership models to create this new model designed to enhance and empower Native American leadership in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. Workshops, webinars, networking and coaching are designed to support emerging and mis-level Native American leaders in these fields.
As Native American leadership continues to be developed across the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, it is imperative to provide emerging and mid-level leaders with the tools necessary for future success. The kinds and complexity of challenges these leaders will encounter and the number of areas in which they require additional skills and knowledge enhancement is ever-growing. The volume of anticipated leadership within these sectors over the next five years indicates that a narrow window of opportunity exists to prepare pending leadership. The empowerment of Native American leadership is an essential factor toward building healthy and sustainable communities enhanced by the Native spirit of generosity.
COLA was kicked off on April 24, 2012 at the NAP Annual Institute in Los Angeles, California after completion of a “Call for Applications” and participant selection process. COLA leaders from each of the seven NAP Regions (45 COLA leaders total) were trained over the scope of 18 months in national summits and regional convenings. Each participant completed a Career Action Plan. Emerging leaders were defined as individuals on the verge of creating and leading real change in their community. Mid-career leaders were defined as individuals creating and leading real change but seeking leadership development opportunities to further hone their skills.
COLA Goals:
• Foster leadership skills rooted in native values and traditions.
• Introduce the most up-to-date practices of philanthropic and nonprofit leadership.
• Expand the understanding of career options and development of skills required for an effective career in philanthropy or nonprofit work.
• Provide an in-depth look at the role of philanthropy and the nonprofit in Native communities.
• Broaden and deepen the understanding of issues affecting native communities on a regional and national basis.
• Establish a leadership pipeline connected to an engaged network of NAP and TCLI partners and allies.
• Major knowledge enhancement – curriculum areas include community leadership and governance, organizational development, financial management, program development, fundraising, grant-making, communications and evaluation.
• All offered within the context of culturally appropriate trainings and interactions.

In January 2012, The Center for Leadership Innovation (TCLI) invited 25 nonprofit leaders from Flint’s African American community to an introductory breakfast to update them on four years of engagement with Flint’s Latino nonprofit leadership network. A series of leadership development and capacity building training and on-site technical assistance activities, funded by 3 local foundations, had resulted in meaningful organizational enhancements and significant new advocacy work by the emerging social impact network. The circle of African American nonprofit leaders invited TCLI to expand its Flint-based activities to include African American community-based leaders.

In November 2013, TCLI conducted further outreach with a larger network of Flint-based African American leaders from diverse sectors. TCLI was invited to design and deliver a new Flint African American Leadership Dialogue consisting of conversations, convenings, and a learning tour to leverage and advance the local African American community’s benefit from the new Flint Master City Plan. The Dialogue, which would produce a draft of a “Flint African American Agenda” would facilitate exploration of the following topics:

• Visioning a new Flint for the African American community.
• Incorporating a new ‘intentionality” in African American asset building.
• Encouraging grassroots civic engagement and leadership for increased ownership and accountability of desired results.
• Supporting local constituents and leaders as they build confidence to move forward.
• Bridging the gap between generations – making way for emerging leadership.
• More strategic positioning for the Flint African American community in public/private sectors.
• Understanding local dynamics related to challenges and opportunities.
• Forming necessary coalitions and partnerships to achieve goals.
• Advancing advocacy roles.
• Succession planning to fill the seats of vacant seats of former African American elected and appointed officials.
• Strengthening the fragile network of neighborhood based community development corporations.
• Exploring what is working in African American neighborhoods in other Michigan cities of similar size to adapt innovations to the Flint environment.
• The value of Black-Brown dialogue in Flint.
• Preparing for Black-Brown dialogue in Flint.
• Taking a hard look at why these types of efforts have not gained traction in the past.
• How to build this fabric together.

As a result of this preliminary outreach, TCLI was invited to submit a proposal to local foundations for program support. In the final stages of review, TCLI will initiate program activities upon notification of grant award.

For the past 8 years, TCLI has been delivering a series of state-specific Latino nonprofit Leadership Academies. With funding from 31 foundations, corporations and banks, each year-long Academy supports the efforts of leaders of emerging and existing Latino-led and serving nonprofits as they work to grow their organizations to the next levels of performance, excellence, impact and sustainability. Growing in scale, there are now 17 Academies in various stages of delivery or development which collectively include 1000+ Latino nonprofit leaders and an additional 200 U.S. Marshallese, Samoan, African American and American Indian participants.
In 2012, the W.K.Kellogg Foundation recognized this powerful union of diverse nonprofit leaders as a new racial equity network. With W.K.K.F. support, TCLI gathered 60 representatives of all Academies in New Orleans on January 18-22, 2012 to meet each other and inter-act for the first time. This launched all-Academy collaboration on cross-cutting issues affecting all network organizations and the constituencies and communities they serve.
The result was initiation of the Latino Nonprofit Racial Equity/Racial Healing Project with focus on achieving funding parity for Latino nonprofit organizations, ensuring educational opportunity, and closing the gap on health disparities. Conferees agreed that although the work of each Latino-led and serving organization is invaluable, over-arching equity issues are so critical that they can no longer be addressed within insular Latino communities.
In addition to ongoing cross-Academy collaboration, TCLI integrated these themes into each individual Latino Nonprofit Leadership Academy as well as an over-arching focus on dialogue with other diverse community-based leaders across race and ethnicity.
As an additional support, TCLI conducted a specialized two-day session with participants of every Academy, to deconstruct basic concepts, definitions and trends related to Racial Equity/Racial Healing. This was intentionally structured to encourage and prepare Latino nonprofit leaders to enter into meaningful – and sometimes first-ever – dialogue with non-Latino leaders of color. Participants examined their own Latino sub-group histories of oppression in comparison to histories of other communities of color, discussed the shared impacts of colonialism, and reviewed current challenges from an equity lens.
Each Academy cohort then reached out to diverse leaders on local and state levels, asking if they might be interested in racial healing and racial equity conversations. The result has been the development of new, heart-centered relationships which are creating the foundation for shared problem-solving and collective action.
In Flint, Michigan, TCLI has been invited to provide similar supports to African American nonprofit and community-based leadership; in Arkansas a similar request has come from the extensive Pacific Islander/ U.S. Marshallese community.

TCLI is under contract with Bank of America to manage their 2014 and 2015 Neighborhood Builder and Student Leaders awards competitions. The Student Leaders program connects young leaders with employment that helps to give them the necessary tools and resources they need to advance. Through the Student Leaders program, high school juniors and seniors step outside of the classroom to contribute service in their own communities and beyond. Student Leaders are awarded paid summer internships with local nonprofit organizations and participate in a Student Leadership Summit held in Washington, D.C.

The Latino Nonprofit Leadership Academy was created by TCLI as part of a broader social change strategy to achieve more equitable access to opportunity for Latino families and children. Latino community-based organizations are well positioned to lead critical equity and social justice movements as well as encourage grassroots civic engagement. The LNLA model is based on the belief that strong and robust Latino nonprofits play important roles in both service delivery and advocacy arenas.

Each specific Academy is designed to support emerging & existing leaders of Latino-led & serving organizations as they work to grow their organizations by moving them to the next levels of performance, excellence, sustainability and impact. By preparing leaders to strengthen the capacities of their organizations, TCLI contributes to the enhanced ability of Latino nonprofits to move people and places out of poverty.

LNLA goals are to: 1)close significant capacity-building needs not covered by traditional leadership development intermediaries; 2)introduce most current, state-of-the-art thinking about nonprofit leadership and management; 3)connect and strengthen the ability of local Latino nonprofits to develop cross-collaboration to impact on statewide systemic change.

Overall capacity-building themes are: individual leadership development; smart goals and strategic planning; organizational development focusing on board and staff training as well as the enhancement of internal fiscal and management systems; facility improvements or expansion; program design; fundraising plans; metrics and evaluation. Equity and advocacy overlays are tailored to the specific requests and needs of Latino communities in a particular state. Participants are encouraged to expand their world views outside of insular Latino communities including collaboration with leaders of color from other diverse communities to maximize problem-solving and innovative change.

A total of 10-20 Latino-led and serving nonprofits participate in each Academy depending on the level of committed funding. Organizations respond to a “Call for Applications.” Applications are then reviewed by a 5-member Selection Committee comprised of Latino professionals familiar with the states’ Latino nonprofit sector as well as challenges and issues confronting Latino communities.

Each twelve-month outcomes-oriented Academy consists of three 2 ½-day Workshops held at Retreat Centers; on-site technical assistance visits, conducted by the TCLI staff-consultant team, to each participating organization in between Workshops; distance learning; peer-to-peer consulting; and coaching by seasoned Latino professionals. TCLI has assembled a culturally relevant team of experienced and highly regarded Latino nonprofit leaders to encourage maximum benefit to every leader and to each organization.

The rapidly growing LNLA alum network, now 1000+ members, continues to convene on cross-cutting equity and social justice action.