Ignatian Solidarity Network, Inc.
Rooted in the spiritual tradition of St. Ignatius of Loyola and Catholic Social Teaching, we seek change through transformational programs and resources that deepen faith and lead to dismantling systemic injustice; collaborative initiatives that bridge divides and overcome exclusion; and collective action to defend and promote the inherent dignity of all Gods creationboth people and planet.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
ISN was founded in 2004 and is a lay-led 501(c)(3) organization working in partnership with hundreds of Catholic universities, high schools, and parishes across the country, with a special affinity to institutions sponsored by the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). Rooted in the spiritual tradition of St. Ignatius of Loyola and Catholic Social Teaching, we seek change through transformational programs and resources that deepen faith and lead to dismantling systemic injustice; collaborative initiatives that bridge divides and overcome exclusion; and collective action to defend and promote the inherent dignity of all Gods creationboth people and planet.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice
Since 1997, the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice has connected Catholic faith and justice, addressing timely issues through two days of dynamic speakers, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities. As the largest annual Catholic social justice gathering in the U.S., the gathering attracts attendees from over 120 Jesuit and other Catholic universities, high schools, parishes, and organizations in the U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico, and El Salvador.
The gathering was initiated near the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia in response to the deaths of the Jesuit martyrs and their companions in El Salvador in 1989. For over a decade, the Teach-In has convened in Washington, D.C., in proximity to the U.S. Capitol to allow attendees to advocate for, defend, and promote the inherent dignity of all God’s creation—both people and planet.
Arrupe Leaders Summits for High School Students
Each, ISN hosts three Arrupe Leaders Summits, inviting emerging student leaders and faculty/parish chaperones from high schools and parishes nationwide to deepen their understanding of “a faith that does justice,” share ideas and resources for social justice programming, and become empowered to effect positive social change in their local and global communities.
Throughout the program, students explore leadership through the lens and witness of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J.’s life and commitment to the call to solidarity with all of humanity, demonstrated through his emphasis on the Jesuits’ re-commitment to serving those on the margins and seeing social justice as core to one’s faith.
Summit facilitators weave together Arrupe’s example with the leadership best practices, and help students make connections to their own lives through small group conversation, networking, idea sharing, prayer, dynamic activities, and personal reflection.
Ignatian Justice Summit
The annual Ignatian Justice Summit invites college student to deepen your skills as leaders and organizers on campus and in the community. For 4 days, attendees network, share goals, challenges, and best practices; sharpen organizing/advocacy skills; pray and learn about the Ignatian call to work for justice; and commit to taking coordinated, collaborative action returning to campus.
The Summit features social justice organizers and movement leaders whose work is grounded in Ignatian thought. Presentations and workshops allow attendees to build organizing/advocacy skills.
IJS serves students currently involved in justice-oriented programming/organizing on campus with a commitment to continuing to work for more just campuses, communities, and policies. Participants seek to both grow in their understanding, ideas, and convictions, as well as be willing to share their insights with fellow leaders.
Undocu Network and Summit
Since 2019, the Undocu Network (UN) provides a space, both virtually and through an annual in-person summit, for undocumented and marginally documented young attending or recently graduated from Catholic colleges and universities to:
-Receive support or mentorship from peers experiencing similar struggles;
-Identify challenges they face feeling welcomed and valued on their campuses and share best practices about how to advocate for themselves and other immigrant students;
-Find their collective voice as a cohort to call on the Catholic higher education network and our nation to legislate and enforce policies that enable young immigrants like themselves to flourish as individuals and contribute to the life of our Church and society.
Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance
Supporting Catholic institutions in making ethical and sustainable purchasing choices
Catholic communities are called to use their talents to build a more just society by actively integrating the principles of Catholic Social Teaching into the purchasing decisions of their church, school, college or university.
The Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance (CEPA) is a project of the Ignatian Solidarity Network, EthixMerch, Equal Exchange, and COLLECTION. The Alliance provides support to institutions seeking to integrate these values into their purchasing through educational resources, immersive formational opportunities, networking, and mentorship.
Where we work
Awards
Traditioned Innovation Award 2023
Duke Divinity School
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of conference attendees
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Arrupe Leaders Summits for High School Students
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
2020 and 2021 numbers include the virtual Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice attendees
Number of programs documented
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of individuals attending rallies or marches
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Public Witness outside the U.S. Capital at the annual Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice Advocacy Day
Number of people on the organization's email list
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Ignatian Justice Summit
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of Facebook followers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Ignatian Justice Summit
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Through in-person and virtual programs and campaigns, ISN provides social justice education grounded in Catholic Social Teaching, and works to mobilize its 90,000+ network members to take action on timely issues related to migration, care for creation, racial justice, and economic justice. The focus of ISNs work is always with an eye toward forming individuals with a life-long commitment to the service of faith and the promotion of justice.
In addition to hosting leadership programs and advocacy efforts throughout the country, ISN organizes the yearly Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C., which draws more than 2,000 people each year to the nations largest annual Catholic social justice gathering and advocacy day.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Faith Doing Justice: We ground ourselves in Catholic Social Teaching and the spirituality of Saint Ignatius of Loyola; encounter and ally with those who are marginalized; commit to solidarity and kinship.
Collaboration: We connect local, national, and global communities; form lay leaders and co-labor with the Society of Jesus and the Catholic Church.
Transformation: We invite people of goodwill, across generations, to be prophetic and effective leaders in personal, social and ecological conversion.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Ignatian Solidarity Network has eleven full-time staff, as well as contact staff and intens. In addition, we work with a network of member institutions and social justice partners that support our efforts in a variety of ways. These include participation in steering and advisory committees for programs and initiatives. ISN is also supported in many in-kind ways by Jesuit institutions who co-labor with ISN in working toward fulfilling our mission.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Ignatian Solidarity Network, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 02/29/2024
David Johnson
St. Elizabeth Healthcare
Term: 2024 - 2023
Carlos Aedo
Office of Ignatian Spirituality, Jesuits East
Andrea Hattler Bramson
Loyola Foundation
Michael Barkley
Higher Ambition Leadership Alliance
James DeGraw
St. Ignatius Parish, San Francisco
Colleen Dulle
America Media
Julie Fissinger
Fordham Universitys Presidents Council
Annie Fox
Jesuits West
Barry Gilman
Church of St. Francis Xavier, New York
Vince Herberholt
St. Joseph Parish, Seattle
Dave Johnson, Ph.D.
St. Elizabeth Healthcare
Chris Kellerman, S.J.
Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology
Ashley Myler Klick
Holy Trinity Catholic Church & School
Teresa Marie Cario Petersen
Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton
Dr. Deborale Richardson Phillips
St. Ignatius High School, Cleveland
Nicky Santos, S.J.
Creighton University
Mary Lomax-Ghirarduzzi, Ph.D.
University of the Pacific
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/29/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.