PLATINUM2022

Perennial Zeitgeist

The Spirit of Now

Atlanta, GA   |  www.zgatl.org

Mission

Education, practice, and community for the spiritually independent.

Ruling year info

2019

Executive Director

Deboneee Morgan

Main address

2302 Parklake Dr NE

Atlanta, GA 30345 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

83-4007390

NTEE code info

Adult, Continuing Education (B60)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990-N.

Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The future of spirituality will not be limited to traditional faith institutions or paradigms. Increasingly, people are feeling lost and spiritually empty. Studies have shown a decrease in attendance at and involvement in organized religious institutions. Those who are not attached to a traditional theology or church community may not be aware of alternative ways to grow their spiritual understanding, experience, and friendships. Zeitgeist creates connection for those seeking growth, whether through dedication to a particular faith tradition, with and independent approach, or as a self identified, “none of the above”. Spiritually mature people bring compassion and connection to individual relationships and community building. Change must begin with each of us alone, and then expand out into broader improvements within our neighborhoods, nations, and world.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Exploring

We believe the growth of faith and spiritual attention will take place not only in organized religion, but also in individual relationships and building small communities of commitment and understanding. Our "Exploring" program is group spiritual discovery - a place to deepen your own spiritual beliefs and practices, and learn about the way others see their own spirituality. The time together includes gathering ritual (everyone gets a chance to lead), sharing our own personal spiritual narratives, conversation around assigned reading and other learning materials (podcasts, video etc) and additional instruction and facilitation of practices during sessions.

Our mission at Zeitgeist is to lead the way with fresh curriculum and an integrated interfaith/interspiritual approach, encouraging participants to grow their own worldviews, and their own spiritual connection.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Interfaith groups

Zeitgeist's Spiritual Direction Training Program, enables participants to earn a Certificate in ‘Practice of Spiritual Direction’. Our fifth cohort begins September, 2021. Participants are required to have completed the "Exploring" program, or equivalent Spiritual Formation training. Applications are required - if you have not attended "Exploring", but would like to be considered for the Spiritual Direction Training Program, please email Executive Director, Debonee Morgan for more information.

We believe the growth of faith and spiritual attention will take place not only in organized religion, but also in individual relationships and building small communities of commitment and understanding. Spiritual Direction has the potential to foster this development, especially if we strive to focus on inclusion, social awareness, and cultivating consciousness. Some are calling it a "Contemplative Reformation", and we are excited about the future moving toward unity and real personal deepeni

Population(s) Served
Adults
Interfaith groups

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

Carl McColman 2022

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Student satisfaction with the preparation to be spiritual directors.

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Spiritual Direction Training Program

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

Alumni surveys will be used to determine student satisfaction with the preparation to be spiritual directors.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Zeitgeist aims to create opportunities for spiritually oriented people to connect with teaching, practices, events, and one another in an environment that supports contemplative, interfaith and perennial values. We believe spiritually mature people bring compassion and connection to individual relationships and community building. Change must begin with each of us alone, and then expand out into broader improvements within our neighborhoods, nations, and world.

We offer education, practice, and community for spiritually independent individuals. We welcome people from all faith traditions and we contribute to the diversification of the field of spiritual directors, and promote interfaith relationships. Beyond our spiritual direction training programs, our events and on-going groups are a place for spiritual learning and connecting.

Our people represent what we are capable of accomplishing; Our board of directors, students, and graduates represent varied faith traditions and identities. We are a diverse community committed the vision of our organization and the infrastructure we have put in place (i.e. our curriculum, scope and sequence) creates the capacity for staff and volunteer change over without effecting the quality of programming.

We have graduated three classes of students who are now practicing certified spiritual directors within their communities and who are still active members of the Zeitgeist community. We have a successful calendar of workshops and events open to the public including an upcoming pilgrimage to Ireland to study Celtic Spirituality. Our diverse instructors are leaders in their fields of spiritual practice.

Continuing to promote outreach to diverse communities is always what's next for us. We always need more diverse voices in conversations regarding spirituality and the Zeitgeist of the era.

In order to build our community and create a strong, sustainable infrastructure, we are looking to be able to attract and retain quality people by paying our instructors and hiring paid staff positions.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Perennial Zeitgeist
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build 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.

Perennial Zeitgeist

Board of directors
as of 09/01/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Kristy Aspinwall

KMA Counseling

Term: 2021 - 2023

Pam Muller

Sweet Georgia Pam

Mitch Cohen

Compassionate Presence

Harrison Taylor

Stacey Atkins

Something Different Ministries

Ashley Buffington

Joella Walker

Burning Bear Healing Arts

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 9/1/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

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
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, or other sexual orientations in the LGBTQIA+ community
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 04/06/2022

GuideStar 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

Data
  • 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 disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • 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 disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • 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.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • 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 help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • 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.