Conference Overview
Over the past year and a half, we and our organizations have dealt with a seemingly unending series of crises: a global health pandemic, personal loss and isolation, a long-delayed reckoning with racism, an economic downturn that hit the poor and marginalized particularly hard, and attacks on the fabric of democracy.
But we’re finally seeing glimmers of hope. Vaccinations are taking place in many parts of the world, with plans to roll-out more to other countries and regions. Actions are being taken to address systemic racial injustices in the United States and other countries. Ideas and policies that challenge neoliberal capitalism are getting real consideration from governments and businesses. After spending more than a year virtually holding our collective breath, many people are finally starting to think about returning to some sense of normal.
But as social innovation leaders we must aspire to go beyond a return to “normal.” The challenge we now face is how to build better systems and solutions than before. How do we create systems – for ourselves, our organizations, our constituents, and our communities – that are healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable than those we had?
As we begin the work together of creating a better tomorrow, we’ll address health and well-being from a personal, organizational, and societal perspective, including:
- The connection between inner well-being and social change
- How to create equity, dignity, justice, and joy in our sector and our society
- The vital role of funders in supporting organizational well-being
- Effective communication to overcome polarization and build connection and collaboration
- The power of multi-generational teams in the social sector
- Creating public policies that support healthy communities
…and others.
This year’s NMI will leverage our shared experience and knowledge, as we learn together in workshops, presentations, and panel discussions from our speakers and from one another. We encourage you to be a part of the discussions taking place online September 21, 22, and 23, as we begin charting our collective path to a healthier future.
Like many of you in the sector, we at SSIR are adapting our approaches and operations in response to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In that spirit, we are pleased to announce that, this year's annual Nonprofit Management Institute will be an entirely online convening.
Although virtual experiences are radically different from those presented in-person, we are committed to delivering a program that is just as informative, insightful, and engaging as that of any prior NMI. Over the next several weeks, we will be busy confirming our speakers and sessions, and developing other elements – including ways to network with your fellow social innovators – in order to provide you with an experience on par with what you have come to expect from SSIR convenings.
Join Stanford Social Innovation Review for this year's annual Nonprofit Management Institute, "Building a Healthier Future: Creating Personal, Organizational and Societal Well-being.”
Sessions
Transforming the Way We Think About Proximity
Breakthrough solutions for America’s most intractable problems come from within the communities most impacted by our broken systems. But in the social sector, we invest and behave as if the people affected by the systems we want to change aren’t the ultimate experts in those systems. Through a guided discussion, this session will examine how philanthropic leaders and funders are breaking away from the dominant culture and strategies of philanthropy to advance the work and insights of proximate leaders and innovators — people who have lived experience or meaningful relationships with groups that are systematically underestimated. New Profit’s Tulaine Montgomery and Angela Jackson will invite funders Frances Messano (NewSchools Venture Fund), Cheryl Dorsey (Echoing Green), Sam Cobbs (Tipping Point), and April Chou (OneTen), to share what propelled them to shift the funding structure at their organizations to those that are centered on equity and proximity, and how they implemented these changes. The discussion will provide participants with a roadmap for centering proximity while excavating the mental models and power dynamics that need to be addressed to advance real systems change. Participants will walk away with concrete ideas and methods to implement proximity-centered strategies into their existing operations.
Leadership to Advance Healthy and Thriving Communities
When it comes to your health, your zip code is more important than your genetic code. This unjust reality is the legacy of generations of income inequality, structural racism and others forms of systemic discrimination, nourished by a dehumanizing narrative of exclusion that results in discriminatory policies and practices that limit opportunity for many – particularly low-income people of color. Since 2010, The California Endowment’s (TCE) Building Healthy Communities initiative (BHC) has invested over $1.75B and contributed to 1400+ policy changes, system improvements, and other tangible benefits to promote systems change and advance health and racial equity. As part of that work, TCE and BHC have come to believe the best way to remedy the historic legacy of inequity is “People Power” – building voice and power, particularly for young people and across all generations. This workshop, led by Hanh Cao Yu, chief learning officer at The California Endowment, will introduce you to TCE’s “A-B-C’s” – Agency, Belonging, and Changed Conditions – to challenge and overcome the structural and systematically-manufactured conditions that families and communities struggle against, with a special focus on the power of multi-generational leadership and alliances in the social sector. Attendees will explore the role of youth & community voices in the “Arc of Change,” and learn first-hand from Frank Farrow (senior fellow, Center for the Study of Social Policy), Luis Sanchez (executive director, Power California), and Albert Maldonado (senior program manager, The California Endowment) about the power of multi-issue alliances for justice, the role of BHC’s Boys and Men of Color work in multi-generational alliances, and the role of narrative change in supporting cross-generational alliances.
The Five-Generation Workplace: How to help your multigenerational team thrive
With five generations in the nonprofit workplace at the same time, new obstacles to collaboration will inevitably emerge. How can a team effectively work towards a healthier future when its members have such different skill sets? And how can multigenerational teams get beyond ageist stereotypes and generational power struggles? Motivation to find answers is high as emerging research proves the benefits of mixed-age teams, and innovative organizations tout the upsides of multigenerational leadership models. In this session, panelists will highlight new models for generational collaboration and share practical tips for tapping the complementary skills and strengths that older and younger people bring to the table. The panel, moderated by Marci Alboher, vice president for Narrative Change at Encore.org, will explore the unique challenges that emerge in a multi-generational workplace and how organizations can best navigate them to enhance the effectiveness and comradery of their teams. Alboher will be joined by Eunice Lin Nichols, vice president for Innovation, Encore.org; Sherreta R. Harrison, sustainability catalyst, MetroMorphosis; and Jeffrey Vargas, president and CEO, Generationology LLC. The panelists will tackle real and perceived barriers that are frequently cited as creating a generational divide in the workplace.
Disrupting polarized politics to build connection and collaboration
Increased polarization continues to be a disturbing trend, one that impedes progress on many crucial social issues. But recent history has shown that even people on opposite sides of the seemingly most divisive of topics can still find common ground, when the associated challenges are presented in a way that they can connect with. The LGBTQ+ movement disrupted the polarized politics of marriage equality, and succeeded in building a new consensus around the once-divisive issue. Today, 7-out-of-10 Americans support legal recognition of same-sex marriages, including a majority of Republicans. Beyond simple reframing, how do we connect our causes to people who would appear to vehemently be opposed to our reasoning? This session will be led by Doug Hattaway, president of Hattaway Communications, and Carlos Diaz, director of Hattaway Communications. They will share lessons from the marriage equality campaign and other successful communications efforts to shift perceptions among disparate audiences around polarizing topics, insights from social science that are foundation to these efforts, and examples of organizations working to overcome polarization and build connection and collaboration.
Pre-Conference Session: “Better than Normal – How Nonprofits are Building Back Stronger in the Wake of Local and Global Crises
Pre-Conference Open Access Session (Sponsored by AWS): They’re everywhere – statements about how difficult, unending, and revealing the past year (plus) was for us and our organizations. But, what about the stories of how organizations successfully persevered, re-invented, and rose to challenges and issues in response to their communities, constituents, and employees? And what does the way that they persevered predict for their future…and that of other organizations? In this open-access session produced in partnership with AWS for Nonprofits, we’ll look more deeply at data points to ground us in the current state of social wellbeing and progress, as well as hear straight from nonprofit leaders who innovated and re-factored to respond to the changing challenges of those with whom they work. Social Progress Imperative’s CEO Michael Green will create a clearer picture of what life is really like for everyday people by highlighting the 50 social and environmental indicators measured in the latest US Social Progress Index (scheduled to be released Fall 2021). We’ll also hear from Orange County United Way’s Chief Transformation Officer Chris Ticknor and Thomson Reuters Foundation's Director of TrustLaw Carolina Henriquez-Schmitz on how they remain responsive to their communities by listening to their ever-changing challenges and introducing innovative technology solutions that set them up to more easily adapt and evolve.
Connecting Inner-Wellbeing and Societal Change
Now more than ever, disaster relief workers, activists, social entrepreneurs, health-care providers, teachers, and others are facing burnout and experiencing a host of personal challenges such as depression, divorce, and the early onset of chronic disease. These challenges not only impact individuals but also the organizations and communities they serve. As Aaron Pereira and his co-authors wrote in their 2020 article for SSIR, “supporting the inner well-being of change makers can boost capacity for innovation and collaboration, and ultimately lead to more effective solutions to social and environmental challenges.” Aaron Pereira, project lead of The Wellbeing Project, will moderate this session featuring speakers Bedriye Hulya, co-founder of BFİT-MUZİPO KİDS; Katherine Milligan, director of the Collective Change Lab; and Nora Murphy Johnson, co-founder and president of Inspire to Change LLC. The four will engage in a compelling discussion exploring how personal wellbeing has a strong organizational and societal impact. In order to be the most effective, it is imperative that changemakers move beyond the mentality of self-sacrifice and martyrdom to prioritize their own wellbeing alongside that of their organizations and communities
Wellbeing Partnerships That Work
Nonprofits and funders must work together better to ensure we have healthy, thriving organizations that support staff wellbeing and ensure longevity for the communities they serve. In this session we’ll look at what great partnerships look like and address practical concerns including how nonprofits can make the ask for funding their wellbeing programs and how funders can provide grants that truly strengthen organizations and people. Join session leader Jessamyn Shams-Lau, co-author of Unicorns Unite: How Nonprofits And Foundations Can Build Epic Partnerships, for a frank discussion and hands-on workshop that will benefit both nonprofit and foundation professionals.
Belonging, Dignity, Justice and Joy: A Framework to Create the Beloved Community
Why do traditional efforts on organizational change often center on assimilation to white dominant culture? This conversation will expose what many Black and Indigenous people know through experience: The pervading approach is superficial, fundamentally flawed, and actively harmful. Invoking the wisdom of our elders, ancestors and those to come, Decolonize Design created the proprietary Belonging, Dignity, Justice and Joy (BDJJ) framework as an alternative for organizational wellness. The labor of transforming ourselves and our organizations is the labor of reclaiming our sacred personhood and creating the beloved community. Join Decolonize Design’s organizer-turned-founder Aida Mariam Davis and acclaimed professor, intellectual, journalist and organizer Marc Lamont Hill in a discussion to engage and actualize the radical imagination of Black and Indigenous peoples in the workplace and beyond.
Reflective Leadership for Team and Organizational Health
Extreme external challenges can create moments where we as organizational leaders feel like we are “hanging in the balance” – waiting for a clear outcome to determine a path back to “normal.” But it is precisely these moments that may be opportunities to create new normals – better, healthier ways to work, find purpose, and resilience in our jobs. Leading with an eye to establishing new, better norms requires a true understanding of the status quo, one that is gained through reflection and ongoing discipline to carry forward the change we want to become. In this session, Leah Weiss, a researcher and lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and co-founder of Skylyte, will explore how leaders can communicate the importance of reflection and visioning to build team health, tangibly embed reflection and visioning in their organizations every day, and practice having difficult conversations that lead to thought-provoking reflections and next steps. This session will have a strong scientific anchor but will also seek to emphasize tangible and interactive exercises that draw from Skylyte’s tools and applications. Participants will have the opportunity to experience firsthand the benefits of this kind of work by partaking in a simulation exercise.
Getting to a New Normal: The Power of Starting with Wellbeing
COVID-19 has laid bare the legacies of structural racism and social inequities that underlie many systems in the United States. The country’s approach to solving the resulting issues of poverty, violence, trauma and oppression is often at odds with what we all need, necessitating a fundamentally different approach to create a new normal. What would it mean to shift our focus from fixing problems to fostering wellbeing— the set of needs and experiences essential to weather challenges and maintain health and hope? For organizations, systems, and communities working to overcome these societal issues, starting with wellbeing creates possibilities for lasting change in people’s lives and opens the door to greater equity in society. This session, presented by Tanya Tucker, chief of national engagement and partnerships for the Full Frame Initiative, will introduce a framework for wellbeing and tools to help challenge assumptions and shift our mental models. In order to reach a new normal we need to bring about lasting change for our own lives, our organizations, and for the individuals and communities we work with.
The Role of Nonprofit Boards in Building a Better Future
Nonprofit boards play a critically important role in the leadership of nonprofit organizations and wield considerable power and influence. However, they are often sidelined when it comes to leading organizational strategy, perhaps in part because board members are often recruited with their fundraising ability in mind, and still perceived primarily as fundraisers by nonprofit leaders. In a widely-read SSIR article, “The Four Principles of Purpose-Driven Board Leadership,” Anne Wallestad, CEO of BoardSource, argues for “a new way of being” for boards – one that centers on purpose, and is guided by principles of respect for ecosystem, equity mindset, and authorized voice and power. Join us as Wallestad leads an informative conversation about the core concepts of purpose-driven board leadership, what these mean for board recruitment and governance, and how to apply these lessons to your and your board’s work.
Personal Wellbeing & Work-Life Balance in A Hybrid Workplace
As we begin to move to the hybrid workplace, it is essential that you and your team maintain wellbeing and work-life balance so that we don’t slip into overworking and burnout. It is also an opportunity to reimagine personal productivity whether you and your team are working from home or in-person or a combination of the two. Join Beth Kanter, nonprofit thought leader, virtual facilitator, and author of The Happy Healthy Nonprofit for an interactive workshop session on how to build your personal wellbeing and calm during a time of high anxiety. She will share the latest research on work-life balance challenges during the pandemic as well as many practical tips to help you and your team go from languishing to flourishing.
Inequities and Complexities – The Leaders We Need For The Decade Ahead
America is now facing what might be the most complex decade of the past 75 years. Much has been said about the current level of inequity and complexity facing today’s America; but what has not been addressed is the kind of leaders we will need to navigate the 2020’s and build more sustainable, more just, and generally healthier systems and solutions. Using a wide range of experiences and relationships built over the last 35 years working across the private, nonprofit, and public sectors, Paul Shoemaker’s personal journey and research has identified the five vital traits leaders need most. In this session, Shoemaker, a social impact leader, consultant, public speaker, and author of the book Taking Charge of Change shares stories of leaders who are exemplars of those vital leadership traits. At times like this, leadership is the seminal lever in society, and we need these leaders— these rebuilders— to show up ready to lead.