Robert Sterling Clark Foundation

Drawing on insights from a range of field experts, “Reimagining Nonprofit Governance: How Did We Get Here? Where Might We Go Next?” provides historical context that shows how traditional governance models were designed in ways that are counterproductive to our aims, asks questions that allow us to reexamine assumptions about leadership and power, and gives examples of new modes of working together that chart a better path forward. https://www.rsclark.org/resources

“Having the expectation that something we resource and build needs to work for the whole sector is a dream killer. I keep learning that lesson over and over again. It's so tempting to think you can create something that will work for any organization, but that’s not a string we attach to funding — and it feels important to resist that temptation.”

In this Inside Philanthropy interview, Trish Adobea Tchume, our Senior Director of Leadership Research and Practice, spoke with Mandy Van Deven about what leadership means for Black women, how to navigate having positional power, and the responsibility philanthropy has to cultivate the conditions for a just and joyful future.

https://lnkd.in/e4tnctSn

Discover how nonprofit staff can challenge traditional funder dynamics and foster authentic relationships. Join Farra Trompeter, Co-Director, and Lisa Pilar Cowan, Vice President of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation as they discuss trust-based philanthropy and community-donor connections. https://bigduck.com/insights/how-can-you-challenge-the-power-and-practices-of-philanthropy/

IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP161 How can you challenge the power and practices of philanthropy?

Part of an outgoing leader's job to create space for new and expanded leadership by providing strong support for a seamless transition.

Find out how outgoing white leaders can facilitate this for incoming BIPOC leaders: https://www.rsclark.org/resources

A good executive search is robust. To attract a strong talent pool of BIPOC leaders, recruitment should include affirmatively reaching out to them personally.

Discover additional hiring tips in this new report: https://www.rsclark.org/resources

To have the greatest chance at success, an incoming BIPOC leader should be clear-eyed about the situation into which they are entering.

Find out how recruiters and hiring teams can give candidates the information they need to make informed decisions: https://www.rsclark.org/resources

Recruiters and hiring teams should make a grounded assessment of the organization, its culture, and its ability to fully support a BIPOC leader—including outlining concrete steps to address challenges identified in the process.

More recommendations here: https://www.rsclark.org/resources/

A transition plan clarifies an organization's intentions, creates a pathway for carrying them out, and serves as a vehicle for seeking the support needed to transition well.

Find out more: https://www.rsclark.org/resources/

Editor's Note: Lisa Pilar Cowan wrote this Op-Ed for The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and we're pleased to cross-post it today.

From TV’s ‘The Gilded Age’ to the Fight for Reparations: Lessons for Philanthropy in 2024 What binge watching a popular television show taught me about philanthropy’s ongoing efforts to move away from antiquated notions of charity.

To align organizational practices with a vision of a just society, BIPOC leaders create communities to support their professional and personal well-being — and those communities need funding.

Discover how philanthropy can resource BIPOC leadership: https://www.rsclark.org/resources/

Funding has a huge impact on what BIPOC leaders are able to achieve and how they are able to reimagine their organizations. Solid resourcing and funder relationships are among the qualities that set BIPOC leaders up for success.

Find out more: https://www.rsclark.org/resources/

“Funders love to support a special project; they should also get excited about funding organizational infrastructure!”

Our research shows the best way to support a transition to BIPOC leadership is to give substantial, multiyear general operating funds.

https://www.rsclark.org/resources