THE STRONG NONPROFITS PROGRAM
FOR EAST CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
This cohort leadership program, specifically aimed at organizations working to eradicate poverty in East Contra Costa County, is a chance for your team to come together so you can tackle your most pressing organizational sustainability questions, delve deep into leadership skills that will help you move your mission forward, and explore ways to increase collaboration amongst anti-poverty organizations in the region to make an even bigger impact.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
CompassPoint’s STRONG Nonprofits Program is a team-based organizational sustainability cohort program that aims to reduce and prevent poverty in East Contra Costa County by strengthening the capacity of local nonprofit organizations working on poverty eradication.
This 16-month program will bring together teams (of two-to-three leaders) from ten organizations that are working to serve low-income and underserved communities in East Contra Costa County.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Over the course of this 16-month program, participants will...
- Increase their personal sustainability and resilience through developing practices of self-care and renewal.
- Strengthen relationships inside their organizations and with peer organizations by being part of a community that increases trust and breaks down traditional silos.
- Create and make progress on an organizational sustainability plan that will be customized to each organization’s unique needs and challenges.
PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Organizational Assessment and Individual Strengths Assessment
Selected organizations will complete the My Healthy Organization (MHO) assessment. Each individual leader will also have the opportunity to take the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment to gain insight into their individual strengths. Learnings from these assessments will inform the development of organizational sustainability goals and implementation planning efforts.
Cohort Seminars and Peer Learning
There will be five in-person sessions centered on issues of organizational sustainability within leadership, management, and strategy. Seminars will also include frameworks for strategic decision-making and planning, opportunities for peer learning, and team working sessions that translate new skills and knowledge into action.
Organizational Coaching
Each organization will work with a CompassPoint coach/consultant who will support the development of a sustainability plan and provide technical support and suggestions to help leaders address challenges they might be facing in the implementation process.
Homework
Between each seminar participants—with support from CompassPoint consultants—will be given homework to continue analysis and development of their sustainability plans; guide leaders in bringing program content and learnings back to staff and board; and vet proposed decisions with others within the organization to get feedback, increase ownership, and foster alignment.
Resources and Technical Support
Participants will have access to CompassPoint’s resource library of publications, training material, webinars, templates, and tools. These resources will be used to support participants’ rollout of sustainability plans with staff and board.
Program Dates
Participants must be able to attend all sessions.
All seminars will be held in East Contra Costa (Location TBA).
June 22 thru Jun 23, 2017
2-Day Kick Off
August 18, 2017
Seminar 1
October 13, 2017
Seminar 2
December 8, 2017
Seminar 3
February 16, 2018
Closing
Eligibility
The cohort will be made up of teams of two-to-three leaders from ten organizations that are ready to engage in a generative learning environment and who are invested in their personal and organizational development.
Each team will be comprised of the Executive Director (EDs are required to participate) and one or two colleagues from their organization to attend in partnership. This colleague can be a board member, staff, or volunteer, who will play a significant role in co-leading the change effort.
Executive Directors, this program is right for you if….
- You are beyond the basics of acclimating to your position and the fundamentals of running your organization (most likely, you will have been in the position for at least two years);
- You are ready to take the organization to the next level and are eager to address questions of sustainability in more powerful ways;
- You are ready to invest in your own development in addition to your organization’s development.
All participants, this program is right for you if…
- You are able to fully engage and participate in all program components (assessments, in-person gatherings, homework between sessions, and at least five hours of coaching between in-person gatherings);
- You are excited to learn with your ED and peers, share your experiences, and are open to others’ ideas;
- You would benefit from being in a safe, confidential, and generative learning environment;
- You are eager to create deeper connection and collaboration amongst anti-poverty organizations in East Contra Costa.
MEET THE TEAM
Facilitators
Byron Johnson
Senior Project Director at CompassPoint
Jeanne Bell
CEO at CompassPoint
Project Management
Spring Opara
Associate Project Director at CompassPoint
The East Contra Costa STRONG Nonprofits Cohort Leadership Program is supported by the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation, the Y & H Soda Foundation, the East Bay Community Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, the Joseph & Vera Long Foundation, and the Walter S. Johnson Foundation.