Reading List: Leading Through Change

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Stanford Social Innovation Review’s 2023 Nonprofit Management Institute will grapple with the many challenges and opportunities facing nonprofit leaders today. Headlines and LinkedIn feeds announce upheaval related to generative AI, fundraising headwinds, employee well-being, efforts to decolonize nonprofit organizations, and more. At this year’s hybrid conference, experts from across the nonprofit sector will share invaluable insights on each of these topics and more. There’s still time to sign up and join us in person or online!

In preparation, here’s a list of SSIR articles to help leaders thrive in a constantly changing environment.

1. Re-Embracing the Work of Fundraising by Armando Zumaya

In order to reverse declines in charitable giving, nonprofit leaders should take a closer look at the work of fundraising to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of the profession.

2. Why Settle for Cookie-Cutter People and Culture Practices? by Phil Buchanan, Alyse d’Amico & Leaha Wynn

No organization is perfect, so nonprofit leaders should be on the lookout for better practices related to hiring, management, and equity to help sustain their organizations for the long run.

3. Beyond ‘Toughing It Out’: Mental Health in the Social Change Workplace by Enoch Li & Daisy Rosales

Leaders of social change need new emotional responses to the undeniably difficult endeavors they and their organizations face. There are specific mental health practices leaders can cultivate in the workplace that free up energy to seek meaningful systemic and cultural impact. This article shows leaders how to get started.

4. Funding Data and AI That Serve the Social Sector by Jake Porway

This article lays out a third path for funders and nonprofit leaders alike who may feel torn between capitalizing on the benefits of technology and risking their constituents in the process.

5. The T-Rex and the Snowshoe Hare: What’s Next for Philanthropy in the 2020s by Gabriel Kasper, Justin Marcoux & Jennifer Holk

As a handful of powerful social, economic, and political forces continue to pressure funders, they will need to adapt to the changes to thrive. Gabriel Kasper, managing director of the Monitor Institute by Deloitte, will lead a session at this year’s NMI on the future of philanthropic giving and what it means for nonprofit leaders.

6. Decolonize Your Board by Natalie A. Walrond

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This article offers nine strategies to liberate board culture and provides a tool that boards may use to reflect on their own behavior and strengthen their culture. The author, Natalie Walrond, will join a panel at NMI to discuss how nonprofit leaders can champion these changes and better reflect the communities they serve.

7. The Nonprofit Decolonizing Itself by Eric Kawa

The nonprofit OneVillage Partners is transforming the meaning of partnership by shifting from community-led programs to becoming a community-led organization. Learn from their experience and deploy the lessons at your nonprofit.

8. Don’t Salaries Matter? by Amy Born & Gali Cooks

Learn about key employee engagement drivers and how to build an organizational culture that gets employee well-being right.

9. Strong Boards: An Antidote to Founder Syndrome by Joan Garry

A strong leader’s assets can sometimes become organizational liabilities. But why? Joan Garry, founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab, offers five practical strategies a board can and should employ to move to a board that partners with a founder. She’ll join this year’s NMI to talk about leadership transitions.

10. The Need for More Inclusive Leadership Narratives by Deborah Bae & Kiernan Doherty

The nonprofit sector needs a broader concept of leadership that centers equity and justice and encompasses leadership in all its forms. Go beyond the hero narrative of leadership and help lead the way to greater equity in nonprofit organizations.

Read more stories by SSIR Editors.