White House Forum on Nonprofit Leadership
On Tuesday, November 15th the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation and the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships co-convened a national forum on nonprofit leadership. The Aspen Institute’s Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation served as a co-convener of the Forum along with American Express, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Center for Creative Leadership, Commongood Careers, the Corporation for National and Community Service, Independent Sector, Public Allies and the Rudin Family Foundations.
The Forum engaged more than 200 participants from across sectors in a vital conversation about the role of the nonprofit sector in our nation’s economic recovery, particularly focusing on investments in leadership and human capital that will support the sector’s continued growth and success. Diverse, effective and innovated leadership is essential for the nonprofit sector to deliver high-quality programs and services to communities in need. A new generation of leadership must understand how to operate and thrive in a more dynamic and interconnected environment, while being asked to do more with fewer resources.
The Forum was an opportunity to share ideas and strategies among leading thinkers, funders, and Administration officials to advance shared commitments to increase all forms of investment in human capital and leadership development. Cross-sector collaboration was a key element of the discussions at the Forum, particularly the knowledge and skills transfer between the public, private and social sectors. Working groups developed a blueprint of actionable goals and viable high-impact strategies to strengthen leadership in the nonprofit sector.
These goals and strategies will be the foundation for a national cross-sector effort to better prepare, train and sustain leaders—The Initiative for Nonprofit Talent and Leadership. Independent Sector will advance the Initiative. More information can be found on their web site: http://www.independentsector.org/leadership_initiative
The Forum was chronicled in real-time by graphic recorder Alicia Bramlett of The Value Web. Her illustrations artfully capture the highlights of remarks made throughout the day. Featured speakers from the White House included Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President; Melody Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council; Joshua DuBois, Executive Director of the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships; and Jonathan Greenblatt, Director of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. Remarks were given by Dr. William Spriggs, Assistant Secretary for Policy, US Department of Labor; Cheryl Dorsey, President of Echoing Green; and Kenneth Chenault, Chairman and CEO of American Express. Noted experts in human capital and leadership development participated in panel discussions and helped to facilitate the working sessions.