Coaching: A Powerful Tool for Nonprofit Leaders

By Rick Moyers

Meyer Foundation Program Director

Coaching–a professional relationship in which someone with leadership experience and coaching training works one-on-one to support a leader over a limited period of time–has been used for many years in the corporate sector and government as a way to develop effective leaders, but has been much less widely embraced by nonprofits. However, a growing number of executive directors are discovering that working with a coach can be a powerful tool for addressing the challenges of leading nonprofit organizations – including isolation, maintaining work-life balance, and successfully leading change.

To help raise awareness of coaching among nonprofits and grantmakers, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation created and funded the Coaching and Philanthropy Project, a national initiative led by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services in partnership with Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. The Meyer Foundation was an advisor for this initiative, which has created resource materials to help nonprofit leaders better understand coaching, assess their readiness for coaching, and learn how to select and work with a coach. Meyer will be hosting a 90-minute introduction to coaching featuring CompassPoint's Michelle Gislason on May 5. (Please note that because of space limitations, this session is open only to current grantees.)

Since 2005, nearly a dozen Meyer grantees have used grants awarded through the Foundation's Management Assistance Program (MAP) and Exponent Award to support coaching for their executive directors. The feedback from these grants has been overwhelmingly positive, with leaders reporting that their work with a coach:

• Provided a confidential sounding board for discussing difficult challenges and sensitive situations.
• Fostered greater self-awareness and increased accountability in their work to strengthen their own management and leadership skills.
• Helped them sort through competing priorities develop concrete action plans for addressing organizational issues.
• Supported their efforts to establish appropriate work-life balance and build more sustainable cultures in their organizations.

Meyer's ability to support coaching through the MAP program is limited, but grantees and other nonprofit leaders in the region can access coaching in a variety of other ways. For example, Georgetown University's leadership coaching certificate requires participants to coach three clients as part of the program; the Nonprofit Roundtable's fellowship program for executive directors includes a coaching component; and other funders that support capacity building and organizational development may be open to requests for coaching support. Some coaches who work primarily with for-profit or government clients offer occasional pro bono coaching to nonprofit executives. Organizations that pay for coaching without grant support may also discover that a modest investment will produce significant benefits given the importance of strong executive leadership for overall organizational effectiveness.

To learn more about coaching, including how it differs from therapy, when it's not appropriate, and how to assess whether you're a good candidate for coaching, visit Coaching and Philanthropy Project's website.

Washington At Home Published With Meyer Support

Washington At Home, a new book edited by Kathryn Schneider Smith, examines the social history of Washington through 26 of its residential neighborhoods.The Meyer Foundation provided financial support for the book, which is a great effort by 30 historians, journalists, and others who know the city intimately to deepen the public understanding of the unique hsitory and culture of Washington's many diverse communities. The edition includes essays on seven neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River. Learn more.

Free Workshops for Meyer Grantees

The Meyer Foundation announces several convenings exclusively offered to its grantees in 2010. The workshops are in content areas that grantees frequently identify as those in which they would like more technical assistance: fundraising, communications, and coaching.

Introduction to Coaching for Executive Directors
Wednesday, May 5, 2010, 3:30-5 p.m.

Michelle Gislason of CompassPoint will provide an overview of executive coaching and how it can help executive directors develop their own leadership and strengthen their organizations, followed by a dialogue with executive directors who have used coaching successfully. Presented in partnership with the Management Assistance Group.

Creating Sustainable Funding in Economically Challenging Times
Tuesday, July 13, 2010, 1-2:30 p.m.

Join Benevon founder Terry Axelrod for an introduction to a tested system for identifying, cultivating, and engaging individual donors with a deep commitment to your organization's mission.

A third workshop, Writing Successful Opinion Editorials, on Tuesday, June 4 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., has reached maximum capacity. If you are interested in being added to a waiting list for that session, please e-mail Amy K. Harbison at aharbison@meyerfdn.org.

For full workshop descriptions, eligibility information, and a link to the sign-up page, click here.

Calling All Future Executive Directors

For the second time, the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington is offering a fellowship for nonprofit professionals who hope to become executive directors, an initiative prompted by Meyer's 2008 report Ready to Lead?.

Fellows will enroll in a 12-month program to strengthen their leadership skills and provide them coaches and mentors. The program is designed for mid- and senior-level professionals who intend for their next jobs to be as executive directors of small- to mid-sized nonprofits in the Washington region. For full eligibility information and how to apply, click here.