Thursday, Oct. 21, 1:15 p.m.-2:45 p.m.
Session:
C4
Track:
Leadership Presentation Materials:
Improved outcomes for the people the nonprofit sector serves are dependent on the quality, stability, and retention of the staff delivering mission-critical services. In addition, organizations must create potential successors at all levels by strategically identifying and investing in the talents of their managers and emerging leaders. This workshop will provide information on understanding the key components of the leadership framework and its application within individual organizations, while also helping attendees to gain strategies and practical tips for the recruitment, selection, and training of staff. Finally, attendees will learn how to identify, assess, mentor, and develop emerging leaders.
Presenters: Jeff Blythe, executive vice president of programs, and Julie Youngquist, executive vice president of external affairs, Lawrence Hall Youth Services
Workshop synopsis:
The nonprofit sector in general and human services specifically is experiencing a workforce crisis that encompasses direct care workers to the most senior leaders. The sector’s track record for recruiting, training, educating, mentoring and retaining a highly qualified workforce is piecemeal.
A national leadership study conducted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that more than half of nonprofit executive leaders are planning on leaving their positions by 2010 and nearly 85 percent plan to leave during the next seven years. Yet, 75 percent of nonprofits surveyed do not have a plan for leadership development or succession planning. Without a stable workforce providing direct services and new leaders emerging to guide organizations, the very stability of organizations is threatened. Ultimately, the children and families in crisis, who desperately need programs and services, will feel the effects of an organization that is ill-equipped to meet their needs.
This is a critical point in time for human service organizations. Nonprofit leaders are managing in tough times as increased demands for services are met by decreased private and public funding. For many, the workforce crisis may seem too far removed from the daily fight for survival, but now is the time to act.
