The arrival of November signifies the start of Native American Heritage Month. Every day, I connect more with the importance of recognizing the great suffering and loss that covers the land we call home and taking steps to learn about and support local tribes who continue to help shape our future. For example, I learned that Indigenous and local communities protect more nature than countries do through national parks and forests, yet these communities receive less than 1% of the climate funding aimed at reducing deforestation, according to a Fast Company article. In response, four countries and 17 global funders are pledging $1.7 billion between now and 2025 to help Indigenous and local communities protect tropical forests, recognizing the successful efforts of Indigenous people in protecting our earth.  CEN welcomes the opportunity to walk alongside and support Indigenous organizations and leaders who may want to pursue this opportunity.

In addition, the holiday season is upon us and kicked off on November 4^th with Diwali, a celebration of light and the triumph of knowledge over ignorance. In pondering Diwali’s meaning, I feel fortunate to interact with so many of you through our various programmatic offerings and hear how your wisdom, bravery, skill, and patience continue to allow you to triumph over changes and challenges.

I am reminded that the word “leader,” which we use often at CEN, is not limited to those in the highest positions of organizations. You all have shared your moving stories of creativity and commitment exhibited by staff (from the newest to the most seasoned), volunteers, and even service recipients. That illuminates for me how CEN strives to serve leaders of all stripes and inspire them to identify and serve as encouragement for others who look up to them. As CEN continues to grow and evolve both in programming and staffing (Did you know we will welcome our 10^th staff member this month?!), now is the time to invest in deepening our bench and bringing a wider selection of people and perspectives to the table.

These days, doing our jobs comes along with what can feel like the weight of the world, and when we let go, we allow others to step up and step into their leadership and greatness. On a practical level for us, that looks like making the time to sharpen our onboarding processes, letting staff (and a few volunteers) stretch their impact by taking on new skill sets, and incorporating fresh ways to form and maintain connections with our fully remote staff. What ways have you found to broaden your leadership lately? Has that included making space for others? I look forward to ongoing conversations and learning from and with you this month and beyond.

Thank you.

Join TVNPA online on Nov. 11 to explore how an organization can build a strong partnership between its executive team and board of directors. Seasoned nonprofit executive and expert consultant, Mary Hiland, Ph.D., will walk us through how to build the strong top leadership team your nonprofit needs and deserves. This program content is also relevant to other nonprofit staff leaders (in development, finance, HR, etc.) who interact with volunteer board members as well.

Design for Extreme Affordability (Extreme), a multidisciplinary, graduate-level course at Stanford’s design school, is looking for Bay Area partners for their 2022 (January-June) cohort. Extreme partners with social impact organizations to design products and services that address the needs of low-resource communities. If you are interested or know of an organization that may be a good fit and interested in engaging with a student course, please email extreme@dschool.stanford.edu. 

As the Director of Learning & Leadership, you would be in a highly visible, external-facing position that plays a key role in addressing the needs of nonprofit organizations by providing them with the tools and training they need to take their impact to the next level. The Director of Learning & Leadership is charged with developing and implementing a range of fee-based learning and capacity building programs for nonprofit staff throughout the Bay Area to continue to advance their skills and leadership impact. If you’re passionate about helping people learn and grow, possess excellent communication skills, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a commitment to the nonprofit sector, this position is a wonderful opportunity for you to shine.

The Learning + Member Engagement Coordinator’s mission is to support SVCN’s effort to provide nonprofits and nonprofit staff with the critical resources they need to maintain healthy organizations that are working effectively to build thriving and equitable communities. Reporting to the Learning + Member Engagement Manager, the Coordinator supports SVCN’s work to educate, support, and convene nonprofit staff. The Coordinator’s primary responsibilities are to; support implementation of SVCN’s learning program and cohort offerings; coordinate volunteer matching, technical assistance, mutual nonprofit support; track membership and update database of nonprofit community, and assist with data collection and analysis to identify member needs.

Please email tarryl@cen.org to feature your organization's job opening(s) in an upcoming newsletter (format: 3-4 sentences with a link to learn more). Priority is given to CEN members.

Sobrato Center for Nonprofits - Redwood Shores

330 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite 151

Redwood City, CA 94065

650-517-5855