An Accountable Kind of Love, Radically



February is not only Black History Month; Two weeks in, we are encouraged (pressured?) to outwardly display our love for those around us. Are you tired of the ongoing commercialization of Valentine’s Day and the commodification/performative nature of many businesses’ approaches to Black History Month? Accept my challenge to reach for something deeper and more impactful this time around. 

I am looking to our nonprofit sector to be introspective and truly show up for Black lives and especially Black women leaders—this month and every month. 

The stakes feel especially high this year. 

• An election year. 
• A year where we see the advances made in the tearful wake of Breonna Taylor’s and George Floyd’s murders being rolled back with smiling, menacing vigor. 
• A year where books and educational curricula, much like reproductive rights, are being sacrificed at the altar of political gamesmanship. 

A pit remains in my stomach as I grieve for Antoinette “Bonnie” Candia-Bailey, the vice president of student affairs at Lincoln University of Missouri, who died by suicide. I grapple with the lack of support for and the resignation of Dr. Claudine Gay, Harvard’s first Black and female President in its 387-year history after having suffered racial attacks and a lack of support from the Harvard Corporation as she publicly struggled to find solid footing on the issue of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Please know that among Black leaders these are not isolated incidents, but rather an attack on the Black collective. They are meant to silence, deny, reject, discourage, demean, and intimidate. Your Black loved ones and colleagues cope by exchanging knowing glances and holding hugs a bit tighter and a beat longer. We share think pieces meant to help us process our emotions and know what the next right move is to ensure our individual and collective survival. We recognize what is going on, and we are not okay with it. Go on we must. 

This directly touches the nonprofit sector. This is a time for action and allyship. We must raise our voices and stand in solidarity.

Funders, have your dollars that support Black-led organizations and Black communities dried up? The Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE) estimates that funding for racial equity reached $3.4 billion, and financing for racial justice reached $1.07 billion following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020. Yet, no clear data exists on how much of the granted funds actually reached grassroots Black-led and Black-benefiting nonprofits, according to the report’s authors. Have you committed to locating and including Black-led organizations and causes in your giving portfolio? What will you do starting this very month to combat the fact that while 77% of Black-led nonprofits operate on a budget of less than $500,000 per year, one-third of all Black-led organizations operate with a budget of $30,000 per year according to the Nielsen Foundation’s Data for Good program? 

Executives and managers, what have you done to ensure that there are Black people at every level of your organization? How are you ensuring that they feel welcome? Are you offering them the same level of access to information and support as you have provided to others in the past?  

Staff and team members, how are you receiving and responding to Black leadership? How can you ensure that your Black clients and collaborators feel heard, seen, included, and prioritized?  

Board and governance chairs, have you adopted a strategic approach to inform Black potential board and committee members of the opportunity that awaits to serve in your ranks? Have you merely accepted that 82% of all board members identify as white and that 19% of boards exclusively so? 

Through it all, we must ask ourselves, what opportunities right at our fingertips have we identified--maybe overlooked-- to create lasting change in our back yards? What is each one of us prepared to risk to make it happen? If the answer is nothing of real value or nothing that makes the heart tense up and beat a little faster, the question becomes “Is that good enough?” Am I engaging in performance and centering the comfort of the status quo over true action?

I have been blessed by this community recently. You all have let me know that you see these words month after month and share that we contend with the same big and uncomfortable questions together. I cannot thank you enough. I look forward to hearing your responses and knowing that I am not alone in holding up a mirror to myself and my work this February and all year long.

Sincerely,

Shana Peete

Community Spotlight

Meet David Hernandez, Chief Programs Officer at Sunnyvale Community Services

A driving force of community service, David is committed to improving the lives of individuals and families in need, leveraging his skills to provide essential support services, including food assistance, housing aid, and educational resources. With a Master of Social Work from San Jose State University and a BA in Collaborative Health and Human Services from California State Monterey Bay University, David's academic background paired with his professional community-facing experience fuels his passion for making a difference. Upon completing the CEN Program, Building Representative Boards, David recently joined the nonprofit Helping Hands Silicon Valley as an Executive Board Member in 2023. Congratulations, David, you are an inspiration to those around you!

CEN Seeks Strategic Planning Proposals

The Center for Excellence in Nonprofits (CEN) invites qualified strategic planning consultants to submit proposals for our upcoming strategic planning initiative.

CEN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Redwood City, CA, dedicated to empowering nonprofit leaders through continued learning and fostering inclusive spaces. We seek a strategic planning consultant with expertise in nonprofit leadership and a strong commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and liberation (IDEAL) principles.

The deadline to apply is February 9, 2024 at 5:00pm.

CEN’s Board Organizational Preparedness (BOP)



A diverse nonprofit board ensures that the organization's leadership is connected to the communities they serve. If board members embody the identities of those communities, they are more likely to respond to their needs more effectively. CEN’s Board Organizational Preparedness (BOP) cohort program supports organizations working to diversify their boards and do exactly that.

The program promotes long-term success through a deep understanding of IDEAL principles. Our work centers around inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and liberation (IDEAL) principles in all that we do, as part of our commitment to dismantling structural and institutional challenges in the nonprofit sector, empowering board members to continue this important work in their own organizations. Learn more here: https://www.cen.org/brb.html.

CEN has designed a two-part series to help organizations diversify their Boards:

IDEAL Training: This workshop is a genuine, candid space to explore IDEAL principles and their effect on the nonprofit organizations themselves, as well as, the communities they serve.

Panel Discussion and Roundtable: Guest speakers offer peer learning and leading practices to embody IDEAL. Then, BOP organizations are invited to share their plans to incorporate IDEAL into their governance and board recruitment practices.

Networking opportunity: The experience culminates in a board matching event, where the Building Representative Boards cohort members, and Board Organizational Preparedness organizations can connect and explore the possibility of working together to further their collective community impact.

Register your Executive Director/CEO and Board Chair to IDEAL by submitting this form.

Learn more about this program here: https://www.cen.org/brb.html

February Programs

CEN Information Session

Unlock your potential in the nonprofit sector! Join us for an enlightening information session, where you'll gain valuable insights into the ways that we support our nonprofit leaders. Discover how CEN's high-quality programs, consultation, training, and community-building efforts, all centered around our IDEAL principles, can empower you to create lasting impact.

Fundraising Basics

Overcome the challenges of nonprofit fundraising with confidence! Join us as we demystify the fundraising process and equip you with the tools to transform fear into strategic action. If fundraising seems daunting, this session is tailor-made for you. Let’s team up as we dive into the basics of the fundraising process, create a comprehensive fundraising plan framework, and master the art of developing an effective case for support and communication strategies for donors. We'll also shed light on the crucial role of the Board in fundraising and how to best support those efforts. Geared toward nonprofit staff, executive directors, and board members new to fundraising, this beginner-level workshop provides templates and resources to kickstart your strategic fundraising journey. 

Grant Fundraising Essentials

Elevate your nonprofit's impact through effective grant writing. Join us for a comprehensive workshop on how to begin the grant-seeking process. This session is designed for nonprofit staff, executive directors, and board members. From prospect research and fund cultivation to budget breakdowns and proposal concepts, we will walk through it all step by step. By the end, you'll not only grasp different types of grant funding, but also enhance your writing and storytelling skills. Don't miss this opportunity to gain insights into the vital aspects of grant writing.

Common Money Mistakes - Partnership with Mass Mutual

Join us on for the "Common Money Mistakes Seminar", hosted by the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits and presented by our partners at Mass Mutual. This insightful session is designed for everyone, especially nonprofit sector employees. If you are aiming to enhance personal financial knowledge and grow as a leader, this is an invaluable opportunity for you. We will dive into an overview of 52 potential money mistakes, understand their impacts, and learn to avoid them for better financial well-being. This event is a part of a comprehensive Employee Financial Education seminar program. 

"Making the Ask" Fundraising

Join us for CEN's "Making the Ask" Fundraising Workshop This session will dive deep into the art of fundraising, and is designed for staff, executive directors, and board members eager to implement best practices for successful fundraising. You'll learn to craft development plans in crisis situations, explore various fundraising types, understand responsibilities at every organizational level, and master the stages of fundraising. Plus, get hands-on practice in making effective funding asks.

Nonproft Leadership Certificate Boot Camp

We are excited to invite you to participate in CEN's Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Boot Camp, a dynamic 3-day event. Tailored for emerging and current nonprofit professionals, this course will be held from 9am-12pm & 1pm-4pm PST each day via Zoom. Throughout the course, participants will develop their leadership and management skills, understand nonprofit financials, and learn strategic development, operational planning, fund development, and governance. Interested in advancing your nonprofit career? Join us to equip yourself with an extensive toolkit and connect with peers in supportive, equity-based sessions. 

CEN + Harvard Business School: Scholarship Opportunity

CEN is thrilled to offer up to two partial scholarships for our members to attend the Harvard Business School's Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management (SPNM) course. This week-long executive program, set for July 28 - August 3, 2024, is designed for nonprofit leaders to enhance their strategic and management skills in a changing world. The course offers an in-depth exploration of core management concepts and their application in nonprofit settings.

CEN Scholarship Applications are due March 4th.

Interested in applying? Please email information@cen.org.

Is your organization located in or serving the city of San Bruno? Thanks to new grant funding from the San Bruno Community Foundation, all San Bruno nonprofit professionals (staff & board members of organizations located in and/or serving the San Bruno population) can take advantage of deep discounts to any of CEN’s nonprofit professional development workshops! Nonprofits located in or serving San Bruno can access these workshops at the discounted rate of:

$40 | CEN Discount Price

Visit the registration page of any workshop to learn more and register! Thank you to the San Bruno Community Foundation for this opportunity!

Is your organization located in or serving Santa Clara County? Thanks to generous funding from the Applied Materials Foundation, all staff and board members of nonprofits that are located in or serving Santa Clara County can still take advantage of deep discounts on any of CEN’s nonprofit professional development workshops! Through this partnership, nonprofits located in or serving Santa Clara County can access these workshops at the discounted rate of:

$40 | CEN Discount Price

Visit the registration page of any workshop to learn more and register! Thank you to the Applied Materials Foundation for this opportunity!

Participate in Fair Pay for Northern California Nonprofits: The 2024 Compensation & Benefits Survey



Now open for participation, with new jobs in the Development, Education/Recreation, Environment/Conservation, Legal Services/Community Organizing, and Operations areas, as well as an updated “Impact of the Economic Environment” section. A tight labor market, high costs, and pandemic-related impacts to the workplace present challenges for nonprofit employers. The survey provides a wealth of information to help nonprofits make informed decisions about key issues such as pay rates, employee retention, benefits and employment policies.

Published by Oakland-based Nonprofit Compensation Associates and now open for participation, the survey covers a vast geographic area, 48 Northern California counties, from Del Norte County in the far northwest to Inyo County in the far southeast. This past year, 779 nonprofits reporting on more than 40,000 jobs participated in the 2023 survey, making it the largest and most robust in the survey’s 45-year history. We expect another strong response in 2024. The cost of the survey report is steeply discounted for participants and depends on your organization’s financial size. To participate in the 2024 survey (and acquire the 2023 survey report, if you don’t already have it), visit www.nonprofitcomp.com, or email Nonprofit Compensation Associates at survey@nonprofitcomp.com or call 510-645-1005.

Participation deadline: February 16, 2024

Report publication date: April 12, 2024

Upcoming Nonprofit Sector Events & Jobs

The Summit for Partnerships in Education



Join us for an inspiring event focused on elevating racial justice in San Mateo County! The San Mateo County Office of Education, Thrive Alliance and Stanford Haas Center for Public Service are proud to host The Summit for Partnerships in Education, which aims to bring together educators, community leaders, and advocates to discuss and collaborate on ways to promote equity and inclusivity in our schools and community. This in-person event will be held at the Community Center on Burlingame Avenue in Burlingame, CA, USA. Together, we can work towards creating a brighter future for all students in San Mateo County. Contact rmacaraeg@smcoe.org or keirstan@thrivealliance.org for questions and more info.

Cameron House - Executive Director



Cameron House is currently seeking an Executive Director to empower the San Francisco Chinese community through family-centered programs, fostering a safe and healthy environment for growth and healing. This leadership role presents an exciting opportunity for a visionary individual to expand Cameron House's impact, which is rooted in Christian faith and Presbyterian heritage, by overseeing youth and social service programming, finance, operations, fund development, and marketing, while embodying qualities of empathy, cultural authenticity, and accountability. The ideal candidate will demonstrate significant philanthropic achievements, preferably bilingual in Cantonese, with 5-7 years of nonprofit leadership experience, and expertise in youth and family services, AAPI populations, strategic planning, financial analysis, and compliance.