Learning From The Best

For the past three years, a key highlight of our Q4 Season of Service (and, truthfully, our entire programming year) has been our annual panel of powerhouse nonprofit leaders.

Michelle Pagano Heck, founder of Nonprofit Talent, graciously taps her network to assemble women who offer both candor and clarity about what it means to serve.

This year’s panel gathered the Executive Directors of Allies for Health + Wellbeing, Contemporary Craft, East End Cooperative Ministry, Familylinks, and Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania for a timely discussion of topics like budget cuts, regulatory uncertainty, and an increasingly adversarial cultural landscape.  

With tears, laughs, and knowing nods from sisters in the trenches, panelists gave the sell-out crowd an unvarnished look into what it takes to sustain their organizations – and, critically, themselves – in a time of unrelenting upheaval.  

Healthy Coping Mechanisms

The unspoken subtext of the night seemed to be: No, seriously, how are you dealing with this?

The first prompt – discussing how each panelist came into her current role – offered one of the clearest answers. While randomness played a part (“it was my first job out of college… and I never left”), the majority described a calling. The organizational missions resonated because, earlier in life, the panelists needed services they now provide to others – whether food assistance, wraparound care, or the life-saving power of art. Despite the daunting circumstances, the panelists agreed they couldn’t not accept the call to lead. The fit felt too right – divinely ordained, even.

Still, they emphasized that one’s “why” must be continually re-centered. One ED has started to host “north star” meetings with staff to remember what drives their work. Another goes “undercover” at her organization’s sites to reconnect with frontline employees and the people they serve. The stories call to mind Viktor Frankl’s wisdom from Man’s Search for Meaning that “[she] who has a why to live can bear with almost any how.”  

Supporting Staff

While nonprofits exist to serve the community, the panelists emphasized that staff well-being must come first. Amid lost funding and surging demand, employees are being asked to do more with less – all while shouldering secondary trauma from clients’ heartwrenching circumstances. 

The best way to support staff, the leaders agreed, was creating an environment that affirms “humans first, professionals second.” Too often, women leaders are stereotyped as “soft” or “touchy feely,”  but in this moment, empathy and emotional literacy are the defining traits of effective leadership.

Panelists are doubling down on their commitment to humanity by asking “how are you, really?” in one-on-ones, and staying present with whatever comes up. Several have tapped counselors to facilitate group processing sessions to normalize vulnerability and build networks of mutual support.

Other interventions include organization-wide wellness days, capping overtime hours, and insisting that employees use their PTO. Leaders are modeling balance, reminding staff members that “the most critical tasks always get done… you need to take care of yourself.” This permission combats cultures of overwork, helping staff sustain for the long haul. 

The Hardest Lessons

While well-versed in tending to others, the panelists admitted that caring for themselves remained a work in progress. The hard-charging achievers are spending concerted time in nature (without their phones!) and seeking solace from mentors who understand the challenges firsthand.

One even discussed allocating an hour each Saturday to reflect (and carry forward) learnings from the week. When asked during the Q&A about their biggest lessons from this challenging period, three words were echoed repeatedly: patience, grace, and human connection. This moment is a reminder that systems change slowly and people are endlessly frustrating, but at the end of the day, relationships are what make it all worthwhile.  

My Takeaways

Despite the dreary weather on Wednesday night, I decamped Field Day feeling buoyant.  

What struck me most was the congruence of the speakers. There was no performativity or pretense – they were direct, grounded women who know who they are and what they can (and can’t) control. It seems that crisis leadership burns away the artifice, leaving behind secure individuals committed to the cause. 

Perhaps most heartening was the optimism in the room. Amid the budget cuts and burnout, they reminded us that “this, too, shall pass.” One of the night’s biggest laughs came from the truism that “non-profits are scrappy.” It is this resourcefulness, creativity, resilience, and care that has helped these organizations endure for 40, 70, or 100 years, in the case of Goodwill.

I left feeling uncharacteristically peaceful. Not because the challenges will disappear (indeed, things might get worse before they get better), but because women like these are at the helm, forging a new model of gritty, grace-laden leadership that is the only way forward.