In 2008, The Blue Shield of California Foundation partnered with the Center for the Health Professions at the University of California, San Francisco to address leadership needs in the community clinics field. They launched the Clinic Leadership Institute (CLI), an 18-month leadership program designed to prepare next generation leaders to move into executive leadership positions. Over the past two years, BTW has conducted an ongoing evaluation of CLI and recently completed this brief describing the CLI program as well as key findings from the inaugural cohort of the program. This brief also provides considerations for individuals and organizations that support next generation leaders.

What is coaching? How can coaching contribute to my development as a nonprofit leader? What kind of coaching is right for me and my organization? How much is coaching? These are just a few of the questions that Coaching and Philanthropy: An Action Guide for Nonprofits addresses in this guide that highlights the findings from the Coaching and Philanthropy Project’s unprecedented deep dive into learning about the use of coaching in the nonprofit sector. The project was formed by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, Leadership that Works, and BTW informing change to assess and advance coaching as a strategy for building effective nonprofit organizations.

How does coaching differ from other types of nonprofit supports? Why should grantmakers support coaching? When and how should coaching be used? These are just a few of the questions that Coaching and Philanthropy: An Action Guide for Grantmakers addresses in this guide that highlights the findings from the Coaching and Philanthropy Project’s unprecedented deep dive into learning about the use of coaching in the nonprofit sector. The project was formed by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, Leadership that Works, and BTW informing change to assess and advance coaching as a strategy for building effective nonprofit organizations.

What does it take to become an effective coach in the nonprofit sector? How can coaches assess leaders’ readiness for coaching? How can coaches ensure a successful engagement? These are just a few of the questions that Coaching and Philanthropy: An Action Guide for Coaches addresses in this guide that that highlights the findings from the Coaching and Philanthropy Project’s unprecedented deep dive into learning about the use of coaching in the nonprofit sector. The project was formed by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, Leadership that Works, and BTW informing change to assess and advance coaching as a strategy for building effective nonprofit organizations.

LeaderSpring’s Executive Coaching Project (ECP) complements their existing two-year leadership program for nonprofit executives who are predominantly leaders of color and/or work in communities of color. BTW informing change conducted an evaluation of the ECP and found that, overall, the Executive Coaching Project is a unique and effective model for supporting nonprofit leaders as they engage in the LeaderSpring fellowship program. The report describes LeaderSpring’s ECP model and coaching process, explores key findings and offers program reflections and implications for those who would like to support similar types of efforts.

The Center for Leadership Innovation (TCLI), formerly known as the Development Training Institute, embarked on a pilot project to offer two types of coaching to emerging leaders of color who had completed a leadership training. TCLI alumni were given the opportunity to participate in one-on-one coaching, peer group coaching, or a combination of both. BTW informing change conducted an exploratory evaluation of this pilot project to identify the benefits of these different coaching models in and of themselves and as a complement to the leadership training. Both types of coaching assisted participants in strengthening their leadership, with each type having particular strengths.

This report offers lessons learned from the James Irvine Foundation’s Fund for Leadership Advancement Initiative. This summary is based on the full evaluation report, “Strengthening Nonprofit Leaders to Enhance Organizational Capacity.”