What do Island Grown Initiative, Hospice MV, Featherstone Center for the Arts, the Island Autism Group Inc., Vineyard House, Martha's Vineyard Center for Living, the Vineyard Preservation Trust, the Edgartown Board of Trade, and Misty Meadows Equine Learning Center have in common? These are just a few of the 48 Vineyard nonprofit organizations whose executive leaders have gone through the Institute for Nonprofit Practice's (INP's) executive leadership program. This seven-month endeavor differs from other professional development courses in its equal emphasis on leadership, self-awareness, and personal growth.
I reached out to several past participants to hear firsthand about their experiences. Emma Greenbeach says, "I joined INP because I was a new executive director of the MV Shellfish Group, and even though I had been with the organization for several years and felt very proficient as a shellfish biologist, I knew I had a lot to learn as an executive director . . . [and] I was dedicated to being the best leader I could possibly be."
Emily Reddington, of the Great Pond Foundation, shares, "I enrolled in INP because I was trained as a biologist and needed to learn additional skills to serve what was then a new role of executive director. My hope was to learn about aspects of the nonprofit world to which I had limited exposure."
Nevette Previd from the Preservation Trust recalls, "INP provided essential tools, built my confidence, and laid the foundation for me to step into my current role as executive director of the Vineyard Preservation Trust."
With this accolade, I was intrigued to hear more about the program. I spoke with Jackie Friedman, executive director at the Martha's Vineyard Nonprofit Collaborative (MVNC), which has funded the Vineyard cohorts since 2018.
The INP curriculum combines traditional classroom learning in a monthly full-day, intensive management seminar format with small group practice sessions. The management seminars address governance and leveraging of boards; strategy, growth, and evaluation; team development and leadership; organizational culture and change management; strategic marketing and communications; financial management; development and execution of fundraising strategies; and self-care, mindfulness, and healing.
The small group practice seminars bring the learning home. Participants engage in action-oriented problem-solving for specific organizational leadership and management challenges. Previd attests to the power of the INP's structure: "I found the program's action-oriented problem-solving and group learning environment incredibly enriching. Being part of a dynamic and safe learning pod allowed me to gain diverse perspectives, exchange ideas, and strengthen my leadership acumen. . . . Many [in the pod] are now colleagues I still work with and turn to for advice. I rely on the INP network and the broader nonprofit collaborative community for support, resources, and knowledge."
Friedman has seen this over the years: "A lot of the groups continue to meet after graduation. INP really creates an incredible bond between the participants of the class, who still go to each other frequently. In addition, there have been a great many interesting collaborations. Because you have a lot of nonprofits sitting around the table from different areas, it opens the doors to unique collaborations."
She explains that for the MVNC, reducing the silos is a priority. "Most nonprofits on the Island have less than five staff members, and far more have less than three. Executive directors and nonprofit leaders especially don't have the ability, really, to connect with other leaders. We do what we can to foster those connections so they can learn from one another."
Greenbeach reflects, "The greatest and most long-lasting takeaways were the exposure to resources I can tap into as I need them. These include websites, articles, and periodicals, as well as the cohort of Island leaders who I had the pleasure of learning alongside. We were on the journey together, and I think that was what made the experience so different from other educational opportunities."
Reddington says, "What I took from the INP was much greater than simply a new skill set. I not only gained confidence in my ability to lead a nonprofit, but I also gained a collegial community that shared my dedication to serving the Island community. There are some truly inspiring leaders helping to make the Vineyard a safer and more sustainable place."
Reddington concludes, "INP may only be well known to those who have been directly involved. The reality is that its impact can best be measured by the number of organizations and leaders serving the community more deeply and holistically because of what they learned in the program."