A major nonprofit capacity building initiative is moving into its third year in Northern Michigan.

The Leadership Learning Lab is aimed at providing local nonprofit leaders across Northern Michigan with “enhanced skills to strengthen the organizations and communities they serve.”

Currently, there are five cohorts running in regions from Mt. Pleasant to the Mackinac Bridge, Alpena to Manistee. The eight-month program focuses on adaptive leadership, time management, board development, fund development, mission-driven storytelling and more.

The Leadership Learning Lab is the result of a partnership between the Frey Foundation, Rotary Charities of Traverse City and 11 Michigan community foundations.

“We are proud of the success of this learning model,” Holly Johnson, president, Frey Foundation said. “Not only is the cohort growing the capacity of sector leaders, but they are creating ecosystems of support that will last a long time. Leading can be lonely and isolating, but by bringing emerging leaders around a safe table we are building confidence and collaboration.”

It’s not only helping the nonprofit leaders but the communities across Northern Michigan.

“Helping to build the capacity of our nonprofits is part of our strategic plan, as it is a key element in strengthening the entire nonprofit community,” Patrick Heraghty, executive director of the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan said. “When leaders and boards of these organizations are strong, the organizations are able to better fulfill their missions, serving our communities’ needs more effectively.”

In 2019 Rotary Charities of Traverse City and the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation (GTRCF) launched the Grand Traverse region cohort, which took a different approach.

“The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation and Rotary Charities are working in a complementary way - looking at root causes of complex problems, so we designed a course that included participants from all sectors: nonprofits, business, government, and our Tribal Nation, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians,” Becky Ewing, executive director of Rotary Charities of Traverse City said. “In addition to adaptive leadership skills, we wove collaborative skills and working together in new ways. As we enter year three, we will adapt each cohort as we look at evaluations and listen to our funder collaborative.”

The 2020 cohorts are expected to be selected in the coming weeks.

“We hope that this model continues and that new funders find it worth investing in,” Johnson said.

Meanwhile, for funders, CMF’s commitment to ensuring a pipeline of diverse professionals receive the tools, strategies and resources needed to advance into leadership roles in philanthropy continues as our 2020 Mentoring Program kicks off later this month. We look forward to introducing you to our 2020 cohort of mentors and mentees soon!