Announcing ProInspire’s 2018 Programs

By: Monisha Kapila

As we start the new year, the ProInspire team is excited for the existing and new programs that we will be providing towards our Bold Goal that social sector organizations have high performing leaders at all levels in order to fulfill their missions. Look for more information on these in the new year!

We are growing our team – check out our job postings and apply by January 25, 2018.

Strategy 1: Develop leaders with the mindsets, skills, and tools needed to drive results

• Managing for Success: 3-month leadership development program for new managers, focused on Managing Self, Managing Others, Managing Organizations. Currently this is offered in Washington DC and SF Bay Area. 96% of 2017 participants indicated it was extremely or very valuable in developing their leadership potential.
• Partner Leadership Programs – Foundations: Customized leadership training programs provided to grantees of foundations. For example, the ProInspire Leadership Institute is a 2-day program provided to grantees of the Kresge Foundation. From 2016-17, 155 leaders participated across seven cohorts and five states. On average, participants demonstrated a 48% increase in their capacity around skills like Delegation, Coaching, and Implicit Bias.
• Partner Leadership Programs – Nonprofits: Customized leadership training programs provided for staff at nonprofit organizations. For example, ProInspire trained 100+ employees at Share Our Strength on Managing Up and Difficult Conversations, and trained 80 employees at Communities in Schools on Managing Change.
• Leading for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity: This new program will be piloted in 2018 to train teams in organizations on how to create inclusive and equitable organizations.

Strategy 2: Create pathways for leaders at all levels to achieve their potential

• ProInspire Fellowship in Digital Finance: ProInspire recruits, selects, sponsors, and supports mid- to senior career professionals who are experts in digital financial inclusion to serve as Fellows within U.S. government (USG) agencies, including the Department of State, Department of Treasury, OPIC, MCC, and USAID.
• Social Enterprise & Impact Investing Career Pathways: Career pathways in impact investing and social enterprise are often unclear, inefficient, and increase costs for organizations. ProInspire will be building on other programs to provide support for individuals on working in and managing high-growth social enterprises, taught by current leaders in the space.

• Impact Accelerator: In 2017, ProInspire piloted Impact Accelerator, a two-day training program for professionals to define their career goals, build networks, identify target organizations, and develop a career plan to transition into the social sector. 86% of pilot participants increased clarity on how to approach their career transition. In order to scale this program, we plan to refine and launch it online through a digital learning platform.

Strategy 3: Influence the sector to prioritize talent, equity, and inclusion

ProInspire achieves influence through field initiatives, convening, and research. Our primary influence focus areas are:

• Equity in the Center: ProInspire leads this field initiative by developing research, convening leaders, and inspiring organizations to shift cultures to address the racial leadership gap. 120 professionals engaged through Equity in the Center convenings in 2017. 84% said the Equity in the Center Summit increased their ability to drive race equity within their organizations and 100% said they gained valuable connections.
• Research: ProInspire publishes articles and research to share our learnings and influence the sector around leadership development, career pathways, and equity and inclusion.
• Our work has been published by Chronicle of Philanthropy, Independent Sector, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and other leading publications. In addition, our team speaks frequently on these topics at sector-wide convenings.
• Competency Model: ProInspire is developing a competency model for rising social sector professionals. The result will be a framework that can serve as a guide for social sector professionals who want to better manage their learning and career growth, and the organizations who want to support them in driving results, impact, and overall career satisfaction.