Know what is yours to own. Ask clearly for what you need. A room full of trusted peers who understand the work is one of the most valuable resources a leader can have.
That was the thread running through our May session of the Nonprofit Leaders Forum, held at Hanover Township's hidden gem, the Izaak Walton Center in Elgin.
Together, we tackled the real day-to-day of mid-level leadership: checking in on a staff member as a person, holding people accountable when the metrics aren't written into their job description, and advocating for a client within an institution that moves slowly. These were not hypothetical challenges. They were live in the room.
A partner consultation on institutional advocacy for transient youth, group solution finding for a housing grant challenge, and learning about two agencies serving our communities, Centro de Información (https://centrodeinformacion.org) and Ascension Center for Mental Health (https://healthcare.ascension.org/locations/illinois/ilchi/arlington-heights-ascension-illinois-center-for-mental-health), rounded out a full morning.
This forum, in partnership with Good Works Results LLC (https://www.goodworksresults.com), reinforces the vital role of peer support and collective problem-solving in strengthening nonprofit leadership.
Proud to partner with these dedicated organizations: Ascension Center for Mental Health, Association for Individual Development (https://aidcares.org), Centro de Información, Children's Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County (https://www.cachelps.org), Community Crisis Center (https://www.communitycrisiscenter.org), Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley (https://www.easterseals.com/dfv), Ecker Center (https://www.eckercenter.org), Family Service Association of Greater Elgin (https://www.fsaelgin.org), Hanover Township Youth & Family Services (https://www.hanover-township.org/youth-family-services), and Maryville Academy (https://www.maryvilleacademy.org).
Thank you to the Hanover Township Mental Health Board (https://www.hanover-township.org/departments/mental-health-board) for supporting this initiative.