The 74% Initiative: A Conversation About Women in the Nonprofit Workplace

The 74% Initiative launched the Foundation's commitment to exploring the status of women in the region's nonprofit sector. A decade of fascinating, compelling research has consistently confirmed a persistent troubling truth: the women who make up more than 70 percent of the nonprofit workforce are both under-paid and under-represented in the leadership of large organizations. Participants from throughout the region enjoyed a highly informative, engaging program provided by The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. in December 2014 that included a superlative keynote address by Peggy Outon, founding Executive Director of the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh.

The luncheon honored Alma Jacobs, former PA Secretary of Aging and a remarkable, local trailblazer in this sector with The Montgomery County Foundation Woman of Distinction Award.

The 74% Initiative Continuing Conversations:
The Women's Leadership Roundtable Pilot Project

White Paper

Introduction:

The Women's Leadership Roundtable Pilot Project was created in response to The 74% Initiative: A Conversation About Women in the Nonprofit Workplace event presented in December 2014 by The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. (MCFI). The Roundtable Pilot was intended to provide a unique opportunity for a small group of women executive directors who each committed to convene for three sessions in a supportive, confidential environment to raise and address issues related to women in leadership within the region’s nonprofit sector. The pilot project was supported by Steel Valley Investment Group of Raymond James and MCFI.

Process:

MCFI forwarded an invitation to women executive directors distributed via the 74% Initiative attendance list, all nonprofit organizations within the Foundation’s database and a selection of other sources. Interest was immediate and vigorous. Within a short period of time the ideal maximum number of 12 spots was filled and a waiting list was created for prospective future opportunities.

The Roundtable was designed to be of significant personal and professional benefit, focused on what it takes to for a woman to successfully thrive in a leadership role within the nonprofit sphere.

It is critical to note that the framework was meant to ensure a trusting space in which each woman could feel confident that nothing revealed regarding anyone's personal or professional circumstances would be taken outside of the room. Also, it was understood that nothing shared would have an effect on any future MCFI granting considerations.

The Roundtable was ultimately comprised of a group whose diversity is characterized by age, culture/race and faith-affiliation. Represented are nonprofits ranging from small, grassroots organizations to a very large enterprise that is part of a national structure. Professional experience within the nonprofit sphere covers the spectrum from a founding executive director in the midst of formal succession after close to 40 years at the helm of her organization to a young woman at another nonprofit who has been promoted from within to the leadership role that she has just begun.

The Roundtable met first on Thursday, April 23 from 9:00-11:00am. The group chose to extend the timelines to 11:30am for the Thursday, May 21 and Thursday, June 11 sessions. Session content included what it takes to thrive in a leadership role, understanding the distinctions between management and leadership, organizational culture, managing change, board development, resolving staff concerns including termination and the benefits of developing a network of support.

Facilitator Background:

Meghan McVety, Co-Founder and Principal, Capacity for Change, acted as facilitator of the first two convenings, after which it was requested by the Roundtable participants that the project be extended beyond the pilot phase and that Meghan be retained to play an ongoing facilitation role throughout. One of Meghan’s core beliefs is that cultivating strong leadership in organizations and communities is pivotal to achieving positive change. Her expertise is widespread and includes organizational management, executive coaching, philanthropy and evaluation. Further, Meghan has worked extensively with foundations and nonprofits in the areas of health, advocacy, anti-violence efforts and civil rights and has a deep commitment to women and leadership.

Projected Outcomes:

• 100% of Roundtable participants will attend each of the three sessions.
• 85% of Roundtable Pilot participants will report a positive, meaningful learning experience.
• 90% of Roundtable Pilot participants will report benefiting from the opportunity to enhance their leadership skills within the supportive comraderie of a networking framework.

Outputs:

• The attendance rate was 89%. Those that could not attend each reported their unanticipated circumstances prior to the convenings.
• 100% of the participants expressed a positive, meaningful learning experience in terms of supporting individual problem-solving and growth strategies in the written and/or verbal evaluations.
  Comments included:
  - All of this information, even if not pertinent to me at the moment, is vital to my new role of ED. I love these meetings and look forward to them.
  - Very good discussion. Supports my learning objectives as Executive Director.
  - Desire to discuss leadership and use of power from a woman's perspective.
• 100% of participants expressed the invaluable benefits of networking with other women nonprofit leaders in support of their own development and growth in the written and/or verbal evaluations.
  Comments included:
  - So appreciative to have this experience with so many talented women.
  - Excellent forum for sharing issues and experiences.
  - Very needed support and networking.
  - Great opportnity to share, network, vent and learn.

Additional Comments:

• As noted, the Roundtable participants unanimously requested, prior to the end of the Pilot, that the Roundtable be extended and each committed to participating through December 2015.
• Significant insight was proffered with regard to lessons learned that would strengthen prospective Roundtable replication. Twelve participants is an optimum number for this framework. A commitment to attending each Roundtable is critical at least for the first several sessions. The more diverse the group the better in terms of stimulating discussion and benefiting from varying points of view. Meeting at the same, “safe” place on a specific schedule appears to work well during the first phase of getting to know each other. Including a skilled facilitator and/or presenters familiar with the women and nonprofit leadership sphere is key. Balancing the presentation of content on a variety of topics with plenty of opportunity for more informal, open-ended group sharing is very clearly integral to the success of the experience. Ongoing evaluation and encouraging input on the outcomes, content and format is also critical.
• The Pilot definitively underscored that carefully-conceived, well-executed networking opportunities for women in leadership roles in the region’s nonprofit sector are highly desired and have the capacity to significantly affect each woman’s sense of professional well-being and efficacy.
  

Next Steps:

The group chose to meet once during the summer and then monthly September through December 2015. MCFI offered to provide the location and administrative support and to cover facilitation and presentation expenses.

During this phase, Roundtable members will more clearly focus their personal objectives and will report on the ways in which the Roundtable experience has supported the ability to identify and address individual professional challenges and potentially those of the organization they lead with greater assurance, clarity and success.

It is anticipated that the extended Roundtable timelines will provide valuable opportunities to further assess the extent to which this model might be replicated for a new Roundtable of women nonprofit leaders and/or a spin-off group for "ascending leaders". Further evaluation will be forthcoming as the project continues into the next phase.

July 27, 2015

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The 74% Initiative Toolbox

This Toolbox is intended to provide some simple tips and resources that will support the sharing of The 74% Initiative with colleagues and board members - anyone interested in the subject of women in the nonprofit workplace.

Special appreciation to the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh for sharing their 74% - related research and materials with us here. 

Preparation:

• We suggest you begin by reviewing The 74% Initiative Keynote Address by Peggy Outon, founding Executive Director of the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh.
  
  AUDIO-VISUAL PRESENTATION:
  PEGGY OUTON Pay Equity for Women in the Nonprofit Workplace
  
  
• You may wish to also familiarize yourself with the content of the PowerPoint Presentation that accompanied the Keynote Address.
  
  
• Please feel free to reach out to The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. via operations@mcfoundationinc.org to confer on tailor-made approaches to drawing your group into a thought-provoking, preliminary discussion on women in the nonprofit workplace.

Engaging Your Colleagues and/or Board Members:

• Consider sending an email to those you believe might have an interest in The 74% Initiative and include the introductory infographic that synopsizes the report findings related to women and pay equity in the nonprofit sector.


• The 74% Infographic: November 2013 Infographic Poster


• Invite them to a conversation about Women in the Nonprofit Workplace - perhaps within a staff meeting setting or over the lunch-hour one day. The Foundation would be pleased to make a presentation and/or support facilitation if that would be of interest.


• Screen a portion of the Keynote Address (please see above) that you think would most effectively represent the topic for your group.


• Consider using the subsequent format to jump-start a preliminary discussion. Introduce the "What, So What, Now What?" concept as synopsized below as a means of eliciting the group's reaction to the topics raised in the video.

"What, So What, Now What?"

(Attribution: W3 - Liberating Structure developed by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless)

This is a model designed to offer the opportunity to debrief a meeting topic that generates complex or controversial responses - a chance for the entire gathering to reflect on a shared experience that builds understanding and spurs coordinated action while avoiding unproductive conflict. Here is how it works - simple, straight-forward and effective:

• Everyone is included and all have an equal opportunity to contribute.


• If you have a large group, break into tables of approximately six people each.


• After the preliminary presentation (for instance, viewing the Keynote Address video together), share that the group will now endeavor to process the content for a short period of time. Each of three stages will include:
  1.) Asking participants to reflect upon and record their feedback alone (two minutes),
  2.) followed by sharing their comments within the table setting (ten minutes) and finally
  3.) offering the table's most compelling feedback to the entire group (ten minutes in total).
  
  This process is repeated for each of the three stages, as defined below:
  
• First Stage - WHAT?: What happened? What did you notice? What facts or observations stood out?
• Second Stage - SO WHAT?: What about you heard is important? What patterns or conclusions are emerging? What hypothesis can we make?
• Third Stage - NOW WHAT?: What follow-up or actions might make sense for this group to consider?
• Depending on the outcome of this first convening, you may wish to organize subsequent sessions on this or related topics. Please share your experiences with the Foundation in order to include us in your learning process. Remember that we would be happy to confer on a wide range of "Continuing Conversations" opportunities whenever you might wish.

What's Next?:

• Check in with The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. to make sure you/your organization are included with regard to invitations to "The 74% Initiative: Continuing Conversations" gatherings.
• Suggest workshop topics you and your group might like to see offered.
• Join the Foundation in the coordination of its late-fall 2015 Women and Leadership Major Event planning.

Other Resources of Interest

May 2013 Research Brochure - Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management
November 2012 Research Brochure - Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management
May 2012 Research Brochure - Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management
November 2011 Research Brochure - Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management
May 2011 Research Brochure - Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management
The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap (Spring 2015) - AAUW