Leading Lean: Rethinking Foundation Leadership in a Small-Staff Environment

Description

Many foundations operate with remarkably small teams. Whether there is one staff member or a handful, leaders are expected to balance strategic vision, grantmaking, board support, community partnerships, compliance, communications, finance oversight, and day-to-day operations—all while remaining responsive to an ever-changing landscape.

Leading a lean organization isn't simply about working harder or becoming more efficient. It's about intentionally designing the work so that limited capacity is focused where it creates the greatest value.

In this interactive session, Regina Pinney, Executive Director of Nonprofit Network, will be joined by Cathy Wilson, Executive Director, Corporate Giving of the Consumers Energy Foundation, for a candid conversation about leading through organizational change. Cathy will share her experience stepping into a foundation that required significant right-sizing as staffing levels changed, including how priorities were redefined, systems were redesigned, and expectations were recalibrated to build a more sustainable organization. Together, they will explore what it means to lead strategically when capacity is limited and every decision about time, people, and process matters. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Together, we'll explore practical strategies for:

✅Prioritizing the work that delivers the greatest mission impact.

✅Building practical systems for board management, grantmaking, compliance, and organizational planning that reduce last-minute scrambling.

✅Establishing realistic expectations with boards, grantees, partners, and community stakeholders.

✅Determining what only the CEO can do—and what can be delegated, streamlined, redesigned, delayed, or stopped.

✅Creating an organizational rhythm that supports both strategic leadership and operational excellence.

Participants will leave with ideas, insights and a framework they can immediately apply to strengthen internal infrastructure, improve organizational discipline, and make thoughtful decisions about where their limited capacity will have the greatest impact.

Guest SPEAKERS

Regina Pinney, Executive Director of Nonprofit Network

Regina Pinney has worked in the nonprofit sector as a consultant, executive director, and director of development for more than 25 years. Presently, Regina serves as the Executive Director of Nonprofit Network, a capacity building center serving Michigan, ensuring nonprofits have the resources, tools and ability to help solve the problems our community faces. Regina goes beyond increasing basic board governance and management assistance and coaches organizations to truly rethink how to develop solutions and strategies that impact change.

As a capacity building consultant, Regina is a Bridges out of Poverty certified trainer and cognitive coach, adept at training organizations to be resilient, adaptive and sustainable.

Regina is a frequent speaker and instructor on a wide array of nonprofit management issues and offers one-on-one technical assistance to nonprofit organizations across the state of Michigan. Her areas of expertise include governance, board/staff relationships and general nonprofit management issues. 

Audience & Registration

Our colleagues at Council of Michigan Foundations are hosting this Midwest Partnership webinar, which has been designed with all types of grantmakers in mind.

PhilMO Members may participate for free. If this is your first interaction with the new PhilMO website, choose “Create New Account” when registering. 

Non-Member Missouri grantmakers may participate for a fee of $75. Non-Members should choose “Non-Member Funder” to register and submit payment.

If you encounter any challenges registering for this program or otherwise navigating the new website, help is available by contacting info@philmo.org. 

What is the Midwest Partnership?

The Midwest Partnership is a collaboration between the Council of Michigan Foundations, Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, Iowa Council of Foundations, Philanthropy Missouri, and Philanthropy Ohio. 

The Midwest Partnership publishes an annual Midwest Grantmaker Salary Report and hosts joint programs, including monthly webinars connecting funders across the four states. Webinars are typically designed for community foundations, corporate foundations and giving programs, and/or family foundations. Occasionally, a program -- like this one! -- will be relevant to all foundation types. Regardless of focus, all foundation types may register for any program. 

Participation in webinars and access to the annual Salary Report is free for Member organizations. Non-Member Missouri grantmakers may not access the report but occasionally may register for webinars by contributing a $75 fee.