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SharePanel of Female Leaders in Nonprofit Sector Offer Insightful Tips for Success“While women fill nearly 70% of nonprofit staff positions, a majority of senior management positions are held by men. Why is this?”
Panelists included Margaret Hall, executive director and co-founder of the GreenLight Fund; Elisabeth Babcock, chief executive officer of Crittenton Women’s Union; KumKum Amin, director of strategy at John Snow, Inc.; and Donna DiFillippo, executive director of Raising A Reader Massachusetts. Through personal narratives about the start of their career to their current positions, the panelists wove together both common and disparate threads. Overarching themes of the life lessons learned by the four women included aligning values, finding a balance and speaking up. Align Values, Passion with WorkTwo of the panelists’ careers jumpstarted in the for-profit sector. For Amin it was partly due to the cultural norms of her native India where students were pushed to choose a practical career path early on (she earned an undergraduate degree in Economics and two MBAs). Despite her early foray in the for-profit sector, she shared that, “my heart said to be in the nonprofit field.”
Additionally, Amin rekindled her interest in writing by pursuing a MFA while she continued to work at John Snow – something that she said John Snow facilitated by their support and flexibility. Similar to Amin, Hall’s career catapulted in the for-profit field; however, she transitioned into the nonprofit sector for more fulfilling work aligned with her values and has been there ever since – for over 20 years. Five years ago, she co-founded the GreenLight Fund, a grantmaking organization to Boston area nonprofits. “Having my life and work integrated with my values has provided energy and longevity for my career in the sector,” Hall reflected. DiFillippo, executive director of Raising a Reader Massachusetts, which is a Chelsea-based organization that promotes reading in low-income families, has focused her passion for literacy and early childhood education in related fields throughout her entire career. “Blend what you love with your work. If you need to take a circuitous route, take it. You can always come back. You can be 50 and get your first job as an executive director,” she assured. A Fine BalanceThe age-old question of how to maintain a healthy work/life balance pervaded each panelist’s narrative. For instance, Babcock managed school, work, a 32-year-old marriage and raising three kids.
She jumped into the nonprofit sector in the early years of her career – first at just 29 years old when she became the director of a troubled community health center in Lynn, Mass., and then advanced onto several other senior level positions in the sector before coming to the Crittenton Women’s Union. Besides her career, Babock has immersed herself in academia, both as a student pursuing graduate degrees and as a professor at Brandeis University. DiFillippo spoke about the need for flexibility in her job while she raised her children. “I would always ask [in a job interview], how flexible are you? If my kid has chicken pox, can I stay out [of work]?” she shared. Speak Up, Speak OutAnother important lesson lies in Amin’s advice: “Be your own advocate. As women we assume that if we’re working hard, doing a good job, that we will be noticed; all too often we get ignored. Find a mentor within the organization. Learn to speak up and make sure you’re heard,” she advised.
Reflecting on the importance of this panel, YNPN board member Sarah Mountcastle said, “I wanted to get women in leadership roles together representing different perspectives because there’s not much speaking going on about female leaders in the nonprofit sector.” Luckily, these dynamic women leaders helped to change that and ignite this important conversation. For more information about YNPN events, please visit http://www.ynpn.org. |
Developer of the NonProfit Center, Third Sector New England provides leadership and management resources to help nonprofits support healthy communities. Visit tsne.org to find out more.
On January 21, Third Sector New England and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) cosponsored a panel of prominent female nonprofit leaders who shared their life experiences and offered sage tips about how to change this trend.
As a result, she shifted her career path and became the director of strategy at 
“It is worthwhile to try to keep balance. The things that you learn through a relationship with a partner or a friend make you a better manager, and being a manger makes you a better student. It is an incredible process of learning how to juggle,” Babcock explained.
The panel closed with a lively Q & A which covered topics including the importance of having a supportive community of peers (“You can talk about how to deal with power structures that aren’t your own,” Babcock explained), how important for-profit experience is in the nonprofit sector (Amin shared that although this is popular with some funders, it’s not imperative), and mistakes made along the way (“Make time for the fun things – the heart and soul of you that makes you happy,” urged Babcock).