Leaders Reflect

What would philanthropic leaders have told themselves in December of 2019 that would help prepare them for what was to come in 2020 and 2021?

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, our nonprofit leaders have been nimble. They’ve not only had to change how their organizations operated internally, but they’ve had to think differently about whom they serve and how. 

Our philanthropy leaders all have had unique barriers to overcome during the pandemic, but one thing was true of all of them: No one knew these challenges would be coming. 

If you had known what was to come, what would you have done to prepare? I’ve contemplated it myself, and I wondered how others might answer that. 

We asked 10 philanthropy leaders to write about what they’ve learned from these challenging times. What would they have told themselves in December of 2019 that would help prepare them for what was to come in 2020 and 2021? What would they have told themselves about how to lead their teams? How would they have prepared to come up with entirely new programs to continue fulfilling their missions through uncertain times? How would they think differently about advancing equity issues? 

Their reflections are heartfelt and vulnerable. As one of them told me when we chatted after getting their photo for the piece, it’s hard to think back that far – our whole world has changed. 

The letters don’t just make us think back to pre-pandemic times, or even to the present times; they also make us look toward the future. We don’t know what comes next, but we know a little more about how to be flexible and strategic as we collectively work to make our community better for all. 

This magazine is dedicated to celebrating the work our nonprofit leaders have done to overcome challenges, but also reminds us to keep moving the needle forward on the issues that matter most.

Enjoy,

Emily Barske, Business Record editor