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18 years with Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency , including six years as deputy executive director .
Nonprofits , she says , must do better in looking beyond day-to-day operations . “ We get money for the programs , but we don ’ t get money for the planning , for advocacy , for capacity building ,” Jennings says . To counter this , board members should actively identify and seek out candidates for promotion . “ Progress must come from both the inside and outside ,” she says .
Continuing to make strides
Progress doesn ’ t always come easy , however . Liv Moe , executive director of Verge Center for the Arts in Sacramento , says she faced some ageism when her nonprofit arts institution merged with the Center for Contemporary Art Sacramento in 2014 . Despite being Verge ’ s founding director since 2008 and keeping the center afloat during a recession , one board member who left before the merger made it clear he thought Moe was too young to be successful as the director of the newly formed nonprofit . “ There was actually a debate ( among board members ) about … whether I ’ d be the new director ,” she says .
Moe prevailed and resolved to put the experience , which she found both sexist and ageist , behind her . “ It doesn ’ t serve me to be angry about it . … To some degree , it ’ s somewhat predictable given how misogynistic our society is ,” she says .
Today , Verge , which has an annual $ 750,000 budget , is run largely by women . Moe ’ s perspective on this doesn ’ t just mirror others , it reinforces data that women are more likely to thrive and move upward in nonprofits with smaller budgets . “ It ’ s the nature of the field ,” she says . “ In ( nonprofits ) that are smaller or social service oriented , you ’ re more likely to see female directors in those ( leadership ) roles .”
Moe says more nonprofits , whatever their mission or size , should commit to enhanced mentorship and leadership opportunities for women because it ’ s critical for nonprofit success . “ One of the most important things you can do is support and promote other women ,” she says .
Or , as Hicks puts it : “ What leads to more women in leadership is more women in leadership .” Organizations must be deliberate in creating change , Hicks adds , echoing others ’ calls for deliberate practices . “ There has to be an intentionality .”
For Cunningham , this means creating deliberate spaces for others via mentoring and fellowships , casual chats , and formal networking . “ It ’ s a conversation about being at the table ,” Cunningham says . “ It ’ s a conversation about who ’ s setting the table , it ’ s a conversation about how your voice matters .”
Rachel Leibrock is a Sacramento-based writer and editor who covers arts and culture , food , and current events . She has worked for The Sacramento Bee and the Sacramento News & Review . More at www . rachel-leibrock . com .
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