Executive Leadership Program (ELP)
Fostering excellence in leadership to create stronger, more sustainable Bay Area nonprofits.
Executive Leadership Program
Spring 2025 Schedule: Fridays from 9 am – 4 pm PST, Mar. 7, 21 & Apr. 4, 18
The Executive Leadership Program (ELP) is a cohort-based strategy-oriented leadership development program for nonprofit executives. We focus on priority issues and practical solutions for real-world challenges faced by nonprofit organizations and leaders who are called to bring their teams and stakeholders to higher ground.
Here are the details:
- Cohort Connection: Picture this — a gathering of nonprofit leaders, like a cozy coffee shop where everyone knows your organizational mission. The ELP cohort brings together a diverse group of Bay Area nonprofit executives. It’s like assembling the Avengers, but instead of battling aliens, you’re tackling community challenges.
- Leadership Skills: ELP hones personal leadership skills. Think of it as sharpening your nonprofit utility belt. Participants learn how to communicate effectively, motivate teams, and navigate complex challenges. It’s like leveling up from a sidekick to a seasoned pro.
- Problem-Solving Savvy: ELP equips leaders with problem-solving tools. Nonprofits face all sorts of villainous obstacles — funding gaps, program scalability, board dynamics, you name it. ELP helps leaders tackle these challenges head-on.
- Strategic Application: It’s not enough to know leadership theory; you need to apply it. ELP bridges the gap between theory and practice. Participants learn how to wield their newfound skills in the nonprofit arena. It’s like turning textbook knowledge into action-packed episodes.
ELP focuses on five core competencies for nonprofit executives:
- Responsive Leadership: Agility when crises strike.
- People-Oriented Management: Effective team handling.
- Strategic Thinking: Plotting the nonprofit course.
- Fund Development & Growth Strategies: Communicating the vision.
- Financial Health: Keeping the organization stable.
Who should apply? This program is designed for nonprofit leaders at the Executive Director and Senior Manager levels. Ideal candidates lead teams or manage individual contributors and are responsible for the overall health of the organization or a major function of the organization.
CVNL is pleased to offer partial scholarships to Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and under-represented individuals who are nonprofit staff or volunteers serving in Marin, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano Counties.
These scholarships are made available by generous grants from the Peter A., and Vernice H. Gasser Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sonoma County, the Solano Community Foundation, Marin Community Foundation, and U.S. Bank. For more information on scholarships, please complete the request form here or contact us at learning@cvnl.org.
View the Info Session for the Executive Leadership Program
Program Details
- Spring 2025: Fridays from 9 am – 4 pm PST Mar 7, 21 & Apr 4, 18.
- Format: 2 full-day online sessions & 2 in-person full-day sessions. First session in person and last session will be a leadership summit that includes past ELP cohort participants.
- Early Bird Tuition (register by 1/17/25): $1,320 for CVNL members; $1,560 for non-members.
- Regular Tuition: $1,650 for CVNL members; $1,950 for non-members.
- 10% discount for groups of 3 or organizations with budget size under $750K.
- Tuition includes: All materials, including handouts and additional web resources. A Certificate of Completion will be awarded.
- One hour of one-on-one leadership coaching available to all ELP participants.
- Attendees participating online must have reliable internet, Zoom, and a web camera.
- Limited to 26 people.
- CVNL Certificate of Completion awarded to participants who complete course requirements.
- BIPOC scholarship available for eligible BIPOC participants who are CVNL members serving Marin, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano counties.
Spring 2025 Schedule
Learning Outcomes:
- Participants will reflect on and understand their leadership style and relate the personal capabilities to the course and speed of organizational efforts based on a set of core values, strategies, priorities, and objectives.
- Participants will develop skills to lead through change, understanding the dynamics of change management and how to guide their organizations through transitions smoothly and effectively.
- Participants will learn how to implement policies and practices that enhances the organizational capabilities that drive the strategies and priorities including but not limited to applying the principles and practices of change management and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB).
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand key components to strategic board development
- Understand key financial principles and metrics essential for assessing and maintaining the financial health of a nonprofit organization.
- Develop skills to interpret financial statements and use them for strategic decision-making.
Learning Outcomes:
- Participants will learn how to implement effective fundraising techniques and strategies to diversify and increase funding sources.
- Develop effective marketing techniques and strategies that build and sustain strategic partnerships and donors.
Objectives:
- Build Team Cohesion and Collaboration
Participants will engage in an icebreaker and team-building activities to foster stronger interpersonal connections and enhance collaboration among team members.
- Develop Strategic Thinking and Planning Skills
Participants will learn and practice techniques for strategic analysis, with real-world applications to improve their ability to think critically and plan effectively in leadership roles.
- Share and Learn from Leadership Experiences
Through a case study discussion, participants will reflect on and share their own leadership challenges and successes, fostering a deeper understanding of strategic leadership in different contexts.
- Enhance Organizational Collaboration and Networking
Participants will engage in a networking activity designed to promote collaboration across organizations, with an emphasis on sharing information about their programs and services.
- Promote Mentorship and Peer Learning
The interactive workshop will focus on creating mentorship opportunities, allowing participants to receive feedback and guidance on materials or projects they have brought, encouraging personal and professional development.
- Celebrate Accomplishments and Foster Ongoing Connections
The closing reception will celebrate participants’ completion of the course, offering an informal space for networking with peers and alumni to strengthen long-term professional connections.
Our Faculty
Our faculty members are experienced and working professionals, who combine strong theoretical frameworks and real-life industry knowledge.
Linda Jacobs
Board Governance
Linda Jacobs has served as the Chief Executive Officer with Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership (CVNL) since 2002. With over 30 years of combined executive and nonprofit management experience, Linda frequently presents on issues and trends in the nonprofit sector and consults with nonprofit leaders on board governance, succession planning, and leadership development..
Cleve Justis
Nonprofit Strategy
An accomplished organizational leader in the environmental and entrepreneurial arenas for the past 20 years, Ceveland Justis is a principal at the Potrero Group. Cleveland has worked and consulted widely throughout numerous companies, nonprofits, and governmental organizations. Throughout his career he has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs refine their visions and develop successful ventures.
Tom Hayashi
Daring Leadership
Tom comes to CVNL with over 20 years of fundraising, senior management, and consulting experience which represents direct engagements with over 100 organizations on an array of capacity-building projects and programming.
He proudly identifies as a cis-gendered gay Asian Pacific Islander, first-generation immigrant, former foster youth, and first in his family to graduate from college. He finds his passion for social and ecological justice in his personal background, cultural identity, mindful practices, and relationships with the community.
Immediately prior to joining CVNL, Tom served as the Chair and Program Director of the Department of Leadership and Management (DLM) consisting of graduate-level degree programs at Saybrook University, and Associate Professor of Human Resources of Bovard College at the University of Southern California (USC). Tom’s professional highlights include leading public policy and advocacy efforts in Washington DC during the Obama administration and serving as the Executive Director for OCA-APA Advocates a national civil rights organization representing the Asian Pacific Islander communities. He is often sought as a diversity, inclusion, and equity speaker, trainer, and consultant specializing in diversity readiness assessments, equity-oriented leadership development, and cultural humility programming.
Tom has earned his doctorate and a master’s degree from Fielding Graduate University in Human and Organizational Systems, a master’s in Education from California State University East Bay, and a bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from Thomas Edison State University. His past and present professional credentials include Certified Management Consultant through the Institute of Management Consultants, Associate Certified Coach from the International Coaching Federation, Certified Master Coach from the Center for Coaching Certification, and Certified Fundraising Executive from CFRE International. He is an active member and contributor of the American Psychological Association, Society for Human Resources Management, the Nonprofit Consultants Network of the Institute of Management Consultants, and the Organizational Development Network.
Elliot Levin
Strategic Fund Development
Elliot Levin, Founder and President, Partnership Resources Group (PRG)
Elliot Levin established PRG in 1990, to assist nonprofits with capital fundraising and financial development. As managing partner, Elliot serves as senior counsel on PRG’s projects and assembles the best team to meet the requirements of each individual project. Elliot draws upon his extensive background in public-private partnerships to assist organizations with growth and the funding necessary to achieve expansion. “ This often involves our getting into the client’s head, seeing things from their perspective and problem solving, before we move ahead,” Elliot says. When measuring financial opportunities, assessment comes first. Elliot adds, “ I enjoy the strategy and planning involved in large capital development, the creation of endowments and funding feasibility assessment.” Prior to founding PRG, Elliot managed nonprofits in Chicago, L.A. and San Francisco. His last position was CEO of one of the Bay Area’s largest, United Jewish Community Centers. Elliot is joined by PRG’s experienced team or professionals lending their energy, passion and expertise to every project. “ We also rely on a network of proven specialists who make themselves available,” says Elliot. “ We know how to get things done.”
Katelyn Willoughby
Marketing & Communications Strategy
Each day, Katelyn collaborates with CVNL staff to manage client relations, develop and execute comprehensive PR and marketing strategies, create promotional materials, oversee digital marketing campaigns, analyze market trends and performance metrics, and ensure brand consistency across all channels. The end goal: to position CVNL as a go-to resource for nonprofit organizations, their leaders, and volunteers.
Throughout her career, Katelyn has been actively involved in the nonprofit sector and has extensive experience in communications marketing. From 2008 to 2011, she ran her own program, Parent’s Night Out, which provided affordable childcare to families in Petaluma, CA. While completing her M.A. at San Francisco State University, Katelyn focused on communities, civic engagement, and volunteer management. Her final project examined how nonprofits use social media to increase community awareness, unite diverse populations, and sustain volunteer recruitment and retention.
Katelyn published a manual titled “Top Ten Tips” for nonprofits to effectively launch social media campaigns. She is passionate about teaching and has taught Public Speaking and Communication Theory. From 2016 to 2018, she served as Board Chair of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, San Francisco Chapter (YNPNsfba). Diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2011, she volunteers at the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and improving the quality of life for those affected by these diseases.
Steve Tulsky
Organizational Financial Health
Principal of the Benemetrics Consulting Group, Tulsky has over thirty years of experience as a financial professional. As a consultant, he has advised clients in both the nonprofit and commercial sectors on financial planning, analysis, information gathering, capital formation, and transactional matters. His current consultancy specializes in providing contract Chief Financial Officer advisory services to medium-sized Bay Area nonprofit agencies.
Testimonials
"I recommend ELP for anyone looking to become a stronger leader, no matter where they are in their career. ELP provides a strong foundation for anyone looking to learn the basics of leading or managing others in the nonprofit sector, while concentrating on the fundamentals needed to have a successful nonprofit."
"I would recommend ELP because it lets you understand that your voice or opinion matters."
"It was a 'very meet you where you are' in leadership training. It was a very safe place to learn and share. It took down the walls of insecurities. It was nice to hear from others in the nonprofit field like us that had so much knowledge and it really helped ignite the passion."
"ELP was a well-rounded perspective on organizational leadership that provided information and best practices from seasoned practitioners."
"Any management or supervisor role would benefit from this program."
"The program gives an excellent overview of all of the key aspects of nonprofit leadership and would be extremely useful to someone who was new to the nonprofit sector or who was interested in a leadership role."
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Sponsored in part by:
If you have any questions about the ELP or other CVNL training opportunities, contact:
learning@cvnl.org
Cancellation policy: If plans change and you are no longer able to attend, we will transfer your enrollment and payment to the next program cycle. Funds must be applied and used within a 6 (six) month period. We do not offer refunds.