Reasons for Shared Leadership
Nonprofits embraced shared leadership for a number of reasons, including to facilitate organizational changes, enhance collaboration and improve efficiency across their organizations.
Nonprofits are rethinking traditional top-down structures and embracing shared leadership models that emphasize collaboration, inclusion and sustainability. This report, produced by Brazen Consulting and Accounting with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, explores how 11 nonprofits — nine in Baltimore and two national organizations — are practicing shared leadership.
Through surveys, interviews and group sessions, leaders share why they shifted toward collective leadership. Motivations included succession planning, preventing executive burnout, improving organizational effectiveness and aligning with missions rooted in collaboration.
The findings show that shared leadership can:
Still, challenges persist. Nonprofits must clarify roles, navigate the expectations of their board and funders and develop ways to assess effectiveness. This study recommends navigating such challenges by investing in coaching, building communities of practice, educating funders and creating assessment tools.
For organizations and funders alike, shared leadership offers a promising framework to support nonprofit growth, collaboration and long-term sustainability.
Shared leadership distributes responsibility, prevents burnout and strengthens organizations. While boards and funders must adapt to new models, nonprofits practicing shared leadership report more inclusive cultures and healthier, more resilient leaders.
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