Coaching Skills Empower Social Sector Leaders

Leadership that Works, Inc. has launched a coach training certification program focused specifically on developing coaches who want to work in nonprofits and diverse communities. The 9-month program, Coaching for Transformation, is the first International Coach Federation accredited coach training program targeting social sector leaders. The pilot program was launched in San Francisco, CA in May 2011 with generous financial support from The Coaches Care, a charitable giving program committed to delivering the “transformational gift of coaching to those individuals, communities and organizations most in need.”

The coach certification training for nonprofits is facilitated by Belma González and Mary Kuentz. Belma has worked with community leaders for 25 years – often women and folks of color – who didn’t set out to be identified as ‘the leader’ but find themselves leading others – whether in organizations or campaigns, their neighborhoods or families. She partners with these leaders to achieve their goals and says, "I love working with folks who are committed to creating a more equitable world – people who refuse to step over the misery they see in their community and instead are driven to address injustices.”

Mary, as a senior faculty member and mentor coach at Leadership that Works, is committed to developing culturally aware coaches who serve nonprofit leaders and social justice activists. A professional coach since 1999, Mary works with “people who have a hunger to seek out their calling and won’t stop until they find it; people who are inspired by their desire to make a change in the world.”

This pilot training program offers cutting edge curricula in experiential learning while honing in on the unique needs of those working in or with nonprofit organizations. The multicultural curriculum design team at Leadership that Works, led by Sharon Brown, created new modules to expand awareness of cultural competencies. In turn, the coaches who graduate from this program empower their clients to “be the change they want to see in the world.” Rae Eby-Carl, a current participant in the class says, "People who work in non-profits dream big and plan to change the world through their work. It is very exciting to have the opportunity to coach non-profit leaders to an even higher level of achievement and personal satisfaction! Individual successes can become societal improvements."

Coaching is an established profession in the private sector, but remains a slowly emerging practice in the nonprofit sector. Despite strong evidence of the benefits of coaching for nonprofit leaders, training opportunities designed for the social sector are limited. Virginia Kellogg, a founding partner of Leadership that Works, says, “Coaching has traditionally been available mostly to people who already have plenty of power and privilege. At Leadership that Works, we are committed to calling the coaching profession to step beyond these boundaries and invest in getting coaching skills into the hands of all people, in all communities.”

Virginia has been a pioneer in the emerging partnership between coaching professionals and nonprofits. She collaborated with leaders in the coaching field to create the Coaching and Philanthropy (CAP) Project, a multi-year project to develop the effective use of coaching in nonprofit settings. According to the CAP Project’s research, “coaching can have an enormous value as a stand-alone strategy for developing leaders and their organizations.” A free download of the Coaching and Philanthropy Action Guide for Nonprofits is available at http://www.leadershipthatworks.com CAP.

Coaching for Transformation uses the powerful impact of coaching skills to bridge the gap between the social sector and those in need, whether it’s individuals, organizations or communities. The certified coaches graduating from the program will use their skills to enhance the resourcefulness of nonprofit organizations while building capacity to tackle social issues. Leadership that Works plans to make the program widely available in 2012. For more information visit http://www.leadershipthatworks.com or call 570-297-3333.

Leadership that Works
Martha Lasley and Virginia Kellogg
info@leadershipthatworks.com
570-297-3333
Leadership that Works, Inc. , PO Box 224 , Troy, PA 16947

This release was published on openPR.