2024 Leadership Programme

What did the 2024 Resource Alliance Leadership Programme achieve?

The 2024 Resource Alliance Leadership Programme brought together an incredibly diverse group of 104 leaders from 38 countries. The cohort met in four full-group Leadership Summits (three virtual, one in-person) and six smaller-group Action Labs. The key focus of the programme was discussing and finding solutions to some of the biggest issues facing the social impact sector now.

If you would like to apply to join the 2025 programme, please email the Lead Programme Coordinator, James Tennet on james@resource-alliance.org.

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Leadership Summits

1. February 2024 – Facing the Future – with Amitabh Behar of Oxfam International and Jeroo Billimoria of Catalyst 2030
2. May 2024 – Indigenous Action – with Michelle Schenandoah of Indigenous Concepts Consulting, Simeon Rose of Nature On The Board, Nana Afadzinu of WACSI, and Topaz Zega of the Anti-COP Movement
3. August 2024 – Collective Action – with Tasneem Essop of Climate Action Network
4. October 2024 – Youth Rising – with Martijn Lampert of Glocalities

Key Leadership Summit outcomes, tools and resources:

Summit 1 – Facing the Future

This Summit addressed pressing global challenges, including decolonization, structural inequities, and the need for systemic change and courageous leadership. Outcomes included commitments to reevaluate governance models and foster equitable collaboration across sectors.

Summit 2 – Indigenous Action

This Summit explored the integration of Indigenous wisdom into nonprofit leadership, focusing on sustainability, equity, and collective responsibility. Discussions highlighted the transformative potential of Indigenous practices in governance and philanthropy. Outcomes included the wider implementation of the “Nature on the Board” model.

Summit 3: Collective Action

This Summit highlighted the power of networked collaboration. Participants explored strategies for building trust, addressing power imbalances, and fostering equitable partnerships across sectors. Outcomes centered around implementing the learnings to improve group collaboration in the Action Labs.

Summit 4: Youth Rising

Focusing on youth disillusionment and polarization, this Summit emphasized data-driven and empathy-centered approaches to youth engagement. Outcomes included the “Youth Rising Framework,” a comprehensive tool to empower Gen Z as changemakers and to help counter misinformation with authentic narratives.

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Action Labs

1. Innovation (two groups)
2. Strategy & People (two groups)
3. Shift the Power
4. Climate

Key Action Lab goals, outcomes, tools and resources:

Innovation 1

• Identify and collate global examples of innovation (through a fundraising lens)
• Develop and implement a sector-wide ‘Innovation Readiness Survey’ (launching in 2025)
• Cultivate a culture of innovation

Innovation 2

• Develop deep understanding of AI’s potential and challenges
• Develop a comprehensive AI toolkit
• Develop and share an Ethical AI Implementation Framework for Non-Profits

Strategy & People 1

• Collect case studies on successful recruitment, workplace experience and motivation / retention mechanisms with a focus on younger generations.
• Collect quality quantitative data on the ame topic by designing and implement a sector-wide survey on Staff Retention in the Non-Profit Sector (launching in 2025).
• Build a repository of people management case studies with a focus on younger generation to help identify strategies to engage and retain younger generations.

Strategy & People 2

• Find, share & optimise effective strategy & people management models, tools & templates
• Develop and disseminate toolkits and templates (e.g. one-page strategy template, strategy & culture checklists) that aid in the practical application of strategic concepts.
• Document and learn from pragmatic applications: Compile case studies that highlight both successful and challenging strategy implementations to serve as learning tools for current and future leaders.

Shift the Power

• Build and launch a collaborative Shift the Power Advocacy Campaign with the Climate Action Lab
• Create a shared resource pool of Shift the Power case studies and success stories
• Publish a powerful thought-piece on why shifting power is so difficult in our sector.

Climate

• Develop a global climate campaign focusing on climate justice as the pivotal area of action.
• Spearhead change in our sector through utilising climate justice action as a platform to address broader systemic injustices
• Build a robust community of practice with shared resources and knowledge.

If you would like to apply to join the 2025 programme, please email the Lead Programme Coordinator, James Tennet on james@resource-alliance.org.