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WATCH: Learn more about our Leadership Cohorts from our practioners and leaders.

Leadership Cohorts

Nonprofit executives are leading through a time of incredible complexity and challenge. In moments like this, it’s important for leaders to see “outside of the four walls” of their own organization and get timely insight and advice from peers who know the field and the work deeply. Likewise, it’s essential to provide these leaders with the community and support necessary to persist in their roles.

Leadership Cohorts are a structured and confidential space for leaders to give and receive regular support and guidance on the hardest things they are trying to address, while seeding new ideas and opportunities to take their individual and collective work to the next level.

Actionable Insights & Advice

On the most important issues leaders are grappling with each month, from people who know the field and the work deeply

Holistic Support

From a trusted group of peers who come to know one another holistically over time

A Place for New Idea Generation

On collective action, with an opportunity to step back and co-design collective action initiatives on issues too complex for any one organization to address on their own

Methodology

Leadership Cohorts are available to every participating leader in the Alliance and launch on a rolling basis. Each cohort consists of 8-10 executive leaders with the same functional role, from organizations of similar size and stage across different cities, who meet monthly over the course of two years.

500+

LEADERS

In just 3 years, our Leadership Cohorts programming has scaled to include more than 500 executive leaders in over 50 cohorts.

  • My development cohort has been a consistent source of wisdom and support over the past couple years. Their insights have informed how we’re navigating a changing philanthropic landscape and structuring our growing revenue team, and having a network of friends who get it is absolutely crucial to making this work sustainable for me as an individual.”

    Divya Mani, Managing Director of External Affairs, Transcend

  • “As a CEO, it is lonely out there. Being able to be real with my peer group has been a blessing. To see and track experiences and learnings across the field with folks in similar positions has been a real gift."

    David Flink, CEO, Neurodiversity Alliance

  • "My leadership cohort provides insight and proven tools and resources to help move our [organization's] work forward. It has also provided some reality checking to help us determine whether an issue is unique to our organization or extends to the sector/industry. Through my cohort, I have essentially been able to crowdsource ideas to address tactical issues and discuss responses to various scenarios. I feel like it's another 'phone a friend' option that provides rich experience and expertise to problem solve.”

    Keely Quinn, Vice President of Programming and Impact, DoSomething

  • "My leadership cohort provided a strong sense of community and support, which was instrumental in my growth as a leader. Engaging with like-minded individuals allowed me to refine my skills, gain new perspectives, and challenge my thinking. The program’s structure encouraged both personal and professional development, creating a space where I felt valued and motivated to contribute.”​

    Kevin Wright, Chief of Staff, Point Foundation

  • “Developing strong bonds with colleagues in the APA Community opens doors to approaching work in innovative and impactful ways. Connecting with peers who are in my role across multiple organizations builds synergy to share resources, increase awareness of what is happening in the field, and serves as valuable professional development each month. I have reached out to my Alliance colleagues to seek guidance on various challenges and obstacles, and I am always met with solution-oriented responses and a willingness to tackle big issues!”

    Karey Webb​, Director of Event Experiences, JAG

87%

of leaders say that participation in the Alliance positively impacted their development as a leader in 2024

Related Content

The image features the leadership cohort of America's Promise Alliance for 2022-24, including chief operating and finance officers. It shows portraits of five diverse individuals, three women and two men. The top row has two women, and the bottom row has three people. The image includes logos of America's Promise Alliance, Bottom Line, Search Institute, Generation Citizen, and Let's Get Ready.
Cover page of America's Promise Alliance Leadership Cohort document featuring photos of five diverse individuals and logos of Transcend, Communities in Schools, Jobs for the Future, Let's Get Ready, and Mentor.
A group photo with 15 diverse individuals in three rows, above various organization logos, including America's Promise Alliance, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Communities In Schools, DoSomething.org, Friends of the Children, Jobs for the Future, Let's Get Ready, The Literacy Lab, NPower, NAF, Our Turn, Search Institute, uAspire, and YouthBuild.
A woman with black hair wearing a blue shirt, sitting at a desk with a laptop, resting her chin on her hand, looking thoughtful. Text overlay: 'Nithi Thomas, Vice President of Alliance Programming, Leadership Cohorts'. Logo of America's Promise Alliance is in the top left corner.