Executive Directors Leadership Institute (EDLI)

What You’ll Get

• One-on-one coaching with a highly-trained, executive-level consultant who will serve as your leadership coach for 10 months 
• Interactive peer learning and networking opportunities with a cohort of fellow Executive Directors 
• 40+ hours of professional development/training sessions over a 10-month period that will consist of expert instruction and comprehensive training topics to help you lead your nonprofit.

What You’ll Learn

EDLI will give you practical tools and strategies to build critical leadership skills and transform the effectiveness and impact of your organization.  

Topics for EDLI 2023 include: 

• Shaping and sustaining your organization’s culture 
• Managing your board strategically 
• Shifting the politics of your nonprofit 
• Leading fiscal accountability and responsibility 
• Building a stronger development team comprised of both your board and staff 
• Deepening your organization’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion 
• Developing your staff 
• Planning for organizational succession and leadership continuity 
• Leveraging your emotional intelligence to lead strategically 
• Implementing Executive Director performance evaluation 
• Additional discussion topics may be customized based on the input of the cohort and based on its evolving needs over the course of the year. 

What sets EDLI apart?

• Coaching: You will be matched with one of our consultants who will serve as your leadership coach for 10 months. As your thought partner and coach, your consultant will listen to your specific organizational needs, help you identify opportunities and solutions, and support you as you complete the program.  Past participants who have taken advantage of more than 40 hours (approximately 2 sessions per month) of coaching throughout the year often report the biggest transformation in their leadership approach. 
• Peer Learning: You will join a cohort of fellow nonprofit leaders to build a supportive and confidential forum in which to share knowledge and personal experience, develop peer coaching skills and explore new strategies for dealing with challenging situations. Together, you will learn how to leverage your emotional intelligence to lead your organization and staff to better fulfill your mission. Intentional social pods are created for you to build closer connections to colleagues.  
• Class Training: You will explore comprehensive leadership topics and strengthen your nonprofit management skills through a series of workshops that will cover the topics listed above. Through presentations, facilitated discussions, and interactive exercises with real world applications, instructors with subject matter expertise and nonprofit experience will help create a dynamic learning environment for you and your cohort. These lectures will be led by a group of instructors from diverse backgrounds and expert knowledge about nonprofit management. 

Meet Your EDLI Lead Instructor

Non-profit management expert Janet Schulman will lead you through the curriculum. Janet is a recognized leader in the nonprofit sector with more than 30 years of experience in executive positions. She served as the Founding Executive Director of Big Sisters of Los Angeles and as the CEO of Special Olympics Southern California. She holds a MSW from Boston University and a MPA from University of California, Los Angeles.

Sessions

Recent EDLI Cohorts