Valerie Jarrett is no stranger to the tough challenges nonprofit leaders face today. She is now head of the Obama Foundation, which is working to build an extensive library and community center in Chicago. From that perch she collaborates closely with leaders who pursue a wide range of social-change and economic development efforts.

Jarrett built many of her leadership muscles decades ago, when she served as a key senior adviser to President Barack Obama through all eight years of his presidency. In the years since, she also served on many corporate and nonprofit boards.

What she learned in the White House — responding to crises like the Great Recession — and now emphasizes as a nonprofit CEO, is the importance of assembling and building a great executive team. Host and Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer talked with Jarrett about her team-building strategies and advice to fellow leaders. Jarrett says not only does a strong executive team get more done, but it also enables the CEO to spend as much time as possible working on big-picture issues that are essential to the organization's future.

Among her recommendations to nonprofit CEOs:

• Start thinking about the whole team from the very first interview with a candidate for an executive role.
• Make sure everyone at the leadership table feels welcome.
• Encourage the leadership team to change course when needed.
• Delegate everything you can to others.
• Ask people how you can make their jobs easier.

Follow Jarrett on LinkedIn.

For more advice on recruiting, see these article from the Chronicle:

• “A Really Tough Job: Nonprofit CEOs Work to Make Their Roles More Manageable” by Ben Gose
• “Leaders’ Advice for Other Leaders” by Ben Gose
• “Humanize Your Hiring Process — Here’s Why and How” by Mordy Walfish
• “(Video) How to Hire and Retain Top-Quality Workers” by Chronicle Staff
• “Leadership at the Crossroads” by George Anders

Nonprofits Now: Leading Today is hosted by Stacy Palmer. It’s produced by Emily Haynes at the Chronicle of Philanthropy and from Reasonable Volume, Mary Dooe is the producer, Mark Bush is our engineer, and Rachel Swaby and Elise Hu are executive producers. Additional support comes from Margie Fleming Glennon, Andrew Simon, Nick Adams, Krista Niles, Amaya Beltran, and Kyle Johnson.

For the latest philanthropy news and analysis, subscribe to the Chronicle at philanthropy.com/subscribe.

Like all workplaces, nonprofits are now filled with up to four generations of workers as boomers work along with millennials and people in Generations X and Z.

Each generation approaches work and careers differently, which leads to struggles at some organizations. But at the best-run nonprofits, leaders are ensuring that differences in work styles and life experience enhance an organization’s ability to meet its mission.

In this episode of Nonprofits Now: Leading Today, host Stacy Palmer talks with two leaders who excel in working with people in different life stages.

Alexandra Bernadotte is founder and CEO of Beyond 12, an organization that works to ensure students from marginalized backgrounds graduate from college, and Elsa Morales-Roth, executive director of the Emilio Nares Foundation, which helps the families of children with cancer.

Among the suggestions from Bernadotte, who is a Gen Xer, and Morales-Roth, who is a millennial:

• Embrace what people of every age bring to the organization. Bernadotte makes a point of reminding people that intergenerational teams are “powerful because they’re not homogeneous.” What’s more, she says, intergenerational teams “don’t just get the work done, they build something that lasts.”
• Highlight achievements of staff members from each generation. Morales-Roth starts every team meeting by deliberately making sure that an employee from each generation gets a shout-out for their accomplishments and contributions.
• Put the mission and values first. One way Bernadotte puts this into action: Each year, Bernadotte creates case studies based on difficult or divisive issues the nonprofit had to confront. Staff members from across the organization form teams to discuss what they would have done with the same set of facts. Doing so helps people of different ages and backgrounds learn how others think — and figure out how to make decisions that best reflect the organization’s values.
• Give fresh thought to performance measures. Morales-Roth is instituting 360-degree reviews.

Connect with Bernadotte and Morales-Roth on LinkedIn.

Further resources:

• “Gen Z Is Open to Nonprofit Careers — But on Their Own Terms” by Ben Gose
• “(Opinion) Boomer Leaders Should Learn to Share Their Power — Like I Did” by Raymond A. Jetson
• "What Young Nonprofit Workers Want" by Jim Rendon
• “How Millennials Lead” by Heather Joslyn
• “(Tool Kit) How to Manage Several Generations at a Nonprofit” by Chronicle staff
• “Leadership at the Crossroads” by George Anders

Nonprofits Now: Leading Today is hosted by Stacy Palmer. It’s produced by Emily Haynes at the Chronicle of Philanthropy and from Reasonable Volume, Mary Dooe is the producer, Mark Bush is our engineer, and Rachel Swaby and Elise Hu are executive producers. Additional support comes from Margie Fleming Glennon, Andrew Simon, Nick Adams, Krista Niles, Amaya Beltran, and Kyle Johnson.

For the latest philanthropy news and analysis, subscribe to the Chronicle at philanthropy.com/subscribe.

Nonprofits are facing a series of financial hits — or bracing for them. Federal spending cuts have already forced many organizations to trim programs and lay off workers — and with policymakers considering more far-reaching reductions, additional austerity is likely. Meanwhile, the growing possibility of a recession could spell trouble for nonprofits that depend on foundations, corporations, and individuals for support.

To help organizations navigate this period, Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer turned to two leaders.

Aisha Benson, head of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, offers advice based on nearly three decades working with organizations on a broad range of fiscal matters. Myal Greene leads World Relief, which provides humanitarian aid around the world — and runs refugee resettlement programs in the United States. It relies on support from the federal government as well as private donors, and faced nearly immediate cuts when President Trump took office in January.

Among Benson and Greene’s recommendations:

• Do a cash flow analysis and prepare for different scenarios.
• Reach out to grant makers and other donors.
• Advocacy matters.
• Get legal advice and watch for misinformation.
• The past is not a perfect guided for today’s challenges.

Connect with Benson and Greene on LinkedIn.

Further resources:

• "Facing Federal Defunding, Nonprofits Draft Best and Worst Case Budgets" by Eden Stiffman
• "How to Lead Well in Uncertain Times" By Lisa Schohl
• "6 Ways Nonprofit Leaders Can Boost Morale in Chaotic Times" by Rasheeda Childress
• "7 Ways to Earn Foundations’ Trust and Win General Operating Support" by M.J. Prest
• "Know Your Rights: How Much Can Tax-Exempt Groups Speak Out?" by Roger Colinvoux
• "How to Retain Skittish Donors Amid the Economic Turbulence" by Rasheeda Childress
• "Fundamentals for Nonprofits" by the Nonprofit Finance Fund
• "Leadership at the Crossroads" by George Anders

Nonprofits Now: Leading Today is hosted by Stacy Palmer. It’s produced by Emily Haynes at the Chronicle of Philanthropy and from Reasonable Volume, Mary Dooe is the producer, Mark Bush is our engineer, and Rachel Swaby and Elise Hu are executive producers. Additional support comes from Margie Fleming Glennon, Andrew Simon, Nick Adams, Krista Niles, Amaya Beltran, and Kyle Johnson.

For the latest philanthropy news and analysis, subscribe to the Chronicle at philanthropy.com/subscribe