When Chelsie Nightingale was hired as the executive director of the Multicultural Association of Sussex about 18 months ago, it marked a couple of firsts.
She was the first staff member for the previously all-volunteer organization, and it was the first time she headed up a non-profit organization.
After the pandemic hit, she sought emergency funding from the United Way to help keep the organization moving forward. Through the application process, United Way staff identified her as a young leader who could benefit from mentoring.
As part of our mission to build strong, resilient non-profit organizations in our communities and to help leaders grow their skills, we have been offering mentoring to leaders in the sector – particularly ones new to their roles like Chelsie.
She was paired with management consultant Pat Stafford. They have regular mentoring sessions, with Pat providing advice on leadership, governance, communication, strategic planning, key performance indicators and more.
All this as the association was staffing up rapidly to serve newcomers to the area.
It’s a tremendous support for Chelsie, who – like most non-profit leaders – have no manual to work from.
“For me personally, this has really helped me grow. It was something so new for me. It’s been wonderful,” Chelsie says.
“It’s really helped us as an organization structure what we need. It has helped us step back and assess what we need to survive and to grow.”