As the U.S. grapples with the “Great Resignation,” both public human service agencies and nonprofit community-based organizations are experiencing significant difficulties in retaining staff and filling vacancies. Organizations are reporting vacancies as high as 30% or more. The reasons are complex, such as salary competition from other sectors, burnout in high-stress jobs, opportunities for more flexible work arrangements in other markets, and limitations in government hiring and contracting practices. While these workforce issues have long been a challenge, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and emerging economic challenges have made it clear that public and nonprofit human services agencies must rapidly adapt and innovate to build a modern workforce positioned to meet the demands of the future.

Join this webinar hosted by Social Current and the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) to hear from public and nonprofit human services leaders about the collective workforce challenges, as well as promising approaches that, through partnerships, build organizational capacity to achieve our shared mission of supporting the well-being of people and communities.

Takeaways

• The impact of workforce shortages on public human services agencies and nonprofit community-based organizations
• Practice and policy solutions to address workforce challenges
• Examples of community and state policy changes and initiatives

Who Should Participate

• Executives
• Human resources leaders
• Directors and managers

Join us at the virtual barbershop as we talk about life … REAL life. Being Black in America means many things, but one of the most prevalent issues is experiencing racism daily on multiple fronts. From standard microaggressions on up to direct confrontations, the men who’ll be waiting on their haircuts at our barbershop have experienced it all.

Black Men in Leadership: From Conversation to Sustainable Action

In a climate where awareness around diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations has heightened, Black men are still few and far between in high-level leadership positions. Further, the limited number of Black males in leadership roles experience tremendous pressure characterized by fear, anxiety, and stress. Black males are often challenged with needing to comply with the cultural status quo and mask their authentic identities.

At this virtual barbershop, Black male executives across the U.S. will examine and discuss their leadership journeys. To drive toward meaningful change, we’ll uncover practical recommendations and strategies. During this conversation, we’ll discuss:

• How we can recognize the real experiences and challenges many Black men face in leadership positions
• The factors that influence the professional journey of Black males to the C-suite
• How best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion can guide sustainable positive impact for Black men in leadership

About the Virtual Barbershop

The barbershop is the one of the few safe places where Black men feel very comfortable in having candid conversations on just about anything. All over America, the barbershop continues to serve as a second home and place of refuge, healing, and compassion for Black men.

This virtual space will feature several Black male executives from around the country, sharing their experiences and recommendations for advancing anti-racist leadership and championing equity-focused action in human services organizations. Just like in any barbershop, anyone is welcome to drop in at any time based on their availability and interest.

Catch Up with the Barbers on Previous Visits

• Leading Positive Change amid Social and Political Unrest
• Black Male Executives on COVID-19
• Addressing COVID-19 Disparities and the Vaccine Rollout
• Building Family Resilience by Supporting Black Fathers
• Supporting Black Students in the Classroom

Takeaways

• How dominant culture challenges Black males in leadership roles
• How best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion can guide sustainable positive impact for Black men in leadership
• Strategies that positively impact Black men currently in leadership roles and create pathways for additional Black men aspiring to leadership

Who Should Participate

• Executives
• Directors
• Program managers
• Human resources staff
• Board members

Join us at the virtual barbershop as we talk about life … REAL life. Being Black in America means many things, but one of the most prevalent issues is experiencing racism daily on multiple fronts. From standard microaggressions on up to direct confrontations, the men who’ll be waiting on their haircuts at our barbershop have experienced it all.

Black Men in Leadership: From Conversation to Sustainable Action

In a climate where awareness around diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations has heightened, Black men are still few and far between in high-level leadership positions. Further, the limited number of Black males in leadership roles experience tremendous pressure characterized by fear, anxiety, and stress. Black males are often challenged with needing to comply with the cultural status quo and mask their authentic identities.

At this virtual barbershop, Black male executives across the U.S. will examine and discuss their leadership journeys. To drive toward meaningful change, we’ll uncover practical recommendations and strategies. During this conversation, we’ll discuss:

• How we can recognize the real experiences and challenges many Black men face in leadership positions
• The factors that influence the professional journey of Black males to the C-suite
• How best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion can guide sustainable positive impact for Black men in leadership

About the Virtual Barbershop

The barbershop is the one of the few safe places where Black men feel very comfortable in having candid conversations on just about anything. All over America, the barbershop continues to serve as a second home and place of refuge, healing, and compassion for Black men.

This virtual space will feature several Black male executives from around the country, sharing their experiences and recommendations for advancing anti-racist leadership and championing equity-focused action in human services organizations. Just like in any barbershop, anyone is welcome to drop in at any time based on their availability and interest.

Catch Up with the Barbers on Previous Visits

• Leading Positive Change amid Social and Political Unrest
• Black Male Executives on COVID-19
• Addressing COVID-19 Disparities and the Vaccine Rollout
• Building Family Resilience by Supporting Black Fathers
• Supporting Black Students in the Classroom

Takeaways

• How dominant culture challenges Black males in leadership roles
• How best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion can guide sustainable positive impact for Black men in leadership
• Strategies that positively impact Black men currently in leadership roles and create pathways for additional Black men aspiring to leadership

Who Should Participate

• Executives
• Directors
• Program managers
• Human resources staff
• Board members

About the Black Women in Leadership Affinity Group
We are a courageous group of Black woman leaders who support one another to nurture and live our power, bolster engagement in personal and professional development, and leverage our network to be a catalyst for positive change in our communities. Given the impact of historical and existing structural racism that we must surmount, the affinity group aims to engage authentically, bringing our talent and vulnerability together to transcend societal norms. Through trainings, conversations, topical education, tools, and other resources, Black women leaders will learn and practice the teaching principles and habits of EDI-focused adaptive leadership skills.

The Social Current Leadership Through Affinity groups support leaders with shared cultural backgrounds as they build relationships, develop professional networks, and engage in training.

Current* groups include:

• Black Women in Leadership Affinity Group
• Latinx Leadership Affinity Group
• Allies for Equity, Justice & Inclusion
• Black Men’s Barbershop Affinity Group

Through the work of the affinity groups, emerging and senior leaders will develop solutions and address barriers that keep persons of color from advancing at rates equal to their counterparts. These leaders will have access to trainings that include adaptive leadership, psychological safety, and revolutionary leadership. Leaders will also receive mentoring from EDI cohort leaders. 

* These four affinity groups are the result of a grant-supported inaugural project, but they are just the beginning. We recognize that there are marginalized groups not represented here and we hope to expand to other racial, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds, including, but not limited to, LGBTQ+, those with disabilities, and those considered Second Acts. Interested in forming a new leadership affinity group? Please contact Deb Smith to learn more. 

Learning Objectives

• Navigating the negative perceptions of the Black woman
• Using the influence of Black women to elevate communities
• Self-care strategies that use an EDI lens to build personal and professional strength and resilience
• Solutions for supporting and advancing women of color in leadership roles
• Concepts of EDI, including psychological safety and implicit bias

Who Should Participate

• Focus on managers and supervisors
• Emerging and senior leaders
• Executives

Health and wellness continue to be at risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the emerging variants. Vaccines, despite their effectiveness in countering the pandemic, have become a political diversion at best and dangerously polarizing at worst. Although freedom of choice is important, considerations should be given to the myriad implications of a pandemic that continues to pose critical risks to the health and well-being of many citizens. For these reasons, companies across the country are mandating vaccinations for employees—whether as an internal organizational decision or in compliance with federal and regional mandates—with the burden falling on leaders to determine their organization’s path for creating and upholding vaccine policies.

Community-based organizations, many of which continue to be on the leading edge of the pandemic’s damaging effects on marginalized and high-risk populations, are working to navigate the current landscape in the best interest of the individuals, families, and communities they serve. This is done while also needing to support their most valuable asset—their employees.

Often, community members turn to the programs and services that community-based organizations provide to get advice and resources in making vaccine decisions for their families. This can put organizations and their staff in difficult situations that cannot be void of personal beliefs and biases. The scenario can also cause additional stress and division among team members and thwart a supportive and productive organizational culture. Leaders and human resources staff may find themselves struggling to make the right choices with and for their workforce during this period of “Great Resignation,” when recruitment and retention of staff and talent remain challenging.

In this panel discussion, you will hear from leaders who are dealing with difficult decisions every day to support their communities and their workforce. Participants can expect:

• A direct, authentic, and bold discussion with leaders of community-based organizations
• To address the issues and challenges community-based organizations are facing
• Idea sharing around steps that have been taken and their results

Because the stakes are high, the conversation will be direct, authentic, and bold. The fact is that we are in this together and our work has never been more critical.

Takeaways

• Current issues affecting community-based organizations as the COVID-19 pandemic continues
• Ways you can support your community and workforce during this difficult time
• Engage with a call to action identifying your next steps

Who Should Participate

• Chief executives
• HR directors
• Recruiters
• Benefits managers
• Supervisors

About the Black Women in Leadership Affinity Group
We are a courageous group of Black woman leaders who support one another to nurture and live our power, bolster engagement in personal and professional development, and leverage our network to be a catalyst for positive change in our communities. Given the impact of historical and existing structural racism that we must surmount, the affinity group aims to engage authentically, bringing our talent and vulnerability together to transcend societal norms. Through trainings, conversations, topical education, tools, and other resources, Black women leaders will learn and practice the teaching principles and habits of EDI-focused adaptive leadership skills.

The Social Current Leadership Through Affinity groups support leaders with shared cultural backgrounds as they build relationships, develop professional networks, and engage in training.

Current* groups include:

• Black Women in Leadership Affinity Group
• Latinx Leadership Affinity Group
• Allies for Equity, Justice & Inclusion
• Black Men’s Barbershop Affinity Group

Through the work of the affinity groups, emerging and senior leaders will develop solutions and address barriers that keep persons of color from advancing at rates equal to their counterparts. These leaders will have access to trainings that include adaptive leadership, psychological safety, and revolutionary leadership. Leaders will also receive mentoring from EDI cohort leaders. 

* These four affinity groups are the result of a grant-supported inaugural project, but they are just the beginning. We recognize that there are marginalized groups not represented here and we hope to expand to other racial, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds, including, but not limited to, LGBTQ+, those with disabilities, and those considered Second Acts. Interested in forming a new leadership affinity group? Please contact Deb Smith to learn more. 

Learning Objectives

• Navigating the negative perceptions of the Black woman
• Using the influence of Black women to elevate communities
• Self-care strategies that use an EDI lens to build personal and professional strength and resilience
• Solutions for supporting and advancing women of color in leadership roles
• Concepts of EDI, including psychological safety and implicit bias

Who Should Participate

• Focus on managers and supervisors
• Emerging and senior leaders
• Executives

Informing your work with relevant and trustworthy research is important—but it isn’t always easy to do. Information overload can be stressful. And exploring emerging data and trends can be time consuming. Luckily, the Social Current Knowledge and Insights Center can help.

Experienced librarians and other Social Current staff and partners with subject matter expertise provide professionals in the nonprofit social services sector with timely and useful information solutions. This includes on-demand, 24/7 access to thousands of online knowledge and resource assets, full-text articles, journals and publications, and real-world policies and procedures from social services organizations. Engaged organizations can also consult directly with librarians who provide reference services, such as research requests, subject compilations, and coaching to use information resources more effectively.

Join the Knowledge and Insights Center team for this session. They’ll provide an overview of services, instructions for using the online resources portal, and tips and tricks that make information searches and usage easier.

2022 Social Current Engagement Webinar Series
Join us to learn how your organization’s team can benefit from a Social Current engagement package and the exciting opportunities that connect you with colleagues across the network. All staff at organizations with 2022 Social Current Engagement Packages—and those interested in learning more—are encouraged to participate in this webinar.

In addition to delving into the month’s featured topic, we will preview any new or soon-to-be-released products, services, tools, and engagement opportunities. This webinar will include ample time for Q&A, as you explore ways to maximize the engagement experience for your organization and colleagues.

Register for upcoming webinars or download the recordings of past sessions.

• Jan. 21 at 4 p.m. ET — Social Current Hub preview
• Feb. 8 at 11 a.m. ET — Launch of the SPARK Exchanges
• March 16 at 3:30 p.m. ET—Knowledge and Insights Center
• April 21 at 12:30 p.m. ET — Public Policy Advocacy
• May 20 2 p.m. ET — Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion offering
• June 14 at 11:30 a.m. ET — Social Current Online HUB Demo
• July 26 at 3 p.m. ET — Knowledge and Insights Center
• Aug. 17 at 1 p.m. ET — SPARK Exchanges
• Oct. 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET — Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion offering
• Nov. 16 at 12:30 p.m. ET — Knowledge and Insights Center
• Dec. 7 at 10 a.m. ET — Topic Coming Soon

Takeaways

• Recommendations on what types of information resources are best for specific needs
• Tips and tricks on using business, research, and media databases effectively
• Examples of reference requests that address specific organizational needs
• Instructions on using the online resources portal
• Q&A with Social Current staff

Who Should Participate

• Any staff at organizations that have Social Current Engagement Packages
• Any staff at organizations interested in Social Current Engagement Packages

• Workshop: $650
• Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®): $288

Workshop Sessions

March Session: March 1, 8, 15
June Session: June 9, 16, 23
November Session: Nov. 1, 8, 15

Given the continued emergence of an interconnected society, an ever-evolving pandemic, calls for racial and social justice, and heightened polarization across many fronts, building organizational capacity for advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion is more critical than ever. The need for leaders across sectors, and especially within the social sector, to understand and engage the current environment is essential in building an equitable society for all.

This journey begins by ensuring all people feel valued at work. It mandates the co-creation of an inclusive workforce that can foster the development of a healthy, productive, and peaceful society in which all people can participate and reach their full potential. The journey continues with building a culture that supports equity for long-term sustainable change and engaging the inequitable systems, which marginalizes, disconnects, and dismisses individuals from having access and full participation in reaching economic mobility and prosperity.

During this three-part virtual workshop presented by Social Current, participants will explore their relationships with equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in a safe environment and make progress on developing an EDI action plan for their organizations.

Because advancing EDI requires more than just basic knowledge and the will to improve, presenters will help participants understand their own biases and the role of historical discrimination, non-inclusive behavioral actions, and culture in creating an unjust society.

The workshop will include presentations of valuable information, facilitated discussions, reflection opportunities, and dedicated planning time. In addition to learning about core concepts, participants will put ideas into action with facilitated planning time. Everyone will begin developing action plans for their organizations or build on existing plans. Organizations are encouraged to send multiple employees to build or work on current EDI plans for advancement.

About the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®)
To be equipped to advance equity within your community, organization, and beyond, it is essential to also understand and advance your personal journey. Enhance your participation in this workshop with the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®), which provides valuable and actionable information about your own mindset/skillset toward cultural difference and commonality. The IDI®, a 50-item online questionnaire, has been developed and tested using rigorous cross-culturally validated psychometric protocols with over 220,000 respondents from a wide range of cultural groups and countries.

Add this assessment to your workshop registration to receive practical and in-depth information. Individuals will receive a customized IDI® Individual Profile Report and participate in a 60-minute one-on-one debrief session with Social Current Director of Evaluation and Research Phyllis Richards to discuss their results and develop a plan to meet their personal intercultural development goals. Richards is a qualified administrator of the IDI® and has more than a decade of experience in working collaboratively to address systemic racism and improve cultural competency.

Workshop Goals

• How EDI has changed over time within the U.S. as a result of legislation
• Understand the skills needed to advance your EDI personal journey
• How biases, racism, and incivility are barriers to building an EDI-enriched workplace culture
• Understand their organization’s phase of EDI maturity, and how to move to the next phase
• A multi-faceted approach for co-creating an organizational culture that fosters EDI
• Options for addressing critical current issues
• How to structure an organizational plan to advance EDI using results-based strategies
• Create the skeleton plan with facilitator support

Who Should Participate

• Staff responsible for diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Human resources professionals
• Organizational development professionals
• Executives
• Board members
• Executive search firms

Informing your work with relevant and trustworthy research is important—but it isn’t always easy to do. Information overload can be stressful. And exploring emerging data and trends can be time consuming. Luckily, the Social Current Knowledge and Insights Center can help.

Experienced librarians and other Social Current staff and partners with subject matter expertise provide professionals in the nonprofit social services sector with timely and useful information solutions. This includes on-demand, 24/7 access to thousands of online knowledge and resource assets, full-text articles, journals and publications, and real-world policies and procedures from social services organizations. Engaged organizations can also consult directly with librarians who provide reference services, such as research requests, subject compilations, and coaching to use information resources more effectively.

Join the Knowledge and Insights Center team for this session. They’ll provide an overview of services, instructions for using the online resources portal, and tips and tricks that make information searches and usage easier.

2022 Social Current Engagement Webinar Series
Join us to learn how your organization’s team can benefit from a Social Current engagement package and the exciting opportunities that connect you with colleagues across the network. All staff at organizations with 2022 Social Current Engagement Packages—and those interested in learning more—are encouraged to participate in this webinar.

In addition to delving into the month’s featured topic, we will preview any new or soon-to-be-released products, services, tools, and engagement opportunities. This webinar will include ample time for Q&A, as you explore ways to maximize the engagement experience for your organization and colleagues.

Register for upcoming webinars or download the recordings of past sessions.

• Jan. 21 at 4 p.m. ET — Social Current Hub preview
• Feb. 8 at 11 a.m. ET — Launch of the SPARK Exchanges
• March 16 at 3:30 p.m. ET—Knowledge and Insights Center
• April 21 at 12:30 p.m. ET — Public Policy Advocacy
• May 20 2 p.m. ET — Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion offering
• June 14 at 11:30 a.m. ET — Social Current Online HUB Demo
• July 26 at 3 p.m. ET — Knowledge and Insights Center
• Aug. 17 at 1 p.m. ET — SPARK Exchanges
• Oct. 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET — Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion offering
• Nov. 16 at 12:30 p.m. ET — Knowledge and Insights Center
• Dec. 7 at 10 a.m. ET — Topic Coming Soon

Takeaways

• Recommendations on what types of information resources are best for specific needs
• Tips and tricks on using business, research, and media databases effectively
• Examples of reference requests that address specific organizational needs
• Instructions on using the online resources portal
• Q&A with Social Current staff

Who Should Participate

• Any staff at organizations that have Social Current Engagement Packages
• Any staff at organizations interested in Social Current Engagement Packages