Reflections & Insights: Hope for a Thriving Social Sector in Central Texas
In January 2018, Madge Vásquez became the 3rd CEO in Mission Capital’s history and the first woman of color to serve as its executive leader. Mission Capital (formerly Greenlights for Nonprofit Success), has served as a trusted nonprofit membership organization, consulting firm and collective impact backbone to nonprofits, philanthropic funders and government partners for over 20 years. As Madge prepares to step away from the Mission Capital CEO role at the end of the year, she wanted to share her reflections over the last 5 years of her leadership tenure at our organization.
It’s the end of 2022, and a time of gratitude and reflection as we prepare for winter break; a season of what’s yet to come in the new year. As many of you may know, in early October, I announced my Mission Capital CEO planned departure, as I take a sabbatical and focus on family eldercare priorities.
As we all know, and have experienced over these last several years, “change is constant”, and stirs up many mixed emotions…fear, anxiety, excitement, renewal. I also know, through my own lived experience, that change can be a powerful lever for personal, organizational, and community transformation.
It was Mission Capital’s (MC) organizational appetite for transformation that was the neon welcome sign that brought me into the fold in 2018. I remember that first year as a first-time CEO and woman of color leader, navigating our own executive transition and profound strategic mission shift to center equity internally and externally. By 2019, we were engaged in deep personal, interpersonal, and organizational capacity building as staff, as we explored how to pivot our programmatic and operational work in a responsive way. Together, the Mission Capital board and staff set a bold aspiration to “equip and connect mission-driven leaders, organizations and networks as we advance equity and opportunity in our work”. As we’ve shared in past MC blogs and resources, we quickly understood that our own equity journey could only begin once we committed to “becoming the change we wanted to see in the world”.
Little did we know that a global pandemic coupled with deep national racial reckoning was around the corner in 2020, creating an unprecedented and massive disruption that would impact the way we think about health, structural racism, the economy, political polarization and our roles in the workplace, our families and community. Little did we know the sheer human stamina it would take to process the grief and loss we were carrying as we supported our families and as our Central Texas nonprofits supported our communities.
The last (soon to be) three years of pandemic life have left an indelible imprint on me, as I think about the extraordinary love and commitment with which our region’s nonprofits, philanthropic partners, and staff stepped up to lead in this moment. As I prepare to wrap-up my service at Mission Capital, I wanted to share some reflections on the highlights of Mission Capital’s strategic work anchored by our 3 north star goals. This work was made possible through our dedicated staff in partnership with hundreds of nonprofit members and community partners, that comprise an essential safety net and infrastructure for our Central Texas communities.
Reflections on Closing the Racial Leadership Gap
In 2020, Mission Capital was proud to partner with the Building Movement Project as we collaborated on a nonprofit survey and Central Texas Race to Lead Brief which showed us that less than 25% of our Central Texas nonprofits are BIPOC-led (executive staff and board), though the vast majority of our region’s nonprofits serve communities of color. Given the glorious racial ethnic and demographic diversity of Texas and our Central Texas region, it is imperative that we focus on existing BIPOC-led organizations and the “next generation” of leaders that will lead our nonprofit and philanthropic institutions. As we all know, there is “power in proximity” and having BIPOC leaders who bring lived experience and deep connections to their communities is fundamental for the health and well-being of ALL in our communities.
The Race to Lead (R2L) work also illuminated specific barriers that need to be removed so that BIPOC leaders can succeed. R2L demonstrated BIPOC leaders have smaller networks, lack funder relationships, and are paid less than their white peers. Nonprofit Finance Fund’s 2022 State of the Sector report shows more BIPOC nonprofits saw increased demand since COVID-19 but are less likely to have a surplus (especially Black-led orgs).
These findings propelled Mission Capital to co-create WeThrive, a BIPOC CEO/ED Coaching Circle cohort in collaboration with community colleague, Meme Styles, to hold space for BIPOC leadership, peer support, and network building. We look forward to continuing this work in 2023.
I’m also incredibly excited and encouraged at how our Mission Capital Collective Impact Team is closing the racial leadership in our portfolio work by prioritizing community members and embedding a racial equity commitment in our work. In Child Welfare, we provide backbone work with organizations like the Child Welfare Race Equity Collective and trauma-informed healing initiatives with the Travis County Collaborative for Children as our community works together to transform the foster care system in Texas. I’m also grateful for Good Measure, a collaborative of funders dedicated to data, evaluation and learning in Central Texas. Backboned by Mission Capital, Good Measure is shepherding V.2.0 of its work as it applies an explicit racial equity lens to philanthropy, data, learning (& unlearning) and seeks to fully engage diverse community members, and lean into principles of trust-based philanthropy.
Reflections on Organizational Resilience & Sustainability
As we have all experienced over the past pandemic years, our individual and collective ability to be resilient was paramount. At the height of the pandemic, I was inspired by our community partners, as they collaborated with Mission Capital on a series of COVID-19 Pulse Surveys to quickly assess the needs of nonprofits and the communities they serve. Key needs that surfaced through our collective data work, included: supports to bridge the digital equity divide, mental health supports, and PPE and PPP loan support needs. Through this collaborative survey work with over a dozen of our community partners, we advocated for flexible, unrestricted emergency relief funds for nonprofits. This data was cited and included in a City of Austin Resolution that created a $6 million Anchor Relief Fund for Nonprofits. Mission Capital continues to be a technical assistance partner with the City of Austin Community Navigator Program.
Another focus area related to organizational resilience was how to care for our people, the nonprofit staff who are on the front lines.
Nonprofits, like small businesses, are the lifeblood of communities – providing critical services, good jobs, and responding to community needs. Leadership resilience and sustainability is critical for nonprofits to have a positive impact. Since 2020, nonprofits have experienced staff transitions from the Great Resignation, the Great Retirement, and the “shecession”, an exodus of women from the workplace. Mission Capital was not immune, and we committed to Beating Team Burnout by shifting our internal organizational cultural practices and sharing these leadership resources with others.
The National Council of Nonprofits reports that 76% of nonprofits have job vacancies greater than 10%, as of December 2021, and 42% have vacancies of 20% or more. Leaders identifying as BIPOC or of the Global Majority also often face a “glass cliff” after taking on leadership positions, when racialized barriers lead to shorter leadership tenures and a potential wave of executive transitions.
In response, Mission Capital will pilot new leadership sustainability programs in 2023, while also working to ensure that our existing services are accessible to all leaders who need them.
Our Consulting, Learning & Leadership Team at Mission Capital will provide an interactive and impactful Succession Management Workshop for the nonprofit sector. Over the past five years, we have partnered with statewide and national foundations to host this workshop exclusively for grantees – available now for a broader audience. The team-based workshop brings together staff, board, and CEO to plan and prepare for a leadership transition collaboratively and proactively. It provides dedicated time and space for teamwork and peer learning.
Reflections on Expanding Collaborative Networks
As a place-based nonprofit membership organization , Mission Capital understands the power of our nonprofit network. We also recognize the challenges and opportunities that we are navigating as a nonprofit sector in Central Texas, as private industry prospers while our social sector struggles to keep up with inflation, organizational operating costs, livable and competitive salaries for our nonprofit staff, and overall affordability. This year, one of Mission Capital’s membership benefits is a partnership we’ve brokered with an external vendor to facilitate nonprofit compensation survey and comparison salary data for Mission Capital’s membership network, as we continue to bolster the sector. We are also grateful to many regional partners like OneVoice Central Texas, Community Action Network, Leadership Austin, The New Philanthropists, Austin Community Foundation, Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and the St. Davids Foundation for advocating and investing in our Central Texas region’s nonprofits, while holding space for courageous community conversations to dismantle structural racism and implicit bias in our community.
We’re also proud to be networked with national and state partners who continue to share their resources, lessons learned and solidarity as peers in our social sector. Ongoing research and resources from partners like the Building Movement Project, Proinspire, the National Council of Nonprofits, Momentum, CompassPoint, TSNE, Propel, CalNonprofits, United Ways of Texas, and One Star Foundation have helped to inform and shape Mission Capital’s thinking and approach, as we support leaders, organizations and networks as we advance equity and opportunity in Central Texas, now and into the future.
As I conclude my time at Mission Capital, my sincerest hope is that our nonprofit community partners, volunteers, and staff feel proud and encouraged by a palpable spirit of belonging, solidarity, and community partnership, we’ve co-created over the last five years. Though change is constant, I know the future is bright for our Central Texas social sector, and I look forward to continuing to serve as a community advocate and ambassador.
As I bid farewell (for a short sabbatical stint) – I want to thank each of you for the communal life you have shared with me, our MC staff/board and our neighbors over the last five years…and I leave you with one of my favorite songs, performed by Mercedes Sosa.
In life, well-being and gratitude,
Madge Vásquez
Gracias A La Vida/Thanks to Life (an excerpt)
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto.
Thanks to life, which has given me so much.
Me ha dado la risa y me ha dado el llanto.
It has given me laughter and it has given me tears.
Así yo distingo dicha de quebranto,
This is how I distinguish bliss from grief,
Los dos materiales que forman mi canto,
The two materials that make up my song,
Y el canto de ustedes que es mi mismo canto,
And your song, which is my own song,
Y el canto de todos que es mi propio canto.
And the song of all that is my own song.
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto.
Thanks to life, which has given me so much.