“The weight of leading a nonprofit organization can be heavy, often without many places to turn for support. The Nonprofit Leadership Center’s CEO Circle is where I find the support I need to grow personally and organizationally.”
– Nonprofit CEO
Answering the Questions That Keep Leaders Up at Night
The Nonprofit Leadership Center’s CEO Circle is a facilitated peer group of nonprofit CEOs and executive directors in the greater Tampa Bay area who meet monthly to support and learn from each other.
Part coaching and part peer learning, the CEO Circle is much more than an executive development program. This innovative mastermind group is where leaders find a safe and inclusive environment to discuss current challenges, explore leading practices and drive innovation. There’s no sitting passively in lectures here; CEO Circle members contribute to — and benefit from — the power of the circle’s collective creativity, competence and conviction.
Each CEO Circle typically consists of 12 to 15 high-performing nonprofit CEOs and executive directors representing a variety of sub-sectors and experiences. Membership is on a rolling basis and is by invitation only. All potential members must either be nominated by existing CEO Circle members or seek nomination from the Nonprofit Leadership Center. Candidates are respected professionals with impressive track records and with whom others want to work.
To learn more about the CEO Circle program and the nomination process, please contact Meriel Martínez, program director at the Nonprofit Leadership Center, 813-287-8779 or email Meriel:
Most nonprofit CEOs and executive directors who participate in a Nonprofit Leadership Center CEO Circle say the experience is invaluable to their personal and organizational leadership. The annual investment includes the following benefits:
- Invitation to monthly facilitated sessions with a small group of your peers who have diverse backgrounds and experiences
- One premium promo code for you or an employee to attend an NLC nonprofit training class or certificate program during your membership year
- One 30-minute discovery call with a member of the Nonprofit Leadership Center’s executive leadership team to support your organizational capacity
- Access to resources and specific programming on topics of interest
- Access to proprietary nonprofit compensation data
CEO Circle members are nonprofit CEOs and executive directors in the greater Tampa Bay area who embrace a culture of learning at their organization and who strive for continual growth and improvement. Members share the Nonprofit Leadership Center’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and know we can do more together than any of us can do alone.
Members are leaders, thinkers, confidants and doers who enjoy surrounding themselves with other high performers who will support and challenge them.
Members not only enjoy numerous benefits from the CEO Circle; they also fulfill the following commitments:
- Nonprofit organization has been established for at least three years, has an annual budget of $800,000 or more and has a minimum of seven employees
- Embody a love of lifelong learning and foster a culture of learning within your nonprofit
- Regularly attend all monthly CEO Circle meetings
- Openness to host an in person session, if desired
- Actively engage and participate in conversations, and bring topics for discussion
- Believe strongly in and value diversity, equity and inclusion, recognizing the need to elevate all voices, especially those who may be historically underrepresented
- Pay an annual fee of $1,000
- Have a commitment to ongoing, multi-year participation
Who can participate in CEO Circles?
CEO Circles are exclusively for CEOs and executive directors in the Tampa Bay area who lead nonprofit organizations and genuinely value lifelong learning. Members must be respected professionals with impressive track records and with whom others want to work.
How can I join a CEO Circle?
CEO Circle membership is by invitation only, and all potential members must either be nominated by existing CEO Circle members or seek nomination from the Nonprofit Leadership Center. To express interest in joining a CEO Circle and to seek a nomination, contact Meriel Martínez, program director at the Nonprofit Leadership Center, at mmartinez@nlctb.org or 813-287-8779.
How are CEO Circle candidates selected?
Invited candidates complete an online application and submit their resume, CV or short bio. Then, CEO Circle members assess the candidate’s submission, often meet with the candidate and use the information gathered to determine whether to extend an invitation to join.
How many members are in each CEO Circle?
Each CEO Circle consists of 12 to 15 high-performing nonprofit CEOs or executive directors. This size ensures a variety and diversity of experiences and ideas while allowing for intimate and meaningful conversation and follow-up.
Where and how often do CEO Circles meet?
CEO Circle meetings occur monthly. Each circle determines where and for how long they want to meet. Meetings are typically 1.5 to 2 hours and take place virtually and in-person based on each CEO Circle’s current member preferences.
Who facilitates CEO Circle meetings?
CEO Circle meetings are led by fellow executives and nonprofit subject matter experts selected by the Nonprofit Leadership Center. Current facilitators include Bill Fries, CEO of Hiregy, and Stephanie Gularte, CEO, Energy Advantage.
How do you determine what topics to discuss each month?
CEO Circle members decide on the issues they want to discuss, identifying topics based on matters currently impacting them and emerging topics of relevance to their organizations.
How much does it cost to be part of a CEO Circle?
The program fee to participate is $1,000 per year. Most CEO Circle participants agree that the experience is invaluable, personally and professionally.
What benefits do CEO Circle members receive from the experience?
Annual program benefits include …
- An invitation to monthly facilitated sessions with 12 to 15 of your peers who have diverse backgrounds and experiences
- One premium promo code for you or one of your employees to attend an NLC nonprofit training class or certificate program during your membership year
- One 30-minute discovery call with a member of the Nonprofit Leadership Center’s executive leadership team to support your organizational capacity
- Access to resources and specific programming on topics of interest
- Access to proprietary nonprofit compensation data
Beyond the annual $1,000 membership fee, are there any other expectations required of CEO Circle members?
Yes. We ask that all CEO Circle members …
- Embody a love of lifelong learning and foster a culture of learning within your nonprofit
- Regularly attend all monthly CEO Circle meetings
- Actively engage and participate in conversations
- Believe strongly in and value diversity, equity and inclusion, recognizing the need to elevate all voices, especially those who may be historically underrepresented
- Have a desire for ongoing, multi-year participation
How can I nominate a CEO for membership into a CEO Circle?
To nominate a leader for the CEO Circle program, contact Meriel Martínez, program director at the Nonprofit Leadership Center, at mmartinez@nlctb.org or 813-287-8779.
Is the information shared in CEO Circle meetings confidential?
Yes. CEO Circle members commit to keeping all conversations and information shared within the group confidential unless otherwise approved for sharing externally by all circle members. What happens in your CEO Circle stays in your CEO Circle.
How can I find out who is currently a member of a CEO Circle?
Please contact Meriel Martínez, program director at the Nonprofit Leadership Center, at mmartinez@nlctb.org or 813-287-8779 to learn more about the types of nonprofits and breadth of experience represented across CEO Circles.
Where can I find more information about the Nonprofit Leadership Center’s CEO Circle program?
For questions and more information about our CEO Circle program, please contact Meriel Martínez, program director at the Nonprofit Leadership Center, at mmartinez@nlctb.org or call 813-287-8779.
