When I first started working as a grants manager at Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, I received an email that has had a huge impact on my career — but one that I nearly overlooked.
The email invited me to sign up for a professional development class at the Nonprofit Leadership Center (NLC) free of charge, thanks to funding from the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County. I didn’t give the email much thought until a colleague shared how much she enjoyed one of the classes.
Partly because I was curious and partly because of the free registration, I signed up for my first class at NLC. Little did I know how much one particular class would forever change my leadership mindset.
My Pivotal Moment: Leading With Compassion
My background is in finance, and it can sometimes take an iron-fist-like leadership style to oversee finance in a nonprofit organization. While my grant coordinator position was a support role, I found myself treating my peers like an accountant — strict and impersonal. I wasn’t being genuine to who I am, and it made me less effective.
As part of the Nonprofit Leadership Center’s Nonprofit Management Series, I attended a session called Moving From Doer to Leader. During the class, I was taken back to my roots — to why I decided to pursue a nonprofit career in the first place.
I left the class in tears. It sparked something inside me that made me remember why nonprofit work meant so much to me and why I wanted to serve my community.
Since that first class, I’ve taken eight more classes at NLC and attended my first Nonprofit Leadership Conference this past year. From understanding and managing conflict to communicating expectations and becoming a leader people want to follow, each course has been inspiring and supported me on my leadership journey.
No longer am I giving up. No longer am I frustrating to work with. No longer am I thinking to myself, “I can’t do this.” Thanks to the classes I’ve taken, I now have the tools to do my job better and the skills to use them effectively.
Networking as an Invaluable Asset
In addition to the skills and confidence I’ve gained, the Nonprofit Leadership Center has provided me with a community of nonprofit leaders making powerful contributions to the world. There are organizations with diverse focuses and missions represented, and NLC makes us feel like just one big nonprofit family.
One connection I’ve made has even led to a collaboration between our organizations — something that would have been much harder without the opportunity NLC provided for us to get to know each other.
Having a home like NLC to keep a pulse on what is happening in the nonprofit space is an invaluable asset to my nonprofit and me.
Modeling the World I Want to See
I was a cheerleader in high school, and since then, I’ve always considered myself as everybody’s biggest cheerleader. Before my experiences at the Nonprofit Leadership Center, I focused more on the “cheer” part of that statement. But recently, I’ve developed a mantra for myself: “I am the cheer LEADER.” Through my leadership, I can inspire others to be themselves, which is exactly what the world needs.
Angie Montes is a grant and contracts manager for Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay. Born in Chicago, Angie has worked in the nonprofit sector for 11 years, spanning five organizations across four states. In addition to her career, Angie is a passionate volunteer, spending countless hours advocating for youth in foster care in her community.
Find Upcoming Events to Strengthen the Leader in You
The Nonprofit Leadership Center offers professional development classes, certificate programs, small-group leadership circles and an annual conference to help nonprofit leaders strengthen their skills, nonprofits and communities. Ninety-six percent of our participants say their knowledge increases after our events, and nearly 90% say they’ve implemented something they learned to achieve a desired objective. From new nonprofit professionals to seasoned CEOs, we are here to support you in your leadership journey.
