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Our Vision

We envision a thriving web of diverse leaders addressing the complex challenges of our time – together.

Our Mission

Leading From Within equips community changemakers to grow their ability to lead, collaborate, and drive solutions.

We believe:

Each of us is a work in progress, and we require ongoing development to achieve our potential.

Communities flourish when leaders have what they need to do the hard work required in our rapidly changing times.

Effective solutions emerge when diverse leaders are seen and heard. Equity and inclusion must be at the heart of our organization and our sector.

Supportive peer networks inspire confidence, capacity, courage, and connection.

Investing in leaders serving the public good.

We live in a region filled with dedicated leaders who give their whole selves towards improving our communities, but, sadly, who too often work in an environment of scarcity, isolation and competition. We need social sector leaders who are prepared, renewed, connected and collaborating, and who represent the broad diversity of our region.

At Leading From Within, we foster a dynamic network of public-minded leaders who know each other, trust each other, and are better able to work together to improve our communities. This investment better ensures that leaders can address some of society’s more persistent challenges.

The deep, personal nature of our programs helps leaders better understand and invest in themselves and build trusted relationships with their peers.  With more than 550 Santa Barbara County community leaders actively participating in our alumni networks, Leading From Within seeks to cultivate a fertile, nurturing environment that results in:

  • Stronger and more diverse leaders with increased confidence, skills, and support, and an ability to sustain their commitment for the long haul
  • More public-minded leaders who can engage across the boundaries of nonprofit organizations, government, and business
  • Community leaders who can more effectively build cooperation and trust, and
  • A network of leaders with an increased capacity to disrupt status quo thinking and engage others in the work of our communities

>Learn more about Leading From Within’s Team

Our Equity and Inclusion Statement of Commitment

August 2021

Our Responsibility as Leaders
Leading from Within believes diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to our mission of fostering a dynamic network of public-minded leaders who know each other, trust each other, and are better able to work together to improve our communities and address some of society’s persistent challenges.

We recognize that society has created advantages for specific groups and not others. As leaders, we are responsible for understanding and changing how we make decisions that impact marginalized or disadvantaged groups in harmful ways.

We hear a vital call to advance a vision of justice, equity, and inclusion alongside our
organizational mission.

Our Responsibility as an Organization
We will be responsible to keep diversity, equity, and inclusion a priority. Leading from Within is accountable for mindful practices that honor this responsibility. We acknowledge our position of privilege and will use it to advocate for meaningful and measurable standards and change in the nonprofit sector. This acknowledgment requires that every aspect of our organization reflects the diversity of the leaders who participate in our programs.

We affirm that we must think deeper and have courageous conversations that address the climate of growing intolerance and societal inequities along economic, racial, religious, and political lines. We must lean into the complexities and dynamics at the intersection of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and disability.

We commit to learn and understand, listen and grow, and take action to address underlying issues that are barriers to the creation of equitable leadership in our region.

Our Responsibility as a Sector
As a sector, we have the power to bring people together and work to change long-standing systems that benefit some groups while marginalizing other groups. Nonprofit organizations can play a unique and critical role in bridging these divides and brokering solutions by recognizing that racial and other systemic inequities impede our ability to create a healthy community for all.

Leading From Within recognizes its ability to influence the social sector and develop
community members – offering tools and resources to support leaders’ work to be more intentional about building inclusive cultures within their organizations and the broader sector, and expanding their capacity to address growing social needs and opportunities.

This is our pledge to our network, our community, and our team.

Equity and Inclusion Statement August 2021 Final

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