Women Leading Change: The Strengths and Skills Leaders Bring to the Nonprofit Sector
Women's History Month in March is an opportunity to honor the remarkable achievements of women throughout history, as well as those who have been sidelined by conventional gender expectations, including nonbinary and gender-expansive individuals in leadership roles. Women make up nearly 70% of the nonprofit workforce and hold a significant share of leadership roles. Yet, despite this representation, many still face systemic barriers to equitable pay, funding, and recognition.
As nonprofit consultants, we’ve worked with countless leaders who bring transformational skills and attributes to the sector. Their leadership styles, driven by collaboration, resilience, and a deep sense of purpose, create lasting social impact. Let’s explore the unique strengths women contribute to nonprofit leadership and how they drive meaningful change.
1. Emotional Intelligence and Empathy
Nonprofit leadership requires understanding the communities served while inspiring staff, volunteers, and donors. Women often excel in emotional intelligence (EQ), a critical skill that enhances communication, fosters collaboration, and builds inclusive workplaces. Research shows that leaders with high EQ create more engaged teams and lead with authenticity—qualities essential in mission-driven organizations.
2. Collaborative Leadership
Women excel at fostering partnerships and teamwork. In the nonprofit world, success often hinges on the ability to build coalitions, secure funding, and engage diverse stakeholders. Women naturally embrace shared leadership models, which empower others and encourage cross-sector collaboration—driving sustainable impact.
3. Resilience and Adaptability
Leading a nonprofit requires navigating funding challenges, advocacy hurdles, and shifting policy landscapes. Women in leadership demonstrate remarkable resilience, often balancing multiple roles while steering organizations through uncertain times. Their ability to adapt, problem-solve, and remain mission-focused ensures long-term success despite external challenges.
4. Commitment to Equity and Inclusion
Women in leadership are powerful advocates for equity. Many prioritize diversity, representation, and inclusive decision-making, ensuring that nonprofits serve their communities equitably. Studies show that organizations led by diverse leadership teams are more effective in addressing social disparities and creating policies that reflect the lived experiences of marginalized groups.
5. Fundraising and Relationship-Building Expertise
Nonprofit success depends on securing funding, building donor relationships, and crafting compelling narratives. Women’s strengths in storytelling, relationship-building, and community engagement make them exceptional fundraisers. Their ability to connect with donors on an emotional level and articulate impact-driven messaging leads to stronger financial sustainability.
Women in the nonprofit sector are not just leading organizations; they are redefining leadership itself. Their compassion, resilience, and strategic thinking drive transformational change in communities worldwide. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, let’s recognize, support, and amplify the voices of female leaders shaping the future of the nonprofit world.Developing strong and bold visions for our organizations in the current climate can seem futile, given the destabilizing effect of the current turmoil. Similarly, asking people to share personal information about why their organization’s mission is so important to them can seem pointless. These are, however, the very activities that we are asking board members and staff to engage in during one-day retreats that we have recently facilitated. They are more than just ‘feel-good’ activities.
Envisioning activities are, by definition, focused on the future. By contrast, sharing personal stories is what your therapist might call a ‘here and now’ experience. The two activities are, however, strongly connected. Taken together, they create a synergy that propels teams forward and inspires hope, understanding, engagement, and human connection.
At the individual level, sharing stories encourages a connection with a person's intrinsic motivation and values. Reflecting on such powerful moments dissolves feelings of isolation and hopelessness and generates a sense of meaning and purpose. The mutual sharing of such experiences promotes human connection and leads to the rediscovery of hope.
Building on this sense of hope and community, collaboratively shaping a positive and vibrant future for your organization is both inspiring and purposeful. This collective engagement transforms your shared vision into meaningful action that defines your path forward.
Having accomplished this work, the task of identifying tangible action steps towards the realization of your community’s vision is quite intuitive. It is a process that also tends to neutralize the obstacles that initially seemed insurmountable. This is because these two activities create a synergy that transforms the perception of the group. It is through this process that nonprofit boards and staff can rediscover their foothold and become “unstuck”.
It is through human connection that we can overcome today’s challenges and create a future based on inclusion, generosity, hope, and human connection.