How to Get Started FAQs
How do I get access to Resilience Initiative (RI) Offerings?
To be able to sign up for our programs, you must be invited by one of our philanthropic partners such as the Packard Foundation, the LeadersTrust, the Collaborative for Gender and Reproductive Equity, Hewlett Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. If you’re not sure if your organization has received an invitation, please contact michelle@resilienceinitiative.org
Once your organization is invited into the Resilience Initiative, you can fill out the request for access form. A Resilience team member A Resilience team member will reach out to you via email with next steps and login information. You will also receive bi-weekly updated information about our offerings.
Is there any cost to participating and signing up for Resilience Initiative?
The philanthropic partner who invited you into the Resilience Initiative is paying your way! They have given a grant to the Resilience Initiative which covers the costs of your participation in coaching, workshops, cohorts, and more. So there is no cost to you to participate in our offerings.
We do have some exciting partnerships with other values-aligned capacity building organizations whose work we admire and whose offerings complement ours. We have made arrangements for you to receive a deep discount off their sliding scale fee structure. Our biweekly mailings (more on that below) will introduce these partnership offerings and will present a promo code you can use when you register.
Who can sign up for Resilience Initiative Offerings?
Any staff! Come one, come all! We do not just serve leadership team members but all staff at all levels regardless of title, position, tenure, or role. We welcome all staff to sign up for our offerings.
There is no minimum or maximum number of offerings per person. We anticipate some staff, who have an appetite for learning and are seeking guidance and support, may be more active in the Resilience Initiative. Others may occasionally dabble depending on their availability and whether a special offering happens to catch their eye. All is okay, all are welcome, and there is no pressure to participate at all if it’s not calling to you.
Occasionally, we will note that some offerings are suited for folks in certain roles like development / resource mobilization or communications, others may be designed for EDs or for folks who identify as BIPOC. For other opportunities, like cohorts, we may have an application process and may prioritize staff from organizations of specific budget sizes, for instance. If it is not noted, it’s open to all members of the Resilience Initiative.
Who is defined as “staff?”
In addition to full-time employees, your part-time staff are also eligible. However, they must be staff and not classified as a consultant, contractor, or a volunteer.
Those that sign up should ideally have an email address that reflects the organization’s domain and not a personal email like Gmail. An exception can be made if an organization is in the start-up stage and no one yet has an organizational domain email.
Once the employee is no longer with the organization, they are no longer eligible for our offerings. The membership does not transfer with them as it’s tied to the organization.
Occasionally we are asked if a board member can participate. We welcome their participation for offerings like virtual workshops or a cohort opportunity related to their role as a board member, and that will be indicated in the communications materials. For instance, we have offered a workshop on Building an Anti-Racist board in which board members were encouraged to participate alongside staff.
We know that your organization may exist within networks, alliances, coalitions, and other formations of organizations in the movement space, which we love and appreciate! However, your access to our offerings are only available to the staff employed at your organization. If we ever have an offering that is open to a wider audience, we will let you know.
Are any of your offerings available in languages other than English?
We are excited that we have a growing number of offerings available in Spanish: coaching, workshops, and a peer coaching group. To sign up for coaching, please fill out this Coaching 1:1 Form.
From time to time, we will offer a variety of different workshops in both English and Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation. To sign up for our mailings that will list out our Spanish language offerings, sign up here.
How long will my organization get to stay in the Resilience Initiative? Is it dependent on my grant status with the foundation who invited me?
The duration of your participation in the Resilience Initiative will depend on the philanthropic partner who is sponsoring your participation. Sometimes they will make the determination based on your current grant status, other times it will depend on their budget and their philanthropic priorities. They may even extend their sponsorship of your participation if they know you are actively participating in our offerings. Either way, we will do our best to let you know in advance what the horizon might be so you can plan your participation accordingly.