The Essential Leadership Lab provides nonprofit sector executives and senior leaders with an opportunity to meet monthly in virtual cohorts of peers for a full 12 months, developing knowledge and skills, exploring critical issues, and cultivating an unparalleled network of leader-colleagues.
Enrollment opens only three times each year. The next open enrollment period will be in May for a June start date.
Join us for the Essential Leadership Lab
- 12 monthly virtual sessions focusing on critical topics facing leaders in the nonprofit sector.
- Participants enroll for 12 months and choose to participate in 9 of the 12 sessions.
- The sessions include a mix of expert insights, participants sharing their own experiences, and elevation of the expertise in the room.
- Enrollment opens 3 times per year for start dates in February, June, or October, when new participants join an orientation and then jump into the ongoing meetings.
- C-suite leaders placed together into an Executive Track of Lab.
Schedule of Lab Topics
Participants choose 9 of the 12 monthly topics during their 12-month registration year:
January 2026 | The North Star: Leading with Intention in 2026
Research shows that up to 88% of people give up on their New Year’s Resolutions before the end of January. In Lab this month, we’ll move beyond broken resolutions to identify a single guiding word that serves as your leadership compass for the year. Through strategic reflection and peer discussion, you’ll clarify what matters most in your leadership right now and leave with a practical word that helps you navigate decisions, set boundaries, and lead with greater clarity. Whether you’re arriving with a word already in mind or discovering it during our time together, you’ll gain both direction and community as we shape our leadership intentions for 2026.
February 2026 | Risk Stewardship: Leading with Intention in a Complex World
In an era of heightened scrutiny and rapid change, today’s nonprofit leaders must become proactive risk stewards, not just crisis managers. This month, we’ll confront the tension that exists between managing organizational and personal risks — from compliance threats to personal credibility — and accelerating the type of bold vision that is essential for mission impact.
March 2026 | The Emotional Toll of Leadership: Leading When You’re Overwhelmed
You’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed by the relentless pace of nonprofit leadership. Connect with peers facing the same challenges and explore practical frameworks for moving from reactive survival mode to intentional, sustainable leadership.
April 2026 | Hot Topic Month!
We are reserving this session for a timely topic that Lab members want to explore together.
May 2026 | The Unbundling of the Fundraising Profession
The role of “fundraiser” is being disaggregated: AI handles personalization at scale, community members become peer fundraisers, and the donor journey spans platforms we don’t control. In this intensive Lab, senior leaders will dissect which elements of development roles are being automated, delegated, or eliminated, and identify the high-value skills that make fundraisers indispensable as “generosity architects” in an ecosystem they must now orchestrate rather than own.
June 2026 | Looking Back & Looking Forward: A Mid-Year Gut Check
We are already halfway through the year. What will the next six months bring? In this month’s Lab cohorts, we’ll examine key achievements, confront persistent challenges, and identify emerging trends that have reshaped attitudes and approaches across the sector.
More dates and topics for 2026 will be announced in the spring.
Past Topics include…
Leading in a Polarized World
Women in Leadership (Not Just for Women!)
The Economy
Creating Culture in a Remote World
Embracing Difficult Conversations
Risk & Reward
Ethical Storytelling
Motivating a Workforce
Navigating Change
Leadership Pipeline and the Next Generation of Leaders
Breaking Down Silos
Providing Challenging Feedback
…and many more.
Thank you! TNPA Leadership Programming Sponsors 2026
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
To learn more about becoming a sponsor in 2026, reach out to Dominika Brice, Programs Manager, at dbrice@tnpa.org.
Enrollment is CURRENTLY CLOSED. The next enrollment cycle will open again in May 2026 for a June 2026 start date.
Questions? Reach out to Dominika Brice at dbrice@tnpa.org.
Participation in TNPA’s Essential Leadership Lab is open to TNPA members only.
Nonprofit Members: $549
Commercial Members: $749
Enrollment includes 12 months of Lab participation, starting in either February, June, or October.
Enrollment is currently closed.
Questions? Reach out to Dominika Brice at dbrice@tnpa.org.
Who are Lab participants?
Essential Leadership Lab is a program for members of TNPA. Click here to learn about membership.
Lab participants are leaders from nonprofit organizations and commercial partners with proven experience and a passion for collaboration, innovation, and organizational health. Is this you? We invite you to join the Lab!
Thank you Platinum Sponsors!
and additional sponsors below
20% Off Educational Package now available for Member Nonprofits
Member Nonprofit Organizations receive 20% off. Register for the three programs through the TNPA Educational Package. Then, over the year, sign up a staff person for each one. The TNPA Educational Package is only $999 and includes:
– one (1) registration to Leadership Summit (September 14-16, 2026)
– one (1) registration to Rising Leaders Summit (October 2026)
– one (1) registration to Essential Leadership Lab (virtual 12-month program starting in February, June, or October)
TNPA Leadership Steering Committee
Hannibal Brumskine, II, The Executive Leadership Council (ELC)
Dana Bunke, Easterseals
Nick Ellinger, Moore
Kelly England, Multiply Strategies
Jennifer Ingram, Wiland
Alicia Lifrak, Dragonfly Collective Agency
Allison Porter, Avalon Consulting Group
Kyla Shawyer, Philanthropy & Fundraising North America
Laura Sheehan, Defenders of Wildlife
John Thompson, JRT Creative
Debbie Weir, Mission-Driven Consulting
Craig Zeltsar, NNE Marketing
Enrollment transfer and cancellation policies: Enrollment in the Essential Leadership Lab constitutes intent to participate for at least one year and is a commitment to the Lab experience for fellow members. Enrollment is non-transferrable as of the last date of the current enrollment registration. Lab membership remains with the individual, such that if a Lab member changes jobs or employers, the individual remains a member of the Essential Leadership Lab for the remainder of the pre-paid one-year term. No refunds will be issued after the final date of the current enrollment registration period.
TNPA DEI Accountabilities: As part of our organizational commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, TNPA strives to hold ourselves accountable for putting our principles into practice. We apply this same accountability to those who create and/or present content on our behalf:
- Be inclusive. Create content that can resonate with an array of listeners and readers.
- Speak to diversity. Recognize that members of an audience or cohort have various lived experiences.
- Recognize that systemic inequities and discrimination exist. Do your best to acknowledge how we can mitigate against them.
- Be mindful of explicit and implicit bias. Review content through the lens of varied identities.
TNPA Code of Conduct: The Nonprofit Alliance exists to foster the development and growth of nonprofit organizations and to protect the donors, members, partners, and volunteers that support them. At all educational offerings and conferences, we commit to fostering an environment free from physical, emotional, and psychological harm. We will not tolerate harassment, discrimination, and intimidation of any form. All individuals must exhibit professionalism, must demonstrate respect for others, must act with civility, and must refrain from inappropriate and unwelcomed physical contact, sexual references and aggressive advances. Anyone who experiences or witnesses a violation to these standards, should immediately contact TNPA CEO Shannon McCracken. Anyone found in violation of the TNPA Code of Conduct by any means may receive a warning, have membership suspended, registration forfeited, or experience escalation to legal authorities.
