Introducing Your Dynamic 2023-2024 NCG Board!

Our team recently returned from a Summer Refresh, where we pumped the brakes on the remarkable array of activities we are cooking up and allowed the team to recharge in anticipation of the second half of the year. It’s part of our commitment to centering wellness in racial equity, and while time off alone can’t address all the challenges facing workers in these existential times, it’s a good start.

I had the opportunity to spend a day and a half with the NCG Board at its annual huddle at Miramar Farms in Half Moon Bay. We welcomed five new members to the NCG family and the energy was electric. This group is committed and ready to do work on behalf of the organization to help achieve our ambitious goals. To a person, each board member was fueled not just by their own values, but also by the incredible leadership that this collective network can exert to evolve the practice of philanthropy in Northern California.

Whilst together the board got under the hood (just a bit) to help me strengthen organizational function, explored how to build on the exceptional culture of support they have exhibited from the day I arrived in the role, and held a fascinating conversation unpacking the larger forces at play that are influencing the sector and our communities. It again demonstrated the value of this group as governors, exemplars, and ambassadors. And there was a fair amount of laughter in the midst of navigating truly challenging issues.

I entered the break reflecting on the dual gifts of NCG that I have the privilege to experience every day. A board that may be the finest in the PSO ecosystem, deeply thoughtful and compelled to represent the best philanthropy has to offer, and a staff that has more talent, creativity, and resilience than any other I’ve encountered since re-entering the philanthropic sphere extended. Our commitment remains to channel both of these in service to you, the field, and most importantly the communities we serve.