Letting Go to Lead Better: Rethinking Nonprofit Leadership Models
Why It’s Time to Move Beyond the ED Model
We hear a lot about leadership in the nonprofit world—how to step up, build vision, manage teams. But what if the real move isn’t stepping up at all?
What if it’s stepping aside?
In this panel conversation hosted by The Nonprofit Hive, three sector leaders shared what it actually looks like to decentralize leadership in practice. Not in a feel-good-theory kind of way, but in the middle of real-life organizational messiness. From state-funded programs to grassroots youth orgs, they’re reimagining leadership structures that prioritize collaboration over control, and trust over hierarchy.
🎙 Speakers:
- Rachel Reynolds – Assistant Director of Operations, Virginia Mental Health Access Program
- Danette O’Connell – Executive Director, Nonprofit Collective Foundation
- Kamilah Francis – IDEA Manager, Compass / Boussole / Akii-Izhinoogan
Their message was clear: you don’t need to be in the center to lead. In fact, sometimes you shouldn’t be.
Shared Leadership Isn’t Just Idealistic—It’s Necessary
Let’s be honest: decentralized leadership isn’t always a strategic choice. Often, it starts out of pure necessity.
Rachel Reynolds, who manages a $14 million state-funded mental health program spanning 30+ partners and over 100 people, laid it out simply: “We’re leading this program, but we aren’t everyone’s employer.”
When the structure doesn’t let you lead with authority, you lead with alignment. For Rachel, that meant leaning on consensus-driven decision-making and creating an executive committee that could steer together. She and her co-leads meet regularly for deep dives, aligning their team around a shared strategic plan they revisit often—not just once a year.
“You can’t boss your way through complexity.”
Over in the youth sector, Kamilah Francis described a similar shift. As a former ED of Future North, she helped build a leadership table made up of multiple youth-serving organizations. The goal? Shared vision, shared funding decisions, and shared accountability. Her team wasn’t just collaborating for optics—they were co-designing.
“We all had this shared goal—but we were working separately. Nobody knew what anyone else was doing.”
Decentralized models, she explained, made space for shared strategy, co-leadership, and clearer impact.
And for Danette O’Connell at the Nonprofit Collective Foundation, shared leadership was a survival tactic that became a strategic advantage. Running a small organization with only three staff, she had to learn to delegate deeply—and trust fiercely.
“Once I stopped needing to know every detail, things moved faster. And I finally had time to focus on growth.”
What Makes Shared Leadership Work? (Spoiler: It’s Not Just Structure)
It’s tempting to jump to tools. But these leaders reminded us: mindset comes first.
Humility Over Heroics
The myth of the all-knowing, all-doing ED? These folks are done with it.
“I don’t know everything. And I don’t claim to,” said Kamilah. “I know my limits.”
At Compass, where she now serves as IDEA Manager, Kamilah carries that ethos forward by encouraging peers across departments to lead with self-awareness—and step aside when someone else has better expertise. That balance of confidence and curiosity is the glue in shared models.
Letting Go (Even When It’s Imperfect)
Danette said it best: “If the green dot on the slide is a little off-center, that’s not the hill to die on.”
Delegating means letting go of perfectionism—and of your grip on the little stuff. It’s not about being absent. It’s about being strategic with your presence.
“Now that I’ve let go, I get so much more done.”
When she had to take time off unexpectedly, Danette’s team stepped in seamlessly—because they were already looped in and trusted. That’s the payoff of letting others lead.
Clarity is Kindness
Just because leadership is shared doesn’t mean it should be ambiguous. Rachel flagged the need for crystal-clear roles, especially as teams grow. She uses tools like the MOCHA framework (from The Management Center) to make sure everyone knows who owns what.
Even small teams hit a tipping point where informality becomes inefficiency. Clarity isn’t bureaucracy—it’s what keeps the ship moving.
Culture Is the Real Litmus Test
Decentralized leadership isn’t just a structure. It’s a culture shift—and that means redefining what good leadership looks like. You can change your org chart. But if you don’t change your culture, it won’t stick.
Psychological Safety Isn’t a Buzzword
For shared leadership to work, people need to feel safe enough to speak honestly—and confident that they’ll be heard.
Rachel reminded us that not everyone comes into the work with the same level of comfort.
“We’ve had to undo some expectations. People come in assuming that if they speak up, it’ll be punished.”
It takes time to show that disagreement isn’t disloyalty. That feedback is a gift. And that shared leadership means shared voice—not just shared workload.
Shared Models Need Shared Language
When you say “we lead together,” what does that actually mean?
That’s where tools like project charters, shared planning documents, and decision matrices come in. Kamilah flagged that in her org, every initiative starts with a project charter—so everyone can see how it ties back to the mission.
“It’s not just a free-for-all. We make sure people understand what their role is, what the dollars are doing, and how this connects to strategy.”
At Compass, her team also tracks budget alignment alongside strategic goals—so team members feel not just empowered, but also anchored.
Shared Models in Action: Real Impact, Real Tradeoffs
The panel didn’t sugarcoat it—decentralized leadership can be messy. It requires more communication, more check-ins, and often a total mindset reset.
But it also creates:
- ✅ Stronger buy-in from staff and stakeholders
- ✅ More nimble responses to change
- ✅ Sustainable models that don’t rely on one person
Rachel reminded us that as teams grow, those shared values and structures become even more essential. Strategic plans, regular leadership touchpoints, and decision frameworks weren’t just “nice to haves”—they were what kept progress from stalling.
Advice for Getting Started
These leaders didn’t get where they are by chance. They’re intentional, reflective, and strategic. And they offered a few tips for others curious about shifting power:
1. Start with Values, Not Structure
Kamilah put it simply: “Go back to the mission. What are we trying to do? Are we doing it in a way that reflects our values?”
If the way you’re working doesn’t match the reason you’re here, it’s time to rethink.
2. Don’t Wait for Perfect
You don’t need to overhaul your whole org chart tomorrow. Try it on a project. Pilot a shared decision-making group. Shift one program’s leadership structure.
3. Be Willing to Talk About the Tension
Decentralizing leadership will surface questions: about accountability, about efficiency, about power. That’s not a sign you’re doing it wrong. That’s a sign you’re doing it thoughtfully.
“Just be transparent. Talk through it. Then go build something better.” —Danette O’Connell
Moving the Needle on Nonprofit Leadership and Sustainability
Decentralizing nonprofit leadership requires a dual commitment: a shift in mindset and a change in structure. The organizations that thrive are the ones that don’t just name values like equity and trust—they operationalize them. Shared leadership means more than spreading tasks; it means redistributing power, fostering transparency, and trusting people to lead boldly.
What became abundantly clear from this panel is that decentralization isn’t about losing control. It’s about building collective capacity. By investing in shared leadership models, we’re not only supporting our teams—we’re designing nonprofits that are more adaptable, inclusive, and resilient.
Our Speakers:
During our recent LinkedIn Live, we had the privilege of speaking with three dynamic nonprofit professionals who are walking the talk when it comes to shared leadership.
Rachel Reynolds, Assistant Director of Operations at the Virginia Mental Health Access Program (VMAP), helps lead a multi-million dollar program with over 30 partners and more than 100 individuals. She’s pioneering what it looks like to lead large-scale systems work without direct authority—by building alignment, fostering collaboration, and redefining what accountability looks like in real time.
Danette O’Connell, Executive Director of the Nonprofit Collective Foundation, has transformed the way she leads her small but mighty team. Her journey from doing it all to co-leading with intention is a roadmap for other founders and EDs looking to let go without losing momentum.
Kamilah Francis, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Manager at Compass / Boussole / Akii-Izhinoogan, brought insight from both grassroots youth work and her current systems-level equity lens. She’s shaping how her organization embeds values like equity and inclusion through intentional planning, budget alignment, and shared power.
Together, these speakers offered not just theory—but lived experience. They showed us that decentralizing leadership is possible, necessary, and most importantly—already happening.
About The Nonprofit Hive
The Nonprofit Hive supports changemakers globally by fostering one-on-one connections that empower, inspire, and drive social change. We’re here to help nonprofit professionals connect with the resources and people that help them lead, grow, and rethink what’s possible—without burnout.
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Tasha Van Vlack is the co-founder of The Nonprofit Hive. Her happy place is building community, talking nonprofit work/marketing/parenting and meeting new people.
Being a cheerleader for nonprofiteers is where Tasha has found her niche – she hopes that by providing a space for connection, nonprofit work will become more collaborative and supportive.