This is a preprint of an article accepted for publication in Nonprofit Management and Leadership copyright 2009 (Wiley Periodicals, Inc.).

Please do not cite without permission.

Title

Building Stronger Weak Ties among a Diverse Pool of Emergent Nonprofit Leaders of Color

Authors

Erna Gelles, Associate Professor Division of Public Administration and Institute for Nonprofit Management, P.O. Box 751, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, 97207-0751

503-725-5405

gellese@pdx.edu

Meg Merrick, Coordinator Community Geography Project, Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies, P.O. Box 751, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97207-0751

Sean Derrickson, M.S.W.

Multnomah County: Department of County Human Services

Portland, Oregon

Felesia Otis, Program Director, Women's Residential Center, Volunteers of America Oregon, 200 SE 7^th Ave., Portland, Oregon, 97214

Oscar Sweeten-Lopez

Scholar Retention Manager

Michael and Susan Dell Foundation

Austin, Texas

(formerly of the Oregon Council for Hispanic Advancement)

Jamaal Tripp Folsom, Bureau of Management Services

City of Portland

Portland, Oregon

Abstract

This article explores theoretical underpinnings of social capital and strong and weak ties as they relate to relationships within, between, and among six cohorts of promising nonprofit leaders of color in a northwestern U.S. city. Using mixed-methods, including network analyses, it considers the impact and potential of a university/community collaboration to deliver a program to promising emergent leaders nominated for their talent and commitment to the work of their community-based organizations often in competition for limited resources. The paper considers the program's implicit effect on relationships and reveals inter-sector connections among alumni. Findings show substantial alumni movement between organizations, increasing the potential for collaboration and mentoring relationships. The paper concludes with recommendations for programs seeking long-term impact and discusses a series of unanticipated findings and the questions they engender, many critical as communities and organizations become more diverse and social needs do not diminish. [1]

[1] This leadership program was funded as part of a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Additional funding came from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Northwest Health Foundation and US Bank. Funding for this study was provided in part by a research-focused W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant, the Hatfield School of Government, and a Faculty Enhancement Grant through the PSU Office of Graduate Studies and Research . We thank them all. In addition we wish to thank S. R. Smith and the participants in the 2006 West Coast Nonprofit Data Conference at the Evans School of Public Policy in Seattle, Washington for their feedback and guidance as we worked to conceptualize the project.