Impact Innovators: A Conversation with Elida Ledesma

I had the privilege of meeting with Elida Ledesma, MPH , the Executive Director of the Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN), to discuss the organization’s mission and her involvement in its recent growth.

Elida began with AHJN before it became an official organization when she was doing fieldwork for her master’s degree program. She fell in love with the mission and work of the group’s pilot project and reached out for a job when she graduated. Elida has grown alongside the nonprofit since starting as an Administrative Associate in 2015 and transitioning all the way to the Executive Director role she has filled since 2020.

AHJN is a collective of organizations that work together to provide arts programming so that they can all have a larger impact on justice-involved young people. Elida is excited about the evolution the organization is going through as a maturing and more established nonprofit and is honored to be part of its continued growth.

Equity in the Nonprofit Sector

One of Elida’s initial priorities in her current role as Executive Director was to put AHJN’s onboarding process under the microscope. She felt there was a lack of clarity regarding becoming a member of the network. The process did not feel equitable, and deserving nonprofits were being left out as a result. Her goal was to ensure entry into the collective was open and accessible without losing the integrity of the vetting process.

Equity is an overriding theme in AHJN, both in the services they provide and how the organization operates, and it is a foundational element of Elida’s leadership style. She wanted to create a workplace culture that reflected her values and the values of the team, so she went straight to the source to find solutions. By asking the team what they needed, she was able to implement practices that took care of them, including prioritizing work-life balance such as providing an annual renewal period of paid time off.

There’s a school of thought that says you can’t be vulnerable in the workplace and to keep your distance from employees. Elida acknowledges that boundaries are healthy, but she rejects the idea that connection is off-limits. “We want to honor people’s humanities,” and so she always makes room for that to come out. Through regular check-ins and creative activities, Elida tries to foster an environment where her team feels comfortable sharing as much or as little as they want. The goal is to create a work environment “where people feel really seen.”

Having an actionable approach to equity and inclusion that matched the message of AHJN has always been important, but it took center stage in 2020. It was challenging to navigate the landscape of racial tensions and uprisings, and the organization had to confront what was happening. AHJN’s work is at the intersection of race and racism, so hard conversations were necessary to ensure their values extended beyond a written statement. Elida asked her team, “How are we actually changing our policies to meet what we’re saying?”

Imposter Syndrome in Nonprofit Leadership

Elida has made tremendous strides as the leader of AHJN, but she had humble beginnings in the organization. She started in an entry-level position, making less money than she anticipated after finishing her master’s degree, but she trusted her gut. Her instincts told her that working with AHJN would provide opportunities for growth and learning in addition to doing fulfilling and meaningful work, and she was right.

Having no prior nonprofit leadership experience has been a source of uncertainty and self-doubt for Elida over her years as Executive Director, but trusting her intuition got her this far, so she continues to trust her instincts. Aside from learning to listen to the guiding voice inside her, she has other tried and true methods for guidance. Having a trusted advisor or group of people to bounce ideas off of has been incredibly helpful when faced with a new challenge or opportunity.

Elida is not alone in feeling unprepared and underqualified for her role; approximately 70% of people experience imposter syndrome in their careers. Nonprofit leaders are often thrust into their positions without being fully trained for the tasks they will face. It is not uncommon for the weight and responsibility of an organization’s mission to stunt a new leader’s confidence.

There’s a silver lining to the uncertainty that she felt as a new leader: a collaborative decision-making model was created in the organization. Being open to feedback and listening to the opinions of others is a great way to show employees their input is valued. Not all decisions are a team effort, though, and identifying when a collaborative versus a unilateral decision was needed took practice for Elida. Ultimately, if it affects the whole team, she tries to make the process collaborative. Either way, transparency is key. Explaining the reasons for a decision can help everyone understand why it was made, even if they don’t agree with it. The metric is that every choice she makes should be what’s best for the sustainability and growth of AHJN.

Luckily for Elida, she is part of the 49% of nonprofit leaders of color who report strong support from their boards. Her board members recommended she work with a leadership coach to develop her skills as Executive Director, which was so impactful on her professional development that she extended that same recommendation to the other directors of the organization. It has been a rewarding process to watch her upper management team members acknowledge their strengths and identify areas for growth.

Support Services are Still Lacking in Many Nonprofits

Elida has found that the type of leadership training and support that she and her directors received is lacking in entry-level and mid-managerial positions. A gap in the nonprofit market is providing training and growth opportunities to lower-level team members who are pivotal components of the organization’s success.

Another key area in which gaps exist in the nonprofit market is organizational culture. Elida credits having guided conversations about work culture and the needs of the team as playing a major role in her ability to foster a healthy organizational culture. This aspect of a nonprofit is especially critical for virtual teams. Leaders need to figure out how to “build a work culture on Zoom that still feels nourishing and feels like you’re connected to the team as a whole.”

It’s important to ask employees what they like about their jobs and what tasks they enjoy doing. Nonprofits tend to create Frankenstein positions, combining numerous roles into one job title, but identifying team members’ preferences for tasks is crucial, and “we don’t do it enough.” This is another way leaders can support their teams.

Key Takeaways

Elida has truly been part of AHJN’s journey from the ground up, and her insight into creating a collaborative, healthy workplace is invaluable.

1. Value every team member. The people on the frontlines of service delivery are the foundation of an organization’s success. Give them a place at the table when important decisions are being made, and provide growth opportunities whenever possible.
2. Align with the values. It isn’t enough to talk about your values as a leader or the nonprofit’s values; you have to implement them in everything the organization does.
3. Trust your instincts and your support group. Nonprofit leaders won’t always have the answer, but trusting your gut and conferring with teammates go a long way to propel an organization toward success.