Steering Committee Members

as of June 13, 2022

• A. Toni Young
• Amy Morgenstern
• Andrew Niklaus
• Art Taylor
• Bradley Dudding
• Britt Lake
• Christine Robinson
• Debra Natenshon
• Doug Bauer
• John Brothers

• Louis Erste
• Quentin Wilson
• Shelley Metzenbaum
• Tracy Gray
• James Stancil
• Erika Van Buren
• Kathy Park
• Carmen Moreno-Rivera
• Omar Butler

Steering Committee Updates

December 5, 2022

Highlights from the 15th Steering Committee Meeting

• The fifteenth LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on December 5th.
• Steering Committee members reviewed next steps for conversations with specific high-potential partner organizations, a progress update on conversations with potential funders, the proposed approach moving forward, and an update on the LFI Path Forward survey results.
• The group discussed the implications of what the fundraising working group has been hearing from potential funders on the topic of grant funding for the LAC and membership fees.
• Steering Committee members aligned on the key working group priorities moving forward.

November 15, 2022

Highlights from the 14th Steering Committee Meeting

• The fourteenth LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on November 15.
• Steering Committee members reviewed an update on the fundraising working group, an update on the partnership working group and ongoing partner conversations, and the refined partnership criteria and screening approach based on feedback from the Steering Committee.
• The group provided input on an initial assessment of high potential partner organizations for mission and values alignment.
• Several Steering Committee members raised their hands to reach out to additional potential partner organizations where they have a contact.

October 31, 2022

Highlights from the 13th Steering Committee Meeting

• The thirteenth LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on October 31.
• Steering Committee members reviewed the approach for funder and partner conversations, next steps for the three working groups, and the approach for the upcoming November pulse check and townhall meetings.
• The group shared feedback on draft criteria for screening potential partner organizations and aligned on a partner screening process that is initially focused on high-level mission and values alignment.

October 10, 2022

Highlights from the 12th Steering Committee Meeting

• The twelfth LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on October 10.
• Steering Committee members reviewed the key next steps for working groups, updates on initial conversations for partnership and fundraising, and the draft current state value proposition that has been developed by the Value Proposition working group.
• The group also discussed potential “next gen” value propositions that could further inform partnership and fundraising conversations.
• Several Steering Committee members raised their hands to reach out to individual ambassadors in an effort to build working group participation through targeted outreach.

September 27, 2022

Highlights from the 11th Steering Committee Meeting

• The eleventh LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on September 27.
• Steering Committee members reviewed the approach for building participation in the working groups (Value Proposition, Fundraising, and Partnership), the list of ambassadors that have already volunteered to join a working group, key workplan activities that should be completed by Thanksgiving 2022, and updates on both the progress of the Value Proposition working group and the operational planning that is currently happening in the background.
• Attendees also reviewed the upcoming conversations with high-potential partners and funders as well as the approach for an open call to the community to source other potential partners.
• Several Steering Committee members raised their hands to reach out to individual ambassadors in an effort to build working group participation through targeted outreach.
• If you are interested in joining a working group, please reach out to Manan Mehta by Friday, 10/7 COB.

Interested in learning more? See September 27, 2022 meeting notes.

September 20, 2022

Highlights from the 10th Steering Committee Meeting

• The tenth LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on September 20.
• Attendees reviewed the workplan for getting into action for Phase 1 of the LFI implementation plan, the proposed approach for building working group participation, the proposed approach for initial conversations with high-potential partners and funders, and the financial and operational needs for the LAC under different scenarios.
• On the topic of forming working groups, Steering Committee members expressed broad support for the proposed approach to begin outreach to ambassadors. As part of the next steps, the Monitor Institute team and the Steering Committee will move forward with reaching out to ambassadors with a specific focus on equity to encourage diversity of people, voices, and perspectives in the working groups.
• Steering Committee members also aligned on beginning initial conversations with high-potential partners and funders in parallel to standing up the working groups.

Interested in learning more? See September 20, 2022 meeting notes.

September 14, 2022

Highlights from the Ninth Steering Committee Meeting

• The ninth LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on September 14.
• Attendees reviewed the approach for the 9/14 townhall, an update on the path forward, and the proposed workplan for getting into action for Phase 1 of the LFI implementation plan.
• As part of the update on the path forward, the Monitor Institute team shared that Mario Morino has agreed to continue funding the Monitor Institute team through January 2023. The Monitor Institute team will stay on to support the Steering Committee with lighter support, with the expectation that the Steering Committee takes on more leadership in the LFI process.
  • Additionally, a key go/no-go decision is that by January 2023, the Steering Committee will need to have identified a partner organization and/or sufficient transition funding to sustain the community beyond January 2023
• Phase 1 of the LFI implementation plan stretches from mid-September to mid-October 2022 for the purpose of standing up key working groups, developing initial value proposition materials to facilitate partner and funder conversations, determining the process for partner identification, and outlining financial and operational needs based on further analysis of LAC activity and cost data.
  • As part of the next steps, the Steering Committee is in the process of conducting targeted outreach to form the value proposition, fundraising, and partnership working groups to ensure that there is a diverse range of perspectives and backgrounds
• For identifying interested partner organizations, the Steering Committee agreed that rather than launching an external RFP process, which would be more time / resource intensive, the Steering Committee can make an open call to the LAC community to gauge interest

Interested in learning more? See September 14, 2022 meeting notes.

September 7, 2022

Highlights from the Eighth Steering Committee Meeting

• The eighth LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on September 7.
• Attendees reviewed an update on the approach for a community vote and path forward, the additional work required to continue the LFI process post-September 2022, a proposed governance structure for continued LFI efforts, preliminary operational planning, and an updated LFI implementation plan.
• The group aligned on waiting to hold a community vote until we have reached a clearer decision point in the LFI process.
• Instead of a vote at this point in the process, the Monitor Institute team and the Steering Committee would hold a townhall meeting with the broader LAC on 9/14 to share findings from the LFI process to date and get feedback from the community on the proposed path forward.
• Looking to the process ahead, Steering Committee members raised that with Monitor Institute support slated to ramp down at the end of September, it would be challenging for Steering Committee members to step into a process leadership role given the time and energy that is required. Steering Committee members expressed a need for ongoing facilitation support for the continued LFI process.
  • The Monitor Institute team plans to speak with Mario Morino to share options for ongoing facilitation support.

Interested in learning more? See September 7, 2022 meeting notes.

August 29 or 30, 2022

Highlights from the Seventh Steering Committee Meeting

• The seventh LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on August 29 and August 30 (two options for joining were provided for scheduling flexibility).
• Attendees reviewed insights from the second round of funder focus groups, the draft Minimum Viable Plan (MVP), and the proposed approach for the community to vote on the path forward.
• Steering Committee members expressed support for a comprehensive FAQ document to complement the shorter version of the MVP document, and overall, shared broad support for the path forward as laid out in the MVP document.
• On the proposed voting approach, several Steering Committee members expressed a concern that newer ambassadors may not have enough context on the community and the LFI to vote on the path forward. Steering Committee members also raised additional considerations around the timing of the vote (i.e., having a vote at this point in the process vs. later in the process when deciding on, for example, a partner for the LAC).
  • The Monitor Institute team plans to speak with Mario Morino to clarify these questions on behalf of the Steering Committee and to also get feedback on the draft MVP.
• Several members of the value proposition working group aligned on a plan to begin working to clarify the current LAC value proposition, with the goal of having a first draft by the end of September 2022.

Interested in learning more? See August 29 and August 30, 2022 meeting notes.

August 18 or 23, 2022

Highlights from the Sixth Steering Committee Meeting

• The sixth LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on August 18.
• Attendees reviewed results from the membership model pulse check, insights from the first round of funder focus groups, invitees for a second round of funder focus groups, potential partner organizations to engage, and an overview of the suggested approach for the LAC moving forward.
• Based on the learnings from the LFI process to-date, the group agreed that continued efforts are required to lay the groundwork for the LAC to become a sustainable, self-governed entity. These continued efforts include:
  • Conducting additional outreach to find an aligned partner and/or choose a fiduciary sponsor
  • Doing additional value proposition work to support fundraising and the next generation of the community, with a specific focus on equity
  • Making the initial decision on the role that membership fees can play as a source of funding
  • Broadening the inclusion of participants through working groups to further increase participation and develop self-governance structures
• The group then agreed on a structure to answer these key outstanding questions by 1/1/2024, which includes developing Partnership, Fundraising, and Value Proposition working groups to conduct additional exploration, as well as having an ongoing role for the Steering Committee as an oversight body.
• Immediate Next Steps for Steering Committee members were summarized as:
  • Confirming the ongoing Steering Committee to shepherd the continuation of this process
  • Determining what to put forward to the LAC
  • Gauging community interest in participating in working groups

Interested in learning more? See August 18, 2022 meeting notes.

July 19 or 22, 2022

Highlights from the Fifth Steering Committee Meeting

• The fifth LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on July 19 and July 22 (two options for joining were provided for scheduling flexibility).
• Attendees reviewed the current cost to run the community and future costs under different scenarios, potential funding and governance options for the LAC, including sample grant ranges for infrastructure organizations, research on membership models, and a list of potential funders to begin engaging in exploratory conversations.
• Members acknowledged that the LAC would likely need time to develop a sustainable funding revenue stream. One option that was discussed is to pursue a philanthropic pitch for bridge funding or growth capital to have time to clarify the value proposition and develop a business plan that would be proposing sustainable funding sources down the road. Membership fees could be a funding source, but fees will not likely cover the majority of costs.
• Overall, there is a critical need to begin engaging funders with an MVP as we think about LAC sustainability in the short-term.
• Steering Committee members summarized next steps using three pathways:
  • Exploring equitable and feasible membership fees
  • Potential seed and/or transition funders and grants
  • Exploring alignment with another organization that already exists

Interested in learning more? See July 19 and July 22, 2022 meeting notes.

June 27 or 28, 2022

Highlights from the Fourth Steering Committee Meeting

• The fourth LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on June 27 and June 28 (two options for joining were provided to provide scheduling flexibility).

Context Setting

• As discussed in previous meetings, there has been a consistent call to clarify the LAC’s mission and integrate equity into the work of the community. The current LFI effort, facilitated by the Monitor Institute by Deloitte, is focused primarily on the path to sustainability for the community (funding and governance). The LFI effort will continue to hold an equity lens throughout the process through September. Post-September, some of the key LFI implementation activities for the Minimal Viable Plan will likely include:
  • Onboard transition planning working group
  • Identify key human capital, process, and technology issues inherent in the MVP
  • Undergo negotiations (if necessary)
  • Manage the process of integration
• In order to address some of the questions that have arisen in this process, the community will likely need to establish structures to review equity in the Community, and possibly conduct an LAC Mission Review to refine the mission to align with the MVP and equity principles of the Community.

Emerging Interview Insights

• Steering Committee members discussed the emerging insights that have come up during seven interviews conducted with key stakeholders so far, particularly insights surrounding the LAC’s value proposition, funder priorities, membership organization structures, and potential future partners.
• Any organization considering integrating LEAP into their own programming will want a couple years of seed funding to support transition/develop transition plan. How does this mesh with what research shows about fundings not wanting to fund initiatives built by other funders?
• Interviewees mentioned that a funder may be willing to be part of a group of funders, but most likely don’t want to fully fund something on their own that was built by someone else.
• It’s important to recognize that there is a small cadre of funders that would be engaged in funding this at a national level; likely only 6-7 potential funders.
• The LEAP challenge is a mindset shift: change happens when organizations and funders become convinced that organizational mission and performance are inextricably linked – and act accordingly. How do you close the gap and then act?

Paths Discussion 

• Based on desk research and interviews, the Monitor Institute team started to shape three broad avenues for exploration for the Steering Committee to consider – grounded in the current LAC activities as well as Community aspirations – that have implications for the level of funding that the community would need to raise post 2023 and the feasibility of different funding mechanisms and governance options. Each path takes existing elements of the Community and sketches the implications for leaning in strongly in one distinct direction. The paths should be understood as a means to generate conversation around the potential scale of the Community’s ambition and what this means for our choices for how to create a sustainable, self-governed Community moving forward.
  • As such, they should be understood as “productively inaccurate” conversation anchors, rather than strict choices. The final MVP will inevitably include elements of any or all of these paths, as well as new considerations that emerge from our discussions together.
• Steering Committee members then discussed the potential options that are emerging for the LAC’s future, including becoming a peer learning community for senior leadership, focusing on knowledge development and dissemination, and/or becoming an action-oriented sector change agent. The strategic paths options align with stated function of LAC in the Strategy for Change document, which is to: (1) strengthen community (2) develop content to build the field, and (3) influence the field.

Interested in learning more? See June 27 or 28, 2022 meeting notes.

June 8, 2022

Highlights from the Third Steering Committee Meeting

• The third LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on June 8. The Steering Committee was very pleased to welcome a new member, Britt Lake, which brings the Steering Committee count to 19 total ambassadors.
• Meeting attendees discussed the mission of the Community, as defined by the Strategy for Change document. We discussed using the 2019 document as the best articulation of the present mission, vision, and theory of change to ground this work. It was suggested that some language from Strategy for Change could be updated to better reflect the present ethos of the Community. We also discussed integrating equity into the community’s purpose, as well as the option of revisiting the mission and making necessary updates once the funding mechanisms and governance structures for the MVPs are selected. This continues to be an open item for the group.
• Attendees then discussed the different types of funding mechanisms that the LAC can look into as part of the LFI, including finding a new funder or group of funders, collaborating with partner organizations, transitioning to a membership model, adopting an earned revenue model, or a combination of these options. Steering Committee members discussed equity implications of different models; a deeper dive into the equity considerations of each of these models will be an important research focus as we move forward. The majority of attendees agreed that an earned revenue model is the least-likely model to implement, given the immense changes that it would require with regards to the LAC’s mission and the way it operates.
• Attendees followed up the discussion on funding mechanisms with a deeper dive on future LAC governance structures, such as self-governance and absorption into another organization. Some attendees mentioned that the Community should partner with other organizations rather than be ‘absorbed’ by another organization. They also agreed that self-governance through the establishment of an LLC or B Corp should be taken off the table as a governance structure we should explore.
• Steering Committee members closed out the discussion by talking about the LAC activities that the Community should carry forward in the future. They reviewed the activity data from the 2022 LFI Spring Survey and acknowledged that the activities the LAC wants to retain are those related to the Community, building relationships, facilitating discussions, and developing a shared set of guiding principles.

Interested in learning more? See June 8, 2022 meeting notes.

May 25, 2022

Highlights from the Second Steering Committee Meeting

• The second LFI Steering Committee meeting was held on May 25. This was the first meeting with new members who joined the Steering Committee through targeted outreach efforts.
• Attendees reviewed the updated Steering Committee composition and agreed to conduct additional targeted outreach specifically to Latino, millennial, and internationally-located ambassadors. Steering Committee members also mentioned the potential to create working groups to get specific feedback throughout the LFI process.
• Steering Committee members reviewed the strategic choices that the LAC is facing through the LFI process. They discussed the initial focus of the LFI Process focusing on funding mechanisms and governance structures. They also began to build understanding of the current state by reviewing the principles for fostering the LAC community and high-level costs estimates for LAC operation.
• View the Steering Committee charter.
• The next Steering Committee meeting will be held on June 8, during which members will do a deeper dive on potential funding mechanisms, governance structures, and activities for Minimum Viable Plans (MVPs).

Interested in learning more? See May 25, 2022 meeting notes.

May 6, 2022

Highlights from the Steering Committee Kickoff Meeting

• The LFI Steering Committee Kickoff meeting was held on May 6. The purpose of the meeting was to kick off the LFI Steering Committee with initial volunteers and discuss ways to continue building out the Steering Committee.
• Attendees reviewed the guardrails for the LFI process, and continued the discussion from the 4/27 LFI Survey Results Presentation about the LAC mission. While some Steering Committee members expressed reservations about certain words in the LAC mission, the majority agreed that the ethos of the mission resonates and that the process could move forward with the mission as-is for the time being. They also agreed that this process would be used to capture data that can be leveraged to potentially update the mission at a later date.
• Steering Committee volunteers agreed that it is important to increase the representativeness of the Steering Committee by organization type, race and ethnicity, age cohort, and geography. They decided to seek additional members to the Steering Committee by contacting specific individuals who signed up to be adjunct members to the Steering Committee.
• The next Steering Committee meeting will be held on May 25, and we will cover governance and LAC engagement for the LFI process.

Interested in learning more? See May 6, 2022 meeting notes.