Five sessions on the work of running an organization. Wednesdays, September 30 to November 18, 2026, on Zoom.
Many leaders in our network arrived at the job the same way. You started as a musician, you became a teacher, and at some point you found yourself in a leadership role. You’ve brought many skills into the role and learned how to do things along the way, oftentimes not knowing if you were ‘doing it right.’ Perhaps you founded an organization and now hold both the artistic and executive positions at the same time. Or you’re an eager program director or manager who sees yourself leading an organization one day.
If any of these scenarios fit you, then this is the opportunity for you. Over five sessions this fall you will work through the parts of the job most people learn late and alone: the executive role itself, supervising staff, working with a board, and raising money. You will work through them with a small group of people sorting out the same things this year.
Facilitator
Eryn Johnson, Avaki Consulting
Eryn Johnson founded Avaki Consulting and leads it as principal consultant. The name comes from väki, a Finnish word for the life force in every living thing.
She has spent more than twenty-five years in nonprofit creative youth development, thirteen of them as Executive Director of the Community Art Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with earlier work as Director of Education at the Boch Center and program coordinator at ZUMIX. For the last fifteen years she has consulted on organizational and program planning, fundraising, staff development, community engagement, and youth leadership; her cohort work currently reaches more than fifty arts organizations. She has trained and advised music programs including the Suzuki Association of the Americas, the Juilliard School, and New England Conservatory, and she has worked with the LA Philharmonic, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and EdVestors. In 2009 she helped build the Youth Development in the Arts youth worker training curriculum, and she has co-led that training locally and nationally since.
Eryn holds an MA in Performance Studies from New York University and a BA in Theater from Oberlin College. She sings with the Mystic Chorale, takes class with Jean Appolon Expressions, and sits on its board as treasurer.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
1. Who This Is For
- New executive leaders, roughly in their first three years in the role
- Founder-artistic directors carrying both artistic and executive roles
- Program directors, managers, and coordinators moving toward an executive role
You do not need a finance background or a large staff to participate. If you make decisions about money, people, or the board and want to learn the nuts and bolts of running a nonprofit organization, we invite you to apply.
The cohort is open to ESUSA member programs only, and participation is capped at 20 organizations.
2. Format
- Five virtual sessions on Zoom from 12:00 to 1:30 PM ET. The kickoff session will last one hour.
- Sessions will combine teaching, individual reflection, and small-group work.
- Instructional portions will be recorded for the ESUSA resource library. Discussions and questions will not be recorded.
- The cohort will include 15 to 20 participants.
3. What we will cover
| Date | Session |
|---|---|
| Wed, Sept. 30 | Kickoff. Meeting each other, and how the group will use the five sessions. |
| Wed, Oct. 7 | Executive Leadership Fundamentals. What the job actually includes, and where your time belongs in it. |
| Wed, Oct. 21 | Supporting & Supervising Staff. Hiring, supervising, and keeping the people you have. |
| Wed, Nov. 4 | Managing & Leveraging a Nonprofit Board. Recruiting board members, running the meetings, and asking them for what the program needs. |
| Wed, Nov. 18 | Fund Development Tools, Tricks & Levers. Building a fundraising year you can repeat, at the size you actually are. |
4. What we ask of you
- Come to all five. A cohort works because the same people keep showing up.
- Send us back the short WHO I AM slide before the kickoff, which will be provided once accepted.
- Participate in the short surveys pre/post events.
- Come ready to learn and share!
5. Cost
Free for ESUSA member programs.
6. Language
Spanish-speaking leaders are welcome and encouraged to apply. Eryn offers support in English and Spanish during small-group work. The application will ask about participants’ language preference.
The application is purposely short – it will likely take you less than 10 minutes to complete. We ask who you are, where you sit in your organization, and what you want to work on.
Applications close Wednesday, September 23 at 11:59pm ET, and we review them as they come in, so applying early means hearing back early. If you are accepted, we will send calendar invitations and the WHO I AM template. We will cap participation to 20 organizations.
Spanish speaking members are encouraged to apply.
Note: we will prioritize applicants that can attend as many of the live sessions as possible.
Email Gabrielle Molina, Director of Programs, at gabrielle@elsistemausa.org