This fall, three of Carleton’s Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership graduate students excitedly embarked on their Capstone project, conducting research for the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) regarding the state of women’s leadership development in Ontario. As noted by ONN, the need for supporting women in nonprofits is clear, with the sector being women majority, but not women-led. The research indicates that while leadership development programs provide women with the training they need, four factors enhance the effectiveness of women’s leadership programs: applying a gender lens, creating a safe space, providing mentorship, and accounting for the time it takes to develop leadership skills.

Ultimately, this research demonstrates that becoming an effective woman leader in the nonprofit sector requires more than just a training program. Applying a gender-specific lens, creating a “safe space”, providing quality mentorship and allowing for time to develop as a leader are all essential elements to supporting women’s leadership. It’s time for women to have access and support to develop as leaders, it’s time for women to be at the forefront of leadership training design, it’s time to have a women majority sector become women-led. For women in the nonprofit sector, it’s #TimeToLead.

Download the full report, written by Ray Eskritt, Christina Labarca, and Lauren Phillips, here.