Leadership can make the difference between an organization that thrives and one that struggles. In the community development field, that leadership is important at every level – from neighborhood resident leaders to the organizational leaders who strengthen those neighborhoods.

At NeighborWorks® America, we believe that strong communities start with strong leaders. Not leadership in theory, but leadership in practice. The kind that shows up in neighborhoods, in housing developments and in the day-to-day decisions that shape people’s lives.

Board service often begins with purpose. But purpose alone is not enough to lead effectively.

For many leaders across the NeighborWorks® network, governance starts with a desire to serve and evolves into something more intentional, more strategic and more impactful. That shift is at the center of the NeighborWorks America Excellence in Governance Academy, a board leadership and governance certification program designed specifically for community development nonprofits.

NeighborWorks® America honored the legacy of three Midwest network organizations Monday night during a reception that capped off the first full day of the NeighborWorks Training Institute. The organizations, Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, Hispanic Housing Development Corp., and South Bend Heritage, were celebrating 50 years of impact in the greater Chicago area.

From all across the country, affordable housing and community development practitioners convened at the NeighborWorks® Training Institute (NTI) in Chicago, Illinois, this week to learn, to grow and to help build solutions to an affordable housing crisis that continues to put homes, both rented and owned, out of reach. The training institute attracted well over 1,000 participants, though some were slowed by an East Coast snowstorm that landed just as the institute began. 

In February at NeighborWorks® America, the focus has  been on capacity building. It’s not just because this month features the organization’s premier NeighborWorks Training Institute, held from Feb. 23-27 in Chicago, Illinois. 

NeighborWorks® network organizations will have a chance to meet with industry partners, engage with one another, and address housing challenges together during a brand new Housing Supply Solutions Lab. The lab will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 25, during the  NeighborWorks® Training Institute in Chicago, Illinois. 

Graduates of a NeighborWorks® America program are starting the year with new skills and determination.

The graduates, all from the Northeast Region, were part of a nine-month Strong Leaders Program for Middle Managers. The program, funded with generous support from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, focuses on the long-term professional growth of middle managers.

Students in the program found not only targeted training but a group of peers who will support each other long after the end of the program.