Mainebiz Special Editions

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 7 G I V I N G G U I D E 2 0 17– 2 0 1 8 According to MANP's 2017 Maine Nonprofi ts at work report, the state's nonprofi ts contribute approximately $11 billion a year to the economy through wages, purchases and professional services contracts; employ one out of six of the state's work- ers; pay more than $4.3 billion dollars in wages. Hutchins says the vast majority of nonprofi ts in the state are small — 89% have budgets of less than $500,000 a year. Most don't have the tools or train- ing to prepare themselves for leadership changes. " ey're trying to make sure they keep the lights on so the theater can stay open," she says. " ey're not in a position to think about what happens when the founder retires." MANP works with nonprofi ts on transition plan- ning, and Hutchins says many are becoming more sophisticated about marketing and outreach. Wanted: Adaptive, transformative leaders Turesky says leaders who are "adaptive, collaborative and transformational" have the most success heading organizations, and helping them sustain that success. " e majority of studies show that men and women are not very diff erent in the workplace when it comes to exhibiting leadership," she says. "However, on the whole, women do outshine men slightly in certain qualities, particularly those related to fostering collaborative and participative environ- ments, and off ering praise to employees." She also says that cultivating a mentor is key way for leaders to advance. "Women often don't have the model of women at the top," she says. Having m ore women in the pipeline at an organization makes parity more likely to happen. at's another area where the nonprofi t sector is ahead of the private sector, though again, the numbers go down as the assets of the organization increase. According to a 2015 article in the Chronicle of Philan- thropy, women make up 82% of the workers at small nonprofi ts, 74% at midsize ones and 59% large ones. While a breakdown of Maine's nonprofi t work- force is not available, a look at many of the state's nonprofi ts show overwhelmingly female staff . e Maine Community Foundation has seven men and 27 women on its website staff list. At MANP, the entire eight-person staff is female. At the Greater Portland Chamber of Congress, there are two men and four women on staff , including CEO Hentzel. At the Maine Health Access Organization, eight out of the 10-person staff are women. 'I grew up thinking I could run an organization' Hutchins says not only is Generation X making a diff erence at nonprofi ts, but the young people just coming into the job market now may help change the gender and diversity makeup of staff s, as well as help organizations grow and thrive. " ey're seeking employment that has some kind of social benefi t," she says. "We think of that in the nonprofi t community as an advantage to us. Nonprofi ts may not pay as highly as a corporation, but may still appeal to young, talented, raring to go young professionals." Hutchins says that while gender equity is still something being worked toward, she's "fortunate to be in a community, profession and time when bla- tant limits to the workforce no longer exist." When she was fi rst named executive director at MANP, women from previous generations told her, "It's so cool you're taking over." But it was diff erent for Hutchins' generation. "I didn't start out thinking I'd have to begin as a secretary and work my way up," Hutchins says. "I grew up thinking I could run an organization." MaUreen MilliKen, a cor respondent for Mainebiz, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t e D i t o r i a l @ m a i n e B i Z . B i Z P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y P O R T L A N D R E G I O N A L C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E Quincy Hentzel, fi rst female CEO at the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce.

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