A peer strategy and leadership circle for nonprofit executives — the room that didn't exist until now.

A confidential, facilitated monthly gathering for nonprofit leaders who are ready to stop navigating the hardest parts of this work alone.

The Nonprofit Executive Strategy Circle

Nonprofit executive leadership is some of the hardest organizational work there is. And almost nobody talks about that honestly.

THE PROBLEM

You carry more than most people see. The board needs confidence from you. Your staff needs steadiness from you. Your funders need results from you. Your community needs presence from you.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that — you need someone to think with.

Not a consultant you've hired. Not a board member with their own agenda. Not a peer ED at another organization who is quietly competing for the same grant dollars. Not your staff, who look to you for answers you're still working out yourself.

The for-profit world figured this out decades ago. Executive peer circles — confidential, facilitated, strategically focused — have been a staple of corporate leadership development for years. CEOs, COOs, and VPs have rooms where they can think out loud, workshop real challenges, and be honest about what they don't know.

Nonprofit executives have never had that room.

Until now.

THE OFFER

The Nonprofit Executive Strategy Circle is that room.

A small, confidential, peer-facilitated monthly gathering for nonprofit executives — designed specifically for the questions, challenges, and decisions that don't get easier just because you carry them alone.

This is not a networking event. It is not a lecture series. It is not another meeting where people say the right things and leave exactly where they started. This is a facilitated strategy circle led by Candice Smith, MBA, Founder & CEO of State of Becoming. Each session includes guided discussion, strategic prompts, problem-solving, and practical next-step clarity.

It is a working session — where real challenges get named, peer perspectives get applied, and you leave with more clarity than you arrived with.

The nonprofit sector is competitive and siloed by design — organizations rarely share what they're struggling with, even when they're struggling with the same things. This circle changes that dynamic by creating a confidential space where executives can be honest with each other in ways the sector doesn't normally allow.

The facilitator — Candice Smith, MBA, Founder of State of Becoming — brings both the strategic and human side to every session. Not just to keep the conversation moving, but to help members see what they might be missing, name what's actually happening beneath the surface, and move toward clarity with both rigor and care.

This work is grounded in the Heart+Mind Framework — State of Becoming's signature approach to organizational strategy, leadership alignment, and culture development. Every session balances the operational reality with the human experience — because nonprofit leaders have to navigate both, simultaneously, every single day.

What the Executive Strategy Circle is:

• A confidential peer space for nonprofit executives to think, workshop, and strategize together

• A facilitated monthly session with structured discussion, real problem-solving, and practical takeaways

• A room where you can be honest about what you don't know — without it costing you credibility

• A place to get outside perspective on challenges that don't warrant a full consulting engagement — but deserve more than a Google search

• A community of peers who understand the specific pressures, constraints, and complexities of nonprofit leadership

• The first peer executive circle designed specifically for nonprofit leaders in this region

What this is not:

• A networking group focused on referrals or visibility

• A lecture series or professional development training

• A therapy group or venting session — though honest conversation is welcome and necessary

• A place where your organization's challenges become public knowledge — confidentiality is foundational and non-negotiable

• Another obligation on your already full calendar — this is an investment in your capacity to lead well

WHAT THIS IS AND ISN'T

SESSION DETAILS

The Details

• Format: Monthly facilitated peer strategy session

• Meeting Day: Third Wednesday of each month

• First Session: Wednesday, July 22nd — Founding cohort only

• Time: Doors open at 7:00am | Session begins at 7:15am | Ends at 8:30am

• Location: Elevate (Wichita Foundation) | 303 S. Broadway, Suite 100, Wichita, KS 67202

• Refreshments: Coffee, water, and light breakfast bites provided

• Cohort Size: 6–10 executives — intentionally small for depth of discussion

• Cohort Length: Six months

• Investment: $200/month founding rate — future cohort rate $275–$300/month

• Commitment: Six-month membership paid monthly — first month due at signup, billed monthly thereafter

• Cancellation: This is a cohort commitment — no cancellations once enrolled

What each session includes:

• A focused discussion topic or strategic theme — selected based on what members are navigating

• Structured peer workshopping of real challenges brought by members

• Facilitated reflection and strategy prompts

• Practical takeaways and next steps

• Complete confidentiality — what is shared in the room stays in the room

You would be a founding member.

The July 22nd cohort is the first Executive Strategy Circle — and founding members matter in ways that go beyond timing.

You help shape what this becomes. Your questions, your challenges, and your voice inform how the circle develops over time. Founding members also lock in the founding rate for the duration of their membership — before the rate adjusts for future cohorts.

Founding cohort investment: $200 per month Billing: Monthly — no long-term contract required Future cohort rate: $275–$300 per month

Spots are limited to 10 executives. When the cohort is full it is full — the next opportunity will be a future cohort.

FOUNDING COHORT — WHY NOW MATTERS

WHO THIS IS FOR

This circle is designed for you if:

• You are a nonprofit executive director, CEO, or senior leader carrying the weight of organizational leadership

• You are navigating a challenge — strategic, cultural, financial, or relational — and need outside perspective from people who understand your world

• You are tired of figuring things out alone and ready for a peer community that takes the work as seriously as you do

• You want to grow as a leader — not just manage the immediate crisis in front of you

• You understand that confidential, honest peer conversation is one of the most valuable and underutilized leadership development tools available

This is not the right fit if:

• You are looking primarily for networking or visibility opportunities

• You are not willing to engage honestly and contribute to the group's work

• You are not able to commit to monthly attendance for the cohort duration — consistency is what makes this work for everyone

ON CONFIDENTIALITY

A note on confidentiality — because it matters enough to say plainly.

Everything shared inside the Executive Strategy Circle stays inside the Executive Strategy Circle.

Members are asked to commit to confidentiality as a condition of participation. This is not a formality — it is the foundation of everything that makes this space valuable. Honest conversation requires safety. Safety requires trust. Trust requires a clear and kept commitment to confidentiality.

The facilitator holds the same standard. What you share in this room does not leave this room.

The July 22nd cohort has limited seats — and once the circle is full, the next opportunity will be a future cohort at the standard rate.

If you are a nonprofit executive who is ready to stop navigating the hardest parts of this work alone — this is your room.

Ready to claim your founding member spot?