CSR Communications

Middle Manager Burnout Threatens Your 2025 Stability
2025-03-26 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Your organization’s vital connective tissue is breaking. Middle managers are quitting, burning out, or collapsing under pressure as companies cut management layers while demanding more execution.
Why it matters: This exodus strips away institutional knowledge and leadership capacity precisely when market volatility and economic uncertainty demand stability.
Our March forum tackles this crisis head-on with practical solutions. Y
You’ll learn:

Warning signs: Detect management collapse before it’s too late
Common pitfalls: Why conventional approaches make burnout worse
Actionable alternatives: Proven interventions that work in volatile environments

👉 The bottom line: Waiting costs more than good people—it costs organizational stability when external conditions demand it most.

[Executive Forum] Safeguarding Impact: What private and corporate foundations can implement in the next 90 days to strengthen grantee resilience amid disruption
2025-04-15 11:00 - 12:00
What private and corporate foundations implement in the next 90 days to strengthen grantee resilience amid disruption
Join other directors, senior program officers, portfolio leads, and strategy officers to discuss practical ways to support grantees and safeguard outcomes amidst federal funding cuts.
Forward-thinking foundations recognize that protecting grant investments requires more than emergency funding—it demands wholistic approaches to building grantee adaptability and maintaining momentum despite quickly shifting funding, policy, and regulatory landscapes.
In this executive forum, participants will share practical approaches for:

Assessing grantee vulnerability
Strategically deploying resources
Building organizational adaptability

Join us to explore strategies that transform the current volatility from a threat to an opportunity to strengthen the sector.

[Executive Forum] The People Side of Successful AI Adoption
2025-05-22 11:00 - 12:00
Join peer executives in our Next Big Thing Executive Forum to address the human side of AI adoption:

Strategies that shift team perception from worry to opportunity
What most often goes wrong with AI integration initiatives (and how to prevent it)
The true cost of waiting or failing in the effort to incorporate AI into your organization

Whether you’re actively implementing AI, planning for future integration, or questioning all the AI hype, you’ll gain valuable insights from other leaders navigating these same challenges.
When: Thursday, May 22 @ 11:00 am ETWhere: Live via Zoom
The Reality: According to Pew Research, 80% of American workers aren’t using AI tools at work, and only 6% believe AI will create more job opportunities for them long-term. At the same time, Conference Board data shows 100% of CEOs will have an AI strategy in 2025.
Why It Matters: “The biggest piece of advice I have when it comes to anything related to AI – is that it’s change management. This is behavioral change. That is not about the technology,” says Microsoft’s Deb Cupp.
Bottom Line: The future belongs to organizations that can bridge the gap between AI’s productivity promise and human adoption concerns. Will yours be among them?
The Value Is Being in the Room
The Next Big Thing Executive Forum brings together small groups of C-Suite executives and senior leaders for off-the-record, peer-to-peer, idea-exchange conversations. We cover topics essential to defining, designing, and successfully realizing your “next big thing,” whether it’s a new strategic initiative, internal policy shift, or significant organizational transformation. We charge no fee to participate and make no sales pitch at the event. To honor our “off-the-record” commitment, we do not make recordings available.

What Funders and Nonprofits Really Need to Know About Mergers and Acquisitions
2025-07-22 11:00 - 12:00 | Live via Zoom
Join peer executives in our Next Big Thing Executive Forum to explore the realities of nonprofit consolidation:

When mergers actually strengthen mission impact (and when they don’t)

What funders and nonprofit leaders wish they’d known before encouraging or pursuing consolidation

The hidden costs and unexpected benefits that don’t show up in due diligence

Whether you view nonprofit mergers as long overdue (“there are too many nonprofits”), a risky trend with serious pitfalls, or something you didn’t even know was possible, this conversation is for you.
When: July 22 @ 11:00 am ETWhere: Live via Zoom
The Reality: Funding cuts, economic uncertainty, and shifting political dynamics are pushing more social sector leaders to consider strategic alliances, mergers, or acquisitions as possible paths forward.
Why It Matters: The pressure to consolidate is real, but the track record is mixed. Some mergers create stronger, more sustainable organizations. Others destroy what made each organization valuable in the first place.
Bottom Line: Whether you’re a funder considering which organizations to nudge toward consolidation, a board member weighing strategic options, or a nonprofit executive exploring possible partners, you need honest insights from peers who’ve been there.
This forum brings together funders, board members, and nonprofit executives for a candid exploration of what works, what doesn’t, and what questions you should be asking before anyone signs anything.

The Value Is Being in the Room
The Next Big Thing Executive Forum brings together small groups of C-Suite executives and senior leaders for off-the-record, peer-to-peer, idea-exchange conversations. We cover topics essential to defining, designing, and successfully realizing your “next big thing,” whether it’s a new strategic initiative, internal policy shift, or significant organizational transformation. We charge no fee to participate and make no sales pitch at the event. To honor our “off-the-record” commitment, we do not make recordings available.

Annual Performance Review Anxiety: What smart executives do in August to prepare their managers for these uncomfortable year-end conversations
2025-08-21 11:00 - 12:00 | Live via Zoom
Join peer executives in our Next Big Thing Executive Forum to learn what makes a difference to boost the ROI on your annual performance reviews.
We’ll talk about:

The common mistakes most organizations make in preparing managers for performance conversations

What high-performing organizations do differently in August to avoid year-end anxiety

The hidden costs of traditional performance reviews

The four psychological barriers that undermine even well-intentioned efforts to change performance review processes

Whether you’re an executive tired of the annual performance review time suck, an HR leader scrambling to find last-minute “difficult conversation” training, or a senior manager who knows reviews can be valuable when done right, this conversation is for you.
When: August 21 @ 11:00 am ETWhere: Live via Zoom
Your managers are getting that familiar knot in their stomach already. Performance review season is coming, and they know it’s going to be uncomfortable, even if they have a team of high performers.
This forum brings together executives, HR leaders, and senior managers for a candid exploration of what works, what doesn’t, and what you can do differently before the year-end anxiety hits.
The Value Is Being in the Room
The Next Big Thing Executive Forum brings together small groups of C-Suite executives and senior leaders for off-the-record, peer-to-peer, idea-exchange conversations. We cover topics essential to defining, designing, and successfully realizing your “next big thing,” whether it’s a new strategic initiative, internal policy shift, or significant organizational transformation. We charge no fee to participate and make no sales pitch at the event. To honor our “off-the-record” commitment, we do not make recordings available.

2026...Here We Come! What Smart Executives Are Doing Differently
2025-09-23 11:00 - 12:00 | Live via Zoom
Join peer executives in our Next Big Thing Executive Forum to share key lessons from 2025 and explore alternatives to traditional strategic planning that will make or break 2026.
We’ll cover:

How 2025’s meta trends are playing out in your organization and what they mean for 2026

The antidote to the BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible) world we’re sharing with our clients now to help them prepare for 2026

The alternative annual planning approaches savvy executives turn to when nonlinear causality has broken traditional models

Whether your 2025 goals got derailed by unexpected disruptions, you’re struggling to plan for 2026 amid constant uncertainty, or you need fresh approaches for leading when careful linear thinking is now a liability, this conversation will help you find new ways forward.
When: September 23rd @ 11:00 am ETWhere: Live via Zoom
The Reality: Many organizations spent 2025 trying to manage complexity with frameworks designed for a more predictable world. Strategic plans became obsolete before the ink dried. Traditional cause-and-effect thinking couldn’t keep up with nonlinear outcomes.
Why It Matters: The executives who adapted fastest this year changed how they plan. They built resilience instead of efficiency. They embraced rapid iteration over perfect analysis. They prepared for incomprehensibility. They demonstrated speed and discernment.
The Value Is Being in the Room
The Next Big Thing Executive Forum brings together small groups of C-Suite executives and senior leaders for off-the-record, peer-to-peer, idea exchange conversations. We cover topics essential to defining, designing, and successfully realizing your “next big thing,” whether it’s a new strategic initiative, internal policy shift, or significant organizational change. There’s no fee to participate and no sales pitch at the event.

BoardCQ™ Change Readiness Assessment for Nonprofit Boards Live Demo and Deep Dive
2025-10-22 11:00 - 12:00 | Live via Zoom
Is your nonprofit board a booster, a blocker, or at best, neutral in times of change? With the social sector in upheaval this year, the answer to this question will determine the future of your organization.
The nonprofits still on solid footing heading into 2026 will be there because they have change-ready, change-capable, and change-resilient boards.
The boards that will help their organizations navigate tomorrow’s uncertainty have one critical advantage: they know exactly where they stand on change readiness and what gaps they need to close to lead through the rapid change ahead.
Most don’t.
This Webinar and Demo is for you if you are:

A program officer or foundation leader watching grantees struggle and seeking better ways to help protect their mission and your investment

A membership organization whose members are facing layoffs, funding cuts, leadership transitions and more, and you want to be part of their solution

A nonprofit executive whose board needs to move from crisis management to strategic response to become your steady partner in navigating change

A nonprofit board chair or member wondering if you’re doing enough (or enough of the right things) to support staff and find a viable path forward

Board CQ™ Demo and Deep Dive Wednesday, October 22nd | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm ET via Zoom
What You’ll See:

Demo of BoardCQ™, our proprietary change readiness index for nonprofit boards, measuring your board across the eight characteristics that separate organizations that adapt easily from those that don’t

Real examples of how boards use their results to build the governance muscle needed for uncertain times

What change-ready boards do differently when facing leadership transitions, funding challenges, and strategic pivots

The Reality: Crisis management has become a daily routine. The cost of waiting to assess your board’s readiness is too high when every decision matters more than ever.
Why Now: The gap between optimism about the nonprofit sector’s future and confidence in boards’ ability to lead us there is widening. Board CQ ™ gives you objective data about where your board stands and clear steps to close that gap.
Register Here
The best time to measure change readiness was yesterday. The second-best time is now.

[Executive Forum] How Funders Can Adapt 2026 Grantee Capacity Building Plans to Meet Shifting Needs
2025-12-02 10:00 - 11:00
The Reality: The ground beneath your grantees has fundamentally shifted this year. Nonprofits and funders agree that an increasing share of social impact is at risk from unexpected events.
Why It Matters: Every dollar and resource provided counts more than ever, and you need to feel confident that what you provide will make a difference for the organizations, causes, and people you support.
What nonprofits need from funders today is different from what they needed 18 months ago. And if your capacity-building plans aren’t focused on organizational resilience, then the gap between what you’re providing and what your grantees actually need will grow in 2026.
The Challenge: If you’re designing 2026 learning communities or capacity-building initiatives the same way you have for the past few years, you’re solving for yesterday’s problems. How do you adapt your plans to meet the needs of now?
Join peer foundation leaders to explore:

Lessons from T. Rowe Price Foundation’s Leading Through Change: The Board’s Role cohort – what worked, what surprised them, and what they’re applying to 2026 planning;

What nonprofit leaders are looking for from funders now that’s different from 18 months ago (from a CEO/board chair living it);

Practical ideas for adapting your 2026 capacity-building and grantee learning community plans.

This forum is for you if you’re finalizing 2026 plans and wondering how to invest time, energy, and dollars wisely and effectively.
Special guests:

Sabrina Thornton, Creativity & Innovation Program Officer, T. Rowe Price Foundation

Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger, President & CEO, Data Quality Campaign; Board Chair, Maryland Reads

[Executive Briefing and Open House] Organizational Change Capacity: The Make-or-Break for Achieving 2026 Goals
2026-01-20 11:00 - 12:00 | Live via Zoom
If you’re leading any change in your organization in 2026, such as AI rollout, re-organization, strategy shifts, resource re-allocation, or leadership succession, or operating in an uncertain environment that brings change to your front door (whether you’re ready or not), then this open house is for you.
Virtual Open House
January 20th | 11:00-11:45 am ET via Zoom
Organizations with strong change capacity meet or exceed objectives 88-93% of the time. Those without? 13-15%. Boost your change capacity in 2026 by partnering with CSR.
Here’s just a sample of what’s sure to create more uncertainty, disruption, and change for you and your organization in the next 12 months:

88% of companies are now using AI, but 94% are stuck in pilots. Half the employees fear AI will eliminate their jobs, so they’re either resisting it or hiding their usage from the boss.

Middle managers, the people essential for successful change initiative implementation, are burning out (or being laid off) at alarming rates. Those remaining have little training or professional development, especially in change management, leaving more on the plate of senior leadership and threatening productivity across the organization.

Only 27% of leaders think their teams are aligned. What’s worse? Only 9% of employees do, resulting in missed goals, unclear or competing priorities, overwhelm, and turnover.

100% of CEOs will have an AI strategy in 2026. Meanwhile, only 6% of employees believe it’ll benefit them long-term. This means resistance, pushback, and AI implementation initiatives that go off the rails right from the start, undermining any potential ROI.

Nonprofit CEO turnover is at record highs, yet only 27% of nonprofits have succession plans, and your board might not be equipped to ensure a smooth transition.

You can avoid unnecessary costs, get your middle managers functioning at their best (to keep things off your plate), realize the ROI on your AI and other change initiatives, and achieve your 2026 goals.
Join our Open House and we’ll show you…

The change capacity gaps most leaders overlook.

Highlights from yet-to-be-published research we conducted in 2025, including the state of middle managers and common mistakes in nonprofit mergers.

How we help organizations build the change capacity that makes AI adoption, or any major initiative implementation, go smoothly, delivering 68%-300% ROI.

A demo of BoardCQ™, our change readiness assessment for nonprofit boards, that offers valuable insight and actionable recommendations to prepare for leadership transitions, AI, mergers, and other changes facing the social sector next year.

If you have an immediate need, this Open House is a no-stakes way to vet us and see if we should be at the top of your call list.
If you’re not in the market right now for what we offer, then now is the best time to learn about us so that you have a ready-to-go resource in your pocket when you do need it.

[Executive Forum] Trends Among Trends 2026 is Here: Learn What’s Really Driving Change This Year and How to Make It Work For, and Not Against You
2026-02-10 11:00 - 12:00 | Live via Zoom
Every major publication, and many minor ones, for every industry and field, publishes trends in January. If you’ve wondered how anyone can possibly keep up with even the most relevant ones, let alone make time for trends outside one’s industry or field, then this Forum is for you.
We’re back with our most popular topic of the past several years! We’ve done the heavy lifting with a meta-analysis to discover the trends among the trends, the patterns that transcend industries and fields, and the forces driving the opportunities and risks for 2026.
With AI adoption accelerating, middle management collapsing, and strategic alignment at historic lows, understanding these patterns NOW is how you position your organization ahead of disruption rather than react to it.
Virtual Executive ForumTrends Among Trends 2026February 10th | 11:00 am-12:00 pm ET via Zoom
Join fellow executives to discuss insights and ideas for what these trends among trends mean for your organization this year.
The Next Big Thing Executive Forum is a monthly series that brings together small groups of C-Suite executives and senior leaders for off-the-record, peer-to-peer, idea-exchange conversations. We cover topics essential to defining, designing and successfully realizing your “next big thing,” whether it’s a new strategic initiative, internal policy shift or significant organizational transformation. There’s no fee to participate and no sales pitch at the event. To honor our “off-the-record” commitment, recordings are not made available. The real value is being “in the room.”

[Executive Forum] Q1 Fractures Equal Q4 Failures: Why Your Executive Team Alignment Can't Wait Until Mid-Year
2026-03-19 11:00 - 12:00 | Live via Zoom
Join peer executives in our Next Big Thing Executive Forum for an honest conversation about what happens when your leadership team isn’t on the same page (or working in opposition to one another), and why waiting to fix it costs more than you think.
When: Thusday, March 19 @ 11:00 am ETWhere: Live via Zoom
The Reality: Only 27% of leaders believe their employees are aligned with organizational goals. When you ask employees, just 9% agree. That gap — reported in Axios HQ’s 2025 State of Internal Communication Report — is a leadership alignment problem. And it starts at the top.
Meanwhile, Harvard Business Review published two separate articles in January 2026 on the persistence of strategic misalignment. One, from an Oxford professor, argued that most leaders overlook alignment entirely because they assume it’s already there. The other showed how strategies that look coherent in the boardroom routinely fail at the next level down.
Why It Matters: Research across 410 companies found that highly aligned organizations grow revenue 58% faster than their misaligned peers. Here’s the Q1 urgency: the fractures happening in your executive team right now (like unspoken disagreements, competing priorities, and decisions that keep getting relitigated) don’t stay contained. They cascade. By the time you notice the damage in Q3 or Q4 results, you’ve already lost months of momentum, good people, and strategic advantage.
Bottom Line: The longer you wait, the more expensive it gets.
During this forum you’ll join peer Executives to discuss:

Why executive teams that “seem” aligned are often the most at risk — and the specific warning signs you’re probably overlooking right now

What’s actually driving the gap between your leadership team’s perception of alignment and the reality showing up in your results

Practical, proven approaches to closing alignment gaps before Q1 fractures become Q4 failures

This forum is for you if decisions are constantly being revisited, your team spends more time in meetings rehashing priorities than making progress, or you sense that people publicly agree but privately pursue different agendas. It’s also for you if you know alignment is off but aren’t sure where to start — especially if you want to get it right in the next 60-90 days.
The Value Is Being in the Room
The Next Big Thing Executive Forum brings together small groups of C-Suite executives and senior leaders for off-the-record, peer-to-peer, idea-exchange conversations. We cover topics essential to defining, designing, and successfully realizing your “next big thing,” whether it’s a new strategic initiative, internal policy shift, or significant organizational transformation. We charge no fee to participate and make no sales pitch at the event. To honor our “off-the-record” commitment, we do not make recordings available.

AI Activity isn’t AI Productivity: 3 difference-makers executives should implement now for results in 2026
2026-04-09 11:00 - 12:00 | Live via Zoom
Join peer executives at our Next Big Thing Executive Forum for a candid conversation about AI deployments that deliver on promised results and those that not only fail on ROI but actually decrease morale and productivity.
When: Thursday, April 9 @ 11:00 am ETWhere: Live via Zoom
The Reality: BCG’s research found that 95% of organizations are busy, spending money, and not seeing results in AI adoption. (BCG, The Widening AI Value Gap, September 2025)
Why It Matters: Without the right foundation, AI amplifies overwhelm. People feel busier, not more productive, and adoption stalls. Investing in the technology is the easy part. Closing the gap between AI activity and AI productivity is the leadership work most organizations haven’t done yet.
Bottom Line: Real results without the usual resistance happen when leaders build the conditions for them.
During this forum, you’ll join peer executives to discuss:

Why AI fluency (not AI tools) is the actual differentiator, and what it means for how you lead, model, and set expectations at every level of your organization

The most common places AI implementations break down, where overwhelm overtakes adoption, and what change-capable leadership looks like in practice

How to build an organization that can keep adapting without burning out your people or losing their trust in the process

This forum is for you if your AI investments are generating more activity than results, your people are overwhelmed, or you’re not sure your leadership team has given the organization what it needs to actually succeed with AI, not just deploy it.
The Value Is Being in the Room
The Next Big Thing Executive Forum brings together small groups of C-Suite executives and senior leaders for off-the-record, peer-to-peer, idea-exchange conversations. We cover topics essential to defining, designing, and successfully realizing your “next big thing,” whether it’s a new strategic initiative, internal policy shift, or significant organizational transformation. We charge no fee to participate and make no sales pitch at the event. To honor our “off-the-record” commitment, we do not make recordings available.

Safeguarding Impact | A 3-Part, Data-Rich Webinar Series for Funders
2026-07-14 11:00 - 2026-07-28 11:30 | Live via Zoom
If you’re a funder right now, you may feel as if you’re making decisions in the dark, and the stakes have never been higher. Federal funding cuts have already hit some sectors hard, and the ripple effects on others are still coming.
CSR is launching Safeguarding Impact, a data-rich, three-session webinar series designed specifically for foundations and corporate philanthropy teams who need to know what’s actually happening across the nonprofit landscape, which sectors are most affected, which communities face compounding risk in the next 12–24 months, and what you can do between now and year-end to protect the impact of your investments.
Sessions will feature leading voices from across the field.
Three sessions on Tuesdays at 11am ET / 8am PT.
📅 July 14 · July 21 · July 28
What the series covers:
Session 1 — Tuesday, July 14: What’s actually happening
Join CSR’s CEO, Nancy Murphy, and Lee Fabiaschi, Vice President and Director of Learning Communities, Ares Charitable Foundation, for a conversation about safeguarding impact. Lee will share how Ares Foundation has adapted its grantmaking and other support over the last year, what they’re doing now to set grantees up for 2027, the impacts they’re seeing across issue areas and geographies, lessons they’ve learned, and questions they’re still grappling with. Nancy will describe three challenges that often hinder philanthropy’s efforts to shift strategy, even when it’s absolutely necessary.
Session 2 — Tuesday, July 21: Making change by choice
Over the last 18 months, a lot of change has happened in the social sector. It’s time we started making change by choice: intentional, strategic, and thoughtful change about the future of social impact ecosystems in communities across the country. This session features CSR consultant Moyra Knight, a former corporate communications executive and president of the Astellas Global Health Foundation, and CSR’s CEO, Nancy Murphy, discussing how to secure buy-in from internal stakeholders, grantees, and community partners for changes to strategy and programs.
Session 3 — Tuesday, July 28: From insight to action
In this session, we do what we do best at CSR, move you from insight to foresight to action. CSR’s CEO, Nancy Murphy, will be joined by a to-be-confirmed social sector expert to summarize the latest data on federal funding cut impacts by cause/issue area and geography, plus a look ahead at the ripple effects still to come. You’ll walk away with data-driven, credible insight to inform community investment decision-making and strategy.
Register once to attend all 3 and receive the recordings if you can’t attend live.

[Executive Forum] When You Change What People Do, You Change Who They Think They Are: Leading Role Redefinition in the Human-Machine Era
2026-07-16 11:00 - 12:00
Join peer executives for a candid conversation about one of the hardest change management challenges leaders face right now: telling people their jobs are changing in ways they didn’t ask for and may not trust.
When: Wednesday, July 16 @ 11:00 am ETWhere: Live via Zoom
The Reality: Organizations everywhere are rethinking what humans should do versus what machines should do. The Washington Post reported this month that companies are fundamentally reexamining how work gets deployed as AI agents move from tools to active participants in workflows. That’s the easy part to name. The hard part is what happens to the people sitting across from you when you tell them their role is changing. It challenges identity, status, and security. Change isn’t automatically easier just because the business case is sound.
Why It Matters: Most organizations are treating role redefinition in the AI era as a workforce planning or technology problem. When you layer AI onto unchanged roles, you get overwhelmed people. When you eliminate roles without addressing the human fallout, you get resistance, attrition, and the quiet departure of your best people. When you redesign roles but skip the change management work, you get compliance without commitment. None of those outcomes delivers the ROI you’re counting on.
Bottom Line: You can design the right roles, but if you can’t bring your people through the transition, the design doesn’t matter.
During this forum, you’ll join peer executives to discuss:

Why role redefinition in the AI era triggers a deeper identity threat than most leaders anticipate, and what change-capable leaders do differently to move people from fear to ownership

What it actually takes to build genuine buy-in for AI-driven role changes, especially when the generations making up most of the workforce are somewhere from AI-skeptical to AI-resistant

How leading organizations are sequencing the human work: what has to happen with your people before, during, and after roles change, and where most leaders get the order wrong

This forum is for you if you’re already rethinking roles and responsibilities in light of AI and want to make sure you don’t lose your people in the process. It’s also for you if you’re sensing resistance you can’t quite name, if your change communications around AI feel like they’re landing flat, or if you want to get ahead of this before the identity disruption shows up in your engagement scores and your retention numbers.
The Value Is Being in the Room
The Next Big Thing Executive Forum brings together small groups of C-Suite executives and senior leaders for off-the-record, peer-to-peer, idea-exchange conversations. We cover topics essential to defining, designing, and successfully realizing your “next big thing,” whether it’s a new strategic initiative, internal policy shift, or significant organizational transformation. We charge no fee to participate and make no sales pitch at the event. To honor our “off-the-record” commitment, we do not make recordings available.
