At a moment of profound uncertainty and transformation for the nonprofit sector, Columbia University’s M.S. in Nonprofit Management (NOPM) program brought together leaders, students, and changemakers for a timely conversation about what comes next.
Held on April 10 and April 17, the two-part Accelerator Series, Reimagining Impact: Adaptive Leadership and Strategic Innovation for Nonprofits, welcomed more than 400 attendees for discussions centered on leadership, resilience, collaboration, and the future of social impact work.
Throughout both days, speakers returned to a central idea: nonprofit organizations are being challenged not simply to respond to change, but to help shape it.
Opening both events, Dr. Basil A. Smikle Jr., professor of practice and director of the NOPM program, emphasized the sector’s unique role in building connection and trust during periods of disruption.
“It’s important in this moment in particular to really highlight our values and make sure that we are expressing them day-to-day,” Smikle said. “We are among the few institutions that still actively build bridges, and that is not incidental to our mission. In fact, it is central to our mission.”
That spirit of bridge-building carried through the series as nonprofit executives, faculty, and students explored the intersection of advocacy, fundraising, technology, policy, and community engagement.
Speakers repeatedly highlighted the growing importance of collaboration in an increasingly complex nonprofit landscape. Ramcess Jean-Louis, chief DEI officer at Pfizer, spoke about the importance of building trust within communities and developing partnerships that create long-term impact.
“You need to be able to build trust in the community for people to understand what it is that you’re doing,” Jean-Louis said. “Having boots on the ground who are already there is very helpful to really create an extension of yourself to help others.”
That emphasis on collective action was echoed throughout the event by speakers, including Shaba Keys, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem, and Ramone Segree, president of Segree Associates, who encouraged attendees to think beyond traditional organizational boundaries and toward cross-sector solutions.
Sessions also addressed the rapidly evolving role of technology in nonprofit work. During a conversation on AI adoption in the sector, NOPM lecturer Dr. Erwin de Leon and Katja Schroeder, senior lecturer and associate director of the M.S. in Technology Management program, challenged attendees to consider both the opportunities and the ethical questions that emerging technologies present for mission-driven organizations.
Students also played a prominent role in shaping the conversation. NOPM students shared reflections on issues ranging from digital equity and algorithmic bias in fundraising to the future of nonprofit leadership itself.
Closing the first evening, student speaker Andrew Gavin Jamieson delivered a powerful reflection on the responsibility facing the next generation of nonprofit leaders.
“We are not graduating to manage the nonprofit sector as it exists,” Jamieson said. “We are graduating to redesign it.”
The series concluded with remarks from Jonnel C. Doris, CEO of StartCare Inc. and former commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services, who encouraged attendees to think of themselves as architects of systems-level change.
“We need to reimagine, we need to reframe, and we need to redefine nonprofits ourselves,” Doris said. “In my view, we need to position ourselves as systems change agents.”
Across both evenings, the Accelerator Series reinforced the NOPM program’s commitment to connecting scholarship with practice while creating space for urgent conversations about the future of the nonprofit sector. Rather than offering simple answers, the event challenged attendees to think critically, collaborate intentionally, and lead adaptively in a rapidly changing world.
For more conversations with nonprofit leaders and practitioners, explore upcoming events hosted by Columbia University’s M.S. in Nonprofit Management program.
About the Program
Columbia University’s M.S. in Nonprofit Management prepares graduates for leadership roles within mission-driven organizations in a wide variety of contexts, including global and community nonprofits, foundations, education, healthcare, the arts, or as fundraising and development experts.
Learn more about the program here. The program is available part-time, full-time, on-campus, and online.
