Who We Are
Center for Excellence in Nonprofits (CEN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Redwood City, CA. We are dedicated to empowering nonprofit leaders through continued learning and to building spaces where everyone has a seat at the table and individuals are comfortable bringing their whole self.
Our Mission
Our mission is to improve the long-term sustainability of nonprofit leaders and organizations by offering the highest quality programs, consultation, training and community-building networks.
Our Vision
CEN’s vision is a powerful, vibrant, and effective nonprofit community. We provide opportunities for nonprofit leaders to learn and implement leading practices of management and governance in their organizations for the betterment of the communities they serve. To effect real and lasting impact, we believe that nonprofit organizations and their leadership also need to reflect and represent these communities.
Both the CEN Staff and our Board of Directors are deeply committed to inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and liberation (IDEAL) principles. These core principles are reflected in how we choose to show up and operate everyday and are also embedded into the content of all of our programming.
Why We Do What We Do
The Center for Excellence in Nonprofits (CEN) has a long-held belief that the most effective way to increase the capacity of the nonprofit sector is to strengthen and sustain the staff and board leadership of nonprofit organizations. Guided by IDEAL principles and leading practices, our goal is to be a strong resource of information and support for nonprofit emerging leaders, executive directors, and board members seeking to maximize the effectiveness of their organizations. We accomplish this by providing accessible, high-quality resources and programs, peer support networks, and personal consultation to hundreds of organizations. Want to learn more about our offerings? Check out What We Do.
Our History
In 1994, Dean Morton (former Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and retired Director of the Hewlett Packard Company) together with Bob Daw (formerly of the United Way) co-founded the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits (CEN). Their vision was to provide a means for nonprofit leaders and their organizations to obtain the knowledge and resources necessary to lead their organizations effectively. Dean and Bob felt that by strengthening the leadership of local nonprofits, these organizations would be better able to serve their communities, thereby improving the quality of life for countless people in our communities and beyond. Check out our short video below to hear the history from Dean himself:
Why IDEAL
Historically, diversity efforts in organizations (if any) consisted of only a few hours of training and fell drastically short. Often, work in this area is limited to "DEI" content, whereas CEN expands our focus to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, and Liberation (IDEAL) principles. The added element - Access - exemplifies a commitment to foster attitudes, behaviors, and procedures that facilitate access; it promotes equity and diversity, advances inclusion, and allows people to maximize their contributions. The second element - Liberation - is the gaining of full social or economic opportunities for a particular group and is ultimately freedom from oppression, allowing one to be their whole self. Liberation and Access are integral steps that are often overlooked and excluded which tends to undermine DEI efforts. Below we further define each of the IDEAL principles:
Inclusion
Inclusion is the act of creating space where each person is authentically valued, respected, and supported.
Diversity
Our different identities such as age, race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, physical/mental ability, sexual orientation, spiritual practice/beliefs, employment status, geographic location, or other characteristics.
Equity
Equity ensure that people have the opportunity to grow, contribute, and develop, regardless of their identity.
Access
For organizations, it refers to how they encompass and celebrate characteristics and talents that each individual brings.
Liberation
The gaining of equal rights or full social or economic opportunities for a particular group, including the protection from abuse or exploitation.
