NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP ACCELERATOR

‍Align at the top. Amplify your impact.

Designed for two-person leadership teams from arts and cultural organizations:
Board Chairs + Chief Executives
Development Chairs + Chief Development Officers

Get a Qualified
CFO in 48 Hours

Contact a specialist now.
Get a response the same day.

A selective, year-long accelerator for Board and Executive Leaders of arts and cultural organizations.
‍

Museums safeguard memory. Theaters challenge assumptions. Orchestras and cultural institutions elevate human experience. Today, these institutions are facing mounting pressures from funding uncertainty to shifting relevance in a rapidly changing world.

Passion and commitment alone won't sustain momentum. More often, it is clarity: of direction, of governance, and of leadership. When leadership teams align, institutions move with confidence and purpose. When they don’t, even the strongest organizations fall out of synch.

This is the purpose of the Nonprofit Leadership Accelerator (NLA): A curated, immersive learning experience that aligns board and executive leaders—and turns clarity at the top into measurable progress. Sign up to request an invitation and learn more.

REQUEST AN INVITATION & START THE JOURNEY

Space is limited. Scholarships are available for those who qualify. 

Backed by a world-class Advisory Board

NLA is inspired, endorsed, and guided by esteemed board chairs, CEOs, and thought leaders of arts and cultural organizations.
‍

Michael J. Bobbitt

President & CEO, Opera America

Khori Dastoor

President & CEO, Houston Grand Opera

Chris Denby

Founder & CEO, Advisory Board for the Arts

Afa S. Dworkin

President & Artistic Director, Sphinx

Alan Fletcher

President & CEO, Aspen Music Festival and School

Robert Hurst

Former Board Chair, Whitney Museum

Blake-Anthony Johnson

President & CEO, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Gabrielle Kurlander

Founding CEO, All Stars Project

Claire Liu

Senior Board Chair
Houston Grand Opera

Joseph Polisi

Former CEO, Juilliard School

Laura Rose

VP for Development, The New York Historical

Michael Useem

Professor of Management Emeritus, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Sonia M. Winner

President & CEO, Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Simon Woods

President & CEO, League of American Orchestras

Alignment is a Strategic Imperative

And misalignment is expensive. When leadership alignment slips, organizations don’t just slow down; they lose time, trust, and fundraising momentum. NLA addresses the root causes of friction, so teams move with greater confidence and precision.
‍‍

Faster decisions and stronger follow-through.

Clear roles and aligned leadership.

Focused priorities and disciplined execution.

Sharper strategy and stronger fundraising.

Turn alignment into advantage

NLA is a year-long, cohort-based accelerator designed to strengthen the most consequential pairs in nonprofit performance: board leaders and their executive team partners. You’ll work alongside your organizational counterpart to clarify roles, strengthen decision-making, and build shared momentum. The program is priced to accommodate diverse organizational situations. Sign up to learn about scholarships that may be available to support your needs. Need and merit-based scholarships may be available. Inquire to see if you qualify.
‍
Week one

Ignite

2-day in-person institute built for candor, collaboration, and practical work
Bi-Monthly

Engage

Five bi-monthly virtual sessions to sustain progress and deepen alignment
Quarterly
Recommended

Strengthen

Confidential coaching to address your team’s specific dynamics and challenges
Ongoing

Accelerate

Build usable frameworks that turn priorities into decisions, owners, and momentum

Why NLA?
Hear From Our Advisory Board Members
‍

"Arts and cultural organizations are navigating extraordinary complexity right now. Leadership and governance expectations are especially high as many institutions are being asked to rethink both strategy and sustainability at the same time. I see the NLA as meeting a real and urgent need: it gives board and executive leaders the space and structure to align around what matters most, strengthen decision-making, and build a more durable future."
Afa S. Dworkin
President & Artistic Director
Sphinx Organization
"Our sector does not just need passionate leaders; it needs aligned leaders. In a time of changing audience behavior, political turmoil, financial pressure, and rising expectations around governance and impact, the Nonprofit Leadership Accelerator offers something both rare and necessary: a structured opportunity for board and executive teams to think together, learn together, and lead together. That kind of alignment is foundational to institutional health and future relevance."
Michael J. Bobbitt
President
CEO of OPERA America
“When board-executive partnerships are aligned, organizations move with confidence and momentum. The NLA is uniquely designed to create these outcomes.”
Michael Useem
Professor of Management Emeritus
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
“I have lived first hand how a truly aligned board-executive partnership elevates everything an organization can accomplish. NLA offers leaders something rare: dedicated time, expert guidance, and the company of peers — all in service of building the kind of trust that makes great things possible.”
Khori Dastoor
CEO
Houston Grand Orchestra
"From the Advisory Board for the Arts’ work as an embedded partner to leadership teams across the arts, we see firsthand how much institutional momentum depends on alignment between board and executive leadership. NLA is one of the few initiatives designed to build that alignment deliberately, and around the issues that matter most.”
Chris Denby
Founder and CEO
Advisory Board for the Arts
“Throughout my work as a CEO, I have seen 100% correlation between the organization’s success and a strong Board chair - CEO relationship (and the reverse is also true!) The NLA is an exceptional resource for nonprofit leadership, at a time when strong, confident, and empathetic leadership is truly important.”
Alan Fletcher
Munroe President and CEO
Aspen Music Festival and School
"As a Board Chair, I have a clear appreciation for the importance of being in total alignment with the CEO.  The NLA provides a unique opportunity for the board and executive leadership to create a lasting partnership which can drive momentum for success in any organization.”
Claire Liu
Senior Board Chair
Houston Grand Opera
“From my experience as a nonprofit CEO and now as a Board Chair-elect, I know that the relationship between the Board Chair and CEO can either unlock an organization’s potential or hold it back. The NLA is bringing intention and structure to this partnership, enabling arts leaders todefine best practices, clarify roles, and build trust in how they worktogether. It’s a gift to the future of our field.”
Gabrielle Kurlander
Board Chair Elect
TACA (The Arts Community Alliance)
and Founding CEO
All Stars Project, Inc.
“The NLA provides a unique opportunity to strengthen the partnership between the board chair and executive leader.  All great relationships begin with trust. As leaders, we owe it to ourselves to make the investment to strengthen this important partnership to better serve our organizations and their missions.”
Sonia M. Winner
President & CEO
Cleveland Museum of Natural History

A Framework for Strategic Decisions

NLA is outcome-oriented. Upon completion of the accelerator program, you and your organizational partner will walk away with:  
‍

Alignment

Board-Executive Partnership Framework so you operate as a unified team.

Clarity

Governance Decision Matrix so roles and decision responsibilities are explicit.

Performance

A 3-6-9 Month Strategic Alignment Plan so your work at the top drives broader organizational momentum.

Perspective

A trusted network of amazing peers for ongoing support and strengthened leadership judgment.  

Who Enrolls?

NLA is for two-person leadership teams from arts and cultural organizations: The Board Chair and Chief Executive, and the Development Committee Chair and Chief Development Officer. Organizations are encouraged to send both leadership pairs, so governance and fundraising move forward together. Cohorts are intentionally small and curated so that peer-based learning and dialogue are candid, relevant, and high-value.
‍

Board Chairs and Executive Directors/CEOs.

Development/Campaign Chairs and Chief Development Officers.

Organizations navigating growth, complexity, or leadership transition.


Candidates are selected for each cohort based on experience, program, role, and organizational fit, and a shared motivation to challenge, inspire, and contribute to the learning of their peers.

Meet Our Team
‍

NLA was developed by ZRG Aspen Leadership Group and inspired by a world-class advisory board.

Our team is comprised of nonprofitleaders who’ve worked shoulder-to-shoulder with arts and cultural boards and C-suite teams for decades. We’ve seen how alignment accelerates decisions, execution, and fundraising—and how misalignment quietly drains momentum.
NLA brings that lived experience, along with exceptional peers and a sector-leading advisory board, into a learning experience that delivers clarity and results.

Sign up to request your invitation.

Global Scale.
Boutique Feel.

We are in the markets that matter, but we show up like we’re part of your team. Hands-on, high-touch, and built around your goals.