The Giver’s Ledger MARCH: Green Jobs, Systems Thinking & Nonprofit Growth
First Published: Volume 2, Issue 3 by NINA NEEDLEMAN | March 28, 2026
The Giver’s Ledger is a monthly newsletter covering educational topics of Philanthropy, Finance, & DEIA.
NON PROFIT SPOTLIGHT
Green Jobs Training Initiative
This impressive pilot of the Employment Connection creates a collaboration between the Missouri Dept. of Conservation, the Nature Conservancy, low-income residents and residents with significant barriers to employment. The vision of the Green Jobs Initiative is to ensure the region has the workforce of green jobs and sets participants up with basic green job skills. The focus of the training is Conservation and Urban Agriculture. The benefit will be fostering a sustainable environmental and economic future for all in the region.
The Employment Connection itself has a neat backstory. It was created in 1977 by the Bar Association of Metro St. Louis in response to a study on recidivism found that employed ex-offenders were 66% less likely to return to jail. So far, EC has achieved more than 20,000 job placements for underserved in St. Louis metro. https://www.employmentstl.org/
Link to FOCUS St Louis WRWR entry on Green jobs HERE.
SYSTEM DYNAMICS
In my prior life in business, I read a book titled the E-Myth Revised by Michael Gerber that talked about the difference between working IN your business and ON your business. For example – a chef/business owner who’s culinary genius - great at cooking and designing meal plans but not great at hiring, ordering quantities of ingredients, marketing etc. Now as a board member and student of philanthropy, I’ve observed this challenge in several nonprofits.
There are MSWs and social scientists who’ve developed very sophisticated social systems models for all sorts of problem solving and analyses of organizations. While I have none of those credentials, after having a discussion with a leading WashU PhD on this topic, she helped me develop a list of systems in most nonprofits and some beginning questions to ask. These are questions organizations can ask themselves or questions donors or grantors can ask.
Typical nonprofit systems:
Funding systems (grant-writing, events, sponsorships etc.)
Client Service delivery systems
HR/Employee management systems
Learning systems (maybe capacity building or skill building for staff)
Government /public funding vs. private funding
Social systems (public trust/psychological barriers)
Sample questions include:
What stock or resource is filled or depleted?
What needs identified that weren’t part of your original client service plan; and how do you ensure your population has access to this
How much are you listening to requests from participants for changes?
What are the most important drivers of your success internally?
How do you recruit high quality staff?
What is the most important factor helping staff do jobs well?
How do you define infrastructure necessary for you to thrive?
How do you define success?
Dr. Saras Chung, a social systems scientist and system dynamics researcher at WashU Brown School of Social Work, developed an in-depth framework and questionnaire on Nonprofit Systems Health that explores four core systems that may be important to the general operations and effectiveness of a nonprofit but are easy to operationalize for site visits and conversations.
Read it full detail HERE.
So SYSTEMS are something I’m going to study more and come up with more questions. And I ask you to do the same. Email me with questions not listed so I can share!
NONPROFIT TRAININGS AND READINGS OF VALUE
TRAININGS
April 1: Do you have a system for enrolling donors? Join a free Courageous Communications webinar by Marianne Dersch
11:30am CST. Register HERE.
April 14: Transformative Technology That Unleashes Nonprofit Scale.
Join a complimentary SSIR (Stanford Social Innovation Review) webinar, sponsored by AWS Nonprofits, exploring how nonprofits can leverage data, generative AI, and cloud technologies to accelerate their missions. 1:00-2:00 EST/12:00-1:00 CST REGISTER HERE
April 17: Board Roles and Responsibilities – I’m on a Board. What am I supposed to do? Network for Strong Communities 9-11am, virtual, register REGISTER HERE
April 23 – Preparing for an Executive Transition - Network for Strong Communities, 9-11am, virtual REGISTER HERE
READINGS
War on Woke: How an expression in Black Culture became conservative criticism. Link to article HERE.
Chronicle of Philanthropy’s What to Know in 2026: Trends and Insights to Guide You"
RISE & RUN
On March 19, we gathered at Lindenwood University for our first Rise & Run Lunch & Learn: Preparing to Run for School Board — and the conversation was exactly what it needed to be: practical, honest, and grounded in real experience. Guided by former Missouri State Senator Jill Schupp and insights from Ferguson–Florissant School Board Member Jamal Bailey, we explored what it truly takes to step into public office—starting with the unique pre-work of running for school board. From researching community priorities and district-specific issues to understanding the personal “why” behind their candidacies, the conversation grounded leadership in purpose.
We also dug into the realities every candidate must navigate—fundraising, voter outreach, canvassing, and events—alongside the time commitment and decision-making that come with the role.
This is what capacity building looks like: equipping women not just with inspiration, but with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to step into leadership.
SAVE THE DATES FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS
May 14 - RISE & RUN Lunch & Learn: Effective Presentations for Campaigns and Leaders
11:00 Registration/networking
11:30-1:00 Lunch and Discussion
Location: Clark Family Library 1640 S. Lindbergh, 63131
Oct 15 - RISE AND RUN Lunch & Learn: Finance and Fundraising
11:00 Registration/networking
11:30-1:00 Lunch and Discussion
Location: Delmar Divine, 5501 Delmar, 63112
EVENTS OF INTEREST
Millcreek Valley/ Black Metropolis Exhibit at the Missouri History Museum is eye opening. Experience a timeline, pictures, and information from schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and videos from living survivors of this vibrant lost community.
March 27-29 – WashU’s 20th annual African American Film Festival Details HERE
April 1–30, 2026 — National Arab American Heritage Month
April 12–19, 2026 — U.S. Days of Remembrance
Nina Needleman is a Retired Financial Planner. She spent the first three-decades of her career in the financial services industry. Now she uses her business skills to help nonprofit organizations with Capacity Building and more importantly--as an educator, teaching people about personal finance and philanthropy.