My name is Angela Webster, MSW, IECMH-E® and I currently serve as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a statewide nonprofit dedicated to supporting the infant early childhood workforce. Years ago, I followed my heart into social work with a focus in community development, advocacy, and nonprofit administration, developing fluency in "nonprofit-eeze" along the way.

As a nonprofit executive and nonprofit capacity development consultant, I delight in sharing my passion and enthusiasm for the infant and early childhood field with others. My strengths as an MSW and nonprofit leader lie in systems change, organizational and community development, advocacy and public policy endeavors, and relationship-focused practice.

Raising a Nonprofit™ in an Early Childhood World is all about how nonprofits work, specifically those nonprofits with a focus on supporting young children and their families. It is my great honor to walk with others in discovering our individual and organizational superpowers and charting paths forward in support of the little ones, families, and communities we serve. It's all about relationships!

The Story Behind Raising a Nonprofit in an Early Childhood World:

For the last 2 years, I have been captivated by the idea of writing a book. Wait, who am I kidding? Since I was a young girl writing a book has been on my dream list. Two years ago, I honed in on the what - the focus of this dream. I found the thing that I might have to offer which is unique enough, helpful enough, needed enough to merit another human being slowing down and opening it up to take it in.

My “What”?

Looking at nonprofits inside and out with an early childhood lens: What makes nonprofits tick? What do early childhood nonprofit leaders need to know about nonprofit structure in order to improve their odds for greater success? What is different (and the same) about early childhood focused nonprofits? What can we learn from our counterparts in the broader nonprofit community? And there is so much more.

Wonder About That title?

“Raising a Nonprofit™ in an Early Childhood World” isn’t only the name of my book, it’s my current charge. I serve as the executive director of a young child/family focused nonprofit.

My early career as an early childhood educator helped me become fluent in "early-childhood-speak", a language that connects me to colleagues across the infant and early childhood workforce throughout the world. Ultimately, I followed my heart into social work, where I found my natural strengths were in community and systems development, strategy, and relationship-based practice, advocacy, and nonprofit administration. In this work, I found myself developing fluency in "nonprofit-eeze".

It seems that being able to translate between these two “languages” is a scarce commodity - I’m happy to act as both translator and guide!

“The Perfect is the Enemy of Good.”

There is a long story as to why my book has been over a year in the making which feels like a long time to me. I know in the grand scheme of authoring, it’s not. I have my special notebooks and perfect-colored pens for my meticulous color coding.  I have an outline. I started writing individual chapters. I have notes. And more notes. And more notes.

Then life happened. An employee had a perfect little baby girl and my workload increased making my days longer and challenging my capacity to sit down at the end of the day to write. More and more my little “writing project” got pushed to the side. And then COVID-19 hit and where did the whole year go before the holidays hit?

I had it in my head that I should write the book first but I was anxious to get on with helping out non-profits become reality. I started getting phone calls. The old adage “If not now, when?” popped in and I realized I was doing the same as so many who have been wanting to start a nonprofit but didn’t have a clue where to start.

And I have that clue and I’m wanting to share it with you.

So, I will join you in diving in. Is the time now for you as well? Have you been postponing what feels like what is yours to do? What ideas can I help become reality? We all have dreams. Dreams. The plans that keep us awake at night. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear they say.

It is time to achieve my dream. Is it yours?

To read the details of my career and education, please hop over to my personal LinkedIn page and my business LinkedIn page. And please do connect with me there. We would love to hear from you on Facebook as well. None of us need be alone in accomplishing what we feel is ours to do.

My book? Oh, it’s still in process. I have many dreams. And, “perfect is the enemy of good” - it turns out, was said by Voltaire, not my Granny.