2025 EXCEL Honorable Mention – Aisha Bond

Tell us about your leadership style and how this contributes to your organization’s success. 

I practice a collaborative leadership style. When vetting candidates for any position, I am intentional about selecting employees who have a skillset that I lack or a background that varies from mine. This ensures that the team I build is diverse in thought and capabilities.  I often envision a concept based upon a need our organization has, but often have no clear idea of how we will execute. By encouraging my team to be creative and outspoken we are often thinking outside the box developing strategies and redefining what we thought was possible. By employing a collaborative leadership style, our full team is able to recognize the value each person adds. It is critical for innovative programming and high efficiency that each member of our small team is comfortable offering ideas and stepping up to lead when circumstances require it. It is my hope that this practice continues to sharpen everyone’s skills but also creates an environment that feels evergreen. 

What advice would you offer for other nonprofit leaders? 

To stay motivated and focused, I would advise other non-profit leaders to consistently review and revise their strategic plan and high level goals.  I find that many leaders in philanthropic spaces leads with heart and will take on supplemental initiatives that may be adjacent to but not fully aligned with the organizations mission or goals. Taking time quarterly to revisit the annual goals or annually refreshing 5 and 10 year goals is not only an important step in identifying potential challenges but, more importantly, a great opportunity to anticipate and celebrate wins. Honoring the effort required to effect change by acknowledging accomplishments and celebrating the impact of those wins is a thoughtful way of keeping hard working teams motivated and feeling appreciated.  

 What does this award mean for you and your organization? 

The mere act of competing for this award has already brought about a positive effect on our organization. I must be the first to admit that we have had our head down and we have been so focused on creating an intentional community, providing support and resources to black entrepreneurs who are achieving great things against tremendous adversities, that it hadn’t really dawned on us that we had earned the right to brag a bit. Taking time to review the vision I had for this organization and the process implemented to achieve wins both big and small has reinvigorated our team. Being recognized for our hard work would be an honor but having a few extra dollars in the budget to dedicate solely to development opportunities is like Christmas come early. Participating in this awards process and identifying the skill building that would elevate our capacity and work product is like unlocking yet another portal to outcomes that would otherwise be unattainable. We feel seen and significant, which is to say we feel a smidge of the sentiment we work hard everyday to impart on others. And for that…we thank you!