Leading While Latina: Identity, Power, and the Politics of Nonprofit Work

What is it like to lead a nonprofit when you’re constantly being told you’re “too much” of one thing and “not enough” of another? On this week’s episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, Sharonne Navas shares what it’s been like to navigate a predominantly white sector as a first-gen American Latina. With experience spanning organizations like Para Los Niños, Ayuda, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and national justice movements, Sharonne names what it means to do deeply political work in a sector that loves to pretend it’s “neutral”. 

Maria sits down with Sharonne — co-founder and Executive Director of the Equity and Education Center in Seattle and a longtime advocate, organizer, and policy leader — to talk about identity, race, and power in nonprofit leadership. Nonprofit leaders will walk away with language to describe what they’re experiencing, validation that they’re not imagining it, and practical ideas to lead in ways that centre community, democracy, and their own humanity. 

Latina Leadership - The Highlights:

• Living in the “in-between” as a Latina ED – Sharonne reflects on growing up as the first American-born child of Central American immigrants, never feeling quite “Latina enough” or “American enough,” and how that plays out in mostly white nonprofit spaces. 

• Racism and tokenism in fundraising – From being treated as a bilingual “two-for-one” hire to working with wealthy donors, Sharonne names the microaggressions and structural issues that racialized leaders face in development and leadership roles. 

• Why nonprofits are inherently political – Sharonne challenges the idea that nonprofits should be “non-political,” framing our work as resistance in systems where governments have stepped back from their responsibilities to marginalized communities. 

• Democracy, philanthropy, and power – Drawing on her policy and advocacy work, she unpacks the contradictions of billionaire philanthropy. 

• Hope, ancestors, and joy as strategy – Even while facing devastating funding cuts and a worsening political climate, Sharonne talks about grounding in her ancestors’ sacrifices, community care, and everyday joy as essential for staying in the fight. 

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Nonprofit Leadership – 5 Actionable Tips:

• Say the quiet part out loud: your work is political. In team spaces, with your board, and with funders, explicitly connect your mission to policy, power, and democracy. Stop pretending it’s neutral. This clarity helps you find aligned partners. 

• Audit roles for “two-for-one” expectations. If staff of colour are doing their formal job plus translating, community mediation, cultural interpretation, or “representation,” name it, compensate it, and rebalance workloads. 

• Reframe fundraising as part of the movement. Talk to donors about what their giving does for community power, not just what it does for their legacy or recognition. Ask, “How does this gift shift power or protect democracy?” and build your cases for support from there. 

• Support EDs (especially EDs of colour) with real boundaries. Normalize practices like no work email on phones, news breaks, and peer circles where leaders can be honest about fear, fatigue, and frustration without having to be “on.” 

• Build your relay team. Encourage EDs to form pods or informal networks to tag in and out of advocacy, fundraising pushes, and emotional labour. 

Resources:

• Guest: Sharonne Navas — Co-Founder & Executive Director, Equity and Education Center. Connect with our guest, Sharonne Navas. 

• Movement mentioned: Community-Centric Fundraising  

• Connect with the show: Watch the episode on YouTube; follow Maria Rio on LinkedIn for more conversations and resources. Or support our show. We are fully self-funded! 

• Book a Discovery Call with Further Together: Need help with your fundraising?  See if our values-aligned fundraisers are a fit for your organization.