Know Your Stage, Raise Your Standards (For Excellence)
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About the event
Every nonprofit is at a different stage of growth, with unique opportunities and challenges along the way. This interactive workshop will help nonprofit leaders identify where their organization is in its lifecycle and explore practical strategies for strengthening governance, management, and long-term sustainability.
Additional Information
Event details
Every nonprofit evolves over time. The strategies that help a startup organization thrive may not be the same ones needed by a mature organization navigating growth, transition, or renewal. At the same time, strong governance, sound management, and ethical practices provide the foundation for organizational resilience at every stage.
This interactive 90-minute workshop will help nonprofit leaders better understand where their organization is in its lifecycle and identify the priorities that will have the greatest impact right now. Participants will explore the nonprofit organizational life cycle alongside the Standards for Excellence®️ framework to better understand their organization's strengths, opportunities for growth, and practical next steps.
Participants will complete the Nonprofit Life Cycle Assessment and receive access to the Standards for Excellence®️ Organizational Self-Assessment following the workshop. They will also receive a customized summary identifying their organization's current stage, key strengths, priority focus areas, and recommendations for strengthening organizational effectiveness and long-term sustainability.
Whether your organization is just getting started, experiencing rapid growth, navigating change, or preparing for its next chapter, this workshop will provide practical tools and a clear roadmap for moving forward with greater confidence and intention.
A recording will be provided to everyone who attends.
About the Learning Hub
This event is presented through the Santa Fe Community Foundation’s Learning Hub and is part of the On the Ground program.
The Santa Fe Community Foundation proudly offers our Learning Hub as an educational space for nonprofit board, executive directors, staff members, and donors. Each year, the Hub offers dozens of events, workshops, and learning circles that promote leadership, skill building, and peer-supported growth.
Meet the people leading the conversation
Christina K. Hanger, MBA
Christina K. Hanger, MBA
Christina K. Hanger is a retired operations and finance executive from the technology industry. Since 2019, she has served as a Trustee of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, an $8 billion international philanthropic organization focused on the well-being of children.
Christina has significant expertise in governance, operations, finance, and mergers and acquisitions. She currently serves on the Audit and Board Development (Nominating/Governance) Committees of the Kellogg Foundation. She has extensive board governance experience, having served on more than ten community boards, including the Houston Red Cross, Houston Minority Business Council, Social Venture Partners Dallas, Standards for Excellence Institute, and the Dallas Regional Chamber's Executive Women's Roundtable.
Christina worked in the technology industry for more than 30 years, holding senior executive roles at IBM and Hewlett Packard, as well as leadership positions in startup and venture-backed companies. After retiring from the corporate sector, she brought her leadership experience to the nonprofit field as CEO of Dallas Afterschool, where she tripled the organization's revenue over eight years and built successful public-private partnerships that increased municipal funding for afterschool programs serving low-income students.
Her leadership has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Dallas/Fort Worth Nonprofit CEO of the Year in 2018. She earned the Directorship Certification from the National Association of Corporate Directors and is a Licensed Consultant for the Standards for Excellence Institute.
Christina holds a bachelor's degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics from Virginia Tech and a master's degree in Business Administration from Wake Forest University. She is married and has one adult son.
Grace McClure Topete
Grace McClure Topete
Grace McClure Topete is a mission-driven leader with extensive experienceacross nonprofit strategy, education, and risk management. She currently servesas a Client Relationship Manager at Helio Risk, where she advises organizationson tailored insurance and risk mitigation strategies. She is also pursuing herAssociate of Captive Insurance designation through the International Center forCaptive Insurance Education (ICCIE), expanding her knowledge in alternativerisk solutions.
Grace plays a pivotal role in nonprofit capacity buildingas a Partner at Social Venture Partners Dallas, where she Co-Leads theNonprofit Impact Institute (NPII). Established in 2023, NPII strengthens theNorth Texas nonprofit ecosystem through the Advisee Clinic Series, immersiveworkshops, practical toolkits, and self-assessment resources grounded in theStandards for Excellence®. In her leadership role, Grace helps design anddeliver high-impact programming that equips both SVP Dallas Partners and nonprofitprofessionals with essential knowledge and tools for effective governance,ethical leadership, and organizational excellence.
Previously, Grace served as Director of Leadership Programsat SVP Dallas, implementing strategic initiatives that nurtured philanthropicleadership, supported events, and strengthened community partnerships. Herearlier career includes time as a Secondary Science Teacher at Coram DeoAcademy and as a Learning Systems Designer at Polycraft World (now Pedegree,Inc.), where she led a team in developing an AI-based educational platform andsecured multi-year federal grants to support STEM learning and workforcedevelopment.
A Cognitive Science graduate of The University of Texas atDallas and Eugene McDermott Scholar, Grace is passionate about building bridgesacross sectors to achieve sustainable impact. Her core competencies includepublic speaking, grant writing, nonprofit education, cross-sectorcollaboration, and strategic program development.
Meet the people leading the conversation
Meet the people leading the conversation
Christina K. Hanger, MBA
Christina K. Hanger, MBA
Christina K. Hanger is a retired operations and finance executive from the technology industry. Since 2019, she has served as a Trustee of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, an $8 billion international philanthropic organization focused on the well-being of children.
Christina has significant expertise in governance, operations, finance, and mergers and acquisitions. She currently serves on the Audit and Board Development (Nominating/Governance) Committees of the Kellogg Foundation. She has extensive board governance experience, having served on more than ten community boards, including the Houston Red Cross, Houston Minority Business Council, Social Venture Partners Dallas, Standards for Excellence Institute, and the Dallas Regional Chamber's Executive Women's Roundtable.
Christina worked in the technology industry for more than 30 years, holding senior executive roles at IBM and Hewlett Packard, as well as leadership positions in startup and venture-backed companies. After retiring from the corporate sector, she brought her leadership experience to the nonprofit field as CEO of Dallas Afterschool, where she tripled the organization's revenue over eight years and built successful public-private partnerships that increased municipal funding for afterschool programs serving low-income students.
Her leadership has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Dallas/Fort Worth Nonprofit CEO of the Year in 2018. She earned the Directorship Certification from the National Association of Corporate Directors and is a Licensed Consultant for the Standards for Excellence Institute.
Christina holds a bachelor's degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics from Virginia Tech and a master's degree in Business Administration from Wake Forest University. She is married and has one adult son.
Grace McClure Topete
Grace McClure Topete
Grace McClure Topete is a mission-driven leader with extensive experienceacross nonprofit strategy, education, and risk management. She currently servesas a Client Relationship Manager at Helio Risk, where she advises organizationson tailored insurance and risk mitigation strategies. She is also pursuing herAssociate of Captive Insurance designation through the International Center forCaptive Insurance Education (ICCIE), expanding her knowledge in alternativerisk solutions.
Grace plays a pivotal role in nonprofit capacity buildingas a Partner at Social Venture Partners Dallas, where she Co-Leads theNonprofit Impact Institute (NPII). Established in 2023, NPII strengthens theNorth Texas nonprofit ecosystem through the Advisee Clinic Series, immersiveworkshops, practical toolkits, and self-assessment resources grounded in theStandards for Excellence®. In her leadership role, Grace helps design anddeliver high-impact programming that equips both SVP Dallas Partners and nonprofitprofessionals with essential knowledge and tools for effective governance,ethical leadership, and organizational excellence.
Previously, Grace served as Director of Leadership Programsat SVP Dallas, implementing strategic initiatives that nurtured philanthropicleadership, supported events, and strengthened community partnerships. Herearlier career includes time as a Secondary Science Teacher at Coram DeoAcademy and as a Learning Systems Designer at Polycraft World (now Pedegree,Inc.), where she led a team in developing an AI-based educational platform andsecured multi-year federal grants to support STEM learning and workforcedevelopment.
A Cognitive Science graduate of The University of Texas atDallas and Eugene McDermott Scholar, Grace is passionate about building bridgesacross sectors to achieve sustainable impact. Her core competencies includepublic speaking, grant writing, nonprofit education, cross-sectorcollaboration, and strategic program development.
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