Faith leadership is changing.

As clergy, lay leaders, and civil society leaders in the 21st century, we face leading our organizations through rapidly emerging complexity, with significant challenges and opportunities. Our organizations are also rooted in communities experiencing that same complexity through new and evolving social challenges - climate change, gun violence, housing affordability, economic disparity, racial injustice, mental health, and more. As we seek to lead evolving organizations, serve evolving communities, and address evolving challenges, we need some new strategies and mindsets. We need to be able to innovate - to think about problems differently, to see new opportunities, to build new solutions. Leaders who serve with an innovation mindset stand to contribute exponentially – both in their organizations and in the community at large.

This course borrows from the best of entrepreneurship and social impact education and experience, tailoring it to the field of faith-rooted leadership. It introduces key concepts in entrepreneurship and social innovation and provides tools to promote change inside organizations and communities. Over a 10-week period of hybrid in-person and virtual opportunities, participants learn through:

Problem-based learning and case studies

Systemic and design thinking

Experimentation

Inspiration and models of success

Peer-to-peer engagement

Participants who complete the course will receive an NYU Certificate.  

 

Goals

  • Exposure to typologies, concepts, methodologies, and practices in entrepreneurship and innovation

  • Familiarity with practical innovation and entrepreneurship development and management tools

  • Introduction to successful faith-based innovation case studies

  • Development of an innovation mindset

  • Innovation and entrepreneurship introduced into your organization or congregation

  • Dialogue and collaboration with other leaders

Logistics

  • 20 academic hours over 10 online and/or in-person meetings

  • Innovation project prepared and presented by participants

  • NYU Certificates to participants who meet all the requirements

  • Cost: $1500 per student

Questions?

Interested in bringing this course to your organization, network, or community? Contact us at info@innofaith.org.

testimonials from participants

The course represented an important mindset shift for me. It was helpful to understand the learning and experience that informs innovation strategies. I feel better prepared to think outside the box, work collaboratively, and contribute to fresh new approaches to social problems.
As a result of the course, I’m thinking more about how to co-create solutions, in dialogue with my colleagues and with the communities we are working with and serving.
The course is an opportunity to learn new techniques to engage old problems and lead your congregation to a place of leadership for systemic change.
This course is an opportunity to gain exposure to paradigms and methods of innovation, borrowed from the business sector, and learn how to apply these for greater impact in the faith-based social sector. It will challenge you to think more creatively, work more collaboratively, and incorporate fresh approaches to your work, with a goal of having a more transformative impact.
I’ve gained a level of knowledge and confidence since taking this course that I didn’t have before.

faculty Have included:

Facilitators

Dr. Nir Tsuk is a seasoned practitioner, academic and facilitator with over 25 years of international experience in the fields of social capital, entrepreneurship, impact and culture of innovation. Serving as NYU’s Global Distinguished Scholar (as well as a Visiting Professor of Entreprenurship at Osaka University, Japan), Nir is has launched for New York University the Institute for Impact and Intrapreneurship, connecting New York and Tel Aviv – and bringing the language of innovations to those who need it most. Prior to this, Nir helped idealist.org – the world's largest social online talent acquisition platform – to increase its size and impact as its Head of Growth, and has brought Ashoka – the world's largest social entrepreneurship organization – to Israel, after serving as a Ashoka's Global Fellowship Director in Washington DC, connecting more than 3000 social entrepreneurs in 72 countries. Nir holds a PhD from Cambridge University in social and political sciences – where he wrote his dissertation on social networks, social capital and intentional communities. Previously, Nir led policy research initiatives at the Community Development Foundation in London and at the Committee for Social Affairs in the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem.

Danielle Goldstone is Founder of innoFaith, a multi-faith network and platform for social innovation where interfaith collaboration is fostered. innoFaith seeks to inspire and engage people and communities of faith to innovate and collaborate for social impact. She is also a social impact consultant with over 20 years of experience in the global social change and social innovation fields. She is Senior Advisor to Ashoka, the world's largest network of social entrepreneurs, and previously was the founding director of Ashoka’s global Empathy Initiative. Her background also includes policy advocacy and human rights analysis related to the U.S. war on terrorism. She has written on the topics of the International Criminal Court's involvement in Uganda and the importance of empathy for social change. She has a B.A. in economics and international relations from Stanford University, and a Juris Doctor, Master of Theological Studies, and Graduate Certificate in Human Rights from Emory University, where she was Editor in Chief of the Emory International Law Review. She is an attorney, admitted to the New York Bar.

Other experts in faith, innovation, and social impact

Rabbi Yehuda Sarna serves as the University Chaplain and Executive Director at the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at New York University (NYU). He is co-founder and senior fellow at the Of Many Institute for Multifaith Leadership at NYU, where he designs educational experiences and curricula to train the next generation in interfaith action. He was one of the principal subjects of Chelsea Clinton's 2014 documentary, Of Many, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and aired nationally on ABC in 2017. The documentary is utilized as a teaching tool for universities and high schools around the country seeking to establish norms of religious and spiritual diversity within their institutions. The Of Many Institute designed an award-winning training module, Faith Zone, to train university students, staff, and administrators in religious literacy. Rabbi Sarna was appointed to the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, a project of the American Jewish Committee and the Islamic Society of North America, to lobby for more vigilant legislation of hate crimes. Rabbi Sarna has been recognized for his outward-looking and innovative approach. He was awarded the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence from Hillel International in 2008 and was the honoree at the Orthodox Union/Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus Awards Dinner. In 2009, he was listed as one of the 36 Under 36 changemakers by The New York Jewish Week.

Rev. Jen Bailey is an ordained minister, public theologian, and national leader in the multi-faith movement for justice. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Faith Matters Network, a Womanist-led organization equipping community organizers, faith leaders, and activists with resources for connection, spiritual sustainability, and accompaniment. She is also Co-Founder of the People's Supper. Founded after the 2016 Presidential Election, The People’s Supper has hosted over 2,000 suppers in 135 communities nationwide focusing on bringing people together across lines of difference to engage constructively on issues affecting their communities since January 20, 2017. An Ashoka Fellow, Aspen Ideas Scholar, On Being Fellow, New Pluralist Field Builder and Truman Scholar, Rev. Jen earned degrees from Tufts University and Vanderbilt University Divinity School where she was awarded the Wilbur F. Tillett Prize for accomplishments in the study of theology. A sought-after commentator and public speaker on the intersection of religion and public life, Rev. Jen has spoken at the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit, Makers, TEDxSkoll, and the White House. Her work has been featured on OnBeing with Krista Tippett, CBS This Morning, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and dozens of other publications. Her first book, To My Beloveds: Letters on Faith, Race, Loss and Radical Hope, was published by Chalice Press on October 12, 2021. Jen currently sits on the boards of The Fetzer Institute, Jessie Ball duPont Fund and The Healing Trust. She is also ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and serves locally on the staff of Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rosanne Haggerty is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Community Solutions. She is an internationally recognized leader in developing innovative strategies to end homelessness and strengthen communities. Community Solutions assists communities throughout the U.S and internationally in solving the complex housing problems facing their most vulnerable residents. Their large scale change initiatives include the 100,000 Homes and Built for Zero Campaigns to end chronic and veteran homelessness, and neighborhood partnerships that bring together local residents and institutions to change the conditions that produce homelessness. Earlier, she founded Common Ground Community, a pioneer in the design and development of supportive housing and research-based practices that end homelessness. She was a Japan Society Public Policy Fellow, and is a MacArthur Foundation Fellow, Ashoka Senior Fellow, Hunt Alternative Fund Prime Mover and the recipient of honors including the Jane Jacobs Medal for New Ideas and Activism from the Rockefeller Foundation, Social Entrepreneur of the year from the Schwab Foundation, Cooper Hewitt/Smithsonian Design Museum’s National Design Award and Independent Sector’s John W. Gardner Leadership Award. She is a graduate of Amherst College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Simran Jeet Singh, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Religion & Society Program at the Aspen Institute and the author of the national bestseller The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life (Riverhead, Penguin Random House). Simran’s thought leadership on bias, empathy, and justice extends across corporate, university, and government settings. He is an Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity with Columbia University and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a Soros Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations, a Visiting Lecturer at Union Seminary, and a Senior Advisor on Equity and Inclusion for YSC Consulting, part of Accenture. Simran is the author of an award-winning children’s book titled Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon (Kokila, Penguin Random House). He earned graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University. Simran is a recipient of the Peter J. Gomes Memorial Award from Harvard University and, in 2020, TIME Magazine recognized him as one of sixteen people fighting for a more equal America. He writes regularly for major outlets, including The Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, CNN and TIME Magazine, and he writes a monthly column for Religion News Service

Nadia Roumani is the Director of Financial Advisor Philanthropy Initiatives at Stanford University’s Effective Philanthropy Learning Initiative, and the Senior Designer of Stanford’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design’s (the d.school) Designing for Social Systems Program. She has facilitated design thinking strategy workshops for foundations, nonprofit organizations, and businesses around the world, including in the Europe, Middle East, North and East Africa, and across North America. She integrates design thinking, systems thinking, and strategic planning to help organizations better scope the challenges they want to address by engaging end users, increasing intra-organizational creativity, and incorporating radical collaboration. Over the past two decades Nadia has launched several organizations and initiatives including the Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD) with Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz at Columbia University; the Women Leaders Intercultural Program with Ireland’s former President Mary Robinson; Global Policy Innovations Program at the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs (CCEIA); the Building Bridges Program at the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA); and the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute (AMCLI) at the University of Southern California. Nadia received her BA in economics and international relations from Stanford University and her MA in international affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Rev. Dr. Amy Butler is an ordained American Baptist minister who has spent almost three decades leading historic faith institutions. As a regular voice in progressive Christian and interfaith conversations, Butler writes, speaks, and preaches all over the United States. She is Founder of Invested Faith, a fund that receives the assets of institutions and individuals and offers small, unrestricted grants to faith-rooted social entrepreneurs building businesses that are changing unjust systems. She is most energized by conversations about a future we cannot see but anticipate with hope. Butler currently leads National City Christian Church as intentional interim Senior Minister. Prior to that, Butler served for five years as the seventh Senior Minister and first woman at the helm of The Riverside Church in the City of New York. She holds degrees from Baylor University, the International Baptist Theological Seminary, and Wesley Theological Seminary.

Rabbi Sid Schwarz is a social entrepreneur, author and teacher. He is currently a Senior Fellow at Hazon, a national organization based in New York. Rabbi Sid founded and led PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values for 21 years; its work centered on integrating Jewish learning, Jewish values and social responsibility. He is also the founding rabbi of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in Bethesda, MD where he continues to teach and lead services. Dr. Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in Jewish history and is the author of two groundbreaking books--Finding a Spiritual Home: How a New Generation of Jews Can Transform the American Synagogue (Jewish Lights, 2000) and Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World (Jewish Lights, 2006). Rabbi Sid directs the Clergy Leadership Incubator (CLI), a program that trains rabbis to be visionary spiritual leaders. He also created and directs the Kenissa: Communities of Meaning Network which is identifying, convening and building the capacity of emerging spiritual communities across the country. Sid was awarded the prestigious Covenant Award for his pioneering work in the field of Jewish education and was named by Newsweek as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in North America. Sid’s most recent book is Jewish Megatrends: Charting the Course of the American Jewish Future (Jewish Lights, 2013).


Interested in bringing this course to your organization, network, or community?

Contact us at info@innofaith.org