Impact

Windcall alumni’s stories of renewal and transformation are powerful. In 2009, Windcall conducted a survey to quantify Windcall’s impact. The major findings were: Impact at the Individual Leader Level 90% reported that Windcall helped them change their practices to more sustainable ones. 86% said they either gained a clearer sense of purpose or became more […]

Windcall alumni’s stories of renewal and transformation are powerful. In 2009, Windcall conducted a survey to quantify Windcall’s impact. The major findings were:

Impact at the Individual Leader Level

  • 90% reported that Windcall helped them change their practices to more sustainable ones.
  • 86% said they either gained a clearer sense of purpose or became more confident as a leader.
  • 75% changed their mentoring or supervision approaches to promote more work/life balance and/or delegation.

“I divide my life into before-Windcall and after-Windcall. I was in really bad physical and emotional shape before my Residency. But the grant deadlines, meetings, and press conferences don’t stop. I spent the first few days at Windcall crying, grieving over things I didn’t know I had to grieve. All the practices I use now to keep myself healthy started there.”Van Jones, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Oakland, CA at time of Residency, now with Rebuild the Dream

“Windcall erased my burnout, taught me I could work in a more sustainable way, and inspired an organizational culture shift, including our adopting a sabbatical policy. Windcall shows us we can, and should, focus on leadership longevity as part of strengthening our movements.” — Nikki Fortunato Bas, Sweatshop Watch at time of Residency, now with EBASE, Oakland, CA

Impact at the Movement Level

  • 80% made changes in their strategy, programs or their own role.
  • 65% gained a deeper appreciation of other social justice issues and approaches or were led to explore other issues on their return.
  • 54% formed lasting relationships with others in their cohort.
  • 52% said Windcall encouraged a more humanistic view on how those in the social justice movement work with each other.

Respondents (40% response rate) were 132 Windcall Residency Program alumni from across the U.S. 42% were people of color and the average respondent had 25 years of experience in the work. The median had participated in the program ten years prior to the survey, showing the long lasting impact of Windcall.

“Windcall is where I first thought about starting a statewide progressive coalition. I had time to reflect on the previous eight years I d spent doing environmental work, how I couldn’t stay engaged in that for the rest of my life, and thought about what was next for me as an organizer in Nevada. Talking with my Windcall cohort gave me some ideas about tying issues and constituencies together and the seeds for PLAN were sown.”Bob Fulkerson, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Reno, NV

“Grassroots Leadership became stronger because of the opportunity so many of our staff have had to go to Windcall. They not only came back refreshed, they infuse the whole organization with a sense of possibility and hopefulness – which is how ideas, people and organizations can really grow.”Si Kahn, Grassroots Leadership, Charlotte, NC