The greatest challenges of our time are deeply intertwined, complicating their resolution and demanding innovative solutions. New Sector Alliance is a network of leaders dedicated to solving these challenges through transformational leadership development programs and a lifelong community of support. Carly Janson, CEO and founder of this returning Independent Sector member, shares how their offerings provide program participants, alumni, and partners with the skills, mindsets, and connections to build systemic change and a better future for all.
Tell us about your organization’s mission and the need(s) it addresses.
At New Sector Alliance, our mission is to build a better future by strengthening organizations and developing leaders. We envision a world where leaders from the nonprofit, academic, business, government, and philanthropic sectors enthusiastically collaborate to cultivate the skills, mindsets, and connections necessary to address the world’s most pressing challenges.
In other words, we believe in the people who make our world a better place, regardless of the sector in which they work, and support their ability to innovate and create impact. Because when you set out to tackle some of the thorniest, stickiest problems in our society, you need effective people and strong organizations. We’re here to support these leaders and their organizations on their journey, enabling them to have the greatest possible impact on the communities where they live and work.
How does your organization’s work address those concerns?
We translate the best research from business, academia, and social impact into practical tools that supercharge mission‑driven professionals. Over the past 25 years, we have incubated, refined, and, in some cases, spun out talent‑development programs that draw on economics, education, design thinking, policy, and psychology. Every initiative (whether a leadership fellowship, skills accelerator, or peer-learning circle) focuses on three key areas — building effective leaders, fostering community, and encouraging cross-sector collaboration, all while stewarding resources responsibly. To date, we have trained more than 5,100 leaders at over 650 organizations, and their combined work has reached an estimated 2 million+ people across the country. That expansive ripple effect is how we measure success.
What motivated you to work in the charitable sector, and what inspires you most as head of your organization?
I grew up in a family that constantly helped others. My parents were very service-oriented, and so it was naturally ingrained in me that I, too, could help others through my life and work.
After college, I joined a management consulting firm and was overwhelmed by the scale of resources the business sector was deploying. I hadn’t been exposed to the corporate world before, so I noticed the stark contrast between sectors. These large firms leveraged their knowledge, financial resources, and (importantly) their people to solve business challenges, whereas the social impact organizations I knew often struggled to attract, retain, and deploy resources effectively.
Even as a very junior analyst, I thought, “There’s an opportunity to apply these corporate tools and techniques, while developing the talent of the people who use them, to work on problems that really urgently need fixing.” I also saw an opportunity to leverage volunteerism and mentorship on the part of corporate leaders to create more connection between organizations and to begin to tap into what I realized was the great potential of human capital.
What concerns do you have for your organization as our sector grapples with challenging times?
Funding and people are evergreen worries, but today they’re compounded by rapid shifts in the civic infrastructure that makes cross-sector work possible. Polarization, shrinking public resources, and technological disruption threaten the collaborative space that our leaders rely on. Now more than ever, we need to leverage each other’s strengths and work together collaboratively to innovate and be resourceful, all while maintaining the progress we’ve made.
This means we need to ensure that our social impact leaders are equipped with an understanding of how to be resilient, mitigate burnout, and thrive in their work over the long term. Developing effective leaders strengthens organizations, which in turn protects and sustains impact for entire communities. Bigger challenges in our society simply mean an even greater need for intentional, effective strategies to help leaders do more with scarce resources. New Sector exists for just that purpose.
What influenced your decision to re-join Independent Sector, and how will re-joining our membership community help you better achieve your mission?
Independent Sector and New Sector share a commitment to bringing together diverse types of institutions and changemakers to ensure that Americans can thrive and civil society remains strong. We believe that the type of community building, cross-constituent learning, and knowledge generation that Independent Sector cultivates is exactly what will achieve the greatest impact in the long run. The whole — in both the New Sector approach and the Independent Sector approach — is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Plus, Independent Sector’s policy and advocacy work allows us to channel the insights of our own leaders and network so that the voices of the communities who are doing the work are heard at the highest levels, and that the solutions that are put forward are crafted around the experience of those who are closest to the work.
What’s one thing about your organization that people would find surprising?
One of the things I’m most proud of (and that often surprises people) is New Sector’s history of sharing our programs, rather than guarding them. We’re constantly testing and building new models, and when one proves effective for a specific audience, we scale it through partnerships, sometimes “re-homing” it within an organization better positioned for growth. For example, our original Case Team consulting model, created for business school students, now resides with Net Impact and Taproot. We also transferred our year-long Residency in Social Enterprise (RISE) Fellowship to the Institute for Nonprofit Practice, an Independent Sector member, for replication across an expanded footprint.
Carly Janson, CEO and founder of New Sector Alliance.
We live in a rapidly changing world, and we are committed to continuously developing the best possible approaches to meet the moment, informed by the latest research and evidence. Constant iteration keeps us relevant, while collaboration maximizes reach. We care less about owning programs or protecting our legacy than about advancing impact wherever it’s needed most.
Learn about other Independent Sector members and becoming a member.
