Speaker: Patricia Massey Hoke, Executive Director, Women's Impact Fund
Introduce yourself by sharing your name, organization, and title.
Patricia Massey Hoke: My name is Patricia Massey Hoke and I'm the Executive Director of the Women's Impact Fund in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Why did you engage Tracey and Indigo Innovation Group, and what were the critical areas that I helped you focus on?
Patricia Massey Hoke: I've been engaged with Tracy on two different occasions. First, through the Charlotte Funders Collaborative for Racial Equity In 2021. Tracey was brought in to lead a, and facilitate a training through her work in Indigo Innovation Group with a group of 30 to 40 funders. So that's when I first got to benefit from Tracey's work and facilitation. I thought she was really incredible with our group at keeping us honest and talking about the, the challenging issues that we needed to related to race, and justice, and disparities in funding philanthropy, but she always did it with an element of humor and grace that made people feel comfortable. Even in four hour long sessions on Zoom, which I think was really a testament to her skills and abilities. I was also able to benefit from some one on one coaching with Tracey after that at the end of that engagement, which is really helpful to me to have a safe space to wrestle with some of the things that I was struggling with as an executive director and really being on the forefront of leading change, which isn't something that I necessarily anticipated doing. And again, I think she pushed me to be better and to work harder at what I was doing. She asked me hard questions, but I always felt supported and like I had someone on my side. Women's Impact Fund also had the opportunity to engage with Tracey through some work with the Philonos Women's Collective giving network and the community investment network. And Tracey facilitated a membership diversity session with our board of directors and then did some small group coaching with myself and three board members. And again, Tracey, I think was able to create a spirit of comfort and willing to push back against folks in, those coaching sessions and in the facilitation and bring sort of hard truths to bear. But at the same time, make folks feel like they could honestly reflect about the things that they were thinking about and struggling with and that we were really all working together towards a common goal, even if we were coming at it from different perspectives. So, I'm really grateful for having had the opportunity to work with Tracey in a number of different contexts.
What expertise did I bring, and what was unique about working with me?
Patricia Massey Hoke: So, Tracey is very well studied and learned, if you will, I think one of the things Tracey did incredibly well was she brought a number of different resources and studies to bear to our group. And I'm specifically talking about the group with the funders collaborative for racial equity. So sort of each month that we met, she would bring new resources, new bodies of work, new studies that ultimately supported what she was working towards teaching us. And some of the issues that we were wrestling with related to disparities in funding social change and racial justice. And so I really benefited from those resources because I was able to then, you know, we, we sort of touched them lightly when we were with Tracey, but then I was able to take those resources and then build on them and use them in my own study and work and leadership back with the Women's Impact Fund. I think another thing that Tracey brings experience, she's done the work she's been in the trenches. She lives what she teaches and facilitates with groups. And so you feel like she is speaking from experience. I think also as a woman of color in the work, I think that's important to name. because you do feel like the issues that she's resting with are deeply personal to her and they mean something to her and you can see through her own work, through her work with organizations like CoThinkk that she's living out what she is also working to teach you. And I think that makes her credible and believable when you're talking about her things, you know, that she sort of has been there and has struggled with it and I've really appreciated that. So, yeah, so I would say bringing those resources and distinct tools to the table, but also bringing her own experience and being willing to share and reflect personally as well.
Highlight specific achievements, challenges overcome, and our collaboration's value to you and your organization.
Patricia Massey Hoke: So Tracey has really brought a lot to my own leadership as an executive director of an organization, I think some of the achievements that she brought to us, if you will is helping us name power, name the dynamic of power in philanthropic funding situations. And then helping me as a leader, talk through how I would work with the women's impact fund as a membership organization and giving circle to name power in our work and to see where it shows up, I think she helped me see where it shows up and then helped me name that with the group as well as implementing various practices of trust based philanthropy. She was also a really sounding board for me when I felt like the organization perhaps wasn't maybe moving as fast as I would hope. She helped me sort of understand that you know, as a leader, there's an importance of slowing down to go fast and slowing down to create change and really bring a group along with you. So her coaching was invaluable to me and, and helping me sort of get there as a leader. And I feel like I grew a lot as a director and as a change manager and as an equity champion through her coaching and working with her, as well as her work with our overall board on membership diversity and this small group coaching that she's done with us, I think she helped us name not just diversity broadly, but specifically, racial diversity as something that we wanted to target and then begin to think about really small steps we could take to begin to move the needle and understanding the importance of small steps. So, I think those are some of the really critical things that she has given us that I continue to lean on in my own work.
Provide inspirational words you would like to share to invite others to work with me and Indigo Innovation Group.
Patricia Massey Hoke: If you are looking for a leader to authentically walk beside you through change of leadership in challenging situations, especially related to philanthropy, racial equity. then Tracey and the team in Indigo Innovations is the team for you. They will journey with you and push you to be a better leader and really a better person. but all with a spirit of grace and humility and lived experience and a sense that they have been there before and that they are there with you as you continue to lean into strategic thoughtful change. Again, as a leader and a person, I'm really grateful to Tracey and her team.
