Leadership Acceleration Program

2026 Program Application

Please complete the online application form below to apply to participate in the 2026/2027 Leadership Acceleration Program, which will begin in October, 2026.

An LAP application information sheet is available (in PDF or Word formats) to help you prepare to submit your application materials. It notes all the information requested in the online application, as well as selection criteria for your proposed project or opportunity.

Note the application requires the following documents, which you can submit directly within the application form or separately by email to LAP (at) nonprofitnet.org:

Resume
Letters in support of your application from 1) your Board Chair, and 2) a professional peer

All application materials must be received by Thursday, September 10, 2026. Applications will be reviewed as they are received.

No applicants will be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or any other status protected under federal, state or local law.

LAP at a Glance

Nonprofit Net's Leadership Acceleration Program (LAP) focuses on enhancing the confidence and leadership skills of organizational leaders as they take on an important initiative. Each participant works with an Executive Coach throughout the nine-month journey and joins a valuable peer group for support and honest feedback.

By the Numbers*

100% satisfaction rate in progress toward Performance Challenge
100% are likely to recommend LAP to a colleague
100% found the peer group valuable

*Source: Post-program survey of the 2024/2025 LAP cohort

Selecting Your Performance Challenge

Please keep the following selection criteria in mind when proposing the project or challenge that you will focus on during the program:

The project proposed is one of the two or three most important opportunities or challenges facing your organization. (Success is important to many people.)
Executive director engagement and leadership is essential to the project.
Significant progress is possible within nine months.
Many people must contribute to the challenge to achieve success. These may include, for example, Board members, staff members, and external stakeholders – not just you.
The proposed project will demand doing things differently. (It’s not just business as usual.)
The project is an effort that will require the executive director to step out of their comfort zone.