Kerri-Ann Nesbeth | April 2025

Dear EdFuel Community,

You may have noticed in our last newsletter that our team has gotten smaller. Like many nonprofit and educational organizations recently, we have had to navigate reduced funding, which ultimately led us to implement a reduction in force last year.

While this is something no organization ever wants to face, it has become an unfortunate reality for many – and as talent leaders, it’s our responsibility to make these decisions in a way that honors both our financial stability and our values. Many of us have seen, or even experienced, examples of how organizations handle moments like this poorly. At EdFuel, we are committed to learning from the experience, sharing what we can, and walking alongside others who may find themselves here too.

Here’s the truth: leading through a reduction in force has been the hardest professional experience of my career – and one of the hardest personal experiences too. The weight of the decision was something I carried with me constantly. It sat with me during early mornings and late nights. It tugged at me in quiet moments with my family. It even took my edges; thankfully, they’ve grown back.

It made me question: Had I failed? Could I have prevented this? Did my identity as a Black woman impact my ability to close revenue gaps? Could I still call myself a people-centered leader?

I’m sharing this reflection because I know I’m not the only one who has or will wrestle with these questions. And I want to be honest about what I have learned, and continue to learn as we navigate unprecedented times in our sector, not after I’ve perfectly tied it up with a bow, but while I am still navigating it.

Here are three truths that I am holding close:

Difficult Decisions Are Not a Betrayal of People-Centered Leadership
For leaders who center people in everything we do, moments like this cut deeply. I realized that being people-centered does not mean avoiding hard choices – it means making them with care, transparency, and humanity. It means being present for the hard conversations and not hiding behind processes. It means honoring the people impacted, not just in words, but in actions as well.

I Refuse to Internalize Necessary Change as a Failure
I have often felt the invisible pressure to be “perfect” – that if something challenging or painful happens under my leadership, it must be a reflection of my inadequacy. But I am choosing a different narrative: necessary change, made with thoughtfulness and integrity, is not failure. It is stewardship. It is an act of protection for the mission and for the future community we are responsible for.

Leadership Means Balancing Mission, People, and Financial Stewardship
At EdFuel, we believe sustainability is a balance: taking care of our people and ensuring the financial health of the organization. One cannot exist without the other. For example, while we would love to offer more expansive (in length) paid parental leave, we must operate within the realities of funding and budgeting. Our commitment is to ensure that EdFuel not only survives but thrives, so that we can continue serving leaders and education organizations across the country for years to come.

There is no manual for how to feel after making a decision like this. There is only moving forward – with tenderness, honesty, and an unwavering commitment to learning and growing.

If you are a leader facing hard decisions right now, I see you. I am walking this road too.

Thank you for being part of our community – not just in the joyful moments, but in the honest, complicated ones too. We are proud to continue building, learning, and leading alongside you.

And as always, if we can be a thought partner, please don’t hesitate to reach out by replying to this email or sending a note directly to me at knesbeth@edfuel.org.

P.S. — If your organization is navigating similarly tough decisions around sustainability and staffing, we’ve gathered a few resources that we developed and leveraged during our reduction in force. You can click to access a Reduction in Force Planning Template, an Employee Offboarding Checklist, an Internal Communications Planning Template, and a Layoff (RIF) Communication Examples.

All my best,

Kerri-Ann Nesbeth