Angela Alvarez on Retention, Relationships, and Leading with Heart

From intern to Director of Programs, Angela Alvarez has walked nearly every step of the nonprofit path—and she’s still blazing the trail for the next generation of leaders.

From College Intern to Nonprofit Leader

Angela Alvarez didn’t plan on a long-term career in nonprofits. Her journey began as part of a capstone project at California State University, Dominguez Hills, when she was placed at Long Beach BLAST—a local nonprofit dedicated to educational equity through mentorship and college readiness. She thought it would be a temporary stop. But one mentorship experience changed everything.

Her first mentee started unsure about the future. By the end of the program, they were actively researching financial aid and exploring entrepreneurship. “That experience grounded me,” Angela reflects. “In just one year, I saw what genuine care, trust, and dedication could do in the life of one student—my mentee. That transformation made me want to create that kind of impact in the lives of hundreds.”

Within just four months, she was offered a supervisory role. Though initially hesitant—facing unfamiliar territory and a significant responsibility—she sought guidance from her mentors. Encouraged to step beyond her comfort zone and trust in her ability to make a difference, she embraced the challenge. Since then, her guiding principle has remained clear: “If it challenges me and scares me, it will help me grow.”

Leading from the Middle, Not the Top

Now serving as Director of Programs at Long Beach BLAST, Angela oversees three major initiatives:

• The Mentorship Program, supported by a mentor supervisor, a coordinator, and interns
• The Student Success Initiative, which embeds Student Success Coaches  in Long Beach Unified Schools
• Family and Community Engagement Programming, connecting students and families to long-term support

Her leadership style? Shoulder to shoulder. Not top-down. Not distant. Just deeply present. “I don’t want to lead from above—I want to build with my team.” Servant Leadership.

What’s Working: Retention Rooted in Humanity

Angela doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges. What used to be 2–3 year staff tenures have dropped to just 12–18 months. Rising living costs, nonprofit burnout, and lower salaries all contribute to this issue. “We work through passion,” Angela says. “But at some point, the numbers have to work too.” 

Her approach to retention centers on empathy and realism:

• Offering hybrid work options
• Celebrating birthdays, wins, and life milestones
• Setting honest expectations during hiring
• Flexibility based on life—not just productivity
• Identifying and securing resources to enhance staff pay when possible
• Making the case to funders: fair staff pay drives program success

It’s not a silver bullet, but it is a start toward sustainability.

Consistency > Crisis in Fundraising

Angela knows that donor and partner relationships aren’t built in boardrooms or on deadline days. Her team tracks every engagement manually—from site visits to touchpoints—so that funders feel seen, not solicited.

What’s working:

• Logging every interaction in detailed spreadsheets
• Inviting funders to see programs and student impact firsthand
• Sending consistent newsletters and updates
• Staying open to creative collaborations with community partners

The challenge?

Doing it all without a centralized CRM system. Angela and her team are actively exploring tools to streamline these efforts—because as they seek growth they need a tool that will scale with them. Update (Summer 2025) - Thanks to the support of our funders, we are partnering with Laserfiche to set up a personalized CRM system that will help offset this challenge and take our reporting, tracking and the organization to another level.

What Nonprofit Leaders (and Consultants) Should Know

Angela had clear advice for nonprofit leaders and the consultants who support them.

For Executive Directors & Program Leaders:

• Build culture before building calendars
• Celebrate small wins—often
• Be honest about the workload
• Get creative with team support when raises aren’t possible

For Consultants & Service Providers:

• Don’t wait for a crisis—check in regularly
• Make tools visible, not hidden behind paywalls or jargon
• Partner with capacity builders like The Nonprofit Partnership

Angela especially recommends TNP’s Emerging Leaders Program and peer-led affinity groups.

What Needs to Change

Angela points to a structural issue many nonprofits face: funding that ignores the cost of people. “Too many grants prioritize programs over staff,” she explains. 

The result? Burnout, turnover, and instability—no matter how impactful the work is.

“We need to talk to funders—really talk—about what it takes to keep teams whole.” Because without stable teams, impact suffers.

“We serve at-promise youth who already face significant instability. If we can offer consistency through the team that supports them, we’re living out our mission and doing our job right.”

Final Reflection: A People-First Vision for Impact

Angela Alvarez’s story is proof that long-term impact requires more than great programming. It requires care, clarity, and real investment in the people who show up every day. “It takes a village to unite for something bigger,” she says. “That’s when the real impact happens.”

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