10.01.2009

SABBATICAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

Dear Colleagues,

Each year, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation honors non-profit organization leaders who seek personal renewal and professional growth by awarding sabbaticals to five North Carolinians.

In the past, the Foundation has relied exclusively on printed brochures to publicize the Sabbatical Program.  In an effort to publicize more widely, increase efficiency and improve environmental sustainability, we are moving online.  Please help us by forwarding this email to others in your respective networks.   

The application is now entirely online.  To access the application and for a list of past recipients please visit our website at www.zsr.org and select the Sabbatical Program tab. 

Below, please find details about the Sabbatical Program as well as answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

Many thanks,

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation

What is a sabbatical?
A sabbatical is a three to six month period during which nonprofit leaders take a leave of absence from the organizations at which they work. Sabbatical recipients use this time to engage in non-professional development activities of their own choosing to aid in personal renewal and growth. While on sabbatical, award recipients travel, study, read, reflect, rest, and/or explore interests unrelated to their field of work.

What is the purpose of the sabbatical program?
Sabbaticals offer individuals the opportunity to primarily focus on their personal needs and solely devote themselves to self-revitalization. The awarded compensation provides the financial support necessary to temporarily leave one’s place of employment. It is the Foundation’s hope that sabbatical recipients return recommitted to the challenges and rewards of public service and thus prolong their tenure in the not-for-profit sector.

Who should apply?
Eligible applicants are individuals in paid, full-time leadership positions who have served their North Carolina nonprofit organizations for at least three years, two of which as leaders. Preference is given to individuals with at least five years of experience. Individuals who work for statewide, regional, or local nonprofit organizations may apply. This program is not designed for career public school, college, university or government employees.

How many sabbaticals are offered?
The Foundation has typically awarded five sabbaticals each year, though numbers may vary from year to year. 

How much financial support is included with each sabbatical award?
Each recipient receives $25,000 shortly before their sabbatical begins. Awards are subject to federal and state income taxes. Recipient organizations decide whether to continue to keep sabbatical recipients on their payrolls during the sabbatical.

What are the requirements for receipt of the award?
The sabbatical must begin before April of the year after selection and last for one continuous period of three to six months. Recipients are expected to be released completely from their ­organizational obligations during their sabbatical and to return to their organizations for at least the same length of time as their sabbatical. Those selected must attend one and one half-day pre-sabbatical and post-sabbatical retreats. Recipients are expected to write a two to three page typed report within a month of completing their sabbaticals and provide a short statement for the Foundation’s annual report.

How does an organizational leader apply?
The application is now entirely online and may be accessed by visiting the Foundations web site (www.zsr.org) and selecting “Application Process” under the Sabbatical Program tab.  The next application deadline is December 1st.     

How are selections made?
Initial applications are screened by a Selection Committee composed of representatives of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Advisory Panel, staff and former sabbatical recipients. Ten finalists are selected to meet with the Committee in March, and sabbatical award recipients are announced in April. The selection criteria include the accomplishments of the applicant, evidence of need for a sabbatical, the applicant’s potential for future contributions in his/her chosen field of work, and the difficulty of the applicant’s work environment. In addition, selections are based on the applicant’s timely completion of the application form and related information, the sabbatical description as it relates to personal renewal and professional growth, and the sabbatical budget. Applicants who are not selected for a sabbatical are invited and encouraged to reapply in subsequent years.

What is the purpose of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation?
A general purpose foundation designed to benefit the people of North Carolina, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation seeks to initiate rather than to react, to question rather than to accept. It places a higher value on developing new, quality programs than on sustaining well-funded ones. “A conspiracy of conscience…the Winston-Salem based ­foundation has spent over a half-century helping North Carolina pull itself up by its own bootstraps,” according to an article in the Fayetteville Observer. In that spirit, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees voted in May 1989 to establish a Sabbatical Program to reward individuals in nonprofit leadership positions who have demonstrated exceptional commitments of time, talent, and energy in serving their state, region or local community.

What are the Foundation’s focus areas?
The Foundation’s focus areas can change according to the state’s needs but currently include the following: community economic ­development; democracy and civic engagement; the environment; pre-collegiate education; and social justice and equity.