GET INVOLVED
The Future is Hopeful.
Help Us Build It.
Hopeful Leadership doesn’t spread by itself. It spreads through people — leaders, funders, partners, and young people — who believe the future can be different and are willing to help build it. There is a place for you here.
SIX WAYS TO ENGAGE
However You Show Up, You Belong Here.
CHL is a movement, not just an organization. Whether you lead a team of two or a system of thousands, there is a meaningful way for you to be part of this work.
Bring CHL to Your Organization
Ready to shift your culture? Partner with CHL for training, facilitation, strategic planning, or a long-term organizational implementation. We meet you where you are and walk with you toward where you want to be.
Fund the Movement
CHL is building a field — and that takes investment. Foundations, individual donors, and corporate partners who believe in the power of hope can help us reach more organizations, more leaders, and more young people.
Support Youth Leadership
Young people are already leading. Help us build the programs, fellowships, and mentorship opportunities that give them the tools, the language, and the community to lead with hope.
Book a Keynote or Workshop
Bring Jess Lewis to your conference, retreat, or leadership event. Their keynotes open rooms to new possibilities — grounded in research, delivered with honesty, and designed to move people to action.
Use the Framework
The Hopeful Leadership Framework is open source. Download it, share it, teach it, and use it in your own work. The more leaders who practice hope, the better the world gets — and we mean that.
Join the Community
Subscribe to the Hopeful Leadership blog for weekly insights, research, and practical tools. Be the first to hear about new programs, publications, and opportunities to connect with a growing community of hopeful leaders.
ORGANIZATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
Let’s Build Something That Lasts.
A partnership with CHL is not a one-time training. It is a relationship — built on trust, grounded in your organization’s specific context, and designed to create lasting change in how your people lead.
We offer a range of engagement models, from a single keynote to a multi-year implementation partnership. Every engagement begins with a conversation — because we believe the best work starts with listening.
What a partnership can include: organizational assessment, executive coaching, team facilitation, strategic planning, board development, culture-building, and evaluation.
Who We Partner With
CHL works across sectors — because the need for Hopeful Leadership is not limited to one type of organization. If you are mission-driven and ready to lead differently, we want to work with you.
- Nonprofit organizations
- Public agencies
- K–12 schools and educational systems
- Higher education institutions
- Youth-serving organizations
- Emerging leaders and leadership cohorts
Why Fund CHL?
The organizations that serve our communities are struggling — not because their people don’t care, but because the way they are led is not working. CHL is building the alternative.
100+
Youth leaders to be certified in our first five years
50+
Organizational partnerships by Year 3
Every dollar invested in CHL is a dollar invested in the leaders who will shape the next generation of mission-driven organizations.
FUNDERS AND DONORS
Invest in the Future of Leadership.
CHL is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — which means your investment is tax-deductible and goes directly toward building a field that will outlast any single program or initiative.
We are seeking founding funders who believe that how organizations lead matters — and that hope is not a soft concept, but a strategic imperative. Your investment helps us reach more organizations, develop more young leaders, and advance the research that makes this work credible.
Founding Partner – $50,000+
Named recognition, co-branded programming, advisory access, and a seat at the table as CHL shapes its first five years.
Field Builder — $10,000–$49,999
Named recognition, priority access to CHL programs and research, and a direct role in expanding the movement.
Hope Investor — Up to $9,999
Named recognition, annual impact report, and the knowledge that your investment is growing something real.
YOUTH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
The Next Generation Is Ready. Are We?
Young people don’t need to be told they are the leaders of tomorrow. They are leading right now — in their schools, their communities, and their families. CHL’s youth programs are built to meet them there.
Our youth leadership development is grounded in the same framework that guides our organizational work: Goals, Pathways, and Agency. We believe every young person deserves to know where they are going, how to get there, and that they have the power to make it happen.
🎯 Youth Leadership Fellowships
Cohort-based programs that develop young leaders through mentorship, skill-building, and real-world application of the Hopeful Leadership Framework.
🏅Hopeful Leader Certification
A structured pathway for young people to earn recognition as certified Hopeful Leaders — building their portfolio and their confidence.
🔗 Systems Advocacy
We don’t just develop young leaders — we work to change the systems around them, integrating youth voice into organizational and policy design.
Our Five-Year Commitment to Young Leaders
CHL has set a bold goal — and we intend to keep it. Here is what we are working toward for the young people we serve.
100
Youth leaders certified by Year 5
We are building programs that don’t just inspire young people — they equip them. With language, tools, community, and credentials that open doors.
“Goals, Pathways, and Agency are not adult concepts. They are human ones.”
THE HOPEFUL LEADERSHIP BLOG
Hopeful Leadership Tips in Your Inbox.
Every week, CHL publishes a new insight, framework, or story from the field of Hopeful Leadership. It is practical, research-grounded, and written for leaders who are ready to lead differently.
The blog is also CHL’s living work plan — a year-long commitment to building the field one week at a time.
GOALS
Why Most Organizations Don’t Have Real Goals — And What to Do About It
The difference between a goal and a wish is a pathway. Here’s how to tell which one you have.
AGENCY
The Leadership Myth That Is Burning Your People Out
Fear and control are not leadership strategies. They are hope killers — and the data proves it.
PATHWAYS
When the Plan Breaks Down: How Hopeful Leaders Navigate Uncertainty
Pathways thinking is not about having all the answers. It is about staying in motion when you don’t.
Hope is not something that happens to you. It is something you build – in yourself, in your team, and in the systems you lead.
– Jess K. Lewis, founder, center for hopeful leadership
READY TO BEGIN?
The Future Belongs to Hopeful Leaders.
Whatever your role — leader, funder, educator, or young person ready to step up — there is a place for you in this movement.
Let’s build it together.