WF Fund partners at the retreat held in Chicago, IL September 2026
Authored by Dr. Shaza Khan, ISLA Executive Director
One year ago, I sat in a room with nearly fifty inspirational change-makers at the WF Fund‘s first-ever grantee retreat. A year later, the lessons and connections I made there are still shaping the way I lead.
WF Fund talks about philanthropy rooted in collaboration, and this retreat is where I felt that, not as a mission statement, but as a room full of nonprofit leaders working across intersecting missions engaged in promoting religious pluralism, civic engagement, and human services.
Dilnaz Waraich, WF Fund President, moderating panel on “Faith and Philanthropy.
Self-care reminders were part of the retreat
Because of the relationships I formed there, I now have a network of leaders I can turn to about the challenges we all seem to face: budgeting and fund development, board-ED relationships, succession planning, and how to use AI ethically and effectively. We’ve come to openly share resources and advice with one another, and to see each other as collaborative partners, not competitors.
The two-day retreat was built around trust, with educational workshops alongside something rarer: actual space and time to relax, unwind, and feel appreciated. WF Fund covered our travel and lodging, fed us nutritious meals, and built in movement-based activities that let us reset, not just network.
One moment I can still see when I close my eyes is walking the beachfront outside of Northwestern University at sunset, footprints forming and washing away in the sand alongside other community leaders, the air fresh, seagulls overhead.
Sunset by the beach with other nonprofit leaders
As a nonprofit leader, it’s rare to be given permission to simply be cared for, and that mattered as much as anything on the agenda. It’s also, I’d argue, a quieter form of the “strategic philanthropy” WF Fund talks about: investing in the people leading the work, not just the programs themselves.
A year later, I’m still drawing on what I gained there: driving transformative social change isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be lonely. Taking the time to connect with one another, and with ourselves, can lead to more sustainable, longer-lasting work than any one person or institution could build alone. But to do that, we have to be willing to invest in ourselves first.
