NGO Leadership Workshop
Bratislava
May 26 – 29, 2026
Leading Through Uncertainty: Strategy, Negotiation
& Resilience
In partnership with the University of Michigan’s Weiser Center for Europe
& Eurasia and the William Davidson Institute, we are pleased to announce the upcoming NGO Leadership Workshop in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Amid global uncertainty and the ongoing challenges facing civil society across Central and Eastern Europe and beyond, this workshop is part of our continued effort to empower NGO leaders from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
The four-day workshop equips participants with practical tools to lead NGOs through complexity, uncertainty,
and politicized environments. It focuses on adaptive change leadership, strategic negotiation for partnerships
and funding, and resilience under pressure—helping leaders stay effective in high-stakes situations while protecting their mission. Participants will learn to mobilize teams around purpose, make decisions and communicate calmly under stress, and prevent burnout through sustainable leadership habits. Through a mix of interactive live sessions and peer-to-peer learning, participants will exchange their experiences and best practices.
Exclusive tailor-made content and supplementary
e-learning module
Distinguished instructors
Certificate upon completion
Benefits
By attending this workshop, participants will:
Strengthen their strategic decision-making capabilities in complex and uncertain environments
Distinguish between the seven executive tools for organizational change, assess their relative “ease of use,” and choose appropriate tools for specific organizational challenges
Learn how to lead organizational change while fostering a culture of innovation
and impact
Be prepared for high-stakes negotiations by clarifying interests, leverage, BATNA,
and power/stakeholder dynamics, and use these elements to structure a negotiation strategy
Gain emotional regulation and resilience techniques to interrupt negative impulse
and reaction cycles, communicate effectively in tense situations, and sustain constructive decision-making
Develop a personalised burnout prevention toolkit, and translate peer-to-peer insights into actionable practices to implement in their own NGO
Join a dynamic community of peers who will continue to support, collaborate,
and learn from one another long after the workshop
Become part of our NGO Leadership network, built over the past 11 years and now 370 members strong
More information
Participant selection
Participation in the workshop is by invitation only. This selective approach reflects our commitment to engaging organizations that are driving meaningful impact and are well-positioned to benefit from the program. By bringing together a thoughtfully curated group of leaders, we aim to create a focused, collaborative environment where participants can deepen existing partnerships, build new connections, and engage in shared learning rooted in common values and purpose.
Costs
Thanks to support from the Weiser Center for Europe & Eurasia at the University of Michigan, participants will receive the training at no charge. The organizers will cover participants’ accommodation and meals and reimburse their travel expenses.
Program
outline
The four-day workshop is a blend of in-person sessions complemented by self-paced e-learning modules to provide
a comprehensive learning experience. Participants will engage
in interactive sessions led by seasoned instructors, crafted
to foster meaningful connections. Beyond skill building,
the workshop is an opportunity to forge new partnerships
and collaborations, offering a unique platform for NGO leaders
to network and explore synergies.
Sustainable leadership requires balance, so the workshop includes time to rest and recharge. These moments of renewal help participants return to their organizations feeling energized, inspired, and ready to put new ideas into action.
Program kickoff: Evening reception in Bratislava on Monday, May 25, 2026
Day 1
May 26, 2026
Sustainable Management: Navigating Change in NGO Management
Frank C. Schultz (University of California, Berkeley, USA)
Leading organizations in stable, predictable environments is relatively easy. Unfortunately, those environments are now extinct. This session will focus
on the skills NGO Leaders need to effectively and efficiently lead their organizations in hostile or politicized environments which directly affect their ability to deliver services and advocate effectively.
We will examine the powerful, but relatively limited number of tools that NGO executives have at their disposal to adapt their organizations to the ever-present changes. In this session, participants will:
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Learn about the seven available tools executives can use to bring about change and assess how they differ in their ease of use
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Discuss which tool or tools you have relied upon in the past
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Consider alternative leadership approaches to mobilizing your organization toward its mission
Leaders develop habits and routines which reflect the way they prefer to lead. These approaches have made them and their organizations successful
in the past. But as the world changes, it can be prudent to not only reassess
our organizations, but also our own leadership preferences.
Day 2
May 27, 2026
Strategic Negotiation: Partnerships, Funding, and Conflict in Complex Environments
Dr. Haniyeh Yousofpour (McMaster University, Canada)
Leading NGOs in today’s complex and often politicized environments requires more than strong programs—it requires leaders who can negotiate well under pressure. Whether you’re securing funding, aligning expectations with institutional partners, or managing high-stakes conversations with stakeholders, effective negotiation is a core leadership skill for protecting your mission and advancing your goals.
This highly interactive, simulation-based session focuses on the practical tools NGO leaders can use to negotiate strategically, ethically, and with greater confidence across difficult and shifting contexts. We will explore negotiation
as a leadership discipline—how to prepare, how to read power and stakeholder dynamics, and how to stay purposeful when the conversation becomes tense
or uncertain.
In this session, participants will:
● Strengthen their ability to prepare for negotiations by clarifying interests, leverage, and Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)
● Practice navigating funding negotiations, institutional cooperation,
and conflict-laden discussions through realistic simulations
● Build self-awareness through a decision-making and conflict-resolution style assessment, and reflect on how personal habits shape negotiation outcomes
Leaders develop negotiation routines that have served them well in the past. But as environments become more volatile, it can be prudent to reassess not only what we negotiate for—but how we negotiate, how we mobilize others, and how we protect our organization’s mission while maintaining relationships.
Day 3
May 28, 2026
Resilience Under Pressure: Managing Stress and Preventing Burnout
Zuzana Šimeková (Slovakia)
Today’s demanding and constantly changing environment strains our physical and mental wellbeing. Ongoing pressure — both internal and external — affects how we perform, communicate and relate to others. When expectations pile up, our ability to recognize stress, respond calmly, and act intentionally is often the first thing to suffer. Building resilience plays a key part in regaining control
of our response.
In this interactive workshop, participants will:
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Deepen their understanding of how emotional regulation and resilience shapes our reactions, communication, and decision-making under pressure,
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Identify key moments where they can interrupt the cycle of negative impulse → negative reaction,
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Develop practical tools for navigating difficult situations, communicating effectively under stress, and restoring inner balance—both at work and in everyday life.
Building resilience and emotional regulation is also essential in preventing burnout. We will explore the most common—and often overlooked—drivers
of burnout, including workaholism and perfectionism, and their long-term impact on individuals such as chronic exhaustion, loss of self-worth, reduced effectiveness, and the deterioration of personal and professional relationships.
Beyond awareness, the focus is on action. Participants will learn how
to recognise early warning signs of burnout and will be guided to create
a personalised prevention toolkit that supports sustainable performance, wellbeing, and long-term engagement.
Day 4
May 29, 2026
Peer-to-Peer Learning Lab: An Adaptive Leadership Approach
Frank C. Schultz (University of California, Berkeley, USA)
This dynamic, instructor-facilitated session will adopt an Adaptive Leadership approach to share and explore leadership best practices. Adaptive Leadership emphasizes leadership techniques for leading through times of crisis and uncertainty.
Participants will share with colleagues approaches with which they have had success as they adapted to major challenges in their organizations. These ideas will be combined with best practices from other NGOs to identify potential new practices.
Peer-to-peer learning topics may include:
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Reducing staffing burnout and turnover
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Identifying and exploring alternative funding sources
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Refining fundraising messaging in new communication channels
Each peer learning team will:
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Share their experiences with colleagues in small peer groups
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Discuss provided NGO best practices
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Identify new approaches to take back to their organizations
This session fosters strategic thinking, leadership communication,
and collaborative problem-solving—while deepening relationships across
a diverse peer network.
Our instructors
...bring a blend of deep expertise and genuine passion to every session, fostering
a professional yet approachable environment that enriches and empowers our participants.
Frank C. Schultz
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Faculty Member and Distinguished Teaching Fellow
University of California, Berkeley
USA
Frank C. Schultz is a Faculty Member and Distinguished Teaching Fellow
at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley,
and a Faculty Affiliate with the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan. He teaches courses on strategy and leadership and has served as Faculty Director of both the Center for Teaching Excellence
and the International Business Development program at Berkeley.
Previously, he taught in the MBA program at the University of Michigan, where he also earned his MBA. Frank has taught in diverse global contexts including Japan, India, Saudi Arabia, China, Brazil, and across Europe.
Haniyeh Yousofpour
Associate Professor, McMaster University
Canada
Dr. Haniyeh Yousofpour is a Harvard-educated professor and global consultant with a track record of guiding organizations through complex transformation. She specializes in strategic negotiations, organizational change and influential leadership, and strategic, drawing on decades
of experience advising Fortune 500 companies, public institutions,
and non-profits. Beyond her consulting practice, she is an award-winning faculty member recognized for her ability to bridge academic rigor
with real-world application. Dr. Yousofpour is a recipient of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Award for her contributions to the community
and serves on the Premier’s Council on Equality of Opportunity.
She is the author of the book Negotiating with Confidence: It’s Within You: Ask the Right Questions, Analyze Every Situation, and Adapt Your Strategy to Succeed in Negotiations.
Zuzana Šimeková
Coach and lawyer
Slovakia
Zuzana Šimeková is a Bratislava-based accredited coach, mentor, author, and lawyer. She completed the Leadership Coaching Strategies program at Harvard University, and undertook coaching training
with the Association of Executive Coaching. She is a certified coach registered with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). She has long focused on personal development, achieving professional goals, strengthening soft skills, and supporting individuals through career transitions, as well as in the search for life vision, values, and effective communication. She lectures at various forums, seminars, and workshops and works with both teams and individual clients. Her work is grounded
in her personal experience as well as insights and guidance from leading national and international experts and research. She is the author
of the bestselling novel Beautiful People which addresses issues of mental health and the consequences of a high-pressure work pace, while offering a path toward balance. Her second novel, People Are Not Trees, continues to explore themes of life change, finding one’s own path, work-life balance, and the fragility of relationships. She was named one of the 12 Inspirational Women of the Year 2022 by Forbes Women Voice.
Donors
... with their generous contributions and shared values
and insights, play a crucial role in enabling this program.
Organizers
...through their expertise and dedication, join us in shaping
a dynamic and impactful program, ensuring every detail reflects our collaborative commitment to excellence.
