Mission Elevation Success Stories: Malcolm Jones, Rebuilding Together Richmond
“Being a part of initiatives and cohorts such as Mission Elevation allows you to take a step back from our day-to-day innerworkings and be more strategic about the future.”
Malcolm Jones reflects on his experience during the second cohort of the Mission Elevation program.
Malcolm Jones is the Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Richmond, a branch of the national Rebuilding Together nonprofit organization that repairs homes, revitalizes communities, and rebuilds lives. In 2017, Malcolm was still somewhat new to the housing industry. When he and his former executive director realized Mission Elevation could help them better execute their new strategic plan, they jumped on the opportunity to apply and joined the program’s second cohort. Now, as Executive Director, Malcolm reflects on his organization’s growth, his own personal growth, and how he’s seen the Mission Elevation program grow since he participated.
Malcolm has been with Rebuilding Together Richmond for nine years. The organization is best known for their home rehab program, which provides seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, and families with repair services. As Malcolm describes it, Rebuilding Together Richmond collaborates with contractors and volunteers to hone and deepen their impact on the communities they serve. In 2015, the organization underwent a strategic plan to diversify their funding streams and increase programming to engage more with the communities they serve. Malcolm explained how participating in Mission Elevation soon after implementing this strategic plan happened at the perfect time.
“It allowed our organization to be goal-oriented and kind of stretch ourselves to see how we could add a different line of business, as well as increase our brand marketing and engagement, but also, part of it was to become more efficient, and improve our efficiency across the board,” Malcolm said. “And, for us, we knew that it was an added value to be in the room with other housing organizations.”
Mission Elevation prioritizes relationship-building as a vital component of the program, creating opportunities for connections between cohort participants and their peers. Doing the program with a partner, Malcolm’s former executive director, helped him learn more about different sides to his organization and have the training ground that helped propel him into the executive director position. He also enjoyed the opportunity to travel and experience in-person engagement with other nonprofit leaders, many of whom he still connects and catches up with today. Before joining Mission Elevation, Malcolm’s typical network extended to other Rebuilding Together branches across the country. This program allowed him to expand his connections to more local and regional community development nonprofits.
Malcolm also highlighted everything he learned from his Mission Elevation coach, Roger Lewis. He laughed while recalling all the mapping tools and diagrams that Roger gave him but remembers finding the perfect balance of tools and techniques that aligned with him. “He was someone who really knew how to break things down for you so you can understand it,” Malcolm said.
There are many tools and resources that Mission Elevation participants utilize throughout the program, but Malcolm noted a few that have made a lasting impact on Rebuilding Together Richmond. One of his favorites was learning to celebrate wins.
“Anything that we deemed as a win or something that was important to us individually or even collectively as a team, we celebrated it; we talked about it,” Malcolm said. “I think that was a great way to build that morale as a team...It’s become second nature at this point.”
He also recalled that the program taught him to look at things from a balcony or bird’s eye view – that is – looking from above to see things in the bigger picture. He described how that holistic, newfound perspective has helped him avoid being “so far in the weeds” so that he can step back and prepare for long-term goals and unforeseen challenges. This perspective has been especially helpful when dealing with challenges that have come up from the COVID pandemic.
Beyond organizational successes, Malcolm felt that Mission Elevation allowed him to stretch and elevate his confidence as a leader in public speaking and presenting. Being new to the housing industry when he joined, he felt that Mission Elevation was the right step to engage and grow with fellow leaders in the housing sector and considers himself proud to have been one of the first participants of the program.
“I think it’s amazing to see how this has grown over the years,” Malcolm said. “To know that it’s still benefiting the nonprofits, but ultimately benefiting the recipients of the program, of the neighbors and communities that we serve.”
Malcolm hopes that more community development nonprofits will apply for Mission Elevation in the future, and even said that Rebuilding Together Richmond could benefit from joining again if they ever experienced any major structural changes within the organization. He emphasized the quality of time spent on growing and planning in his reflections on the program.
“Being a part of initiatives and cohorts such as mission elevation allows you to take a step back from our day-to-day innerworkings and be more strategic about the future.” Malcolm said. “It really allows you to spend intentional time planning for the future, because you have to designate certain time and you’re held accountable from your coach, from your partner, from your colleagues. I think that that is an experience that I feel like may seem uncommon for many, because we’ve been so stuck into the day-to-day operations. I would advise anyone to take the time to participate in Mission Elevation.”
Learn more about Rebuilding Together Richmond and the organization’s impact here.
