Scaling Without Losing Our Soul: What I Learned as a Grassroots Organization on a National Stage

February 2, 2026

For the past 15 years, Ladies of Virtue has been deeply rooted in Chicago, walking alongside Black girls from fourth grade through early adulthood, building relationships, developing leaders, and advocating for systems that are meant to protect them.

Recently, I had the opportunity to bring that work onto a national stage while pitching at 92NY. The experience offered both visibility and clarity.

It also created space for reflection.

Here’s what standing in a national room taught me about what grassroots organizations truly need in order to grow responsibly and what funders may want to consider more deeply as they think about long-term impact.

1. Scale Does Not Have to Mean Distance from Community 

There’s a common assumption that growth requires moving away from the communities that shaped you. What I learned is that the opposite can be true.

Our credibility on a national stage came because we are deeply embedded in community not in spite of it. The relationships, trust, and long-term commitment we’ve built in Chicago are what allowed our model to resonate beyond city limits.

True scale isn’t about expanding everywhere. It’s about deepening what works and creating pathways for others to learn from it.

For funders, this is a reminder that proximity to community is not a risk, it’s an asset.

2. Partnership Is More Powerful Than Replication 

Over the past few months, I’ve connected with community-based leaders across the country, many of whom are navigating similar challenges, pressures, and questions about growth.

What became clear through those conversations is that the future isn’t about one organization doing it all. It’s about partnership over competition.

Rather than replicating ourselves everywhere, we’re being intentional about where and how we grow, focusing on cities where our alumni are already rooted and partnering with aligned organizations to:

• Support mentor training.

• Expand LOV Day initiatives to spark awareness nationally and multi-year programming to sustain impact locally.

• Launch LOV Clubs where alumni are present and leading.

Scale rooted in partnership preserves integrity and strengthens impact without stretching organizations beyond what is sustainable or healthy.

3. Systems Change Resonates More Than Programs Alone 

While direct service matters deeply, what consistently resonated in national conversations was our systems-level approach.

Ladies of Virtue doesn’t just serve Black girls, we work to change the environments around them by:

• Advocating for restorative discipline practices.

• Training educators and mentors to build authentic relationships with Black girls.

• Partnering with corporations to strengthen workforce exposure and internship experiences.

People are listening for solutions that shift outcomes at scale, not just programs that respond after harm has already occurred.

Grassroots organizations are often closest to these solutions because they are closest to the people.

4. Investing in Black Girls Is Not Yet a Priority And That Must Change 

One of the most sobering and motivating realizations from this experience was seeing how often investment in Black girls is still framed as optional rather than essential.

Prevention, relationship-building, and long-term leadership development are frequently undervalued in favor of reactive solutions. Yet we know that when Black girls are supported early, academically, emotionally, and socially, outcomes shift dramatically.

The organizations closest to Black girls are often asked to do the most with the least, even as they hold many of the solutions philanthropy says it is searching for.

Being in national spaces reaffirmed something I hold firmly: I will not soften the case for why Black girls deserve sustained, intentional investment. Not as an add-on. But as a priority. 

5. Staying Rooted Is a Leadership Mandate 

Leadership isn’t defined by access to growth, visibility, or opportunity. It’s defined by the decisions you make once you have them.

Ladies of Virtue will always remain hyper-local to Chicago. This city is not just where our work began, it is where our responsibility lives. It is where accountability is real, relationships are long-term, and impact is measured in trust built over time, not headlines gained overnight.

At the same time, choosing to stay rooted does not mean choosing to stay confined.

We are open to national partnerships that allow our work, lessons, and alumni leadership to inform and support communities beyond our city, without extracting from the people who made the work possible. That means sharing practices, not ownership. Influence, not displacement. Growth that honors origin.

For grassroots leaders, this is an affirmation that you don’t have to trade integrity for opportunity. And for funders, it’s a reminder that the most responsible leaders are often those who choose depth, accountability, and stewardship even when expansion is available.

Moving Forward 

This experience has motivated me to pursue additional national opportunities, not for visibility alone, but to build bridges with people and organizations who share our values and long-term vision.

For grassroots leaders, I hope this affirms that you don’t have to abandon your values to grow. And for funders, I hope it’s a reminder that the most transformative investments are rooted in long-term relationships, not short-term outcomes.

Growth doesn’t require compromising who we are or who we serve.

It means staying rooted while building something bigger for Black girls.