Initiated in 1985, a three-day Leadership Development Seminar in Louisville, Kentucky, included a training agenda that focused on technical assistance in such areas as administration, problem solving, and program and policy development. Through role-playing, this three-day exercise examined the tasks performed by leaders and took participants to the heart of some of the most interesting and realistic questions concerning leadership and leadership styles.

Held at the Aspen Institute in 1986, the NCBW Colloquy generated three research outcomes: a Louis Harris study entitled "A Survey of Leaders on Leadership Development and Empowerment for Black Women"; four research papers ("Inheriting the Legacy of Leadership," by Paula Giddings; "From a Tiehold to a Foothold: Economic Status and Empowerment of Black Women," by Julianne Malveaux; "Black Female Political Empowerment: A Plan for Self-Help," by Linda Faye Williams; and "A Critical Policy Issue: Meeting the Needs of Black Youth, by Lynn C. Burbridge); and a generational plan of action entitled "Inheriting the Legacy of Leadership: A 20-Year Blueprint for Black Women."

In 1989, 67 chapter presidents, board members, and leadership-succession candidates participated in a three-day leadership conference in Alexandria, Virginia. Conducted by United Way, the conference was designed to increase participants' understanding of nonprofit organizations, to define leadership roles and issues and to increase board effectiveness.
And in 1993, NCBW members who participated in their chapters’ mentorship or literacy program attended a two-day, Individual Leadership Skills Training program. Held in Richmond, Virginia, the program focused first on personal values, decisions and programs and then expanded to organizational issues.