Recognizing the Unrecognized

I had the honor of attending Stay Classy’s 3rdAnnual Classy Awards last weekend - a red carpet event recognizing the top philanthropic achievements by charities, businesses and individuals nationwide.  What an amazing evening it was:  I cried, laughed, and gave big hugs to those sitting around me.

Leading up to the event, people from all over the country nominated and voted for Charity of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Best Use of Social Media, Most Creative Fundraiser, and for the first time, Young Nonprofit Professional of the Year. Reading the stories and impact of the young nonprofit professionals that were nominated was inspiring, but did make me think about all those young nonprofit professionals that were not nominated.   There are so many of those who, day after day, make a difference, touch lives, and often times go unrecognized.

To all you young nonprofit professionals, I would just like to say, THANK YOU…

• For dedicating your professional career to the nonprofit sector,
• For working long hours,
• For volunteering on your off-hours for other causes you care about,
• For being a philanthropist,
• For turning down other higher paying jobs,
• For dealing with “old school” technology,
• For leading the way in cause awareness through social media,
• For asking questions and challenging the status quo,
• For “volun-telling” your friends and family to donate, volunteer and get involved,
• For taking your professional development into your own hands, and 
• For dedicating your professional career to the nonprofit sector.

  

You aren’t necessary the founders, executive directors, board chairmen, or sometimes even part of the leadership team at your organization (yet!), but you work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure your organization meets its mission. Whomever you are and whatever your role within your organization, thank you!

Thank you, too, Stay Classy for having given us the opportunity to recognize the achievements and impact of our sector.

Thanks to YNPN San Diego Co-Chair Jaci Feinstein for the blog contribution!  To learn more about YNPN San Diego, follow us @ynpnsandiego or find us on Facebook.  We look forward to seeing you at our next event.

Highlight: Classy Awards Nominee for Young Nonprofit Leader of the Year, Meg Storer

Meg Storer has been a part of 2-1-1 San Diego for 8 years, helping to brand it and support its growth from a 1.5  million dollar budget to its current 4.5 million dollar budget. Meg started with completing the CPUC application, organizing events, outreach, press releases and building relationships in the community from Qualcomm to city managers. Those relationships have since flourished, with giving from some of San Diego’s top foundations, individuals and corporations. While Meg has built 2-1-1′s annual event from having 300 to more than 650 attendees, she has also worked to bring awareness of the 2-1-1 service to the thousands of nonprofits that need to be connected to better serve our community.

Meg Storer first came to 2-1-1 when it was located in a small shop with a few folks on the phones, taking calls from hard-pressed individuals needing help and not knowing where to turn. Meg played a major role with the launch of 2-1-1 in 2005, writing and sending press releases to convey the message of what 2-1-1 is, responding to media inquiries about this new organization, and conducting outreach at events. Meg then moved into the role of ensuring that 2-1-1 staff gave accurate referrals via her position as Quality Assurance Manager. CEO John Ohanian recognized Meg’s tremendous efforts to spread the word and promoted Meg to Communications and Development Manager. 

In this position, Meg helped to re-brand the organization, building out an entirely new website, managing the development of 2-1-1 social media, managing the needs of the Board of Directors, being the “handler” for the 2-1-1 CEO, and writing grants to support the organizations operations and new special programs, which she simultaneously assisted in building out. Meg is known for “getting it done” no matter what the effort. Her current passion lies with helping 2-1-1 develop its current partnership with other organizations to grow its military and veterans program, a program Meg finds very dear to her heart because of her own experience as a military wife. She knows the isolation one can feel when you don’t know where to turn when your loved one is abroad, and she uses those emotions as fuel to help 2-1-1 and its special programs thrive more than ever.

Thanks to our partner, StayClassy, and best of luck to Meg.  Visit the Stay Classy site to get tickets for the September 17 awards ceremony.

Highlight: Classy Awards Nominee for Young Nonprofit Leader of the Year, Amy Harmon

Raised in a struggling low-income family, Amy blossomed as a woman sweetly fierce about her calling to make higher education accessible to all. Amy has over 11 years of service and commitment in nonprofit management and fundraising, from Executive Director of an organization empowering young woman (which she appeared on Oprah for) to recently becoming the San Diego State University College of Education’s Director of Development.

Where does vision and commitment to a cause come from? Amy’s story is rare and one of transcendence and persistence. In modern society it is one thing to grow up urban poor and it is another to grow up rural poor, with very litle access to resources/services, dilapidated and unfunded schools, and no community supports for miles. Amy grew up in rural Kentucky, with her three older brothers and parents, in a place where school success could have easily taken a back seat to the growl of a hungry stomach and the struggles of home life. Not to mention, without the simple luxury of indoor plumbing, mid-night treks to the outhouse do not lend to a good nights sleep, particularly in the winter. Many times it is through difficulty and trial the most beautiful things form. Amy’s spirit and humble altruism is a testament to that proverb. Thanks to the help of a high school guidance counselor, Amy discovered Berea College; a small private liberal arts college where bright low-income students attend tuition-free. It was there that she discovered her passion for the power of education to change lives.

Only in her early 30s, Amy has raised millions of dollars for numerous worthy causes, none dearer to her heart than giving those less privileged a shot at higher education. For Amy, these stories are personal and will tell you of the impact a college education had on her life. To her and those she fundraises to support, college is more than classes that lead to a job, but a saving grace, a pathway out of poverty and a shot at destiny. Amy is a living testimony of her work, work that is breaking generational cycles of poverty and bringing hope to society’s forgotten youth.

Highlight: Classy Awards Nominee for Young Nonprofit Leader of the Year, Emily Davis

For more than 15 years Emily has been committed to the nonprofit sector as employee, trainer, board member, philanthropist, and consultant. Currently, Emily serves as the Executive Director for the Hemophilia Society of Colorado and is authoring a publication for the AFP Fund Series, Fundraising and the Next Generation, due out in 2012. Emily serves on a number of committees and advisory boards including Social Venture Partners of Boulder County, Nonprofit World Magazine, and Nonprofit Cultivation Center. Her passion is serving cause she truly believes in and strengthening the entire nonprofit community by leveraging every generation for the future. Her impact is vast as she continues to develop leadership, engage in conversations, and coach the next generation of nonprofit and philanthropic leaders.

Emily’s upbringing included a significant mix philanthropic and nonprofit exposure which is where her passion for nonprofit work started. In college, Emily shifted her focus from a career in dance to a full time commitment to the nonprofit sector. Emily’s work in ending violence against women & women’s health proved to be an enormous asset to her as she formally launched her nonprofit work. Emily began her career working in the field of ending violence against women more than 15 years ago as a community activist, victim advocate, and trainer. After focusing on women’s health and sexual assault, she became involved in environmental issues, international human rights, and philanthropy. In 2007, Emily completed innovative research, Preparing the Path to Leadership, on emerging leaders within the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. She is currently writing a book for the AFP Fund Series through Wile Publications, Fundraising and the Next Generation, due out in 2012. She continues to serve as a consultant on multi-generational issues in both philanthropy, fundraising, and the nonprofit sector. Emily is a consultant for multi-generational family philanthropy through 21/64, part of the Brofman Philanthropies.

Emily understands all that it takes to start a nonprofit and employ best practices when starting a business; she herself has started a nonprofit in San Diego, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network San Diego and now serves as the Executive Director for the Hemophilia Society of Colorado. She continues to train on topics such as board development, social media for nonprofits, and fundraising from the next generation. Recently, Emily completed serving as an adjunct professor in the fundraising and development certificate program at UCSD Extension in 2011. Emily has served in numerous leadership roles for organizations such as YNPN Denver, Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, Colorado College’s Public Interest Fellowship Program and many more. Emily serves on a number of committees and advisory boards including Social Venture Partners of Boulder County, The Gordian Fund, Nonprofit World Magazine, and Nonprofit Cultivation Center.

Please note this is Part 1 of a three-part series wherein YNPN San Diego highlights the three San Diego leaders nominated for the 2011 Classy Awards Young Nonprofit Leader of the Year honor.

Start Voting Today!

YNPN San Diego is one of the TOP FIVE finalists for a Classy Award in the category of Most Innovative Use of Social Media. We need all of our members and their networks to vote for us before October 22. YNPN San Diego has spent the last few years building a network for the San Diego nonprofit community and now is the time you can give back! Help recognize our volunteer efforts to lead YNPN San Diego and provide you with all kinds of good information. We need your support today... please join us in recognizing YNPN San Diego's efforts!

VOTE TODAY!!

Outstanding Young Nonprofit Leader Nomination

Do you know a young nonprofit professional in San Diego (under the age of 40) that goes above and beyond the call of duty? Now is your chance to nominate them for recognition at the 2nd Annual Classy Awards to be held on November 7th, 2010. The recipient of this recognition will be announced on stage at the Classy Awards in front of the more than 1000 award ceremony attendees.

All you have to do is complete a simple, three-question nomination form at by Sunday, October 10th at 5:00pm. Please keep each answer to 150 words or less. The survey includes the following information:

• Nominator Name
• Nominator Email
• Nominator Phone
• Nominee Name
• Nominee Email
• Nominee Phone
• Please describe the nominee's involvement in the San Diego nonprofit community.
• Please describe the nominee's achievements over the past year.
• Share a personal story about how this person has impacted your life, or the life of someone else in the community.

To complete the survey and nominate someone, please click here!

The Process: YNPN San Diego will be responsible for determining the finalists and recipient of this recognitions.

• YNPN San Diego accepts nominations which will be reviewed and scored by the YNPN San Diego Partnership Committee.
• The Partnership Committee will select three top nominees based on the selection criteria.
• The YNPN San Diego Advisory Board will review top three nominees and at their October 19th board meeting and make a final selection.
• The Partnership Committee will contact the finalist for final review.

Recognition: The honored recipient will be asked to provide a photo to share in the 2nd Annual Classy Awards montage and will be recognized on stage at the Classy Awards on November 7th.

Thank you to everyone who nominates an outstanding young nonprofit leader!! This is great way to honor and support the next generation of amazing leaders in the San Diego nonprofit community - join the movement today!

To complete the survey and nominate someone, please click here!

Nominate YNPN San Diego!

YNPN San Diego needs your help! We are asking our members to take a few minutes to nominate us for the award, Most Innovative Use of Social Media, through the Stay Classy Awards. Share with Stay Classy how the online network and community YNPN San Diego provides helps you and makes a difference. The winner of this category will receive a $10,000 donation! YNPN San Diego could certainly use this to keep our services going.

While YNPN San Diego is run primarily by volunteers, we need funding to keep services and programming available for our membership. A lot goes into maintaining our online communications. Nominating us for a Stay Classy Award is a great way to support our efforts without spending a dime... although we would love that too!

All you need to do is complete a simple, short online form and let them know why YNPN San Diego should be nominated. Thanks in advance for taking the time to support your network of emerging nonprofit leaders!