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.

Encores of the Month

Looking to find and share with colleagues?

IdeaEncore provides an easy way for your organization to share what it knows, learn from others, and earn unrestricted income. Select YNPN-San Diego as your "Primary Professional Affiliation" when you sign up for your free account to access special discounts and members only resources.

Recruitment Diversity: Identifying and Developing an Applicant Pool
Created by the Corporation for National and Community Service (Free)

Every Nonprofit’s Guide to Publishing
Published by Nolo Press Lab ($17.99)

On the Rise: A profile of Women of Color in Leadership
Shared by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services (Free)

Preparing the Path to Leadership
Shared by EDA Consulting ($10)

Leadership with a Multicultural Twist
Created by the Society for Human Resource Management (Free)

Working Together in Our Community

We've now passed our 3 year birthday as an organization, and as we continue to grow, we're always looking to make new friends.

That's why tomorrow, you'll find us reaching out to the Mission Valley Sunset Rotary Club at their Wednesday mixer at the Randy Jones All American Grill in Hazard Center. We expect to see quite a few of our YNPN members, and are excited to see how our organizations' membership crosses over. We'd love to see you there!

Established just summer (2010, already!), the Mission Valley Sunset Rotary Club is a service-oriented organization whose membership is closely aligned with our own. In fact, you may even see some familiar faces in their ranks!

Here are the details:
Location: Randy Jones All American Sports Grill, 7510 Hazard Center Drive, Suite #215, San Diego, CA 92108
Time: Starts at 5:30pm
Event information: The suggested $10 donation gets you appetizers and drink specials.

So come on out and drop by for a beverage and some conversation before the Pads play the Diamondbacks. It's a great way to beat downtown traffic!

Cosmos and Causes, Wednesday, July 20

It's about that time for another great YNPN Meet & Greet event, especially given the perfect weather we've had lately! What better venue could we ask for than a gathering at the Cosmopolitan in Old Town tomorrow, Wednesday (July 20) to get together with old friends, and to make new ones. With over 75 attendees confirmed, this classically restored hotel can host many more, so we hope you can join us between 6 and 8 pm. Our theme, Cosmos and Causes, is sure to delight, if for nothing else than because it is a great combination!

With $5 food and drink specials, we'll also be raffling off a VAVi Sport & Social certificate, just to make sure you really enjoy your summer. So while the sun's still shining till 8, don't just go home after work. Come and join us at the Cosmopolitan--you'll be glad you did!

RSVP for Wednesday's Cosmos and Causes event here.

IdeaEncore Resources of the Month

Looking to find and share resources with colleagues?
IdeaEncore provides an easy way for you to share what it know, learn from others in the nonprofit sector and earn unrestricted income for your organization. Check out these resources to help you network and build important nonprofit skills. And don't forget to select Young Nonprofit Professionals-San Diego (YNPN-SD) as your Primary Professional Association when you sign up for a free IdeaEncore account.

Networking for Job Seekers - Useful Step by Step Guide
Shared by Acumen Fund (Free)

Using Social Media for Fundraising

Shared by CJW Consulting & Services, Inc. ($20)

Power Skills: How Volunteerism Shapes Professional Success

Created by Women’s Way and Shared by Issue Lab (Free)

Basic Grantwriting – Online Course

Shared by Grant Central US ($99)

Nonprofit Job SitesDirectory

Shared by Blue Avocado, a project of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services (Free)

Propelling Your Future

Professional development is one of those aspects of a career that can be easily overlooked. If you're caught up in the day-to-day grind of work or bogged down by too many commitments, isn't time to ponder why you haven't progressed to a place where these frustrations aren't a problem?

Consider professional development as one of those outlets where you're enriching yourself as an employee and as an individual--thereby furthering your own life goals to work in concert with the nonprofit organization of which you are a part.

Tonight, June 7, YNPN San Diego is hosting one of those life-changing career workshops. We're presenting "Three Things Holding Back Your Nonprofit Career" from 6-8pm at the United Way San Diego, guided by Paul Redfern, an Encinitas-based CPA specializing in non-profit and entrepreneurial accounting. During the workshop, Paul will guide us through the pitfalls of common financial practices and highlight guidelines for making sound financial decisions.

Before the workshop starts, we're also hosting a casual networking session with light appetizers and wine. It's not too late to sign up, so we hope you can make it!