Blog Post: YNPN San Diego Robert Egger Event

Hi YNPN-ers~

Recently, YNPN San Diego found out that Robert Egger is coming to Southern California! Egger is truly one of the innovators and visionaries in the nonprofit sector and he loves YNPN!

One Voice for Change, about Robert Egger…

Robert Egger is the Founder and President of the DC Central Kitchen, where unemployed men and women learn marketable culinary skills while foods donated by restaurants, hotels and caterers are converted into balanced meals. He is also the Co-Convener of the first ever Nonprofit Congress and the founder of the V3 campaign, which is working to get the voice, value and votes of the nonprofit sector recognized in every election in America.

As some of you have seen by now, we have partnered with YNPNla and YNPN Inland Empire for an event with Egger on the evening of October 22nd in LA. While we know it is a haul for many of you, we hope that you might have the opportunity to attend this event as we know it will be fabulous.

We also very lucky to have Egger coming to San Diego. He is a native San Diegan and is speaking as the lunch plenary at SANDAN's annual conference. He has generously agreed to meet with any group of YNPN San Diego members that are available the morning of October 24. Wanting to take Egger up on this opportunity and connect his incredible work to our members, we are quickly working to pull together an event on October 24 at 10:00 a.m.

We understand that the timing may be awkward and unconventional from our regular events and hope that some of you will still be able to join us for this unique opportunity. We will determine a location for the event on October 15 once we have received all of the RSVPs. All members will receive an invitation in the coming week, so be on the look out and RSVP ASAP! The opportunity to meet with Egger will most likely be an informal, one-on-one conversation in an intimate setting like a coffee shop.

Thank you to Egger and his assistant, Erin Littlestar, for helping to make this possible and thank you to all the YNPN San Diego committee members helping with this incredible event! Check back with the YNPN San Diego blog and website for more details...

Blog Post: YNPN San Diego's Story

For years various emerging leaders in the San Diego community have been interested in starting an YNPN chapter in San Diego. In March 20008, Emily Davis relocated here from Denver, CO and immediately looked for the local chapter. She served on the Denver YNPN Board of Directors as the Secretary and loved the experience. Being new to the community, she knew that YNPN could be THE network where should would be able to connect with other young nonprofit professionals both personally and professionally.

After talking with some of her new acquaintances at Emerging Practioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) and Association of Fundraising Professionals San Diego (AFP) she learned that no chapter existed, but that people were interested in having one. Emily (a.k.a. "Ed" to YNPN-ers) submitted the paperwork to the national YNPN and set up a website - the same website you see at now.

While building the website, she used her experience as a consultant and a board member at Denver YNPN to create job descriptions, committee descriptions, and the beginnings of a vision for YNPN San Diego. Now all she needed were people...

By an incredible twist of fate, Ed learned about Heather Carpenter at the AFP International Conference in March. Heather had coordinated a networking event sponsored by USD and Opportunity Knocks the night after the AFP International Conference finished. At that event, she hoped to find out what the interest would be in launching a local YNPN chapter.

Heather had been involved in the San Francisco Bay Area YNPN and had years of nonprofit experience. Her focus and passion was on leadership within the nonprofit sector and she currently serves as a consultant, blogger, and PhD student! Heather invited Ed to attend the event and the pieces began to fall into place.

Ed arrived at the event with sign up sheets, YNPN San Diego business cards, and half-sheet flyers explaining who YNPN San Diego would be and to get people to participate. That event brought in the first forty YNPN San Diego members.

Board and committee applications came in rapidly as enthusiasm and interest for the local chapter mounted. Soon thereafter, there were 10 board members and multiple committees. As of August 2008, YNPN San Diego had over 250 members, hosted two successful networking events (a total of 160 attendees at the events), and created an incredible board and committees. YNPN San Diego continues to need your support through volunteering on our many committees. To find out more information, be sure to visit the YNPN San Diego website and watch for upcoming networking and professional development opportunities!

Thank you to the San Diego community and everyone who has been a part of making the YNPN San Diego chapter possible. It is because of your support that we have been able to be successful. Your continued support will be critical in YNPN San Diego's future.

Fieldstone Foundation: Executive Learning Group

Today I had the opportunity to meet Janine Mason, Executive Director of the Fieldstone Foundation. The Fieldstone Foundation's mission is to provide grants, leadership development, and service to non-profit organizations working to support people in our communities.

The Executive Learning Group is a series of monthly one-day seminars over a six-month period, a select group of executives learn state-of-the-art nonprofit management models as they work through specific problems and issues of their own. Guided by an organizational specialist, the Executive Learning Group provides the rare opportunity for nonprofit leaders to meet in a confidential and supportive environment. In this atmosphere of trust, they are able to overcome their sense of isolation and discover new resources in shared experiences and directed learning modules. Topics covered include the seven S's of effective organizations, effective group problem solving approaches, and how to build a learning organization.

Each fast-moving seminar is broken into five sessions:

• The presentation of a current problem by two members, which the group will work to clarify and then to develop solutions.
• Discussion of the real-world effectiveness of solutions worked out at the previous meeting.
• A resource sharing period, the results of which are compiled in a take-home resource guide.
• A presentation and discussion by the facilitator or another expert on a particular management model or topic requested by the group.
• A group evaluation of the day and how the group can improve its usefulness to one another.

The cost is $350 per person, with all other costs underwritten by The Fieldstone Foundation. Each Learning Group is selected from among the applicants to achieve a balance among size of organization and individual experience. Groups are formed annually. Available in Orange County and San Diego Counties in Southern California, and in Salt Lake City, Utah.

If you would like to participate in the program or have any questions, please contact Robin Stropko or click here to Request additional information.

This is an OUTSTANDING opportunity for emerging leaders in the nonprofit sector here in San Diego and the application for 2009 is now open. We at YNPN San Diego encourage members to contact the Fieldstone Foundation for more details!

Heather Carpenter and the San Diego Giving Report

CONGRATULATIONS to YNPN San Diego's own Heather Carpenter for her outstanding job on the innovative San Diego Grantmaking Report. This morning USD filled an auditorium with people representing private and community foundations, corporate philanthropists, nonprofits and more to learn about the results of this incredible research.

Heather was one of the authors in the research and focused primarily on the corporate giving section. We encourage you all to read and share the report which can be found at the San Diego Grantmakers website and to learn more about Heather below! As the Vice Chair and one of YNPN San Diego's founding board members, Heather demonstrates outstanding leadership both for YNPN San Diego and other nonprofit organizations around the community, the state, and the country. Make sure to meet her at one of our upcoming networking events.

Heather Carpenter, M.M.N.A., has served as a Nonprofit Manager, Consultant, Speaker and Trainer to nonprofit organizations in California and Illinois for over 7 years. She earned her Masters of Management in Nonprofit Administration from North Park University in Chicago, Illinois. Heather is currently pursuing her PhD in Leadership at the University of San Diego and serves as a Research Assistant in the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research. Heather has authored several practical Nonprofit Management Toolkits and blogs about Nonprofit Leadership at:
http://www.nonprofitleadership601.blogspot.com

YNPN SD Membership Committee positions open!

Caitlyn McTaggart is one of the founding board members of YNPN San Diego and is now the chair of the Membership Committee. Read below for exciting details about the future efforts of this great committee!!

From Caitlyn...

Have you ever wondered how you can give back to your community, while simultaneously networking with your peers and ensuring that the needs of San Diego’s young nonprofit professionals are fulfilled? If so, we have a great opportunity for you.

YNPN San Diego is embarking on a very exciting venture—the development of its Membership Committee. As the Chair of the Membership Committee, I strongly believe that the success of YNPN San Diego is ultimately dependent on the size and diversity of our membership base. Since becoming an YNPN San Diego board member four months ago, I have seen time and time again the potential of YNPN San Diego to impact the lives of hundreds of nonprofit professionals throughout the community through networking, career and professional development opportunities. However, the key to making this kind of impact upon the community is having a strong membership base. That is why at YNPN San Diego, membership is our top priority.

The responsibilities of the Membership Committee offer committee members great diversity in projects to get involved with, as well as the opportunity to directly impact our members and the community at large. The YNPN San Diego Membership Committee will not only oversee member relations, but will be responsible for the chapter’s fundraising, technology and marketing activities, as well. A few of the exciting projects we will be working on include, but are not limited to:

• Creating and maintaining various vehicles by which to enhance communication with our members, such as a brochure, quarterly newsletters and weekly blog postings.
• Developing a marketing strategy for YNPN San Diego to ensure that we are effectively reaching potential members.
• Developing fundraising strategies including sponsor benefit levels for organizations interested in partnering with YNPN San Diego.
• Planning and implementing an annual membership appreciation event, by which to recognize and appreciate our members.

Although this Committee is tasked with many projects, it will undoubtedly be a fun and exciting opportunity that you will NOT want to miss out on! The time commitment is minimal, particularly when compared to the impact that you will have on the nonprofit community here in San Diego.

So far I have recruited a small handful of people to help with the committee, but I need MANY more members to ensure that our member communication, fundraising and technology efforts are as effective as possible. I encourage each of you to consider making a difference in the community and joining the Membership Committee today!

If you are interested, or would like additional information about the Membership Committee, please visit the YNPN San Diego website to see the full Membership Committee description and fill out a committee application

OR contact YNPN San Diego at sandiego@ynpn.org.