I hear more and more everyday about young nonprofit professionals who are either looking for a job in the nonprofit sector or who are looking to advance their careers. YNPN San Diego is excited to have an expert on the topic who is going to be available to share her expertise with our membership on June 16th. Join Laura Otting Gassner from Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group to talk about how to advance your career and build the career you want. Register here and we hope to see you there!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Career Advice for You on June 16th
I hear more and more everyday about young nonprofit professionals who are either looking for a job in the nonprofit sector or who are looking to advance their careers. YNPN San Diego is excited to have an expert on the topic who is going to be available to share her expertise with our membership on June 16th. Join Laura Otting Gassner from Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group to talk about how to advance your career and build the career you want. Register here and we hope to see you there!
Continuing Education Resources on June 17th
There are only a few weeks left to register for the upcoming YNPN San Diego Meet and Greet on June 17th. It's a graduation theme which means that we will have organizations at the event who provide continuing education opportunities in the nonprofit community. These organizations include:It's going to be a great networking event where you can gather information and even invite a recent grad who might be interested in the nonprofit community. Register today!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Strategic Planning with NP Strategies
There has been a lot of strategic planning going around lately. This weekend, YNPN San Diego spent all of Saturday discussing our strategic plan with the facilitation and preparation by NP Strategies. It was an amazing experience and with the help of a company that professionally facilitates these business planning conversations.
Prior to the in-person meeting, NP Strategies took the time to gather information through our database and both internal and external interviews. They reviewed our materials, including our visioning process from Van Dolah and Associates and were able to clearly and accurately synthesize the information. One of the best pieces of information we heard was that the YNPN San Diego's mission is clearly understood by both our internal and external stakeholders. With so many complicated and bulky mission statements in the community, this felt like a real success.
NP Strategies facilitated our strategic planning process with three primary individuals including their Executive Director, an intern, and a third associate who is actually a YNPN San Diego board member. So you could say that the strategic planning was facilitated both internally and externally. We benefited enormously from having an outside facilitator the day of the strategic planning retreat which allowed us to talk through all the pieces of the plan without wearing too many hats. As a result, the organization came away with a common vision and ownership of the organization; we became more concise in the direction of our programming and, therefore, our funding and communications.
Having an outside company that specializes in strategic planning helped YNPN San Diego to identify everything from our theory of change to the quality of our programs. If you have an academic program in your area that teaches strategic planning you could always consider having a student facilitate your strategic planning for low or no cost.
One of the ways that YNPN San Diego builds its "next gen" leadership is by providing them with access to experiences like strategic planning. Any organization can encourage younger staff and volunteers to join a board and learn more about the process so that they can bring it back to your organization, helping to serve your mission to grow and investing in the professional development of future leaders.
Many thanks to NP Strategies for all their help in focusing YNPN San Diego’s efforts and making sure that we are all moving towards the same goals with a common vision!
Prior to the in-person meeting, NP Strategies took the time to gather information through our database and both internal and external interviews. They reviewed our materials, including our visioning process from Van Dolah and Associates and were able to clearly and accurately synthesize the information. One of the best pieces of information we heard was that the YNPN San Diego's mission is clearly understood by both our internal and external stakeholders. With so many complicated and bulky mission statements in the community, this felt like a real success.
NP Strategies facilitated our strategic planning process with three primary individuals including their Executive Director, an intern, and a third associate who is actually a YNPN San Diego board member. So you could say that the strategic planning was facilitated both internally and externally. We benefited enormously from having an outside facilitator the day of the strategic planning retreat which allowed us to talk through all the pieces of the plan without wearing too many hats. As a result, the organization came away with a common vision and ownership of the organization; we became more concise in the direction of our programming and, therefore, our funding and communications.
Having an outside company that specializes in strategic planning helped YNPN San Diego to identify everything from our theory of change to the quality of our programs. If you have an academic program in your area that teaches strategic planning you could always consider having a student facilitate your strategic planning for low or no cost.
One of the ways that YNPN San Diego builds its "next gen" leadership is by providing them with access to experiences like strategic planning. Any organization can encourage younger staff and volunteers to join a board and learn more about the process so that they can bring it back to your organization, helping to serve your mission to grow and investing in the professional development of future leaders.
Many thanks to NP Strategies for all their help in focusing YNPN San Diego’s efforts and making sure that we are all moving towards the same goals with a common vision!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Guest Opinion: The Funding Challenge for YNPN San Diego
From Emily Davis' Next Gen Consulting Cafe. Emily is the Co-Founder and Board Chair for YNPN San Diego...
As many of you know, I am the co-founder and board chair for YNPN San Diego. It has been an enormously successful nonprofit association here in San Diego and clearly serves a great need and gaps in our community as we now have nearly 600 members! The organization is 100% volunteer run which is great, but we also need funds to keep up our programs, support and encourage our volunteers, find a permanent office, and potentially hire at least a part-time staff member.
We've moved through all the best practices to date - setting up a fiscal sponsorship with Volunteer San Diego rather than creating our own 501c3 (avoiding duplication and increasing collaboration); creating a fundraising committee to implement our fundraising strategies; and developing a fundraising plan before even implementing those strategies. It's been an awesome experience for all of our committee members and now the key is putting it to work.
There have been a couple extremely generous funders who have been willing to help this organization get up and running including the Leichtag Family Foundation by way of the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego and Sempra Energy who provided YNPN San Diego with its FIRST grant. Both have been enormously helpful in so many ways - we have been able to develop and provide new programs to our nearly 600 members and communicate the importance of a network to the San Diego community.
What I have been surprised at as a new-comer to San Diego is the lack of support from foundations in the area for an organization like ours which could be seen as a capacity-building or infrastructure organization. I've been told that there isn't enough funding for an organization like ours and yet I see stories for emergency funding for fire pits. Who is going to be the future of making sure those fire pits are operational? Who will run the programs? YNPN San Diego is the future of ensuring there is leadership to make sure the beautification of San Diego is intact, that human services organizations have staff and volunteers in the future, and that the sector as a whole continues with mindful and powerful leadership.
I am not one to complain without providing a solution...I think would be a GREAT solution is to have all the community foundations pool together a small amount of dollars to make a large impact on the San Diego nonprofit community and sustainability. If every community and/or private foundation contributed $2000 of unrestricted funds annually, it would allow YNPN San Diego to serve a greater part of the San Diego nonprofit community and provide support and resources to those individuals who run the programs that these foundations fund in their program areas.
YNPN San Diego finds itself at the point where enough individual donations and grant dollars aren't coming in enough to sustain the organization. The organization is looking to implement membership dues and while they are affordable dues for many members, it may limit who can participate in YNPNSD fully. To even implement membership dues, we need funding for a database, staff, support to make sure that we can implement and manage membership effectively. Who will rise to that occasion?
I'm eager to help design a sustainable and equitable way to support the current and future generation of leaders as well as the entire YNPN San Diego sector, but we can't do it alone. Every dollar counts and every funder (individual, corporate, or foundation) has a responsibility to maintain the strength of YNPN San Diego. YNPN San Diego has become a critical piece of the local nonprofit by developing staff, volunteers, and board members here in San Diego.
We know that YNPN San Diego makes an impact and has an important presence in the community - what will you do to help make sure that continues?
As many of you know, I am the co-founder and board chair for YNPN San Diego. It has been an enormously successful nonprofit association here in San Diego and clearly serves a great need and gaps in our community as we now have nearly 600 members! The organization is 100% volunteer run which is great, but we also need funds to keep up our programs, support and encourage our volunteers, find a permanent office, and potentially hire at least a part-time staff member.
We've moved through all the best practices to date - setting up a fiscal sponsorship with Volunteer San Diego rather than creating our own 501c3 (avoiding duplication and increasing collaboration); creating a fundraising committee to implement our fundraising strategies; and developing a fundraising plan before even implementing those strategies. It's been an awesome experience for all of our committee members and now the key is putting it to work.
There have been a couple extremely generous funders who have been willing to help this organization get up and running including the Leichtag Family Foundation by way of the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego and Sempra Energy who provided YNPN San Diego with its FIRST grant. Both have been enormously helpful in so many ways - we have been able to develop and provide new programs to our nearly 600 members and communicate the importance of a network to the San Diego community.
What I have been surprised at as a new-comer to San Diego is the lack of support from foundations in the area for an organization like ours which could be seen as a capacity-building or infrastructure organization. I've been told that there isn't enough funding for an organization like ours and yet I see stories for emergency funding for fire pits. Who is going to be the future of making sure those fire pits are operational? Who will run the programs? YNPN San Diego is the future of ensuring there is leadership to make sure the beautification of San Diego is intact, that human services organizations have staff and volunteers in the future, and that the sector as a whole continues with mindful and powerful leadership.
I am not one to complain without providing a solution...I think would be a GREAT solution is to have all the community foundations pool together a small amount of dollars to make a large impact on the San Diego nonprofit community and sustainability. If every community and/or private foundation contributed $2000 of unrestricted funds annually, it would allow YNPN San Diego to serve a greater part of the San Diego nonprofit community and provide support and resources to those individuals who run the programs that these foundations fund in their program areas.
YNPN San Diego finds itself at the point where enough individual donations and grant dollars aren't coming in enough to sustain the organization. The organization is looking to implement membership dues and while they are affordable dues for many members, it may limit who can participate in YNPNSD fully. To even implement membership dues, we need funding for a database, staff, support to make sure that we can implement and manage membership effectively. Who will rise to that occasion?
I'm eager to help design a sustainable and equitable way to support the current and future generation of leaders as well as the entire YNPN San Diego sector, but we can't do it alone. Every dollar counts and every funder (individual, corporate, or foundation) has a responsibility to maintain the strength of YNPN San Diego. YNPN San Diego has become a critical piece of the local nonprofit by developing staff, volunteers, and board members here in San Diego.
We know that YNPN San Diego makes an impact and has an important presence in the community - what will you do to help make sure that continues?
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Encores of the Month
IdeaEncore Resources of the Month
IdeaEncore Network (www.IdeaEncore.com), a knowledge sharing marketplace.
- Motivating Each Generation to Buy Into Your Mission, Free
- Volunteer Engagement Pack, $7
- A New Leadership Mindset for Scaling Social Change, Free
- Fill-in-the-blank Development Policies and Procedures, $20
- RFP Example, Free
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. www.ideaencore.com
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Stepping Into the Spotlight: Next Gen ED Panel May 19th
Are you interested in becoming an Executive Director some day or learning more about the perspectives of next gen leaders in the San Diego nonprofit community? Do you want to learn what challenges executive directors face and how they can be overcome? If so, then come attend this unique event and learn all about what it means and takes to be a "Next Gen ED" in the San Diego nonprofit community.This is great chance to hear first-hand what it takes to be work your way into this leadership role, how to lead an organization, manage a work/life balance and much more. Following the panel, we will open the space with facilitated small group conversations for attendees to share their own leadership experiences and lessons learned while providing an opportunity to ask questions, get feedback, and share their own input on next gen leadership.
As a nonprofit leader (or an aspiring leader) YNPN San Diego wants to support your growth and knowledge on leadership. We are excited to have a distinguished panel of speakers that will: 1) share their expertise and insight; 2) provide an inside look into managing their own organizations; and 3) leave you learning something new!
- When: May 19th 6:00- 8:00 p.m.
- Where: AMN Healthcare (Carmel Valley) 12400 High Bluff Drive, San Diego, CA
- Cost: $10
- Register here and read more on our website
- Ben Keesey, CEO of Invisible Children
- Paloma Patterson Executive Director of Malashock Dance
- Christopher Rutgers Founder and Executive Director of Outdoor Outreach
- Feel free to bring information for the Community Table about your organization, events, etc., but please remember to pick up your materials following the event or they will be recycled.
- We will have a drawing for a special gift from one of YNPN San Diego's partners, so make sure to bring your business card. Those who make a donation and leave their contact information will be in the running for the drawing.
- The event is open to anyone of any age, so please feel free to spread the word!
Building the Nonprofit Career You Desire June 16th
Many YNPN San Diego members are currently looking for positions in the local nonprofit community and now is your opportunity for lively discussion and question and answer with an expert. Getting your foot in the door is only the first step to building the nonprofit career you desire. Learn the steps you’ll need to take to grow in your career, create the impact you seek, and get noticed by your next boss. Presenting and facilitating on the topic will be Laura Gassner Otting, President of Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, a nationally retained executive search firm specializing in mission-driven recruiting. YNPN San Diego is honored to have Laura sharing her knowledge and expertise in this field. RSVP today – limited space available!- When: June 16, 2010 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.
- Where: University of San Diego Room 135
- Cost: $10
- Register here and read more on our website
She holds a Master of Arts in Political Management from the George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin. Laura sits on the board of College Bound Dorchester and is the Clerk and Governance Chair of the board of Newton Montessori School. She has served as a member of the board of Camp Starfish and the Alumni Board of the Graduate School of Political Management at the George Washington University and as the founding board chair of both Strong Women, Strong Girls and the Boston Choral Ensemble. Laura is the author of Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector.
June 17 Sector Social - Invite a Grad!
YNPN San Diego is celebrating the many recent graduates in San Diego at our next Sector Social! On June 17th we are encouraging all our attendees to “Invite a Grad” to this unique Sector Social. This is an opportunity to provide to recent graduates a network of nonprofit professionals. Graduates can be undergrad to PhD level -- all are welcome! Bring a recent or soon-to-be graduate and do-si-do your way to All American Grill and let them loose. Professionals like yourself will be there as the wells of information and pillars of inspiration to lend an ear to our emerging leaders. Enjoy food and drinks at this event where veterans and amateurs converge to live, learn and grow.YNPN San Diego will be joined by academic programs in the area that provide training and education in the areas of nonprofit leadership and management including - UCSD Extension, USD SOLES, and Nonprofit Management Solutions. If you are interested in learning more about one of San Diego’s fabulous local programs be sure to join us!
When: June 17, 2010 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Where: All American Grill
Cost: FREE
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Notes from the National YNPN Conference
YNPN National held a conference in Denver during the month of April. Close to 20 YNPN chapters from around the nation were present with two of our very own Board Members: Mariel Berry and Jessica Rodgers. Members met to exchange ideas of programs, fundraising opportunities and long-term goals. Jessica and Mariel will be bringing these ideas back to the YNPN San Diego Board for discussion just before the Strategic Planning session that will take place for YNPN San Diego in May. Many new things are in the works. This next year is bound to be filled with exciting events and committees ready to meet the challenge. If you want to help gear up YNPN San Diego as it jumps into this year of growth, consider joining one of the committees. It's a great way to build your leadership skills and to climb your way onto the Board. Just think--this time next year, you could be meeting with members from YNPN Chapters across the nation and participating in fun-filled happy hours while munching on sweet and savory hor's dourves. For more info, keep an eye on our blog. Jessica will be posting a few pieces about the National Conference in the coming weeks.
You Can Still Donate to Our Campaign!
Did you miss YNPN San Diego’s 2nd Birthday Bash at Karl Strauss last month? If so, you can still join in the celebration by making a donation to the $2,010 in 2010 Campaign!! Your gift will ensure that you and hundreds of emerging leaders just like you continue to have access to:
To make a donation, please visit our Facebook Cause at or go to our website. Thank you for your support!
- 6 professional development workshops developed by emerging leaders for emerging leaders that facilitate multi-generational dialogue to advance next gen leaders.
- 6 exciting networking events at venues throughout San Diego County that provide you with the opportunity to connect with seasoned leaders and other emerging leaders.
- The YNPN San Diego listserv which offers you the chance to connect to 500 of your peers, promote and/or learn about local non-profit organizations for FREE.
- YNPN San Diego’s social media networks, which provide you with the opportunity to connect with thousands of professionals through LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and the YNPN San Diego Blog.
- Soon to come - mentorship program!
To make a donation, please visit our Facebook Cause at or go to our website. Thank you for your support!
YNPNSD Tools You Can Use: Social Media
Joining any membership organization is exciting: it affords fresh opportunities, introduces you to new people, and teaches you special skills. YNPN San Diego more than covers all these bases, and goes beyond the average organization by offering a wide array of levels of participation and involvement. In this monthly feature, I will review YNPNSD’s member benefits. If you have a specific topic or question, feel free to ask me, or you can contact Emily Davis or Jessica Rodgers, Member Relations Committee Co-Chairs for more detailed information.
Social media has no doubt changed the landscape of communications, and often making the determination of how to best get involved (while also putting forth your own best brand identity) can be difficult. Using online networking as both a social and professional tool, YNPNSD bridges the gap for members while making it easy to be a stakeholder in the organization. The list of environments available includes Twitter, LinkedIn, and the ever-popular Facebook page. The listserv has 585 subscribers (!), and the email digests include resources like job leads and event notifications. Finally, blog contributors post monthly features on new board members, donor highlights, and comprehensive emerging leader resources.
Beyond joining groups, it is easy to become a contributor to offer ideas. The interactive aspect—where online networking meets real-world involvement—comes in each time you choose to read more information, follow up on a fun event lead, or donate to a community organization. Choosing to be a part of YNPNSD can take many forms, and joining the networking community is just one of them. The possibility of getting a new job, meeting fun people, and growing your own skill set is all neatly contained within these different social media avenues. Don’t let me tell you, though—judge for yourself.
Social media has no doubt changed the landscape of communications, and often making the determination of how to best get involved (while also putting forth your own best brand identity) can be difficult. Using online networking as both a social and professional tool, YNPNSD bridges the gap for members while making it easy to be a stakeholder in the organization. The list of environments available includes Twitter, LinkedIn, and the ever-popular Facebook page. The listserv has 585 subscribers (!), and the email digests include resources like job leads and event notifications. Finally, blog contributors post monthly features on new board members, donor highlights, and comprehensive emerging leader resources.
Beyond joining groups, it is easy to become a contributor to offer ideas. The interactive aspect—where online networking meets real-world involvement—comes in each time you choose to read more information, follow up on a fun event lead, or donate to a community organization. Choosing to be a part of YNPNSD can take many forms, and joining the networking community is just one of them. The possibility of getting a new job, meeting fun people, and growing your own skill set is all neatly contained within these different social media avenues. Don’t let me tell you, though—judge for yourself.
More Than Happy Hour
As co-chairs of the Meet & Greet committee, we’ve had the opportunity to meet some great people doing inspiring work for amazing organizations throughout San Diego. We’ve helped to organize over a dozen events in venues around town, hoping that these mixers would bring nonprofit professionals together to connect and network, but I think we’ve found that it has been more than that.These ‘mixers’ have also helped YNPN members find jobs, make friends, share resources, gain volunteers and explore new restaurants and bars in town. Our members have learned about organizations in town they never would have heard of otherwise. They met someone who works for an organization they love and happens to live a few blocks from them. They’ve found a shoulder to lean on when work has been hard and had a supportive audience when their goals were achieved. They’ve found people to brunch with and heard a great personal review of a restaurant they’ve been meaning to try. They’ve connected with and created a network of colleagues, on a personal and professional manner.
We hope these events have been more than the typical ‘happy hour’ because when your day has been long and the work has been hard, and when we’re trying to fight the good fight, it often is only other nonprofit professionals who understand how we feel. We have friends, family and significant others who support us and listen to us but talking to another person who understands the daily ins and outs of the nonprofit world can mean so much more. And being able to vent and laugh and tell stories with each other, especially over good food and fun drinks, can make the hard work we do worthwhile.
We have had a great time co-chairing this committee. The venues who have hosted us have gone above and beyond in providing great locations, staff and specials. The committee has worked hard to pull off these events, from finding venues and promoting the events to cheerfully checking in our guests. And our amazing Advisory Board has been so helpful, coming up with new ideas and new venues to keep these events fun and entertaining.
We termed-off the Advisory Board in April, so we will no longer be co-chairs of this committee but will definitely still be involved. We would not want to miss the opportunity to meet more amazing nonprofit professionals working hard to better the San Diego community. Emily Davis will be overseeing the committee and these events will have a new name: Sector Social. We hope that you will continue to make these events the place to meet other nonprofit professionals in this town. And, if you have the time, we’d love you to join the committee to help ensure these events are the best they can be! We have organized these events with you in mind, so please help if you can! With over 500 YNPN members in San Diego, let’s make these events THE place for nonprofit professionals to connect!
Hope to see you very soon!
Lenise Andrade and Emily Bhatti
Former Meet & Greet Co-Chairs &
(Proud) YNPN San Diego members
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