Using Social Media for More

I've been thinking lately about how we use social media in our professional lives. Certainly, it's pervasive, and now an online persona is just as important as an in-person personality. Not too long ago, before Twitter became a way to spread event news and find the latest deal, before Facebook was used for nonprofit Causes, and even before LinkedIn provided a way to digitally connect with our peers, social media outlets were a free-for-all. In the context of understanding how each different outlet serves its own unique purpose(s), both individuals and organizations faced the challenge of how to use these media sources to reach their core audiences, and in turn, spread their message.

Although the current state of social media hasn't been completely defined--in that its a constantly evolving, dynamic medium--it is now much easier for those savvy individuals looking to use social media and get a valuable return on their time. Dependent upon what's being measured, be it the number of subscribers to your organization's eNewsletter, an increase in Facebook Cause donations, or event signups, we can use any of a number of tools to find out what our constituencies really desire out of our community-based organizations.

So as nonprofit organization leaders, community supporters, and even philanthropists, the question then becomes, "How can I effectively listen?" Wayne Turmel, a BNET writer, published an article a few weeks back on how "Real Leaders Use Social Media to Shut Up and Listen." His candid approach hit the crux of how we use social media in such a way that is so relevant to nonprofit organizations--because by learning what our communities need, it then becomes that much easier to serve.

Written by Danielle Reyes-Acosta

Learn About YNPNSD's Meet and Greet Committee

After joining YNPN San Diego in early 2010, I wanted to discover more about the organization and meet some of its members. I decided to go to my first Meet & Greet (The YNPNSD Birthday Bash in April 2010) where I hoped to meet other nonprofit enthusiasts. As soon as I arrived, the members of the Meet & Greet Committee welcomed me and even introduced me to other YNPNSD members. Everyone was very warm, friendly, and I immediately felt part of the group. I found the La Jolla Karl Strauss to be a great venue because of the outdoor patio and the mellow, happy hour atmosphere. I felt really comfortable meeting other people who are passionate about nonprofits, and I found the networking experience to be very rewarding. I highly encourage all YNPNSD Members and Non-Members to take advantage of other Meet & Greet events in the future. Have thoughts or questions? Leave them here!

-Natacha Tullier

Changing of the Guard

There are some exciting leadership changes happening here at YNPN San Diego. With the summer months upon us, YNPN San Diego is bringing in a new wave of next gen leaders to run our amazing organization. Some of these folks will be familiar to you, yet but be sure to reach out to them and learn more about them and all they do.

After two years, the executive committee at YNPN San Diego is changing hands. We couldn’t have made it anywhere without Megan Lim, Jeremiah Sacksteder, and Caitlyn McTaggart. They dedicated countless hours of time, talent, and treasure making YNPN San Diego possible in the community and growing it to the size it is now!

We are proud to welcome Jaci Feinstein (co-chair), Mariel Berry (co-chair), Joe Buehrle (Secretary), and Cynthia Skogerboe (Treasurer) into these new leadership positions. The transition process has been tremendously smooth due to the foresight and planning efforts of Jaci Feinstein and the Board Development Committee. For the past three months we have overlapped incoming and outgoing executive committee members to facilitate organizational learning and maintain organizational history. It is one of the best processes I have ever seen!

As many of you may already know, this will be my last month on the board of YNPN San Diego. I am stepping down as Chair of YNPNSD and will be replaced by Mariel and Jaci on July 1. It has been an amazing two years with the organization and two and half years in San Diego, but now I am going to return to the majestic mountains of Colorado – my home for 12 years before coming to San Diego.

None of what I have done or been involved with in San Diego would have ever been possible without YNPN San Diego, the incredible board leaders, and our members. I’m constantly amazed at the phenomenal committees and volunteers that keep YNPN San Diego running. We collaborate and partner with organizations that further our mission in the community and serve our members. We have grown to 600 members! All of our programs and membership development has been completely volunteer-run!

It is my hope that the next chapter of YNPN San Diego brings nothing but success and growth. I know that the incoming and existing leadership at YNPN San Diego will strengthen the community and prepare San Diego for embracing leaders at every age. I’m proud of all the success we have had thus far and for becoming a model for other YNPN chapters and organizations locally and nationally. Kudos to everyone who has made this possible!

Please welcome the next executive committee by leaving a note here on our blog or posting something to our Facebook page. We would love to hear from you and get any feedback you have for the next year to come!

Finally, please consider making a donation to YNPN San Diego of any size. Keep the organization moving forward and serving this community in such a meaningful way. Your contributions will personally warm my heart and let me know the impact I and this amazing team continues to make! Read more on how to donate by visiting our website.

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?