Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, San Diego Launches Logo Design Contest as Cornerstone of Re-branding Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, San Diego Launches Logo Design Contest as Cornerstone of Re-branding Campaign


SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Dec. 4, 2011 - The Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, San Diego (YNPNSD), recently began the process of re-branding their organization.  YNPN San Diego has grown over the past three years to serve a base of 1000 nonprofit sector leaders and their re-branding campaign seeks to reflect the talents, values and diversity of the growing membership.  In an effort to incorporate local talent into their re-branding campaign, they have opened this logo design contest to the San Diego design and arts community.  


Designers have liberty in color choice and may include an image element that reflects the personality of San Diego.  Full brand guidelines are available for download at http://ynpn.org/wp-content/uploads/ynpn-brandmanual.pdf/ and full contest rules may be viewed at http://bit.ly/up7bct.  Logo design submissions will be accepted until February 3, 2012 at 11:59 PM PST.  All submissions will be reviewed and a winner will be announced no later than February 21, 2012.

The winner designer will receive a Grand Prize of a year-long YNPNSD Membership,  recognition at the YNPNSD March Meet & Greet event, and a featured article to be published via all YNPNSD media outlets.  


“We are excited to see how designers characterize the identity of our organization in their logo designs.  It is important to us that our image reflect the true spirit of YNPNSD.” says Jaci Feinstein, YNPN San Diego Board Co-Chair.


About YNPN San Diego
YNPN San Diego is a vibrant, volunteer-driven membership organization that connects and develops young nonprofit leaders to leverage our collective strengths.  YNPN San Diego’s activities focus on attracting talented people to the sector, helping young nonprofit professionals connect with their peers, providing programs that help develop current and emerging nonprofit leaders, and advocating for the interests of young nonprofit professionals. For more information, visit http://www.ynpnsandiego.org.  


Contact Information:
Dani Reyes-Acosta, YNPNSD Advisory Board Member and Brand Task Force Co-Chair
Nicole Borunda, YNPNSD Brand Task Force Co-Chair
communications@ynpnsandiego.org




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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!

YNPNSD Leader Retreat 2011, or, A Lesson in Being Both Productive and Fun

The first weekend of May marked a turning point for YNPN San Diego. It was our first weekend planning board retreat, an idea the board had a while back, and with the help and sizeable donation from The Leichtag Family Foundation, this vision became a reality.

We wanted to ‘up the ante’ if you will, this year by blocking out an entire weekend to nail down our strategic priorities for the coming year, outline our workplans, and solidify our budget –an extensive agenda for the weekend, but we figured that by locking ourselves in for 2 straight days (albeit in the luxury La Costa resort), that we would be able to knock it all out in one sitting.

This was a great idea for a couple of reasons:

1. We’re an all-volunteer organization that meets once a month as a board. So, oftentimes the lag time on decision-making can get drawn out, particularly when it comes to the overall organizational big picture since our daily ‘to do’ list often takes over when we let it; and
2. We recently completed our spring recruitment and added five amazing new board members. Since they make up half our board, we couldn’t have asked for a better board immersion experience.

So the weekend goal was twofold: plan out what we’re trying to accomplish over the next year (based on last year’s progress and our current context), and get to know each other so we begin operating as a cohesive team from Day 1.


How did we do? Mission achieved, if I do say so myself. We started off the weekend with a board in-service on leadership training with Alexis Dixon. This an essential aspect of our role as board members, and the essence of what we try to instill in not just our board, but our committee and membership base as a whole. This session helped to set the stage in our minds to always be thinking about fostering leadership in every aspect of our work.


After a quick break, we dove into planning. By first reviewing our vision, mission, theory of change, and program model (outlined with the help of NP Strategies in last year’s planning retreat), we reviewed our successes and challenges over the past year to achieve last year’s goals. Then, we walked through the finding of our recently closed 2011 Membership Survey, providing valuable information to the board about what our members liked and want for the future. All of this helped to outline what we need to focus on during our next fiscal year. After boiling up findings from detailed SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analyses, the board clarified 5 strategic initiatives for the next fiscal year. Since, at this point our brains were leaking logic and our stomachs were crying for help, we broke for lunch.


When we re-grouped half an hour later (did I mention that this was a packed agenda?), we were met by a handful of committed and eager committee members who gave up their gorgeous afternoons to assist in our planning efforts. Their fresh faces re-energized the group and we dove in, breaking into 5 teams based on the aforementioned initiatives to outline our SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely) goals and action items. These were eventually shared by the full group, picked apart, added to, and agreed upon as a team until board and committee members alike were satisfied.


Exhausted but content, we looked around the conference room lined with butcher paper outlining our ideas and plans and shared, one-by-one, our excitement. The consensus was that it was an honor and a privilege to have spent the day with a smart group of people thinking about how to make the nonprofit sector stronger in San Diego, and specifically, what our organization – led, run, and supported by a group of emerging leaders volunteering their time – can really do to make a difference.


After having led the research, planning, and facilitation for the day, the group unnecessarily broke out into applause. I took a quick bow and said a silent prayer of thanks to have met such incredible minds and committed people all working towards making this region a better place to live and work. It was then that I was able to reflect on the momentum this organization has created after having been founded just three years ago. What started as a vision and strong foundational leadership has smoothly transitioned into an organization owned and operated by the community it serves.


So, a quick thank you is in order for all of you who have participated with your time, dollars, or membership to make this organization what it is today. I’d also like to extend an offer to the rest of you to get involved and be a part of what YNPNSD will become tomorrow.


And then it was off to the hot tub…


So, without further ado, here’s what we’ll be working on over the next year.


YNPNSD’s 5 Strategic Initiatives:
1. Create a culture that fosters leadership growth for organizational sustainability
2. Define, engage, and retain members
3. Develop an outreach strategy to increase membership of the next generation of leaders
4. Create and implement a brand identity and communications strategy
5. Grow and diversify funding



Thanks to Cynthia Davila, our Retreat Team Leader, for this contribution as well as her time fostering many productive discussions during the retreat. Her skills proved truly invaluable, and we're thankful to have her!

Surveying Our Base, To Serve You Better

Like any community service organization, a key part of our mission is to keep our base flourishing. Most YNPN San Diego members have experienced our outreach through the monthly professional development and networking sessions, our community-serviced listserv, our blog, and the many opportunities to serve.

And, as an organization that aims first and foremost to cultivate the next generation of nonprofit leaders, it's important to know what kind of impact we've had on your lives. This year, we're surveying all our members so we can get that 360 degree perspective on your community involvement, professional pursuits, and personal tastes that make up the wonderful member base you are!

Our survey only takes 5 minutes, and you can find it here. Plus, take it over the weekend and you'll be entered into a raffle to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate! Thanks for your participation, and thank you for the feedback! We look forward to serving you even better in the next year!

Announcing YNPN's National Voice Survey

Make Your Voice Heard. Improve Our Sector. Take YNPN’s National Voice Survey Today!

Over the past several years, a great deal of literature has been released noting significant leadership challenges for the nonprofit sector. With each issue revealed has come a compelling set of recommendations for how the sector can meet these challenges head on. As a movement of now over 20,000 nonprofit professionals nationwide, YNPN is uniquely positioned to put these recommendations to the test.

Make sure our voice includes your perspective. Find 20 minutes to take YNPN’s 2011 National Voice Survey today! Click here to start it now!

Is offering more competitive compensation a priority for retaining talent? Is your nonprofit engaging in succession planning? Is prioritizing diversity having a positive impact on your organization? The valuable feedback and experiences you and your peers will share by completing YNPN’s survey can help influence how our the nonprofit sector addresses its leadership challenges over the next decade.

We look forward to sharing our results with you later this year!

YNPNSD January Meet & Greet – YNPN: Your Year 2011!

When: Jan 19 6-8p.m.

Price: FREE

Where: Access at The W Hotel, 421 West B Street, San Diego, CA 92101

If getting more involved in your community was on your New Years Resolutions list, then you are in luck!

YNPN welcomes you into 2011 with the year’s first networking mixer at the W Hotel.

This is a great opportunity to meet some of San Diego’s most dedicated people in the Nonprofit industry, learn more about local causes and build yourself a stronger network. And it’s always more fun to do it over cocktails and food!

Specials include 50% off appetizers and $3 brews, $5 well drinks, and $8 select wine!

Whether you are currently a member of YNPN, or simply looking to get involved in nonprofit, this is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about what the YNPN has to offer. Representatives from each of the YNPN committees will talk about their specific committee and what it’s like to be involved.

If you’re lucky you may even bring home more than just some business cards, enter the raffle and win some fantastic prizes! Business and cocktail wear is suggested.

YNPN San Diego services are free to the San Diego nonprofit community. Please consider making a donation of any size at our event. To learn more about our mission, programs, and opportunities, visit www.ynpnsandiego.org.

Bring a friend and REGISTER TODAY at YNPNSD Facebook or on our website at www.ynpnsandiego.org! Be sure mark your calendars and stay tuned for our more event details!

*Photo Courtesy USA Today 2010

Nonprofit Leadership Blogs

It is my pleasure to announce that the YNPN San Diego Blog is adding another dimension to the kind of information it delivers. Individual perspectives about current happenings in the nonprofit sector, particularly those concerning leadership, professional development and networking will soon be rushing through the floodgates, or trickling, depending on the response we get from all of you! If you read an article or book, watch a movie or show, or have any ideas related to these nonprofit happenings, send Jessica Rodgers--that's me--an email with your response to it and a link if possible. I will then post it to the YNPN San Diego Blog for everyone in our network, and beyond, to read. Feel free to email me at rodgers.jessica@gmail.com if you have any questions. To kickoff this new addition to what gets written, I have something of my own to share in a forthcoming blog...stick around...