This blog is a part of our monthly Board Member series.

It is the distributed, grassroots nature of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network that got me interested in the first place. Living in Durham, North Carolina, I really loved that the YNPN Triangle chapter was a natural and easy home for the many young professionals who understood themselves as “transplants” to the region, as well as long-time native Tar Heels.  

"Learn from each other. That’s the whole point of YNPN - learn. Fail forward. Make mistakes. Take risks. YNPN is the perfect place to take chances and risks - so why not? It’s easier to do it now and learn from it." - Emily Davis, YNPN San Diego Co-Founder & Alum and YNPN Denver Alum

"One of the things we talk about a lot when recruiting volunteers and board members, in addition to having something on your resume, is that you can build skills and relationships and test the waters and practice things you will be able to use in your career in the future. So many of us on the board have done exactly that." -Lindsey Hardegree, YNPN Atlanta Founding Board Member

"Reflective leadership is instilled through YNPN. It makes you think about what you are doing in your job now, where you see yourself, what do you want to do and where the gap is. I wouldn’t have been able to figure that out for myself without YNPN." - Andy Felder, YNPN Alumnus

This blog is a part of our monthly Board Member series.

It took me a while to write this post.  I wanted to tell a story about the perspective of a former chapter leader on the National Board.  And if you know me personally, then you know I tend to ramble on without a point (insert ideations for postmodern literary glory here).  Then I attended a YNPN New Mexico board meeting briefly the other day and realized that I couldn’t tell a story about my perspective, I had to tell one from our perspective.  

This blog is a part of our monthly Board Member series.

In March, our treasurer Kari described the conversations that the YNPN Board of Directors had about being a network and what that means for how we work together with our chapters to shape the future of our work. As the chair of our fundraising committee, I immediately put on my “revenue generating hat” and wondered how we could model this change in such an important element of the Board’s work.

This blog is a part of our monthly Board Member series.

I’m sitting down to write this having just wrapped up our most recent executive committee conference call, the first after our YNPN board retreat in Baltimore late last month. At that retreat, we came to terms with what it means for YNPN --now and in the future-- to be a network, and not an association. Or, since every movement has elements of both, what it means to be more like a network and less like an association.

We are excited to officially announce our involvement in this year’s Nonprofit Talent & Culture Summit! The Nonprofit Talent & Culture Summit is the only nonprofit-focused talent conference in the world, providing you with the tools and actionable ideas you need to cultivate, engage and sustain the talent that will help organizations achieve their mission.

This year, we are partnering with Nonprofit HR to put on the conference’s first Millennial UnPanel, which will give a voice and a stage to the next generation of nonprofit leaders. Rather than present on what “experts” claim is the future for the millennial generation, we’ll explore answers to that question directly from the source.

Happy New Year!  Here at YNPN National we’re kickin’ off 2016 with an announcement about our new leadership.  We believe in modeling the change we want to see in the sector and that includes our leadership structure.  In 2016 we will have two leaders from our ranks taking the helm of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network as Interim Co-Executive Directors.

Reintroducing some familiar faces... (drumroll please)

Jamie Smith, who you all know from her work as our Director of Communications & Network Engagement, will be continuing on with the organization and stepping into this elevated leadership role. In addition to her amazing project management, staff management, and communications skills, Jamie brings with her deep relationships with our network, institutional knowledge of the inner workings of YNPN, and a clear vision for the future of YNPN as one of the chief architects and implementers of the Chapter Operating System. You can continue to reach Jamie at jamie@ynpn.org. (BTW, this headshot was taken at a YNPN Austin Headshot Happy Hour!)

Amber Cruz Mohring has served as a key member of the National Board for the last two years and more recently was the co-chair of our Executive Director Search Committee. Amber brings to the table extensive program management, financial management, and fundraising relationships from her previous position as the Strategy Officer for Convenings at the Lumina Foundation and in her former role as the Director of Programs for Mobilize.org. Amber's respect among peers and veterans in the field has also been bolstered over the past several years through her involvement in the Independent Sector's NGen Advisory Group. You can connect with Amber at amber@ynpn.org.

We are excited to explore a co-leadership approach to YNPN’s work as well as put into practice what we preach about sustaining and developing talent in the sector.  The YNPN National Board of Directors will also be reflecting on the 2015 Executive Director search and considering what leadership is needed for the future of YNPN.  Over the next year Jamie and Amber look forward to partnering with all of you to take bold steps toward building a more diverse and powerful social sector.

The new year holds a lot of promise for YNPN but the work has just begun.  From launching the Chapter Operating System to planning the #ynpn16 National Conference and Leaders Institute to raising the voices of our network in the sector, 2016 will be a year of big bets, learning, and growth for our organization.  We're looking forward to the work we'll be doing together to strengthen our communities and create a more equitable nation.

With YNPN spirit,

Lindsay Jensen
Chair, National Board of Directors

Today, we are extending our thanks to the most amazing board. This year, we expanded the number of board members and brought together 17 great individuals who have helped us narrow in on our network vision and goals.