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rovide emerging nonprofit leaders with opportunities for professional development, education, and networking, while promoting a continuing dialog among nonprofits in the Greater Grand Rapids region.
    
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YNPN Leadership Awards


Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Greater Grand Rapids (YNPN-GGR) presents the YNPN Leadership Awards.  Join us as we recognize and celebrate young nonprofit professionals who have made outstanding contributions to local nonprofit organizations through exemplary leadership, innovation and community involvement.



Awards

Awards will be given in the following categories:

Young Nonprofit Professional of the Year
The Young Nonprofit Professional of the Year award will go to a nonprofit professional who excels in their work, always goes above and beyond for their cause, is always looking for a new way to make a nonprofit service better, and is an overall fabulous young professional. This person exemplifies all that is a young nonprofit professional and deserves recognition.
Exemplary Executive
The YNPN Exemplary Executive award will go to an exemplary young nonprofit executive director. This executive director should show strong  leadership and initiative in moving their organization forward.
Champion
The YNPN Champion award will go to an individual that promotes the work of and supports young nonprofit professionals in the field. This individual is a mentor and champion for young nonprofit professionals, and goes above and beyond to make sure all voices are included at the table in the community and their organization.
DoGooder Award
The YNPN DoGooder Award will go to an exemplary volunteer. A DoGooder volunteer is one that never quits. A Doogooder might be involved with multiple organizations or volunteers every chance they get for your organization. Nominating someone for this award allows you the chance to tell them thank you for all they do for your organization and in the community.
Edison Award
YNPN's Edison Award will go to an individual who has utilized innovative practices within their organization or by starting a new organization to fill a need in the community. In honor of Thomas Edison, this person will have shown extraordinary leadership in innovation over the past year.
Advocate
The YNPN Advocate award will go to an individual who is always advocating for their cause. You can't see this person anywhere without hearing about their favorite green organization, how many children are hungry in West Michigan, or how voting will change everything! This person is on the street talking about their cause, and raising community-wide awareness of their issue every day.
Resource (Organization Nominee)
The YNPN Resource award will go to an organization that has proven over the year to provide praiseworthy support for young nonprofit professionals. An organization eligible for this award must provide resources, support, and professional development for young nonprofit professionals either working at or as a member of their organization.
The Connector
The YNPN Connector award will go to an individual that works hard to connect community members with organizations, or organizations with organizations. A connector realizes the importance of collaboration and is always working to make sure it happens in their community.
Good to Great
YNPN's Good to Great award will go to an individual that has moved an organization or program from good to great. This person may have increased the participation in a program at your organization, strengthened an organization so they may provide stronger service to the
community, or simply took a dying organization and made it sustainable again. The person that will receive this award will have shown strong initiative toward improving and strengthening a program or service.
Dynamic Duo (2 Nominees)
YNPN's Dynamic Duo Award will go to a pair of individuals that are working in a noteworthy mentorship. These individuals have provided mentorship, support, and strength to one another to better serve our community.


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Sponsors
Thank you for your support!

Wealthy Theatre
Crumbles Cupcakery
Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore
Grand Rapids Ballet Company
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre
Grand Rapids Community Foundation
Grand Rapids Community Media Center
Grand Rapids Public Museum
Johnson Center for Philanthropy
Opera Grand Rapids
Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts
VanAndel Arena/SMG

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Twitter Contest
Win free tickets to the YNPN Leadership Awards, by tweeting! 

Retweet the following: "Win free tickets to YNPN Leadership Awards by simply retweeting this! More details at http://bit.ly/P0AZN #leadershipawards" in the next two days and you will be eligible to win. 

The first 10 people to retweet the above statement will win buy-one-get one free tickets.

Everyone who retweets the statement will be put into a drawing to win two free tickets to the awards ceremony. Only four free tickets are available for two tweeters.

The contest will end September 25, at 5 pm.  Winners will be announced on Monday, September 28.  A YNPN-GGR board member will send you a direct message regarding the contest on that day if you have won. 

If you have any questions regarding the contest, please email ynpn.ggr@gmail.com.  Thank you!


Selection Committee

Kathy Agard, Johnson Center for Philanthropy
Elizabeth Kidd, Holland Area Community Foundation
Lee Nelson Weber, Dyer-Ives Foundation
Stuart Ray, Guiding Light
Jane Royer, Volunteer Center, Heart of West Michigan United Way