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April 2008

Philadelphia's Young Nonprofit Leaders joins with Committee of Seventy to help Philadelphia Voters

PYNL and Committee of Seventy have partnered to ensure the civic process. The Committee of Seventy is looking for volunteers on Tuesday, April 22, for their non-partisan Election Oversight Program. Citizen Field Teams will visit polling places in a geographical area of their choice (covering 1-2 wards in Philadelphia) to answer voters' questions, document complaints, and help resolve disputes. Volunteers can serve for a few hours in the morning, afternoon or evening, or volunteer all day during 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.

PYNL members are encouraged to sign up for the volunteer training Wednesday, April 16th at 6pm at the Committee of Seventy Offices located at Eight Penn Center - 1628 JFK Boulevard, please rsvp at: http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Event/104134-292

PYNL is also offering a social hour at the Mexican Post at 1601 Cherry St. after the training for training participants.

If you have any questions please contact Seventy's Volunteer Coordinator Nina Bloch at (215) 557-3600, ext. 124 or nbloch@seventy.org.

Your participation will help protect the voting rights of all Philadelphians and ensure the integrity of the electoral process. We hope we can count on your help!

If you are unable to attend the training session, but still want to volunteer, register online at seventy.org/volunteer.

The Professional Development Committee

PYNL Tour of the Regional Foundation Center
Led by Collection Supervisor, Gloria Hibbett

• Saturday, May 3, 2008
  10am-11:30am
• Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia
  1901 Vine Street, 2nd floor

The Regional Foundation Center was founded in 1974 to provide local nonprofit organizations with free access to information on management, grantseeking, fund development, and proposal writing. We offer the Philadelphia region's largest public information collection of print and electronics available on all aspects of fundraising, institutional advancement, and general philanthropy. Learn how to use this invaluable resource with other PYNL members!

Please RSVP at: http://www.idealist.org/en/event/104142-295

PYNL would like to welcome and congratulate Simone Jeffers as she was elected to the position of Chair of the Professional Development Committee.

The Leadership Development Committee

ELBTP HAS A NEW NAME
Congratulations to Olanike Akanbi, who won the "new name" contest with Board Prep. Sounds crisp, easy to remember, and sums the program up.

Olanike had these words to share, "Yay, Board Prep! I recommended ELBTP to one of my staff members and she had great things to say about the experience and the opportunity to network with other professionals in the sector. It was slightly funny though because we would talk about the program and completely mix up the acronym! The Leadership Development Committee does such a fantastic job with the program that when the opportunity came to suggest a name, I immediately threw in my suggestions. I know that Board Prep will continue to empower nonprofit professionals to take on board leadership and I am thrilled to be part of that vision in this small way!"

For her creativity Olanike has won a $25 gift certificate to Reading Terminal Market! And now that we've elected a new name, we can move on to the slightly easier task of picking a democratic candidate...

Apply to Board Prep 2008!
What is Board Prep? Board Prep is a comprehensive training program for individuals who are interested in serving on non-profit boards. A major goal of Board Prep (formerly known as the Emerging Leaders Board Training Program) is to help narrow the leadership gap that exists within the nonprofit sector by developing the skills of emerging nonprofit professionals.

Who: Professionals seeking the skills necessary to become effective nonprofit board members. Whether you are looking to join a board for the first time or increase your effectiveness on a current board, Board Prep will help you gain insight and skills to serve the non-profit world as a responsible board member.

What: Board Prep is a seven-session course which trains professionals to be effective nonprofit board members. Sessions on the following topics include: Board Service Overview; Fundraising; Strategic Planning; Financial Management; Legal Liability and Responsibility; and Running Effective Meetings. Experienced nonprofit leaders from the Philadelphia area volunteer their time to lead the sessions.

Where: A Center City location TBD

When: Monday evenings; from September through December 2008; Each session is 2 hrs long.

Why: Acting as an effective nonprofit board member requires training. Board Prep has a proven record to afford this training, and past participants agree that Board Prep is a great value at only $125* for all sessions. (*Includes light meals and beverages)

How: Applications can be received by emailing pynl_ldc@yahoo.com. The first 5 individuals to submit a complete application by May 1, 2008 will receive a $25 discount off of the registration fee if accepted. (*The full registration fee is $125 for all sessions.) May 15, 2008 is the final application deadline.

Questions? Email PYNL's Leadership Development Committee at pynl_ldc@yahoo.com.

The Governance Committee

PYNL will soon be in the process of looking for new board members for the 2008-2009 year. If you are interested in joining the board and being a part of the great work of PYNL, send a letter of interest to pynl@pynl.org.

For information about PYNL Board Member responsibilities:
http://www.pynl.org/get_involved/join_board.php