Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce | Toledo, OH

  • Benefits & Services
    • Center for Training and Development
    • Employee Health Insurance
    • Cost Saving Benefits
    • Marketing & Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Member Portal
    • Newsroom
    • Newsletter Archives
  • Talent & Workforce
    • Talent Attraction >
      • Expand Your Talent Pool
    • Industry Sector Partnerships
    • Job Board
    • Talent Alignment Strategy
  • Starting/Growing Your Business
    • Minority Business Assistance Center
    • Small Business Development Center
    • The Ramp
    • Export Assistance Network
    • Export Success
    • Small Business Council
    • Business Development Resources
  • Your Government Relations
    • Public Policy Agenda
    • Capital Budget
    • Endorsements & Voter Resources >
      • Regional Elected Officials
    • Institute for Leadership & Advocacy
    • Supporting Veterans & Families
    • middle market
  • Developing Young Professionals
    • EPIC Toledo
    • Summer in the City
  • Upcoming & Recent Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Recent Events
    • Annual Meeting
    • Clambake
    • Community Calendar
  • Your Chamber
    • Become a Member
    • Membership Directory
    • Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Directory >
      • MWDBE Directory Submission Form
    • About the Chamber
    • Blog
    • 2025 Board
    • Staff
    • Join Our Team
    • Contact Us
  • Toledo Region
  • Benefits & Services
    • Center for Training and Development
    • Employee Health Insurance
    • Cost Saving Benefits
    • Marketing & Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Member Portal
    • Newsroom
    • Newsletter Archives
  • Talent & Workforce
    • Talent Attraction >
      • Expand Your Talent Pool
    • Industry Sector Partnerships
    • Job Board
    • Talent Alignment Strategy
  • Starting/Growing Your Business
    • Minority Business Assistance Center
    • Small Business Development Center
    • The Ramp
    • Export Assistance Network
    • Export Success
    • Small Business Council
    • Business Development Resources
  • Your Government Relations
    • Public Policy Agenda
    • Capital Budget
    • Endorsements & Voter Resources >
      • Regional Elected Officials
    • Institute for Leadership & Advocacy
    • Supporting Veterans & Families
    • middle market
  • Developing Young Professionals
    • EPIC Toledo
    • Summer in the City
  • Upcoming & Recent Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Recent Events
    • Annual Meeting
    • Clambake
    • Community Calendar
  • Your Chamber
    • Become a Member
    • Membership Directory
    • Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Directory >
      • MWDBE Directory Submission Form
    • About the Chamber
    • Blog
    • 2025 Board
    • Staff
    • Join Our Team
    • Contact Us
  • Toledo Region

We believe in sharing your stories.

25 Energetic Young Professionals Eager to Become Non-Profit Board Members

5/18/2016

5 Comments

 
Picture

EPIC Toledo Board Member Accelerator Series

By: Heather Gallant, Advisor, Aly Sterling Philanthropy
Our region is working to grow business, improve communities and attract and keep bright young people.

​So, it’s important we recognize the key components of a fertile environment: good jobs, arts and entertainment, affordable housing, great schools and, of course, a strong sense of community.
In the Toledo area, our thriving nonprofit sector provides the roots that underpin our greatest attributes and strongest attractions. World-class culture? Check. Award-winning schools? Check. Beautiful parks and accessible social services? Check and check.
From this perspective it’s easy to see why the strength of our nonprofit community has a direct impact on the vigor of our region. And the best way to cultivate both is by engaging our young people on volunteer boards – and preparing them to lead when the current generation retires.

In the fall of 2015, the leaders of the Chamber’s EPIC Advisory Council approached Aly Sterling Philanthropy with a challenge: how can we assist more young professionals become leaders on nonprofit boards?
Picture
We were thrilled with this question. Over the past several years, we’ve noticed several compelling, converging trends in Toledo:
  1. There is a limited pool of highly-skilled, engaged board members.
  2. Nonprofit leaders aren’t quite sure how to attract qualified, committed early-career professionals to board service.
  3. Many young professionals are eager to serve but feel unprepared for board service or unqualified to lead. They aren’t even sure how to approach a board and offer their service.
These trends aren’t unique to the Toledo area: according to BoardSource’s report Leading with Intent 2015, only 16 percent of board members nationwide were under the age of 40 last year, while 68 percent were between the ages of 40-64.

It’s also important to have board leaders who reflect society. One in three Americans is a millennial.
Last summer, they surpassed the number of baby boomers in the workforce. Nonprofit boards will operate optimally in strategy, skill and creativity when they are representative of multi-generational leaders. Having a multi-generational team is important to understanding the needs of an organization’s constituents, establishing credibility and cultivating connections with donors and supporters.

More than any other living generation, the millennial generation is focused on making a difference, being hands-on and pursuing what it loves. They are natural board leaders…when given the chance.

Our solution was to create a training series aimed at preparing next generation leaders to serve the missions of Toledo’s nonprofit organizations: The Board Member Accelerator.
The Board Member Accelerator delivers a real-life, hands-on education that empowers EPIC members to successfully govern nonprofit organizations. This series is the first of its kind in Toledo and, to our knowledge, nationally. It includes topics such as:
  • The board member’s purpose, roles and responsibilities, including the fiduciary and legal responsibilities
  • An exploration of participants’ personal values and skills, and how to research and identify nonprofits whose missions light them on fire
  • Signs of a healthy board and organization, and ideas for how to handle some common challenges that could arise
  • Basic training on best practices in nonprofit fundraising, marketing, leadership, succession planning, strategic planning, conflict resolution, finances and being an ambassador for an organization
We also coach participants on how to approach an organization about board service and provide related tools and templates they can customize and use right away. Through case studies and group discussions, participants even have a chance to practice dealing with real-life nonprofit challenges.

Within a year of completing the training series, participants are expected to reach out to a board, clarify expectations of board service with that organization and begin serving on a board that aligns with their passions.

The potential for engaging young people through the Board Member Accelerator Series is great. In this inaugural year of the program we’re preparing 25 energetic, qualified young professionals to serve... If we replicate this each year, can you envision the impact on our society?

Can you imagine how our community will be different?

How it will be better?

We can.

Picture
Connect with Aly Sterling

Picture
​Heather Gallant is an advisor at Aly Sterling Philanthropy were she guides nonprofits and their leaders toward organizational and financial stability. She has experience with mature and grassroots organizations alike, and has worked at Wellesley College, Bowling Green State University, American Model United Nations in Chicago, the American Red Cross, the Congressional Youth Leadership Council in Washington, D.C. and as an AmeriCorps VISTA. 

​Please contact Emily Dammeyer, Communications Manager, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce to submit a story for our blog.
5 Comments
Matt Yarder link
5/18/2016 03:40:37 pm

This program was an idea from our membership and it has materialized into a phenomenal opportunity for the young professionals in the Toledo reason. We have incredible numbers of non profit organizations serving our community. And to know we are making direct impact on the way our next leaders will serve those missions with a heightened and effective skill set is powerful. My hats off to those individuals who spent the last 12 weeks committing to this course and becoming game changers in our community.

Reply
Pam Croson link
5/18/2016 04:26:45 pm

We are a new tutoring center for children with Dyslexia, Dyslexia Education Training Center, and are in the process of filing our 501c3 paperwork. We are very interested in adding board members. Your program sounds wonderful how could we connect?

Reply
EPIC Toledo link
5/19/2016 08:54:18 am

Hi Pam,

Thank you for reaching out! Please email Sara Swisher, Director of EPIC Toledo, to discuss opportunities to engage with the program. Her email is [email protected].

Have a great day!

Reply
Chris Tracey
9/21/2017 10:38:51 am

Board Accelerator. I see there was 2-day offering for Fall 2017. Will there be winter/spring offering soon?

Reply
EPIC Toledo
9/21/2017 11:00:49 am

Hi Chris,
Please email [email protected] for details on the program.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All
    Advocacy And Public Policy
    Business Development
    Center For Training And Development
    Chamber Updates
    EPIC Toledo
    Events
    Membership Opportunity
    New Members
    Our Members
    Small Business Development Center
    Talent Resource Week

    RSS Feed

Copyright Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce.  All Rights Reserved.
300 Madison Avenue, Ste. 200  |  Toledo, OH 43604
PHONE: (419) 243-8191 
Terms and Conditions
Picture