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- Nonprofit 2020: Issues and Answers for the Next Generation
Nonprofit 2020: Issues and Answers for the Next Generation
Voting Summary (Elevator Pitch):
NP2020 will allow emerging leaders to raise their voice on the future of leadership in the nonprofit sector. Open space technology & online communities will help emerging leaders generate ideas & continue to create solutions after the conference.
Supporting organization:
Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University
URL:
www.gvsu.edu/np2020 , http://www.myspace.com/np2020
City:
Grand Rapids
State/Region:
MI
Country:
United States
Project Vision Statement & Potential Social Impact:
The vision of the NP2020 conference is to focus on the looming leadership deficit in the nonprofit sector and answer the question Will You Lead in 2020?
As the baby boomers plan to retire in the next few years young nonprofit leaders need to take their places. Bridgespan predicts there will be a need for 640,000 new senior leaders by the year 2016.
Through the use of the innovative open space technology we hope to create dialogue among nonprofit leaders between the ages of 21 and 40 to answer the questions: How do we address this growing need? What solutions lie within our sector? How do we begin to better understand the needs of, and barriers to the sector's future leaders? Are you an emerging leader willing to engage in the development of innovative solutions?
At the end of the conference we will have a growing Wiki website with all of the notes and ideas generated from the conference. The new ideas and passion for the sector generated from the conference will potentially lead young professionals across the country to take a proactive step to sustaining the nonprofit sector.
Sustainability (financial) model:
The conference is a one time, three day event. Registration for the conference is $150, including all meals. The budget is set, but we are looking for sponsorships, scholarships money, and other grants that will help us out of the loss we are going to maintain.
Right now all of our funding comes from a grant/partnership with Arizona State University's Center for Nonprofit Leadership & Mangement, as well as The Center for Philanthropy at Indiana University. Our staff is essentially donating their time to be at the conference the day of.
We are in the process of searching for individual organizations that will fund money for scholarships for participants, as well as corporate sponsors to help us uphold a green conference and give participants a good experience.
Potential obstacles:
We potentially have one large obstacle, participation. The subject matter is relevent to many young professionals across the country, but the challenge is getting them to the conference. We are currently looking for sponsors of the conference to allow some individuals a 10% discount to the conference, as well as organizations that will sponsor their members. Other obstacles are appearing with this challenge, such as funding and incentives for participants.
One other obstacle, may be relaying the importance of a coalition for young nonprofit leaders. It is essential for young leaders to get their voices heard and coming together for the conference wil put them all one step ahead of the race to strengthen the nonprofit sector.
Resource Needs:
We need many resources for the conference including, supplies for the days of the conference (paper, markers, etc); larger marketing avenues, via the web (we now use myspace, wiki, facebook, and blogs); participants and their innovative ideas; and participant thank you gifts. To supply most of our resources we really need to attract a strong buzz of the confernce and secrue another possible grant or corporate sponsorship.
Key Milestones:
The vision for the conference came to us in March of 2006, after a few of our staff members attended another conference and over heard discussion about the need for young leaders. We secured our partnerships through the AIM Grant here at the Johnson Center and began planning short after. Now we are in full swing. Through out the last year, we have expanded our viral marketing campaign and created a social network online through myspace, facebook, and wiki. We have also secured sponsorships through Michigan Nonprofit Association and American Humanics National office. That brings us to today. Planning continues in full swing and the conference is July 26-28. We currently have 3 people registered and are adding more each week!
Project Summary:
The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University in partnership with the Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management at Arizona State University and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University is hosting Nonprofit 2020, a conference that will convene (July 26-28, 2007) and provide opportunity for emerging leaders to raise their voice on the issue of the looming leadership deficit and to discuss the future of leadership for the nonprofit sector.
"The Nonprofit Sector's Leadership Deficit", as described by the Bridgespan Group, will be a need for 640,000 new senior leaders -- the equivalent of 2.4 times the number currently employed, by the year 2016. This statistic creates more impact on the sector as baby boomers prepare for retirement in the next few years.
How do we address this growing need? What solutions lie within our sector? How do we begin to better understand the needs of, and barriers to the sector's future leaders? Are you an emerging leader willing to engage in the development of innovative solutions? These are questions we are hoping to answer at the NP2020 Conference in July.
The conference design is simple and open. Given the talent that will be present, the design is intended less to tell participants what to do than to provide a supportive environment in which they can openly dialogue about possible solutions. The conference will be facilitated through use of an Open Space Technology. Open Space Technology is just what it implies - a safe time and space for people to pursue the business at hand.
The agenda and discussion topics will be developed during the course of the conference by conference participants. This allows the content to be what each person brings.
The outcome will be like nothing anyone has ever seen before. Open Space Technology has allowed groups with interest and passion for a topic to cultivate ideas and create innovative solutions.
The conference is seen as part of the process of building a network of individuals who are willing to share ideas, discuss, and create action. Discussions and ideas will all be recorded in an online Wiki for participants to refer back to or add to at any time in the future.
Leadership belongs to no one and everyone; visions emerge spontaneously; teamwork appears without training; community is heart-felt; and participants self-manage their work for optimal results. We can go places beyond our expectations, if we're willing to trust the process, remembering its simple principles, and letting go of control.
Comments
Didn't know the Johnson Center was doing this
A big shout-out to you, Tera, and my other colleagues at the Johnson Center. Please tell Joel I said hello. Another colleague, Charles Forsythe, and I submitted a social networking tool (Throngz) for the NetSquared Innovation Award, so I've been doing the rounds, checking out other people's projects. Very impressive!
I'm glad to hear the Center is focusing on the impending leadership deficit and what that will mean for the sector. Whether or not the deficit evolves into a crisis is less important than the fact that there are more and more people paying attention to the challenges of careers in the nonprofit sector. Thanks for doing this.
_____
Albert Ruesga
White Courtesy Telephone
Check out Throngz, the online discussion space that comes and gets you
What Is This Leadership Deficit?
In 2005 and 2006, the Bridgespan Group conducted an extensive study of the leadership of nonprofits. The organizations that they studied have annual revenues above $250,000. They excluded hospitals and institutions of higher education. They found the following:
- Over the next ten years, the types of organizations in study will need 640,000
new senior managers.
- The projected growth rate in the next ten years for senior nonprofit
management is 240%.
- By 2016, nonprofits will need almost 80,000 new senior managers per year.
- Given the historic rate of growth of the nonprofit sector (and the exclusion of
small nonprofits, hospitals, and higher education), these numbers could be
underestimated.
In short, the nonprofit sector is facing a large imbalance in the supply of and the demand for senior management.
Why is This Happening?
- The retirement of baby-boomer managers who make up the largest segment of
senior managers
- Growth in the number of nonprofits.
- A general lack of infrastructure and support for overhead expenses in the
nonprofit sector. Nonprofits are generally unwilling or unable to devote
resources to developing managers internally.
What is Nonprofit 2020 and Why Should You Care?
Nonprofit 2020 is a conference, but it is also a concept. It is based on several core beliefs and specific needs within the sector:
- As a nation, we are increasingly relying on private organizations to provide
public benefits. Some of those benefits include arts and cultural activities, low-
income healthcare, and economic development.
- Let's face it, Someone else's employee shortage could be your job
opportunity.
- Opportunity to make an impact. The nonprofit sector will require strong
leadership and creative problem solving in the near future. If you want to be
challenged as an employee, board member, or volunteer, this is the sector for
you!
- Everyone has a place in finding ways to fill the needs of the sector. This
includes current leaders, board members, the funding community, volunteers -
and especially the young people who will lead the sector in the future.
- One way to discover solutions is to get a group of energetic, engaged
individuals together and give them the tools and environment that supports
creative problem solving.
We hope you will join us at the conference in July and in the months that follow as our new community works together.