Community Initiatives

In every capacity, YLNI looks to be the connection for our members between their professional and personal life and the community. We encourage our members to demonstrate leadership traits by serving through community impact or social opportunities. We also encourage our members to further develop these leadership skills through educational & mentorship opportunities to better serve their community & their careers.

We are continuously seeking to grow & refine our initiatives to ensure they go to the heart of our mission to make our region the kind of place where people want to live. These six initiatives make sure that YLNI is growing and benefitting our members and the community.

Communications

Whether it’s via weekly e-mail updates, the Web site, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, press releases, flyers, or brochures, Communications is in charge of keeping our members informed of what’s going on. They also see to it that YLNI is keeping the community informed on how, where, & why we are acting as an agent of connection & influence.

We’re looking for talent of all sorts: designers, writers, editors, proofreaders, and anyone else with experience in marketing and communications. Experience in these areas, however, is not necessary–anyone is welcome to join. Contact us at communications@ylni.org or newsletter@ylni.org.

Community Impact

The Community Impact initiative goes to the heart of our mission to make our region the kind of place where people want to live. The ideas from this group have turned into some of our most successful endeavors, such as the Barr Street Market and YLNI the Vote. Our Community Impact Committee also acts as a conduit of influence through their committee members sitting on a variety of community boards & committees.

It is the mission of the Community Impact Committee to educate YLNI members about issues that affect the community, and in particular, the young leaders demographic. In keeping with this mission, the Community Impact Committee reviews public policy issues, community initiatives and other pertinent issues and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors about them. In addition to education, its goals are to strengthen the relationship between our members and the community and public officials, and create awareness of legislation and advocate on behalf of our members.

Passion and persistence are a must, but you’d be amazed how much you can influence & impact your community through your efforts. To learn more about getting involved with Community Impact, e-mail impact@ylni.org, market@ylni.org or vote@ylni.org.

Fund Development

Great ideas aren’t possible without the financial support of our community. Really, we can’t say “thank you” enough to all the folks in the community who believe in our mission. The hard-working Fund Development team seeks out corporate partners, event sponsorships, grants and individual donations to help shine a light on the value of YLNI to our community and all the amazing things we are able to accomplish with their support.

Members of this group are a tremendous aid to YLNI and do way more than just ask for donations. All kinds of talent are represented: grant writers, organizers, accountants, dealmakers, even thank-you note writers. E-mail fund@ylni.org if you’d like to help out.

Membership

Our Membership initiative attracts new members and helps them explore all the opportunities within YLNI. This group is present at YLNI functions to welcome current and potential members and initiate connections between the two. They also update and maintain member information and annually gauge their satisfaction. Their goal is to find ways to better engage members and provide more benefits and perks.

The Membership folks are a smiley, energetic bunch. So if you are a networker at heart and enjoy meeting new people, this is a great group to be a part of. E-mail membership@ylni.org to take the first step.

Leadership Development

This initiative takes the lead in creating programs for the personal and professional development of our members. Programs are designed so our members can be as effective as possible in all areas of leadership, whether it’s in the community, the workplace, or in their personal lives. The flagship programs of this initiative are the Leadership Institute (a huge success that keeps getting bigger each year) & View from the Top.

Our Leadership Development volunteers are brainstormers; they love ideas, learning, and teaching. They spend a lot of time working with established leaders in our community to ensure that we effectively utilize & pass on their experience. E-mail development@ylni.org to find out how you can help.

Social

We think if you’re going to love where you work and live, you have to get connected. Whether it’s finding your favorite new hangout or new people to hang out with, our Social initiative is about connecting people to our community, and to each other. They organize our regular networking Hot Spots and they plan social events throughout the year, like the annual Masquerade Ball on New Year’s Eve & our annual Block Party in June.

Social butterflies and event planners needed–we’re looking for the friendly, the fun, and the funky to join the Social initiative. E-mail social@ylni.org.