The story of YNPN today, is the story of an active,

vibrant, impactful network.

As we move into 2012, we are a network of almost 34

chapters and 30,000 members across the

country from Boston to Little Rock to Detroit to San

Francisco.

We’ve nearly doubled in membership over the past 3 years1 and the number of

chapters we boast has grown dramatically in the

past 7 years especially.2

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1 2008 = 15,000 members2 1997 = 1 chapter; 2001 = 2 chapters, 2005=8 chapters; 2009=22 chapters; 2012=34 chapters

Everyday, through board leadership, offline

programming, and social media, we are living out

our basic mission:

To promote an efficient, viable and inclusive

nonprofit sector that supports the growth,

learning, and development of young professionals.

And we’ve grown not only in the number and type of support we provide, but in the sophistication of that

support.

In addition to providing practical professional

development workshops and regular networking

events, over the past several years, our chapters

have begun to provide*:(*examples – we know you’re doing lots of amazing stuff that we’re

missing!)

Researched reports on the state of local emerging

leadership*(*YNPN Cleveland!)

Mentoring programs that connect emerging and

seasoned professionals in the sector*(*YNPN Pittsburgh!)

Insightful blog posts that encourage us to think

critically about our role in the sector*(*YNPN Twin Cities!)

Community-wide awards ceremonies that celebrate the critical contributions of

local leaders*(*YNPN Grand Rapids! YNPN Phoenix!)

Partnerships with the likes of CompassPoint & the White House Office of

Public Engagement that amplify the voice & visibility of YNPs*

(*YNPN SFBA! YNPN DC!)

2, 3 and 5 year strategic plans for leveraging

resources and increasing chapter impact*

(*WAY too many of you to name. You know who you are and we salute you!)

So, as we move into 2012, we have much, much to be

proud of as an organization. In many

ways, YNPN has arrived.

The sector is awake to the importance of building

sustainable careers in the sector and YNPN’s critical

role.*(*YNPN named Top 10 organizations to watch in

2012; YNPN at the table for the White House Forum on Nonprofit Careers.)

More importantly, the time for our model has also

arrived.

Beyond the sector , the world has finally awakened

to a powerful idea.

The idea that you can put a basic framework around a

space, allow people to bring their best selves to that space, and they will

create something far more incredible than any one

person could have imagined.

Examples of these open, leader-full spaces include

Wikipedia and the App Store online and the 2004

Dean Campaign and Occupy Wall Street offline.

YNPN has been on the cutting edge of this idea – operating with this ethos

for our entire 15 year history.

As a result, YNPN has become more than a space for young people to build sustainable careers in the

sector…

…it is a place where untapped leaders are

awakened to their agency and given the chance to exercise their leadership

muscles.

YNPN 3.0 is about strengthening our network

infrastructure and deepening relationships across the network so

these critical opportunities are more accessible to a

greater number and more diverse range of people.

Why YNPN 3.0?

Because we believe that YNPN is entering its 3rd

major era in the 15-year history of the organization.

Our growth during each of our previous eras is marked by distinct moments where

we made the choice to think as a network and invest in infrastructure.

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= investment in infrastructure

What the sector looked like (1997):

•Pre-professionalization• Early beginnings of the sector

defining itself as a place to build a career

•Pre-Daring to Lead3 & Bridgespan Reports4

• Sector not yet discussing lack of sustainability of the ED role and possible leadership deficit_________________________3 http://daringtolead.org/4http://www.bridgespan.org/learningcenter/resourcedetail.aspx?id=946

YNPN Response (‘YNPN 1.0’):

• Bill Tucker, Nelson Layag & Christina Chan – young professionals working at CompassPoint (then the Nonprofit Support Center) in SFBA - decide to form a peer professional development and support group

YNPN Response (‘YNPN 1.0’):

•Start hosting regular events

•CompassPoint (under then-ED, Jan Masaoka) provides major, in-kind support

•$3000 Grant from Haas, Jr.•Hire an intern•Build a list serv

Turning Point:

• The Great YNP Migration• Folks from SFBA move to other cities

• Begin to replicate SFBA Model in places like New York City, DC, Chicago, Denver and L.A.

What the sector looked like (2003):•Daring to Lead released 2

yrs earlier• Brought attention to need for

emerging leadership pipelines

•Strengthen Americorps Act• Doubled number of Americorps

members• Unprecedented number of young

people introduced to working in the sector

What the sector looked like (2003):•Lots of people – emerging

leaders AND those looking to support emerging leaders suddenly interested in YNPN model• Few existing YNPN chapters are being

asked to help seed chapters in places where the SFBA originals didn’t land• Exciting time for YNPN but strain on

existing chapters

YNPN Response (‘YNPN 2.0’):

• Formed YNPN National• Focused on supporting existing

chapters and helping to build cohesion across the network• Also focused on providing technical

assistance to new chapters

•Began National Voice Work• Aggregated the voices of the

membership for greater impact on sector-wide conversations

YNPN Response (‘YNPN 2.0’):

• Incorporated as a 501c3 • Attempted group exemption but

denied due to lack of infrastructure at the time

•Secured first Major Grants• Annie E. Casey, American Express, &

Meyer to fund the following

•Began Annual Conferences

YNPN Response (‘YNPN 2.0’):

•Built Technology Platform• Recognizing the needs for a

connected system and for even the youngest chapters to have a web presence

•Hired part-time staff• Customer service• Tech Support

•Chapter levels guide• Set clear common benchmarks for

chapter growth and develop

All this has led to the fastest growth in our

history as well as more stable, effective chapters.

So what’s next?

YNPN 3.0

What the sector (and beyond) looks like today:• Greater appreciation for supporting

emerging leadership and building sustainable careers• Exciting work like the Initiative for Nonprofit

Talent and Leadership• YNPN (chapters and national) are approached on

a weekly basis by established groups wanting to connect with young leaders

• Unprecedented numbers of young people looking to join the network. level is approached on a weekly basis

• Greater appreciation for our model of distributed network leadership

How YNPN should respond (‘YNPN 3.0’):

•Continue to support the growth and development of YNPs

•Develop into a more robust space for attracting and engaging diverse leaders

What might that look like in the coming years?• Shared membership status

across the network • Institutional memberships for

national organizations • An all-member conference •More shared technology such

as a CRM• Funding and support for

chapters that pilot programs to scale nationally

What might that look like in the coming years?•More active, organized

involvement in the advocacy and policy arena • Training Institutes

throughout the year for chapter leaders and members • Fiscal sponsorship via YNPN

National •Group purchasing

opportunities

So many exciting possibilities? Where do we

start?

We’ll start with 3 projects that are:•Ripe • Built on conversations we’ve already

begun as a network.

•Fit capacity • Can be developed/implemented with

the financial and staff resources we have now.

•Foundational• Will position us to make more

complex decisions as a network in the future

Project #1: Developing Shared StandardsDeveloping a set of shared standards will allow us to name the essence of what it means to be a chapter in our network and determine what supports and systems of accountability we’ll need to uphold these standards.

Project #2: Creating a Data CenterTogether, we’ll come up with a system for collecting and aggregating chapter level data that will create a cohesive story about YNPN, our chapters, our membership, and our collective impact.

Project #3: Setting up chapter input & decision-making structuresThis project will focus on creating a system of feedback and joint decision making for YNPN National and YNPN chapters that will create a stronger network that effectively engages the talent and perspective of all leaders.

Chapter Congress [beta]: Proposals will be developed in these three areas and decided on between now and August by members of our first-ever Chapter Congress – a “beta version” of the chapter input & decision making model .

There will be many opportunities and decisions in the coming years that will affect the direction of the network. In the short-term, the Chapter Congress will provide a clear way of hearing your ideas and implementing decisions across the network.

Chapter Congress [beta]:

Your chapter’s involvement is critical to the success of this process. We are hoping that each chapter will select a Chapter Representative for the Congress and that we achieve 100% participation across the network.

Next Steps:

Be sure to check out YNPN.org/30 for more detailed information about everything from the starting projects to how to register your Chapter Rep.

Let us know your thoughts, questions and ideas about YNPN 3.0 via the comment boxes on the website, email (national@ynpn.org) or join the conversation via #ynpn30.

Get excited, stay excited You get to be part of an

incredible moment for the Young Nonprofit Professionals

Network! We’re looking forward to taking

this journey with you.