On November 14, more than eighty members of the alumni community and nonprofit sector gathered at the Princeton Club of New York for a night of networking and conversation focused on encore careers and transitional opportunities in the social sector. Princeton AlumniCorps partnered with the Class of ’71 Legacy Initiative, Encore.org, and the Princeton Club of New York to bring alumni, Community Volunteers participants, current and former fellows, and a diverse group of local nonprofits together to launch the Community Volunteers program in New York. The event marked the growing reach of the program. Beginning this winter, Community Volunteers will pair nonprofits in New York with experienced alumni looking for pro bono opportunities. Our goal is to offer nonprofits cost- free access to professional expertise. In turn, our nonprofit partners offer alumni skills-based volunteer opportunities to serve the community in which they live or work in a truly meaningful way. The event featured Marci Alboher, author of The Encore Career Handbook and Vice President of Encore.org, whose mission to “promote second acts for the greater good” aligns with the goals of Community Volunteers. Anne Tergesen ’86, a Wall Street Journal reporter who writes about retirement, interviewed Marci about the encore career movement and then moder- ated a panel of alumni who have pursued work in the social sector. Panelists included Karen Ali ’78, a former lawyer who recently completed a Community Volunteers project in New Jersey, and Sharon Keld ’80, Development Officer at Fall 2013 Volume 16, Issue 3 Continued on Page 3 At its September meeting, the AlumniCorps Board adopted four new strategic goals recommended by the Strategic Plan Steering Committee. These goals emerged from a six-month planning process, during which the Steering Committee gathered ideas and feedback from across the AlumniCorps community. As we pursue these goals together, the AlumniCorps community can look forward to a year of programming in 2014-15 celebrating the first 25 years of AlumniCorps and looking ahead to the next. We are launching a major outreach initiative to engage PP55 fellowship alumni in more meaningful ways, including convening groups of alumni who share a passion for a particular public issue, such as education, criminal justice reform, or public health. You can also expect our core programs, which form a continuum of alumni engagement, to get even better. Finally, the AlumniCorps Board is committed to the sustainability of this organization that we all care for deeply. From Board leadership succession planning to en- suring continued strong financial management to dramati- cally increasing giving from PP55 alumni, the Board will pursue a series of objectives designed to sustain AlumniCorps for years to come. The AlumniCorps Board and staff thank the Steering Committee for developing clear, substantive, exciting, and achievable goals that will significantly broaden our impact. The committee was co-chaired by John Fish ’55 and Kathy Miller ’77 and included Jessica Johnson ’98, Kef Kasdin ’85, Stan Katz h’21, Anne-Marie Maman ’84, Tony Quainton ’55, Kenly Webster ’55, and Executive Director Andrew Nurkin. We invite the whole AlumniCorps community to join the ongoing work of implementing the plan. For a copy of the Strategic Planning Report, please email [email protected]. AlumniCorps 2013-2016 Strategic Goals: Affirm 25 Years of Addressing Social Issues Strengthen the Field by Building Our Networks Enhance Core Programs Sustain Organizational Health
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Transcript
On November 14, more than eighty members of the
alumni community and nonprofit sector gathered at the
Princeton Club of New York for a night of networking and
conversation focused on encore careers and transitional
opportunities in the social sector. Princeton AlumniCorps
partnered with the Class of ’71 Legacy Initiative,
Encore.org, and the Princeton Club of New York to bring
alumni, Community Volunteers participants, current and
former fellows, and a diverse group of local nonprofits
together to launch the Community Volunteers program in
New York.
The event marked the growing reach of the program.
Beginning this winter, Community Volunteers will pair
nonprofits in New York with experienced alumni looking for
pro bono opportunities. Our goal is to offer nonprofits cost-
free access to professional expertise. In turn, our nonprofit
partners offer alumni skills-based volunteer opportunities to
serve the community in which they live or work in a truly
meaningful way.
The event featured
Marci Alboher, author
of The Encore Career
Handbook and Vice
P r e s i d e n t o f
Encore.org, whose
mission to “promote
second acts for the
greater good” aligns
with the goals of
Community Volunteers. Anne Tergesen ’86, a Wall Street
Journal reporter who writes about retirement, interviewed
Marci about the encore career movement and then moder-
ated a panel of alumni who have pursued work in the social
sector. Panelists included Karen Ali ’78, a former lawyer
who recently completed a Community Volunteers project in
New Jersey, and Sharon Keld ’80, Development Officer at
Fall 2013 Volume 16, Issue 3
Continued on Page 3
At its September meeting, the AlumniCorps Board
adopted four new strategic goals recommended by the
Strategic Plan Steering Committee. These goals emerged
from a six-month planning process, during which the
Steering Committee gathered ideas and feedback from
across the AlumniCorps community.
As we pursue these goals together, the AlumniCorps
community can look forward to a year of programming in
2014-15 celebrating the first 25 years of AlumniCorps
and looking ahead to the next. We are launching a major
outreach initiative to engage PP55 fellowship alumni in
more meaningful ways, including convening groups of
alumni who share a passion for a particular public issue,
such as education, criminal justice reform, or public health.
You can also expect our core programs, which form a
continuum of alumni engagement, to get even better.
Finally, the AlumniCorps Board is committed to the
sustainability of this organization that we all care for
deeply. From Board leadership succession planning to en-
suring continued strong financial management to dramati-
cally increasing giving from PP55 alumni, the Board will
pursue a series of objectives designed to sustain
AlumniCorps for years to come.
The AlumniCorps Board and staff thank the Steering
Committee for developing clear, substantive, exciting, and
achievable goals that will significantly broaden our impact.
The committee was co-chaired by John Fish ’55 and
Kathy Miller ’77 and included Jessica Johnson ’98, Kef
Kasdin ’85, Stan Katz h’21, Anne-Marie Maman ’84,
Tony Quainton ’55, Kenly Webster ’55, and Executive
Director Andrew Nurkin. We invite the whole AlumniCorps
community to join the ongoing work of implementing the
plan. For a copy of the Strategic Planning Report, please
“Princeton AlumniCorps has allowed me to discover and explore potential career paths, develop my skills, and meet mentors and like-minded individuals who will become the next generation of public sector leaders.”
AlumniCorps and former Peace Corps volunteer and
marketing professional.
Marci Alboher began by sharing her knowledge of
encore and transitional careers. She explained that
there are generally two types of people in the move-
and others leap in where help is needed. She stressed
that the nonprofit sector is the third largest sector in the
United States and that opportunities to get involved and
develop skills are abundant.
Panelist Sharon Keld ’80 talked about her experi-
ence transitioning from the business world to
nonprofits. Noting that her work in marketing felt unful-
filling, she described her journey toward the nonprofit
sector, which included earning a certificate in nonprofit
management studies and multiple assignments with
Peace Corps and Peace Corps Response. After
returning from the Peace Corps, where she put her
marketing background to work doing business develop-
ment with Moroccan artisans, Sharon volunteered in a
variety of roles until joining the AlumniCorps staff.
At the conclusion of the program, Judy Safian k’55
spoke about her father’s passion for AlumniCorps and
Community Volunteers. Chet Safian ’55, was instru-
mental in starting the Project 55 Fellowship Program in
New York and was its biggest champion for more than
20 years. Shortly before he passed away in April 2013
he began laying the groundwork for Community Volun-
teers to expand to New York. Judy noted that the
Community Volunteers model was her father’s experi-
ence with AlumniCorps and she encouraged attendees
to “get involved with Community Volunteers. It’s a great
experience. It will expand your network and open your
world in ways you never imagined. It changed my
father’s life and it can change yours.”
Following a question and answer period, representa-
tives from Encore.org offered additional advice to those
looking for nonprofit opportunities. AlumniCorps partner
organizations were also on hand to talk about the
projects available through Community Volunteers. In
the coming months, AlumniCorps will be working to
match interested participants to partner organizations
for short-term, high-impact projects in New York.
The event was organized by Program Leader Kef
Kasdin ’85, New York lead volunteers Regina Lee ’85
and Scott Taylor ’75, and Program Director Rachel
Benevento. The expansion of Community Volunteers is
made possible by the Chet Safian Innovation Fund.
The AlumniCorps Twitter feed was hacked!
Okay, not really, but over the summer Emerging Leader Mariah Craven took over the AlumniCorps Twitter ac-
count to share some program insights.
Check out a few of her tweets:
@AlumniCorps
Effective #leadership is situational, dependent on engaged followers, & adaptive over time. @AlumniCorps One of the most useful aspects of the Emerging Leaders program is that it has contextualized theories and prac-tices; made them relevant. @AlumniCorps Our guest speakers are here! Today we’re hearing from Groundswell’s Elizabeth Lindsey and Pyper Davis from SEED Foundation. @AlumniCorps Today Emerging Leaders in DC are being hosted by @casefoundation. We’re talking about why #leadership is fluid.
Follow us on Twitter @AlumniCorps or like the
Princeton AlumniCorps Facebook page!
3
From left: Marci Alboher, Anne Tergesen ’86, Karen Ali ’78, and Sharon Keld ’80 during the panel discussion.
Continued from Page 1
Guests make new connections during the networking reception.
Calling PP55 Alumni and Fellows: Join our $15,000 Challenge!
$6,343
raised $8,657 left to
reach our goal
$0 $15,000
When the newest class of PP55 fellows began work this summer, the number of alumni connected with public interest
work through the Princeton Project 55 Fellowship Program grew to 1,507. To mark this exciting milestone, PP55 alumna
Melissa Frey Mazin ’91 and Craig Mazin ’92 have teamed up with Board member and PP55 mentor Scott Taylor ’75
to sponsor a $15,000 matching gift challenge.
Since the challenge was launched on October 16, we have reached more than 1/3 of our goal:
Every dollar that an alum or current PP55 fellow donates between now and December 31 will be matched. We are calling on all PP55 alumni to step up and join the challenge! If we meet the $15,000 goal, this will mean
an extra $30,000 for AlumniCorps programming.
We thank those PP55 alums who have already made a gift this year.
The PP55 Challenge is part of AlumniCorps’ overall goal to raise $235,000 from individual donors by June 30, 2014.
We invite all members of our community to make a gift today to help us reach this goal.
To donate, please visit www.alumnicorps.org/donate or send your gift to
Regular seminars are a core element of the Project 55
Fellowships Program, giving fellows opportunities to
deepen their knowledge about public issues and civic lead-
ership. In Chicago, PP55 fellows gather weekly with fellows
from our TAN affiliate schools to be inspired by and learn
from leaders working for social change. Latalia White ’12
reports on a recent PP55 seminar in Chicago.
On Wednesday, November 13, Chicago PP55 fellows
met downtown at Civic Consulting Alliance with Public
Interest Program fellows from Northwestern University and
the University of Chicago for a seminar led by Pamela
Bozeman-Evans, Chief Operating Officer of the YWCA in
Chicago. Bozeman-Evans described how growing up in a
grassroots politically active family on the South Side of
Chicago set the foundation for her to dedicate her life to
public service, with a focus on helping women and
children. After graduating from Northern Illinois University
with a Bachelor’s degree in corporate communication and a
Master’s degree in fiscal administration, Bozeman-Evans
took a position as the Director of the University of
Chicago’s Community Service Center after childhood friend
[and former PP55 mentor] Michelle Obama ’85 persuaded
her to consider the position. She has also worked on
Barack Obama’s Senate campaign and served as the Sen-
ior Program Director for the Gary Comer Youth Center.
Bozeman-Evans used her time as Executive Director for
Blue Gargoyle Community Services from 2007-2009 to
detail the struggles of running a nonprofit organization dur-
ing tough financial times, reflecting to fellows how the shut-
ting down of Blue Gargoyle under her leadership inspired
her to prove her critics wrong by successfully moving
ahead in her career. Bozeman-Evans’s advice to fellows
who want to work in the nonprofit sector is that their focus
should be on working toward a future in which their
nonprofit organization no longer exists.
Using her current position as COO of the YWCA Chicago
as an example, she expressed that she would be horrified if
there was still a need in one hundred and fifty years for the
YWCA, an organization that seeks to eliminate racism and
sexual violence toward women; nonprofit companies need
to strive for prevention as opposed to intervention. Taking
questions from fellows about moving up in the nonprofit
world, Bozeman-Evans’ recommendations were to imple-
ment a “strategic and visionary approach to development,
the most important team” in a nonprofit, understand your
hook, and constantly be thinking about what your
company’s future needs will be in an ever-changing world. 4
Eileen Torrez ’13 is a current fellow in the Bay Area. We recently checked in with her about her first few months as a PP55 fellow at GreatSchools in San Fran-cisco.
Tell us about yourself.
What interests and ex-
periences did you have
at Princeton? What was
your major and focus of
study? Where are you
from?
I come from Corrales,
NM, which is a small town
just outside of Albuquer-
que (think adobe houses,
corn fields and lots of
horses and goats). When
I was younger I was always curious about the bigger
picture: What is the nature of things? Why do people
act the way they do? How much can we know about
the past and the future? At Princeton I got hooked on
metaphysics and epistemology and decided to major in
philosophy. I explored the connections between
philosophy, language, and religion, ultimately traveling
to India during the fall semester of my junior year to
study Buddhism and then writing my thesis on Buddhist
philosophy. I also studied Arabic and was part of
singing and yoga groups on campus.
Tell us about your host organization. What is its
mission? What kind of work are you doing?
GreatSchools’ mission is to help parents get a great
education for their kids both at home and at school.
They started 15 years ago as a website of school
profiles, with transparent information on academic per-
formance and reviews by parents, students, and teach-
ers. The idea is that the more parents can make
informed choices about where they send their kids to
school, the more the quality of schools will improve
over time. The site has since expanded and now in-
cludes content aimed at helping parents become more
actively involved in their kids’ education.
My job is to act as [the CEO’s] assistant, which so far
has meant researching and crafting documents for
either internal or external purposes. For example, last
month I directed the writing of a paper for funders
illustrating the theory and practice behind our new local
engagement model. This month I’ll be working on the
same type of paper, but for our new website called
GreatKids.
We know it is early on in your fellowship. What has
been the most surprising thing to you in your time
on the job? Has anything been particularly reward-
ing so far? How are you finding the Bay Area?
I’ve been surprised to discover how much opportunity
for impact still exists in the field of education reform. It’s
encouraging to know that as long as you start some-
where, adapt quickly, and stay true to your original
vision, you can make a difference. I see that happening
with GreatSchools and I really like knowing that I’m a
part of the movement behind the scenes. I especially
enjoy blogging because I get to read about the most
recent debates and cutting-edge ideas in education,
and process my own ideas about them. The best part
about my job is that I’m actually using the skills I
learned in college. There is a serious need in small
public interest organizations for humanities stu-
dents – people who know how to write, who can do
solid research, and who bring their own perspec-
tive and voice to things. I feel good knowing that I’m
making a difference at a company that’s having such a
real impact.
San Francisco is, hands down, the most amazing city
I’ve ever been in. A couple of times a week I go out and
do something unique around the city.
What are your short and long-term career plans?
How do you imagine your fellowship fitting in?
I started this fellowship with the goal of developing
two things: my professional skills as a writer and my
understanding of how nonprofits operate. So far my
office has been an excellent training ground on both
fronts. I’ve also been gaining a lot of insight into the
more elusive aspects of running a business, such as
the bridge between theory and practice. How does a
nonprofit stay true to its mission in the midst of a com-
petitive industry? How does it deal with internal clashes
and interact with outside partners? Answering these
questions has been incredibly helpful for me as I
consider how I might want to run an organization of my
own someday.
I’m not sure where I’ll end up in the next couple of
years, but I have some interesting ideas. I think I might
take some time off and explore music for a while, then
come back to the nonprofit arena and do more man-
agement-focused work. I may even go to business
school! I’m really inspired by my boss’ story and I think
I could accomplish a lot in a similar role. I may end up
doing something education-related, and I may not; I’ve
learned one thing through this fellowship it’s that all
social and cultural issues are intimately connected. 5
Scott Taylor '75 and Rana Campbell '13 at the New York Welcome Dinner
This year we have four fellows in the Boston area, all
working at Lawrence Community Day Public Charter
School. We kicked off the fellowship year with a welcome
party co-hosted by the Harvard Center for Public Interest
Careers (CPIC), and we will be jointly organizing monthly
seminars as well. At the first seminar of the year, the
fellows went to the Food Project, which hosts a Princeton
High Meadows fellow. The fellows harvested some food at
a Food Project farm in Dorchester.
The Bay Area committee welcomed a new group of
fellows, most of whom were new to the Bay Area, San
Francisco and the AlumniCorps Community at the newly
opened Exploratorium.
After the fellows got settled into their jobs and a new
city, we met up in North Beach, San Francisco, to
experience "Off the Grid," a fun evening of food trucks and
mingling.
A special note of thanks to our eight new mentors this
year, who are helping fellows get acclimated to their new
jobs and new homes in the Bay Area!
The new fellowship year is off to a great start for
Chicago’s ten fellows. We launched the fellowship year
with an informal picnic and concert in Millennium Park in
August, followed by an orientation dinner in September at
the home of Lindsay and Jeremy Wall ’02. The orienta-
tion allowed the Chicago Committee to convey information
about the Chicago program to fellows, but it was also a
great opportunity for fellows, mentors, mentors at large,
and committee members to meet and mingle.
The fellows have also been matched with two mentors
each, and they have started their weekly seminars, half of
which are shared with Public Interest Program fellows
from the University of Chicago and Northwestern. John
Fish ’55, Chair of the Princeton AlumniCorps Board of
Directors, led the first seminar to give fellows an overview
of Chicago politics, and subsequent seminars have been
hosted by a variety of individuals and organizations, in-
cluding Illinois Senator Heather Steans ’85, Interfaith
Youth Core, Civic Consulting Alliance, Bethel New Life
with Nat Piggee ’86, and Teach for America with Josh
Anderson ’04. Michael Collins ’11 also led fellows on a
tour of North Lawndale, a community in which many
fellows have been placed through the years through a
partnership with the Steans Family Foundation. An
additional partnership with Steans has supported the
efforts with our Community Volunteers initiative, which
continues to grow and thrive.
The Project 55 Chicago community also hosted an event
in August at the home of Kirsten Ekdahl-Hull ’99 to honor
the fantastic work of John Fish ’55 and Vince Anderson
’65, who have built and sustained the Chicago program
over the years but are both “retiring” from their official
roles on the Chicago Committee. We are so thankful for
all that they’ve done for our program and, with their sup-
port, have successfully transitioned leadership and man-
agement of the program to a strong, diverse Committee.
This winter, Community Volunteers in Chicago will host
a thank-you dinner for all those involved in the program
this past year.
6
Sabrina Szeto ’12 and Diane Cho ’13, two fellows at the
Housing Development Fund, recently celebrated the
organization’s first energy efficiency loan. Sabrina has
been organizing workshops for families to learn about
saving energy and about available state rebates and
financing. She also had the opportunity to co-write a
proposal for a government-funded energy financing
program. The two have been working in Bridgeport to ad-
minister a survey that will track the impact of Neighbor-
works America, which works to create opportunities for
lower-income people to live in affordable homes in safe,
sustainable neighborhoods.
The fellowship year officially kicked off in August with
our kickoff event during which fellows got to know each
other better and hear valuable workplace advice from for-
mer fellow and Emerging Leader Shena Elrington '04.
See the photo below from the kickoff.
September's Welcome Dinner, graciously hosted by
Mike Robbins '55 and Lois Robbins s’55, was a great
opportunity for the fellows to mingle with one another as
well as meet mentors, the Steering Committee, and the
New York AlumniCorps community.
Fellows enjoyed a September Saturday afternoon
together taking the ferry to, exploring the landscape of,
and taking in the views from NYC's Governor's Island.
This year's seminar series began with a tour of Central
Park, thanks to Judy Hole Suratt s'55 and the Central
Park Conservancy. It was a beautiful October day for
walking through and learning about New York City's most
famous park. After the tour ended, fellows stayed in the
park to picnic and socialize.
November's seminar was an enlightening conversation
with DonorsChoose.org Founder and CEO, Charles Best,
who shared his experiences of creating his revolutionary
non-profit and his vision for how philanthropy will continue
to evolve given the advances in technology.
Katie Ko '09 joined Andrew Protain '08 as Co-Chair of
the New York Steering Committee. They look forward to
making the rest of the year a memorable one for the
fellows, and they are grateful for all the efforts of the rest
of the Steering Committee members, which include Scott
Taylor '75, Dominic Michel '70, Sam Suratt '55, Judy