Eastern Michigan University
Nonprofit Leadership Alliance
Certified Nonprofit Professional Program*
2015 Spring Newsletter
*To learn more about the Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) process,
available internships, upcoming events, signature programs, and more, please
visit the NLA at EMU website at http://www.emich.edu/nonprofit or visit the national NLA website at http://www.nonprofitleadershipalliance.org.
It is never too early
to begin planning
your trip to the Alliance Management
Institute. Plan to
join us January 2016
(Pictured from left) Sophia Williams and Ebony Walls were joined by EMU
students Courtney Morris and Kyla Ford to represent EMU at the 2015 Insti- in...
tute in Salt Lake City, Utah.
As a 2014-15 NLA Student Association Executive Board member,
EMU Senior Sophia Williams (pictured above) had the opportunity
to attend a pre-conference invite-only event while in Salt Lake City.
NLA student officers from all over the country were given the chance
to engage in quick-fire one-on-one networking sessions with conference speakers.
What is the Student Funders Group (SFG)?
A group of EMU students who work together to:
(1) Analyze needs in the community
(2) Determine parameters for one or several mini grants
(3) Draft and disseminate a Request For Proposals
(4) Select the organization(s) who will receive funding
(5) Draft award and denial letters
(6) Appropriately disseminate the letters to the organizations who applied for the grant.
(7) Conduct a final review of the process
Student Funders Group members (pictured above from
left) Courtney Smith, Calvin Orr II, and Corson Nikkel
work together to create a Request For Proposals.
With funding provided by the EMU
Student Government and the NLA program, the members of the 2015 Student
Funders Group chose to award five
mini-grants worth $1000 each to
nonprofit organizations in the Ypsilanti or Detroit area. In order to be
considered, the organizations needed
to offer goods and/or services to
youth as part of their regular programming.
With the goals of offering more local
professional development and networking opportunities to NLA students and
local nonprofit professionals of all experience levels, we resolved to expand our
annual Career Summit to include more
time for networking and added workshops available for competency building. So, with the theme of ’Transitions’
in mind, the NLA Nonprofit Leadership and Career Development
Conference was born!
Doubling the amount of workshops
available, moving the event to the EMU
Student Center, utilizing EMU Event
Planning catering services for lunch,
and giving away nonprofit resource
books as part of a lunchtime raffle all
proved to be good choices leading to a
successful event.
To help ease some of the growing pains that were naturally expected when expanding the conference , NLA staff recruited two Communication Capstone students who assisted with
research, marketing, facilitation and final assessment of conference activities.
EMU Seniors Antara and Nicole (pictured above) proved to be a big help in getting the word out
about this great event. We look forward to working with Communication Capstone students in
the future!
It is always great to have alumni
back for a visit! The current NLA
students love it when alumni take
the time to talk with them and
share their experiences. The alumni perspective always proves to be
invaluable as they help shed some
light on both the realities and the
possibilities in the nonprofit sector.
The contributions of our alumni
are appreciated a great deal!
(Pictured rom left) Alum Kody Vitale, Senior Jared Jeffries, Alum Craig Jefferson, and Alum Daryl Holman, Jr. take an opportunity to catch up before lunch.
After an engaging opening keynote by Ypsilanti Mayor Amanda Edmonds titled Transitions: Engaging and Empowering Your Career in the Nonprofit Sector, participants had the
chance to ask a few questions before all were then directed to one of two workshops available.
Students and professionals who were new to the sector chose to hear Tanya Morris, Founder
and President of Abayomi Community Development Center, give some great insight
about what to consider if/when starting a nonprofit. More seasoned nonprofit professionals
joined EMU Professor and NLA Advisory Board member John Fike to consider the future of the nonprofit sector in Michigan, the United States, and in the world.
Everyone took a little time for networking, and then the group split again to hear about a new
trend in social entrepreneurship from CASE Assistant Director of External Community
Partnerships, Jake Albers or to join Capacity Building Manager for NNAAC and NLA
Advisory Board member Mike Corbin as he navigated through the ins and outs of the nonprofit board.
Lunch proved to be an encouraging journey through the nonprofit experience of an NLA alum.
Arika Lycan (Interfaith Hospitality Network at Alpha House), Daryl Holman, Jr.
(EMU Graduate Student), Abigail Wright-Geddes (Northville Art House), and Craig
Jefferson (Goodwill of Greater Detroit) were joined by former Student Association
President Kody Vitale and NLA Advisory Board member Diane Hockett to offer some
words of wisdom and answer any questions students might have about what to expect or how to
prepare for the next phase in their nonprofit management journey.
Closing the day with an enthusiastic and engaging session on Personal and Professional Networking, Consultant and CMTA lecturer Carrie Madison encouraged students to value
gratitude and generosity when navigating any networking opportunity.
The feedback we received from conference participants was incredibly positive!
We hope you plan on joining us next
year!
Tanya Morris of Abayomi Community Development
Corporation in Detroit stops to answer a few questions
about the realities of starting a nonprofit.
New Adventures for Graduate Assistant, Colleen Cartwright
As a theatre teaching artist and practitioner, I am moved a great deal by stories. When I am
talking with you, an NLA student, and you get to that part of your story that makes you come
alive, whether it is a service need or project that is dear to your heart, or something you have
learned or experienced recently that has changed how you view the world and your place in it, I
truly feel privileged to be part of that moment. In the two years I have served as Graduate Assistant for the NLA at EMU, I have been transformed by your stories, and I am grateful to all of
you for sharing them with me. I know the world is a better place because you are in it.
I thank you, Dr. Petrescu and Dr. Kindred, for giving me the opportunity to venture into new
territory in marketing and management. Your encouragement, guidance, and accountability
has helped foster a higher sense of confidence and professionalism that will serve me well as I
continue my own nonprofit journey.
I am especially indebted to the members of the NLA Advisory Board. I spent two years
watching, listening, researching and gaining an incredible amount of insight and edification
from your consistent presence and investment in this organization. Thank you for your continued respect and generosity towards everyone involved in this organization.
Best of luck to all!
Future MFA and CNP,
Colleen Cartwright
NLA Advisory
Board:
Cheryl Aubuchon
Lecturer, EMU
Caryn Charter
ORD, EMU
Mike Corbin
National Network for
Arab American Communities
Theresa Dark
General Education
program, EMU
John Fike
Philanthropy Solutions, LLC
Dr. Chris Wood
Foreman
General Education
program, EMU
Diane Hockett
Consultant
Kimberly Kopka
COB, EMU
Barbara Nies-May
SafeHouse Center
Laura Pipis
Lecturer, EMU
Bill Reminder
THI
Final Note from 2014-15 Interim Director
Dr. Jenny Kindred
"Wow this year has flown by! I have thoroughly enjoyed my
time as interim director of the NLA. I got to know engaged
students, active board members, and supportive NLA advocates and partners (both on campus and off). I am so grateful to all those who helped guide me as I learned how to direct such a complex yet rewarding program: in particular
Claudia Petrescu who trusted me to sit in her chair for a year
and who gave me great latitude in making decisions and initiating new and innovative ideas. I am also thankful for the
knowledge, new ideas and assistance provided by second
year GA, Colleen Cartwright. I wish her well as she moves on
to new challenges!
Running the NLA is truly a collaborative endeavor; we are
fortunate to get advice and support from the advisory board,
support from CAS and other entities on campus, ideas from
students, and support from the National NLA office. The efforts of many led to an enhanced career development conference, new marketing materials, increased support for students traveling to conferences, and a revised CNP for Professionals program. I certainly look forward to seeing what this
program, and the NLA students, accomplish together in the
coming years."
-Dr. Kindred
Nonprofit Leadership Alliance at EMU
332/A King Hall ~ Ypsilanti MI 48197
Phone: 734-487-1612
Email: nonprofit@emich.edu
Website: www.emich.edu/nonprofit
Facebook: facebook.com/emu.nla
Twitter: @emunla