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Fall
Message From the Office
CONTACT US:
215 Rackham
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Phone: 734-487-1612
E-mail:
nonprofit@emich.edu
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/
emu.nla
Website:
www.emich.edu/nonprofit
Winter 2013 Office
Hours
Monday 8am-2pm
Tuesday 8am-12pm
Thursday 8am-2pm
Friday 8am-12pm
Dr. Petrescu’s
Advising Hours:
Wednesday 9am-1pm
Thursday 9am—2pm
The Fall semester came and went fast! As we are preparing for the Winter semester, we are reflecting back on what we have done so far this academic year.
At the beginning of the semester we welcomed a new graduate assistant: AJ.
The students got a chance to network with Crystal Henry from the national office. The Board
meeting held in October re-emphasized the continuous commitment of the Advisory Board members to the program. Other activities this semester included preparations for the AMI conference,
a canned food drive, a social bowling event, a career planning talk with Bill Weatherston and a
dine to donate fundraiser.
These events could not have taken place without the hard work of Jennifer Rokakis, Michelle
Kuhar, Sammy Demarco and Craig Jefferson, student leaders. They have been involved in organizing different fundraising efforts, promoting the program and organizing volunteering efforts. All
students have been active in promoting the program. Their efforts materialized into a new promotional video found on our website and Facebook page.
The plans for the next semester are already well underway. The NLASA president, Jennifer
Rokakis, is already planning new events such as the swing dance fundraiser, laser tag fundraiser
and social event, and the 2013 Career Summit. We continue striving to make a difference in the
lives of our students and the community!
A big thank you to all of the active NLA Members, to our wonderful Advisory Board Members, to the EMU Area Community and all the organizations we have the pleasure to work with.
Have a wonderful holiday season! We look forward to seeing everyone in the new year!
Sincerely,
Claudia Petrescu , PhD, Campus Director
Arthur Cox, Graduate Assistant
Or By Appointment
Contact
cpetrescu@emich.edu to
set up appointments or
nonprofit@emich.edu
734-487-1612
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emich.edu/nonprofit
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nonprofit@emich.edu
CNP Certifications
NLA Mission and Advisory Board
Dr. Chris Wood Foreman
EMU
Laura Pipis
American Red Cross
Patty Jacobs Warner
Beaumont Foundation
Kelley Kuhn
Michigan Nonprofit Association
John Fike
Philanthropy Solutions, LLC
Laura Matney
Independent Consultant
Anne Seaman
Independent Consultant
Eddie Davis
EMU Foundation
Bill Reminder
THI
Theresa Dark
EMU
Mission Statement
“The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance is a
national alliance of colleges, universities
and nonprofit organizations dedicated
to educating, preparing and certifying
professionals to strengthen and lead
nonprofit organizations.”
NLA Advisory Board:
Caryn Charter
EMU
Char Luttrell
Ms. Molly Foundation
Cathi Duchon
YMCA
Diane Hockett
Independent Consultant
Mike Corbin
ACCESS
The Certified Nonprofit Professional certification is a nationally recognized credential
earned by completing the NLA Program. Certified alumni use the professional credential CNP
to denote their specialized skill-set in nonprofit
management and leadership. This semester four
students received their certification:
Kristen Alonzi, CNP
Mona Awad, CNP
Melanie Sears, CNP
Evelyn Shulan, CNP
Congratulations to our CNPs!
Introducing a new advisory board member:
This fall NLA had a new advisory board member join the team, Mike Corbin! Corbin is the Senior Program Manager for The Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) as well as a senior staff
member for the National Network for Arab American Communities. Mr.
Corbin has over 30 years of experience in volunteer program administration. He has worked in many community action agencies such as the
United Way, the American Red Cross and served as the Director of Training and Consulting for the Michigan Nonprofit Association.
Mr. Corbin earned his Masters Degree from Wayne State University in
Public Administration with a Certificate in Gerontology and attended
Michigan State University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts with Honors.
We would like to give a warm welcome to Mr. Corbin, and thank him for
serving on the Nonprofit Leadership Alliances Advisory Board!
Mike Corbin, ACCESS
NextGen Scholarship Winners!
NLA Student Association (NLASA)
Executive Board Officers
2012-2013 Board Officers
President— Jennifer Rokakis
Philanthropy and Civic Engagement
Coordinator— Brea Haywood
Two students received the very competitive Next Generation scholarship for
this academic year from the National NLA office. Funded by the Kellogg Foundation, the NextGen scholarship is awarded to students who show commitment and dedication to working in the nonprofit sector. Students received a
stipend of $4500 for their 300 hrs internship. Congratulations to Craig and
Mackenzie!
Craig Jefferson
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emich.edu/nonprofit
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Mackenzie Lake
nonprofit@emich.edu
Student Funders Project Update
In the Winter 2012 semester, the Nonprofit
Leadership Alliance had six students put on
their funders hat to award $6,000 dollars to
local nonprofit organizations for executive and
governance training. The Student Funders
group awarded $1,000 dollars per organization
to six nonprofits from Washtenaw County. The
funding was provided by Dr. George Cogar
(EMU alumn) and the NLA office.
great working with the Eastern Michigan University Nonprofit Leadership Alliance!”
Thompson, the director of YDT, wrote us: “We
used the money to organize a strategic planning meeting. We reviewed our mission and
Another recipient , the FLY Children’s Art Center
developed a new set of values, performed a
told us how they used the $1000 grant reSWOT analysis and found out a lot of useful
ceived: “We funded a series of classes over the
information about our strategic planning stratsummer in three separate sessions for the FLY
egy!” Jane was very happy to receive this fundBoard of Directors to help the group learn to be
ing. “We could not have considered this witha functioning board and work effectively.” Kaout the help of NLA, thank you so much for
tie Whitehouse, the Director of Fly also explains
making this possible!
These organizations used the funding in a vari- how this funding helps her organization long
ety of ways. The Interfaith Council for Peace
term: “Thanks to the generous support from
These testimonials indicate that the NLA stuand Justice worked with the Nonprofit EnterNLA we have been able to recruit new board
dents, and the NLA program, are making a
prise at Work (NEW Center) to improve their
members and develop fundraising strategies
difference in the community!
governance process. The Director of the Inter- for our organization. Thank you so much for
The next Student Funders group will start workfaith Council for Peace and Justice, Chuck War- your support, it has made a huge difference for
ing in January. We are all looking forward to
pehoski was thankful for the funding and the
us as a young organization!”
the next experience.
opportunity to work with NLA. “The Funds were
The Youth Dance Theatre of Michigan is anextremely helpful to our organization. It was
other organization that received funding. Jane
Getting ready for a successful career—Talk with Bill Weatherston
The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance hosted a talk with Bill Weatherston about life
after graduation. Mr. Weatherston is the Vice President of Harvey Hohauser and
Associates—Leaders in Executive Search, a headhunting firm. Bill has helped firms
find executives for nonprofit and business organizations for 24 years.
Using his career as an example. Mr. Weatherston explained to students what it
takes to be a successful professional and how to find their niche in the sector and
in an organization. Among the many lessons that he provided to the students is one
about the importance of having a passion. He told students “You need to find your
passion. If you don’t have a passion for the work you do, for the organization that
you are in, you will not be successful or happy.” Passion, in Mr. Weatherston’s
opinion, is the first component of a successful career.
Students were also provided with on overview of the sector’s employment trends
and with tips about finding their passion. Resume writing, interviewing techniques, the importance of networking, how to network, and
how to climb the career ladder were also discussed. Mr. Bill
Weatherston stated that now is the right time to start looking
for jobs in the sector. His most important statement, however,
was “For you to be successful in a nonprofit organization, you
need to do everything that a very successful executive in a forprofit organization does, but in high hills and dancing backwards, like Ginger Rogers did.”
Bill Weatherston
Bill Weatherston speaking to students on December 5th
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emich.edu/nonprofit
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nonprofit@emich.edu
Leadership Assessment Pilot Project
In an effort to better prepare our students, this semester the NLA office is running a pilot program. Seven students are in the process of taking a
leadership skills assessment test using The StrengthsFinder 2.0 Test developed by Tom Rath. This test identifies how students fare in four domains of leadership strengths, respectively in Executing, Influencing, Relationship and Strategic Thinking. Based on the scores obtained the students are provided with a list of actions to develop and apply their strengths .
Based on the results and how students feel about the importance of having their leadership skills tested as soon as they join the program, or
during their NLA experience, this test might become a fixture in preparing our students for successful completion of competencies.
NLA Student of the Semester: Craig Jefferson
This semester, it was an easy decision to nominate Craig Jefferson as the student of the
Semester. Craig has been very active with NLA, attending all of our activities and meetings
and really getting to know his fellow students in the program. Craig is also serving as the 2013
AMI Conference representative.
Craig has also helped with the promotion of NLA through tabling events, flier distribution
and event planning. He is very outspoken about the role NLA has played for him and his career.
As the AMI representative, Craig has been advocating for funding from the Student Government on campus to help our students attend the conference. His outstanding dedication
to NLA and his hard working attitude and spirit are the reasons he has been named the student of the semester!
NLA Reflection: Craig Jefferson
“NLA really means a lot to me because it has shown me they are
truly an organization that cares about the building up of the nonprofit
sector and the building up of future professionals who will enter the
sector. This is shown in numerous ways that I will mention and briefly
elaborate on.
NLA at EMU has been and continues to be extremely helpful to
me in regards to me meeting so many great people who share similar
interests and have a genuine heart to serve. Dr. Petrescu, a professor
at EMU who heads NLA, has personally meet with me on many occasions to discuss and help me with my class schedule, internship opportunities, career plans and opportunities, scholarship opportunities, AMI
Conference opportunities, and so much more.
This has been a win/win for me and the organization I’m interning
with. I was awarded scholarship funds that were greatly needed and
it’s allowing me the opportunity to work with a local grass root organization where I get hands on, real life experiences, and am able to make
a positive contribution to the organization with the many things I have
learned from EMU class lectures and studies in the sector.
In my quest for a professional career in the nonprofit sector, NLA
has and I believe will continue to be a great asset for me. Without NLA
at EMU I am not sure I would have ever had some of these excellent
opportunities, experiences, or have met some of the wonderful people
I have. “
Craig Jefferson—NLA Member
NLA Careers: Alia Sanders
An EMU NLA student and soon to be alumna, Alia Sanders was recently
hired as a volunteer coordinator at a local nonprofit program. RSVP is a
nation wide network of volunteers age 55 and older through the Corporation for National and Community Service. The purpose of RSVP is to
promote healthy living to retired seniors through community service.
RSVP utilizes the talents, skills, and experiences of older adults by putting them to work for many nonprofit organizations in their local communities. As an RSVP volunteer coordinator starting in January 2013,
Alia is responsible for the recruiting, screening, retaining, and the rec-
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ognition of senior volunteers. Alia must promote volunteer engagement by making sure volunteers are presented with meaningful volunteer opportunities.
Congratulations to Alia on this great opportunity!
emich.edu/nonprofit
Alia Sanders—NLA Member
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nonprofit@emich.edu
What NLA Offered Me—Kristen Alonzi, CNP
Kristen Alonzi, alumna, shared with us how NLA prepared her for a job: “After being hired as Assistant to the Director at
Special Ministries of Livingston County I attended their Advisory Board meeting to learn about their plans for a new big
event fundraiser, The Taste of Michigan. After a mere 10 minutes, I knew I had a lot to offer thanks to all of the learning
and experience under my belt that NLA provided via workshops, seminars, and my internship. I was able to contribute
in so many ways to the preparation, planning, organization, and management of the whole event! I am so grateful for
the hands-on experience during my NLA internship that gave me the confidence and knowledge to help make this organization's first big event fundraiser the most profitable they have ever had by $15,000." (Kristen Alonzi, December
2012)
Findings of the Cohen 2012 Research Grant
In Winter 2012 Melanie Sears and Sammy DeMarco began working on a research project funded by the national NLA office through the
Cohen Grant. They finished the work this semester. In collaboration with Dr. Petrescu, Melanie and Sammy analyzed how best to incorporate the
NLA internship experience into their other internship requirements. Many students have to complete two internships, one for their major or
minor program, and one for NLA. Using surveys and focus groups. Sammy and Melanie found that:
Students do not mind completing more hours of an internship as long as they gain benefits from it such as networking opportunities, financial compensation and real world experience that applies to the nonprofit sector.
Although students welcome reduced hours from their internship experience, they are not willing to sacrifice skills gained from working in a
nonprofit agency.
If their internships were combined with a government agency or for-profit agency to reduce the total number of hours at expense of nonprofit work experience, they generally prefer to just do two separate internships.
Most students do not have a problem with two internships if there is a financial incentive involved.
Students indicate they want expectations set before they begin their internships, in addition to support and feedback from their NLA campus director or internship coordinator.
Some academic programs cannot be integrated with the NLA requirements due to fixed curriculum requirements, but not always.
The research team recommends campus directors to create an internship resource model that helps support students through the internship
process. We recommend the development of collaborations between NLA Campus director and academic program internship coordinators in
order to integrate internships when applicable.
AMI 2013—Atlanta, here we come!
Every year the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance sends students to
the AMI Conference. The Alliance Management Leadership Institute is the
premier career development and networking conference for students interested in the nonprofit sector. The conference hosts students who are close
to graduation and ready to start a career in the nonprofit sector. Students
are able to attend workshops with nonprofit professionals and network
with recruiters looking to hire students.
This year the Eastern Michigan University Nonprofit Leadership
Alliance is sending six students to AMI: Garland Doyle, Kody Vitale, RoseAngele Mizose, Hayley Isenhour, Leslie Smith and Craig Jefferson. They will
be attending a variety of workshops such as Corporate Giving, Volunteer
Human Resource Management, Connecting to Your Community, Grant
Writing and Proposals, Talent Management and Leadership Development,
Nonprofit Career Planning, Inspiring Volunteers, and Program Evaluation
among others. Students will also be working with Atlanta area nonprofits to
perform case study analyses to gain hands—on experience in the nonprofit
sector while they are at AMI.
shops and case studies, our students are expecting to hear from leaders in
the nonprofit sector such as Stacey Steward, the President of United Way,
this year’s keynote speaker.
AMI is a valuable experience for our students. Through AMI
students develop leadership skills, volunteer and human resource management, governance and advocacy, cultural competency and learn about the
future of the nonprofit sector. Students who attend will be able to apply
the skills they learn at AMI to the situations and environment back home.
In addition to networking with students from the other NLA campuses, with nonprofit professionals, and developing skills through work-
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emich.edu/nonprofit
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nonprofit@emich.edu
Herron Scholarship and Endowment
Dates to remember in
2013
The Nonprofit Leadership Program is grateful to have
received an endowment for internships and scholarships.
The John C. Herron Philanthropy Fund provides each year
funding for a student to do a fundraising internship. Starting
in Fall 20 14, The John C. Herron Student Leadership Endowed Scholarship will provide a scholarship for an NLA
student who shows excellent leadership traits.
This academic year Michelle Kuhar is the first student
to work with the EMU Foundation as a recipient of the John
C. Herron Philanthropy Fund.
January 2-5
AMI / Atlanta Georgia
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John C. Herron, who created this endowment, graduated from EMU in 1941 and taught classes in Trenton Michi-
January 11
Advisory Board Meeting
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March 15
Advisory Board Meeting
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March 23rd
Career Summit
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April 19th
gan. He joined the Navy in 1942, and after his 23 year military career, he went on to work for ARAMARK for 28 years.
He remained a consultant for ARAMARK even after his retirement, and was honored by the EMU Alumni Association
with the “Distinguished Alumnus Award” in 2004. Mr.
Herron attributed much of his success in life to the education, leadership and training he received at EMU. He was a
strong supporter of students, of EMU and of connecting
students with the community. We are honored by his legacy
to EMU, and particularly to our NLA students!
Visit from the National NLA Office
This semester we had the pleasure of hosting a visitor from the National NLA office. Crystal Henry,
the new campus liaison for NLA campuses, visited us on Wednesday October 10. Crystal met with NLA students; and with Char Luttrell, advisory board member; Dr. Rhonda Longworth, Associate Provost; Tom Venner, Dean College of Arts and Sciences; Dr. Arnold Fleischmann, Department Head Political Science and Dr.
Greg Plagens, MPA director. Ms. Henry gained perspective on what it is like to be a NLA student at EMU and
got to learn how the program is serving students. A lengthy discussion with the NLA students informed Crystal about our work, the students’ successes and challenges, and provided her with suggestions on how to
strengthen the NLA student community. Students emphasized the need for the national office to be more pro
-active in connecting them with the nonprofit organizations that are affiliated with the program. Crystal discussed with us the work done by the national office to grow the program, and the efforts done to promote
the CNP certification nationwide. The visit also gave us a better understanding of the work done by the national NLA office. We are looking forward to the next visit from the national office!”
NLA and AS-L Yearly
Introducing the new Graduate Assistant!
Celebration
NLA Winter 2013 semester hours
Mondays 8am-2pm
Tue 8am-12pm
Thursday 8am-2pm
Friday 8am-12pm
Contact Info
Dr. Claudia Petrescu
Campus Director
cpetrescu@emich.edu
Arthur Cox
NLA Graduate Assistant
nonprofit@emich.edu
Hello! My name is AJ Cox, and I am the new Graduate Assistant in the NLA Office. I am really happy
to be here working with NLA, and I am very thankful to have the opportunity to do whatever I can to
help out!
brings as much excitement as the past one has.
Thanks for reading the newsletter, and I hope to
meet you soon!
-AJ Cox, Graduate Assistant // Nonprofit Leadership Alliance
I graduated with my Bachelors Degree this last
April in Political Science with a minor in Public Law
and Government and I enrolled in graduate school
this Fall. I am working on my Masters Degree in
Human Resource Management and Organizational
Development here at Eastern.
I have settled in this semester in the NLA office
and I am really enjoying everything I get to do as a
part of NLA. I hope that the coming semester
Have a great holiday! See you back in Winter 2013!
734-487-1612
NLA contact info:
215 Rackham
Ph: (734) 487-1612
Website: www.emich.edu/nonprofit
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emich.edu/nonprofit
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nonprofit@emich.edu