My favorite part of YNPN conferences is sharing the board experience with others. This year, the chairs of the San Francisco chapter organized a session just for board chairs “Herding Cats”. And it was amazing.

Next month, YNPN Chicago starts nominations for the next Executive Co-Chair. The person we elect will help lead the organization from 2010-2012, a pair of crucial years in our development. It will include decisions around celebrating our 10th anniversary, building a stable revenue stream, and defining what it means to be a YNPN Chicago “member”.

I have served on the board for almost 4 years, and spent 2 of those as Executive Co-Chair. The biggest lesson I have learned about leadership is also the corniest. It’s about love. It really is.

Sentiments aside, a good leader has to love themselves and love other people. To support the other members of the board, I’ve had to get past my own issues. When we’re trying to run an ambitious set of programs or submit our first grant proposal, there isn’t room for my ego or insecurities. I have to feel confident in my skills and be comfortable with admitting my faults.

I want the very best for each of my board members, even when that means that serving on the YNPN Chicago board is no longer in the cards. The people on our team should feel like they can be honest in their conversations and vulnerable in their requests for help.

Of course, there’s always a level of excellence that needs to be set for the entire group. But I never worry about that. The people involved with YNPN, in Chicago and around the country, are some of the smartest, most hard-working, most loyal people I’ve ever met.

It was clear that every board chair in the room shared these qualities of excellence, confidence, and genuine interest in the success of others. They were warm, they were engaged, they were smart.

Our conversation was facilitated into a problem-solving exercise, where we analyzed the specific issues facing one chapter. By working through that specific issue, we were able to address the issues that affect all of us, including managing an all-volunteer board that often needs to operate at the level of staff.

What did we take away from the time we spent together?

• Give board members a chance to give you their feedback on a regular basis. And listen.
• Make a public plan for your work together, and hold each other accountable.
• Document your decision making guidelines so everyone is on the same page.
• Use board meetings to discuss real issues, and find other channels for reporting the mundane business of the board.

Sorry I can’t be too specific. We did agree to confidentiality once we shut the door.

YNPN Chicago members bring up mentoring at every chance they get: in surveys, in focus groups, in chats at events. At our 2008 national conference, YNPN chapters discussed different kinds of mentoring, big-M Mentoring and little-m mentoring. We agreed that formal mentor relationships (big-M Mentoring) are few and far between, but that informal mentor relationships (little-m mentoring) are available to everyone and should be valued and developed.

I have many little-m mentors in my life. They are people whom I admire for specific reasons, usually for their strength in areas where I feel underdeveloped. One is very talented with bringing creative solutions to a discussion, and encouraging others to be creative. One is skilled at handling difficult situations with diplomacy and tact. I seek their opinions from time to time, and our relationship is friendly and informal.

I am now embarking on a formal big-M Mentoring program. My mentor and I were paired according to our backgrounds and interests. After our first meeting, I admire her quite a bit, especially the way she embraces the concept of a full life. Because no matter how hard I work on my career or the nonprofit sector, I also value my family, personal relationships and well-being.

But what do I want from a Mentor?

• A sounding board. I’d appreciate a different perspective on the issues I’m struggling with, especially from someone who has no conflict of interest by being a co-worker, but who still understands the nonprofit sector and might have some  personal experience to bring to the discussion.
• Perspective from another generation. I spend most of my time working with people my own age, between YNPN and my co-workers. The executive level staff in the nonprofit sector is 20 – 30 years older than me, and I sometimes feel illiterate in their language. As much as I love new media projects, they’re often very hard to explain to a senior leader who is quite a bit older than me. I would love to learn more about the generation who entered the nonprofit sector in the 70s and 80s.
• Inspiration. I love working for nonprofits, but I feel myself hitting a wall. How much longer can I struggle to fix the world’s problems? What has helped keep other nonprofit staff involved for so long? Everyone is unique, but in sharing with each other, we can find our own solutions.

April 8 – 10
Nonprofit Technology Conference

Easily my favorite conference of the year, this will be my fourth time attending! Looking forward to connecting with old pals and making new connections.

• Flickr Stream
• Tweets from Sessions
• Slideshare of Presentations
• Google Docs Folder of Notes

April 22 -23
Young Nonprofit Professionals Network Leaders Conference

I was sad to miss last year’s conference (it conflicted with NTC), after attending 2 years in a row. This is my last year as a YNPN Chicago board member, and I am excited to gather once more with YNPN leaders from around the country. Three board members from the Chicago chapter will be presenting on board development and the leadership pipeline.

• YNPN Conference Blog
• Tweets (#ynpn10)
• Coverage: “How Charities Can Groom Young Leaders“

May 13
“Creating Extraordinary Solutions in Extraordinary Times“, Axelson Center at North Park University

This will be my 2nd year attending the Symposium and I am looking forward to connecting with more nonprofit professionals from around Chicago and the Midwest. I will be moderating two sessions:

• Working with a Global Mission
• Must-Have Technologies

June 9 – 10
Making Media Connections

This will be my 3rd year attending MMC! Community Media Workshop does a wonderful job of presenting quality programming for Midwest nonprofit professionals. I’m also excited to be presenting and facilitating a sesion.